11 Months

And the boy walks! Well, he's trying, at least. He coasts along holding on to the side of his crib, or the couch, or the wall but today he started taking a few steps unaided. 

He has also started to say mmmmama. Finally! After months of babababa, dadadada and papapapa. He is also making "t" sounds but not as frequently. 

I'm so blessed to be able to have spent the last 11 months watching him grow. From a teeny newborn baby, with me and +3 trying to figure out this parenting thing, to a little boy who loves laughing and has a cheeky grin on his face that melts your heart. 

Need to get him to be more adventurous with food though. He's rather picky and will purse his lips and turn his head if he doesn't want to eat. On the other hand, it's mouth WIDE open when he does. 

One more month and we're off for our first holiday as a family. I'm excited! 

Chatty Little Boy

It's 2.30am and babyAC is lying in bed next to me. I just finished nursing him, and put him back down and instead of falling back asleep, he opens his eyes and smiles at me. *heart melt* 

Then he starts babbling softly. "Bababa bababa bababababa." And then starts blowing raspberries. "Pppffffbbffftttt." And then starts clapping his hands, while his eyes slowly flutter to sleep. He babbles a little more and I pat him on his bum. Wonder what he is saying hehe. 

He's finally drifted off to sleep and he's pulled off the blanket. I love watching him sleep. :) 

Two Years!

It's drawing to the end of the year, and since +3 hadn't taken any annual leave yet, he decided to take this entire week off. Whee! 

Took the parents out on Monday. My dad wanted to eat some wonton mee that was famous in Balestier a long, long time ago (which is now run by the daughter of the old couple that  used to sell it). Made our way to Balestier for lunch, and found the stall in the food court of one of the new malls there. 

I didn't try the noodles, but the old man was happy so objective achieved. 

Booked tickets to see Lulu the Movie, but the show was in the evening so we all went back home to rest first. Nanny babysat babyAC while +3 and I had a double date with the parents. 

Dinner at Dian Xiao Er is always enjoyable. I think I only started eating duck more cos of Dian Xiao Er. Heheh. Went to the cinema and thoroughly enjoyed the movie! 

Me to papa: 不错哦！ (Not bad huh)

Papa: 很好看！ (Very good to watch!) 

Thumbs up from everyone. 

Had a quick McDonalds "supper" (Papa: I don't mind having McDonalds) and went back home. 

It was our 2nd wedding anniversary on Tuesday. We had initially planned to have dinner at The Halia at Raffles Hotel but they were not replying my emails on making reservations, so we decided to go to Lawry's for lunch instead. 

Lawry's is another place that we know we will enjoy, and this meal was made even happier because we brought babyAC with us. Even though he's too young to eat the prime rib, he had fun charming the wait staff with his ready grin and infectious laugh. 

A quick trip to Kinokuniya and Spotlight, where +3 offered to buy me anything I wanted in Spotlight for my Christmas present. "Anything" is a dangerous term to throw around when offering to buy something for someone! 

Thankfully I'm not evil and didn't really need or want anything. 

Today (Wednesday) is 冬至 (winter solstice). We spent a lazy day at home, before heading to the parents' place for dinner and tang yuan. 

A few more days of our "holiday" left! 

Scaling The Great Wall That Is Our Bed

We've removed one side of babyAC's crib and moved his crib next to my side of the bed. BabyAC likes this arrangement, I guess cos it doesn't make him feel like he's all caged in. So he sleeps in his crib now, and it's easy for me to reach over and pick him up if he needs to nurse (yay almost making it to a year!) at night or has nightmares. 

These couple of days, though, the little one has discovered the fine art of climbing. He's figured out how to climb onto our bed from his crib and now we've got to teach him how to climb back down safely. 

Tonight, he woke up and decided to wake me up by climbing on top of me. Thankfully I managed to hold on to him before he lost his balance and tumbled back down to his crib. 

The boy is growing up so fast! 

Conversations With The Dad

This afternoon, my dad decided to tell me about how lousy Chinese made movies are. 没有水准 (no standard), he says. 

A recent movie he watched was about a husband and wife. The wife was a CEO of a big company, and the husband had to go overseas for a work trip for a month. Apparently that was a long time to be apart and the wife was feeling frisky, and so asked her husband whether she could get a sex toy. The husband agreed and apparently her office got wind of her buying a sex toy and it caused some scandal or something. 

Dad: Haiya one month only, cannot wait meh? 

Me: Maybe they do it few times every day, then one month feels like very long lor. 

Dad: Some couples few days, few weeks, few months never do lor. 

Me: Different couples different mah. (Why are we having this conversation?) 

Dad: Shows that her mind cannot control. Haiya. 

Me: Huh?

Dad: Anyway if she is lonely no need to buy sex toy mah. If need to satisfy, just go to her bedroom and day dream lor. 

Yup. There you go. The conversations I have with my dad. 

Is This The Beginning Of Sleeping Through The Night?

The little one slept from 10+pm all the way to 5am! Do I dare hope that this is the beginning of sleeping through the night?

We removed one side of his crib yesterday, and pushed the crib to my side of the bed since he still needs support to stand up and can't walk around on his own yet. This was done because we wanted him to learn to sleep in his own bed, but he didn't seem to like sleeping in the crib when it had all four sides up.

With this new set up, he could pull himself up to stand easily, yet didn't feel caged in so was quite happy to be in his crib and playing with his toys or standing up supporting himself on our bed (since his mattress was lower than ours).

Yippie!

And.... it's already December! Omg. The little one is already 10 months old and soon we'll be taking him on his first flight to Indonesia. How exciting. We wanted to plan a quick December getaway but since it was such a last minute idea, everything was too expensive so it didn't make sense to spend so much for just a few days.

We'll probably go around locally with the parents (grandparents) to eat and play tourist hehehe.

Feeling Blessed

The little one is almost 10 months old! Oh my, how time flies huh. He's a really great kid, who is ready to give a happy shriek when he sees his daddy (he's actually said baba, dada, papa), gong gong, lola and nanny.

Was reading on facebook about how one of my gf's kid is sick. It's inevitable once the kid starts going to childcare, since they are faced with so many other kids with all kinds of germs passing from one to the other. With the limited exposure babyAC is getting, since he isn't in any pre-school yet, his health has been pretty good. We're blessed.

He's started sounding words, and I think he's trying to say "apple". It sounds more like eh-ba though. Still waiting for him to say mama.

And we've gotten his passport done! He was a champ and nailed the passport photo on the first try. Handsome boy la. So we're ready to go for our first trip to Indonesia on his birthday. (Maybe we can squeeze in a short getaway this year? *looks at +3*)

I'm also quite pleased that he doesn't have a million, billion toys. He's got a rabbit rattle, a stuffed dinosaur (or is it a dragon), a dragon hand puppet, a set of stacking cups, those shape sorting blocks, a "piano" thing that was part of a play gym from when he was smaller, a handphone, and a toy walkman which plays different tunes when you press the buttons. Oh and a few bath toys as well.

Ok it sounds more than I imagined but I know parents who buy a lot more stuff. Plus I think these toys will last for quite a while, and we don't buy stuff that often anyway. I prefer buying books instead, and the little one has a few that he likes: The Very Hungry Caterpillar as well as The Gruffalo.

I think I've gotten his schedule figured out too. He wakes up at about 7ish, when +3 is about to go to work. So sometimes we laze in bed, or sometimes we send daddy to the door. Sometimes he wakes at 6ish for a feed, and I try to get him to sleep for another hour or so. These days he's been waking up at about 8am.

We then have breakfast, and I'll have some oats and he will have his cereal. I give him a slice of toast to chew on occasionally but he usually likes squishing it in his hands instead. Then we lie in bed reading, or I'll put him in his playpen while I do some laundry. We play for an hour or two, and he is ready for nap by 9ish.

On good days he sleeps for 2 hours, but it's usually an hour or hour and a half. Wake up, and play some more, walking around in his crib or crawling in bed or on the playmat in his room. If nanny comes over, she usually bathes him (otherwise I just bathe him at night).

I prepare lunch, and depending on how tired he is, we usually play or walk around the house, or read more books, or sometimes watch youtube videos (exercise while babywearing!) till it's time for nap. His afternoon naptime ranges from 1ish to 3ish, but usually he is out by 2pm.

In the afternoon, I prepare dinner and then we play in his room or in bed. Sometimes I'll take a walk downstairs with him in my carrier. Or if I'm not too lazy I take him out to the shops. Usually if I go out, I'll make plans to meet +3 after work so we can have dinner outside.

After dinner, +3 spends some time playing with babyAC and then we get him ready for his evening bath at about 8ish. I shower with him, +3 gets him ready and dressed in his pajamas, and then when I'm done with my shower, I feed him and get him to sleep. If he's still not too tired, we let him play till he gets abit cranky (tired) and then get him to sleep. Usually he's out by 9ish, sometimes 10ish.

He still doesn't sleep through the night and tends to wake for feeding at about midnight, 2ish and 6ish. Frankly, I'm so super glad I'm not working so I'm able to be there for him all the time.

Anyway, I can't imagine that this time last year I was wobbling around with a big belly. The little one isn't that little anymore and hopefully our family of three will be blessed to be a family of four (or five?).

No, not pregnant yet though. Praying, praying. Hehehe.

9.5 Months and Other Updates

Quick update on the little one. His fourth, fifth and sixth teeth are coming out!

He can also walk if he's got something to hold on to for support, and currently we've only let him stand up on his own if he is in the crib or playpen (or if we are holding on to him).

He is getting better at taking solids, and quite enjoys his rice cereals. He still loves bananas and will open his mouth wide to chomp off a bite.

My brother came to town last weekend to attend KH's wedding. +3 was away on a business trip to China so I was staying with my parents for a couple of days, but went back home to wait for my brother after he arrived late Thursday night (Friday morning).

KH picked him up from the airport and he met up with the guys for a bit before heading to my place. And he came with prata and teh tarek! Had a quick chat while I stuffed my face and went to bed after.

Went to the parents place on Friday to kill time before we had dinner with the relatives. Went to the mall and walked around, and had a nice catch up. +3 joined us after he arrived from his trip.

Sat was KH's wedding so we didn't do much with my brother. It was a morning reception and he came back in the afternoon and we headed to Ah Dong tea house by the river for dinner. Took a night stroll along the river after.

My brother was flying back on Sunday so we went to the parents place early morning for brekkie and then off to the airport he went.

I love that babyAC really enjoyed playing with my brother and I love that they seemed to have a good time together. Makes me miss that my siblings are all on different continents. But that's how it is.

Midnight Movie Binging

Oooh what a night! Came over to my parent's place for dinner. Mom was out for her line dancing class, and we weren't particularly hungry, so everyone decided to wait till she came back so we could eat together. Had dinner at almost 8pm, and as usual, watched some TV at the same time. 

The Omen was showing, so we stayed a little later than usual to finish watching the movie, while my nanny helped to take care of babyAC (yay!). According to my dad, the original movie was much better than the one we watched.

The next movie that was showing on TV was Nightcrawler. It had a pretty good rating on IMDB so I asked +3 if we could stay a bit later to watch the movie. The baby was sleeping so we continued watching the show. 

It was quite enjoyable, but by the time it ended, it was close to midnight so my dad suggested that we stay the night. Since we weren't going anywhere, dad and I channel surfed (the next movie showing was The Arena, which was apparently really crappy), and watched some Hong Kong movie called Curry & Pepper. Turns out it's an action comedy type show with Stephen Chow and Jacky Cheung. 

Three movies in one night! Plus we watched Spirited Away and Totoro at home in the morning. Wah that's FIVE movies. What a treat! 

Wait, It's November Already?

In the blink of an eye, October passed by and we're left with 2 more months of 2016. This October.. 

- We went to my parent's place to countdown to my birthday. Had cake at midnight and made an impromptu decision to stay the night since it was way past babyAC's bedtime. It had been a while since we did something spontaneous like that. The cake (mango something) was yummy and not too sweet and with everyone having 2 slices, there weren't any leftovers. 

- Took the parents out for lunch at Dian Xiao Er at Waterway Point to celebrate my birthday. Good food which everyone enjoyed. Walked around for a bit after and the parents went home while +3 and I got ourselves a toaster. TOAST! 

- babyAC has learnt to stand up by himself by pulling himself up in the crib. He has since learnt how to walk by slowly inching across the rails, holding it for support. Now that he can stand up and sort of walk around, we put him in the crib before bed to make him exhausted so he falls asleep faster. 

- As a "birthday present", +3 said that babyAC could sleep in the bed with us for the month. I realised that I can't really go through with CIO sleep training, so I still rock and pat babyAC to sleep now. It may take him longer to learn how to sleep on his own, but I'm sure he will get there soon enough. 

- BabyAC's two front teeth have cut through! He now has 4 teeth and happily flashes his pearly whites while smiling. He now says bababababa and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh and sometimes chuckles (hehehe) too. Still trying to get him to say mama! 

- Had an appointment with the pediatrician and she is happy with his growth and development. He isn't putting on as much weight because he is a lot of physically active now, but otherwise all is well. He can clap his hands too! 

- Metamorphoenix celebrated her 50th birthday at 1-altitude and we went to join in the celebrations. Mum made a purple bat-hat so that babyAC would have something to fit the theme of the party, Deep Purple. Didn't stay long but it was nice to be able to share the happy day with her. 

- Some of the neighbours organised a halloween gathering at the outdoor dining facility. Kids got dressed up and we prepared treats to give away. Perfect chance to reuse the bat-hat. Hehehe. Nice to get to know our neighbours and hopefully we will get to organise more get-togethers in the future. 

Think that is mostly it. Time is passing so quickly! 

8 months!

Eeks time really flies. I have friends who delivered their babies after me who are already going back to work, and I cannot imagine how that must feel. I'm sososososososo thankful that I am able to stay home to look after babyAC. 

Anyway, a quick update. 

- We're trying sleep training and it takes him about half an hour to get to sleep. About 3 hours later, he wakes up once for a feeding, then manages to sleep for another 6 hours or so till the morning. He has another feed, and sleeps for another hour or two. 

- He can crawl forward now, but still not fully on his arms and legs. He'll put his head down, and scoot his legs forward, and his arms pushes him forward when he lifts his head. Heheh. However, his preferred mode of getting around is by "walking". He still can't balance himself, but he loves when we hold him up so he can "walk" around. His legs are constantly kicking too. 

- He loves his fruit, especially banana, papaya, and durian. Apple makes him poop so we feed him applesauce when he hasn't done a poo in a few days. He's ok with vegetables like carrots and brocoli, but I have to admit I've stopped making veg purees and just steam them. Sometimes when I eat yong tau fu, I may give him some of the cooked soy beans which he likes too. 

- It's time to shop around for a pre-school for when he turns 18 months. I'm still undecided at what age we want to put him in a pre-school, but probably somewhere between 18-24 months. The waitlists are long though, since there are so many young families around here. 

- Still no signs of any more teeth, but he is using the two little lower teeth to good use. He can bite off (scrape off, rather) little chunks of food, leaving little dents in whatever we feed him. It's quite cute. 

- The babbling! He now says bababa quite a lot, sometimes hababa. I'm still waiting for him to say mama. Hehehe. He's startes blowing raspberries again, so sometimes he'll start going ppfffbbbtttt and his face will be covered in saliva. 

Can't imagine that he has been outside of my belly for almost the same amount of time that he's been inside, and that's so amazing. I'm so blessed to have this wonderful family.  

Sleep Training

Ah. Sleep training. There are so many different schools of thought with varying methods on how to go about this. But one thing was common, it's important for your baby to learn how to fall asleep on his own at some point. 

The past one or two weeks have been quite rough at night. Not sure why babyAC wasn't sleeping as well, and would wake up crying and would require a lot more soothing and rocking to get him back to sleep. And he was waking up more and more frequently, almost every hour. I was exhausted and he wasn't getting enough sleep. Even his naps were getting shorter, and while he was still a happy and energetic baby in the day, he was getting really cranky in the evenings. 

I attempted to sleep train him on Wednesday night using the Ferber method. The idea was to let the baby cry for 3 minutes, then soothe him, and if he cried again to wait for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes. I waited 3 minutes, then 5, then broke down crying at the third set after only a minute or two. Told +3 that I couldn't take his crying and ran back into the room to hold him. 

It's tough! 

He didn't sleep well, and while I couldn't bear to see him cry, I was also worried that he would get too used to being picked up the moment he started crying. Not really a good habit to cultivate. 

We read about the Weissenbluth method, which was a cry-it-out method that really seemed harsh. No going in to comfort the baby, because repeatedly going back in would keep escalating the baby's crying when he sees you. +3 felt that this was a better method to adopt. 

Last night, babyAC was fussy. We did his usual bedtime routine of a bath and massage, and tried to put him down to sleep. He cried for a bit and I tried leaving him, but finally gave in to nurse him and he fell asleep. However an hour later he was awake and crying. 

+3 said to let him cry so I left the room, bracing myself. It was probably one of the hardest things I've done as a mother, hearing my baby cry and not comforting him. I was sobbing on the couch while +3 was comforting me. Twenty to twenty five minutes later, the crying subsided and babyAC was "singing" his sleep-song (long waaaaaaa waaaaaaa waaaaaaa sounds) and half an hour after he started crying it was silent in the room. We went in to check and he had fallen asleep! 

He slept for 5 hours and woke up, and I nursed him, and put him back in his crib. And he went right back to sleep for another 4.5 hours and is still sleeping. Woohoo! 

I don't know if how long this is going to take but I'm glad he is getting a few hours of sleep at a stretch again. Let's hope he sleeps better and easier! 

Out of Sorts

Sleep deprivation is an interesting thing to experience. Today, I paid my credit card bill twice, took a video of my receipts when I was planning to take a picture, and gave babyAC an empty sippy cup. I need to sleep. 

Run!

Woah it's been yonks since I did any actual exercise (before pregnancy perhaps?) and today I decided to go downstairs and either run or swim. I'm not as exhausted these days taking care of babyAC, and my nanny comes over to help on weekdays so I figured that I don't have any excuse not to use the facilities here. Especially since we are paying a pretty penny for maintenance. 

It started to drizzle so a swim wasn't a very good idea. Dusted off my running shoes instead, dug up my running clothes and headed downstairs. 

For a first run in forever, I think I did pretty OK. Completed about 3.6km in half an hour, inclusive of warm up and cool down walking. I'm knackered and my legs feel like jelly, and I'm about to pass out soon, but I'm glad I did it. Now let's try to do this more often! 

I've Become A Butt Sniffing Mom!

Before babyAC, I used to look at moms who sniffed their babies bottoms and wonder why in the world anyone would want to check for baby poo by smelling it. But of course now that I'm a mom, I've diacovered that it's way easier and faster to sniff a bum than find a clean place to lay the baby down, undo his onesie and then take a peek through the side of his diaper to see if he did a poo or not. 

I've become a butt sniffing mom. 

Ah well, such is life. 

The little has also peed on me twice this weekend, right before taking him into the shower, while I brush his teeth. He even had a cheeky smile when he did it today. Lol. 

Anyway, he is 7 months old now and can roll roll roll so we've gotta be really careful so he doesn't roll off our bed. He is also learning how to crawl, sometimws moving backwards instead of front. He can sit up unassisted, although he tends to plonk himself forward, or to the side if he is in his high chair.

He loves bananas, and I suspect it is because of all the bananas I ate during my pregnancy. Heehee. He is ok with most solids that I give him- pea puree, steamed carrots, steamed brocolli, pumpkin puree, rice porridge with spinach, avocado, blueberry, even greek yogurt (not a huge fan but he will eat sole of it). The one food he absolutely doesn't like? Sweet potato. I'm so sad! But more sweet potatoes for me instead. Hur hur. 

+3 is traveling to China for four days so we'll be staying at my parents' place during that timw. More hands to help me with babyAC. 

Mmm I'm sure there is more to say but it's 1am and I'm sleepy. Maybe more another time.. zzz. 

Almost 7 Months

BabyAC spent the three nights when I was away at my parents' place. He usually refuses to take the bottle when I have to go to work and will sometimes wait for me to get back, but drinks when he is very hungry and cannot tahan anymore. During the time he was with my parents, he figured out soon enough that I was away and stopped resisting the bottle. Smart boy!

Was so nice to come back home and see +3 and him (actually +3 picked me up at the airport). I had to resist the urge to wake him up and smother him with kisses. I was a little worried that he'd not want to nurse once he was used to the bottle, but thankfully he latched on as well as he always has. 

He is almost 7 months old! Time really flies. Here are some updates: 

- He has started on some solids, once a day. He has taken peas, pumpkin, brown rice porridge, sweet potato, carrots, banana, avocado, fish, spinach and even a little bit of bread. 

- He can sit up by balancing himself with his arms on the floor (tripod) and is getting steadier day by day. Once he can sit up better, we'll be getting a high chair for him. 

- He has also learned to get himself onto his hands and knees, and tries to crawl but usually ends up swaying back and forth on the spot, or moving backwards somehow. 

- You can feel his lower teeth cutting through his gums! Poor boy has been rather irritable and now I know why. Thankfully he likes his teether and that seems to give him some comfort. 

- After shaving his hair three times, we're finally going to try to grow it out. His hair is slightly thicker in some places and he seems to have a bald patch at the back of his head hehe. 

- It's the seventh month (hungry ghost month) so I've been rather paranoid about keeping him indoors in the evenings. Instead of dropping him off at my parents' place and having dinner there when I'm done with any work meetings, I've asked my nanny to come over to babysit for this month. Interestingly, a lot of people didn't think I was so superstitious, but better to be safe than sorry I say. 

He is generally a happy boy, who is relatively friendly and charms most people who meet him. He reserves his heartiest laughs for his father and always gives +3 the biggest grins whenever he comes back home at the end of the day. 

Everyday I look at my little family and I'm so thankful for all the blessings and happiness that I've been given. :) 

Sydney!

One more sleep and I'll be flying back home (well, half more, seeing how it's 4am here / 2am SG time... waitaminute, it's 5am/3am already?!). I'm sitting here in my hotel room eating my third pear, cos I bought a box of pears at Coles and I'm trying to finish them before I head home.

Arrived in Sydney at about 5am on Thursday, and took a cab to the hotel (North Sydney Harbourview Hotel). Got there at about 6am, which was way too early to check in, but the hotel staff were nice enough to let me use their boardroom which had an attached bathroom so that I could change and freshen up and pump.

Left my bags at the hotel and walked out to find a cafe to have breakfast. Most cafes open at 7am and I managed to find one that was on the way to the office. Had myself a nice hot cup of coffee, and an avocado tomato cheese sandwich. It was still early and I had another hour and a half to kill, so I walked some more, enjoying the cold weather. Stopped at the cafe which was at the office building and had a second breakfast - vegemite on toast because Australia. Lol.

Went to the office and saw P, who introduced me to the office folks and offered to take me sightseeing on Friday night. Spent the day in training, and thankfully the hotel was a 5-7 minute walk from the office so I could head baack at lunch time and pump. There was a Coles on the way so I grabbed some muesli bars and a bottle of coconut water to munch on the way back to the office.

Ended the day pretty early (compared to Singapore) at about 4.30pm, and decided to go for a walk around. The hotel is pretty near Lavender Bay and Luna Park, about a 10 min walk downhill. It was a really enjoyable walk down, passing by a lot of old houses. Apparently one of them was +3's ex-boss's friend's place. Hehe.

Lavender Bay was beautiful with the boats and the view, but being there alone really made me miss +3 and babyAC. The sun was setting and I made my way back (uphill! eeks). Had a catnap and woke up to Skype with the folks back at home. Popped over to Coles again and I picked up some bread, hummus, avocado dip, a box of pears and rice milk for a quick yummy meal in my room.

Slept in and got to the office a little late on Friday but since it was one-on-one time with M, we could be a little bit more flexible with the time. I was chatting with her and she shared that her commute to work was 2 hours each way! OMG and I thought living in Punggol and having to work in town was bad.

Finished early, went back to the hotel to put my stuff down and met P when he got off work. I'm glad I had comfortable shoes on because we walked from the office which was North of the bridge, down the Harbour Bridge to the Sydney Opera House and then to the Circular Quay. It took us almost one and a half hours, and that was at a relatively quick pace.

Fun fact: Ferries are part of the public transport and people actually take the ferries as part of their regular commute!

Not so fun fact: Despite walking for almost 2 hours, I totally forgot to turn on my pokemon go (haha latest fad game) so did not manage to clock in any miles. Sigh.

Anyway.
 

We got tickets for the ferry from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour, and had dinner at a Mediterranean place. We had calamari and hummus and haloumi for starters, and lamb for mains. Also had a nice glass of beer - my first in a while, yum! Took the train back to North Sydney station and got back in time to Skype before the little one had to go to bed.

I have to say this trip was really productive and I'm glad to tick off a couple of touristy things. Was planning to take a walk down to this place called The Rocks but check out time is rather early at 11am, and my feet are a little sore so I might just sleep in and just grab a quick bite at a cafe then walk around trying to play pokemon go or something before heading to the airport.

Sydney!

Have landed here in Sydney for a quick couple of days in HQ for training. Weather is 16 degrees at 6am in the morning, how nice! 

There was a baby on the flight who was crying during take off and landing, and he really made me miss babyAC. Anyway, in a cab getting to the hotel. Update more later. 

Splish Splash!

We took babyAC to the pool for the very first time on Saturday! Actually, we had wanted to bring him swimming a few weeks earlier when we got his swimmers, but he was congested and we didn't want to risk him getting even more sick. And then we had to take him for his vaccination, so didn't bring him till the weekend after his jabs....

Anyway, the yummies came over on Saturday for a swim-date and dinner. It was fun playing with the girls and taking babyAC into the deep pool where he could float around. He's definitely a water baby and didn't complain much- just a little bit initially cos the water was cold and he wasn't used to the float, but after a while he warmed up and was happily kicking away. 

He's now 6 months old and I really should be more diligent about starting him on solids. He's had pea puree, a bit of carrot (which he didn't like), and a bit of pumpkin (also not too keen on that). My ex-colleagues said I should give him fish porridge so I went to buy some threadfin and will try to prepare some for him this coming week. 

So far, +3 makes him laugh the most and loudest. It's always so much fun to see them together. Sometimes, I'll take a walk in the evening around the condo and wait at the platform overlooking the main road for when +3 gets back from work. To see the smiles on both of their faces when they see each other is just heartwarming. 

I think babyAC is going through a mild sleep regression, and has been waking up at 2-4am fussing. Thankfully, I am usually able to get him to go back to sleep by carrying him over my shoulder, but my poor back! Ah well, I'll gladly do this because I know that time flies too fast and soon he wouldn't want me to cuddle him to sleep. 

We had a little scare this afternoon. BabyAC was napping and woke up. He was lying in bed when suddenly he vomited onto the bed. After the first "batch" of milk came out, another came right up and because he was lying on his back I was so scared that he might choke on his vomit. I'm so glad I was lying next to him and that +3 was there as well- I quickly swooped him (the baby, not the husband hehe) up into my arms and over my shoulder. 

My immediate reaction was to bring him to the hospital, but he didn't seem to bothered after a little bit of fussing. We decided to stay home to monitor the situation, and thankfully he was feeling much better and didn't throw up any more after that. He even had a normal poop (not diarea). *phew* 

I know that we really are so super blessed that babyAC has been in good health and growing well.

Anyway, we are halfway through his first year, time really flies. It's been an amazing journey and I'm excited to see the kind of little boy he will grow up to be. Meanwhile, I'm just going to enjoy his cuddles and kisses. 

5.5

Wow time really flies and soon the little one will be 6 months old! This past month... 

- He has gotten really good at turning from back to front, and does it with ease. He only turns to his right though. 

- We bought swimmers for him but haven't brought him to the pool yet.

- Went for a check up at the clinic and the doctor says he is doing well. I think he picked up a little bug from the clinic because his nose got really congested at night for the couple of weeks after.

- We got a "nose bong". I'm sure there is a proper name for it, but it's a contraption that you use to suck out snot. We had another that was a bulb-type but it didn't work so well. Little one doesn't like having snot sucked out though. 

- Guess who discovered blowing raspberries this week. And also grabbing his toes. 

- We also got the OK to start on solids. El cheapo me couldn't bear to spend $200 on one of those fancy steamer/blender things, so today's pea puree was steamed the old fashioned way and pounded with a mortar and pestel. Strained it through a sieve and ta da! 

- The boy likes his peas and finished the whole lot. Used 1/4 cup of peas, but got about a tablespoon worth of puree after chucking the husks. 

- He likes being in the ergobaby in a front facing position. Can see more. Swings his legs and waves his arms when he is excited. 

- Still a very chatty boy. 

Anyway, I was walking around downstairs with him one morning and came across a guy who had a newborn across his leg, getting some morning sun. Aiyo, the newborn baby was SO SMALL! She had a full head of hair too. Really can't believe how fast babyAC has grown and feel so blessed and lucky that I get to be his mom. 

Date Night

I had a work meeting in town yesterday which ended at about 5.30pm, and hung around and waited for +3 so we could have dinner together. We decided to do what we used to do together pre-baby (and when we were living in town), and headed to Liang Court to have ramen and grocery shop at Meidi Ya. 

To talk about our day and have a conversation which wasn't about whether the little one poopoo-ed already, and just enjoy our meal without having to pry curious fingers away from our bowls of steaming hot soup. Oh what a wonderful evening it was! 

He Turns!

Ah where did my newborn disappear to? The little one is now almost 5 months old, and today he turned from back to front successfully. 

I've a mix of emotions. Pride, for sure, at seeing how well he is developing. And I think he is a fast learner. For the past couple of days he would turn from back to almost front, stuck because of the arm that was under him. Today I guided him on how to move his arm, and since then he just keeps turning onto his belly. 

He's only 5 months old and already I feel nostalgic and miss the little newborn that he was. I pack away the onesies that are now too small, and my heart breaks a little. 

But most of all, it's exciting. To be able to experience and be part of his growth and development, knowing that we are raising someone we hope will have good values and character. 

4.5 Month Baby Update

Let's see.. 

- Took him for his shots last week (he was almost 19weeks old). It was relatively uneventful. Cried when he got jabbed on both legs, but calmed down pretty soon after holding him up and the nurse distracting him by making some clicking sounds. The check up by the doctor was really fast ("What's his name? Can he roll over? Any questions?") and he had a slight temperature that night and the next day. A little paracetemol, cooling sticker on his forehead, and lots of hugs and kisses, and the boy was alright. 

- I've gotten a pretty good idea of his sleeping schedule after tracking it on the app for a couple of days. Why didn't I think of it before? Anyway, he naps a couple of times in the day, for about half an hour to an hour each time. By 5-6ish pm, he sleeps a little longer (about 2-3 hours) till his next feed and from 9-10ish pm onwards, he sleeps soundly, waking only to have a quick feed and then going back to sleep. In the morning he is usually up by about 5-6ish am, but I usually try to get him to sleep abit more. Sometimes I'm successful and can get him to sleep till 8-9am, sometimes he stays awake after +3 kisses him when he goes off to work. 

- I'm still EBF-ing, and it amazes me how I am able to nourish my little one. At his last check up, he weighed in at 7.11kg (from a birth weight of 2.895kg four months ago!) and is about 65cm long. The boy is growing, and growing well! I've gotten lazy to pump and my stash of frozen milk is close to zero now. I need to step up and pump more, in case I need to go out. The downside, though, is that he doesn't seem to like to take the bottle these days. Just today, I nursed him at 10am and went out for lunch, came back at 3pm to find that he barely drank from the bottle and would rather sleep instead! So he was really hungry when he woke up. 

- Unrelated but somewhat related. Che is going back to work and she is putting babyH in childcare. If I was still working, I'd already be back at work! EEKS. I can't imagine that, it's too soon! 

- The boy giggles and giggles often. Sometimes it's when +3 makes funny faces at him, sometimes it's when I make funny sounds at him, sometimes it's when nanny holds him and "drops" him slightly. I love love love love love his laugh, and sometimes he even snorts. It's the cutest sound. 

- I've been a little lax with tummy time and today I find that he can prop himself up with his arms. Progress! Previously, he'd just be able to lift up his head. 

Hmmm I think that's all I can remember for now. 

A Good Man

Woke up early last Saturday morning to the very sad and shocking news that my ex-boss, Santokh Singh, passed away at home on Friday night. He had dinner with his wife, watched the soccer match on TV while she was in the kitchen washing up, and when she came out, he had collapsed on the floor. 

SS was someone that everyone loved and respected. My last meeting with him was about a week before his heart attack, when I went to meet some ex-colleagues for lunch. He had heard that I was in the canteen with babyAC, and actually came down to say hi and chit chat. He really didn't have to come down to meet me, but that's just the kind of guy he was. Looking at babyAC, he commented that he thought my baby would be fat and chubby but his guess was completely off. 

Anyway, I'm glad I visited when I did, and managed to show him my baby. SS was so understanding when I tendered my resignation, and even tried to offer me a part-time position so that I would still have a bit of income (the reason I didn't accept was another matter). When I shared the news that I was expecting, he was so happy for me. 

I attended the wake with F and H, and it's just testament to what a loved and respected man SS was. The void deck and his home was full of people who knew him, from his ex-classmates to ex-colleagues, from old students to old friends. 

One week on and I chat with a few colleagues. Everyone misses him, and I do too, even though I've stopped working for a year. He was probably the best boss I've worked for, and am thankful for the time that I've known him. RIP. 

A New Chapter

We move to our new place tomorrow! How fast time has passed, we got our keys 2 days before I gave birth, and now babyAC is almost 4 months old. 

It's exciting, moving to our first home. I'm glad we've had some experience living together in 201 so when we were preparing for this new place, we knew what we wanted. That's not to say that everything was smooth-going. We went back and forth on whether to get a sofa or a dining table or both for the teeny tiny living/dining room (verdict: we got both hur hur). 

I know it's going to take a bit of getting used to, especially me being alone with the little one when +3 goes to work. But I inherited my sister's books (hello dragonlance!) and re-reading them will be fun.

One last sleep in my parents' place! 

The Babbling!

Oh my! I posted the last entry and totally forgot to write about how babyAC babbles so much these days. 

Aiyo it's so cute. He is especially chatty and smiley in the morning. He's been making cute little squeaks and squeals for a while, but I think there was one morning when +3 was storytelling with babyAC. He was narrating a walk in the jungle and encountering a big tiger, and how babyAC was a Brave Boy and didn't run away (or something like that) and after that storytelling session, he was babbling a lot more. Hehehe. 

He is also getting stronger. He is able to thrust his hips up when lying flat on his back, and hold his head up when lying on his chest while I am holding him. He pushes up with his legs and he very happy to stand and sit supported. 

We were supposed to go for his next round of vaccinations in early May, but the appointment happened to be in the one week that I was working all 5 days. I could have taken the day off to take him to the clinic, but I wasn't comfortable not being around if the vaccination led to any fever or the sort. So the next available appointment at the polyclinic is in early June and hopefully it all goes smoothly. 

Alrighty, back to bed now. 

A Couple of Firsts

When we moved out of our old rented place, I was still pregnant and in my second trimester. And now that we are getting ready to move into our new home, the little one is already over 3 months old. 

He's sleeping soundly (yay) next to me now on the queen mattress that we've places on the floor of the bedroom. His crib, dresser and the rocking chair have been moved to our new place so we're sleeping on the floor this week. It's nice to be so close to him without having to hold him in my arms in the chair, nor balance at the edge of my old single bed. 

Used to shave +3's hair last time, until he decided to grow it out for our wedding, and only knowing one hairstyle meant that I was out of a job as his hairstylist. Hur hur. But now I've got a new client and my old job back, and babyAC got his very first haircut on Sunday. I'm glad we did, cos his hair isn't growing very fast and what little he has is shedding all over the place (I even found a hair inside my pump flange). 

Speaking of +3, he came down with a throat infection and went to the doctor yesterday. One thing I've learned about my husband is that he will not lie to get a longer MC. I tried to reason with him that trying to get a 2-day MC didn't mean you had to take both days, but gives you the option to rest one more day if you needed to. But oh well, I guess I have to be thankful that he has integrity. Hehehe.

And we are moving to our new place in less than a week! So excited! 

Mother's Day!

It's my first mother's day heeheehee :)

Update on stuff- 

Our house is coming along really well. We got the keys 2 days before my delivery so we weren't able to do much since giving birth. There was very little to do in terms of renovation, just needed to install grilles, curtains, lights and check the place for defects. 

We managed to sell the fridge that came with the house and buy a smaller one that we put in the utility room. Got a TV console and dining table set from Picket & Rail, and a bookshelf from Muji. We headed to the baby fair and bought a stroller for babyAC, as well as one of those spongey playmat things so he can crawl around on the floor. 

We still need to get a sofa and sofa bed for the guest room and arrange to move babyAC's stuff as well but all that should be settled in the next couple of weeks. 

BabyAC has started "chatting" a lot more. He actually spent the whole morning yesterday babbling to himself while lying in his crib looking up at the mobile. He has better head control as well, and doesn't cry too much when he is hungry since he has discovered putting his fingers in his mouth. 

He smiles and laughs more these days as well, but is still mostly quite a serious baby. I think he will be the type that would appreciate dry humour next time. Heheh. 

So +3 and I are planning to have a nice family brunch at a cafe near our new place and dabao food for dinner at home. Happy Mother's Day!

Growing Into The Role Of Mama

It's a little over 12 weeks of being a mother, and I am glad to say that I have more confidence about caring for my little one now than I did when we first started this journey. I'm incredibly lucky to have my mom and nanny help me, and picked up many valuable tips about how to care for an infant. Small stuff that you don't really think about like making sure to clean their ears (so much gunk!) and neck folds, and that babies usually pee after they make a poop so just wait abit before changing the diaper. I've also learned that there no such thing as too much cuddling. 

BabyAC has become quite the efficient feeder, so he usually finishes feeding in about 5-7 minutes. He likes to be kept latches on for a little while more to comfort nurse, and I'm happy to hold him in my arms as well. 

He's definitely a morning baby, and we are starting to get lots of little smiles and toothless grins from him in the morning. He loves bathtime, and is a happy and content little one after. He has discovered how tasty his fingers are, and is constantly trying to shove them in his mouth, sometimes both hands at the same time! I'm not keen on giving him a pacifier, nor let him suck on his thumbs, so I try to pull his fingers out. 

I remember him kicking in my belly when listening to 80s aerobics music, specifically the 1988 (or was it 1987) Crystal Light Aerobics Championship music. First heard it in a Key & Peele sketch and now I play this song when babyAC starts to get a little bored and he just dances along by waving his arms and kicking his legs. 

In other news, our house is coming along! I spent this week going up and down so many times. We sold the fridge that came with our unit because it was bulky and made the kitchen feel cramped. It didn't fit in the storeroom, so we were lucky that we managed to sell it and get a smaller fridge instead. We also bought a dining table set and a TV console, which were delivered yesterday. Spent the afternoon mopping the place and it feels nicer now that the floors aren't so dusty.

The movers are moving our stuff from storage and I'm excited to be able to sleep on our big bed again. Hehehe these days I've been co-sleeping with babyAC on a single bed, and he takes up so much space since he loves sleeping with his arms sprawled wide open- just like his dad. 

So happy days! 2016 has been a year of exciting changes! 

Onesies, Dancing and Being A Supercoolmom

The little one is slightly more than 11 weeks old (11w3d to be exact) and already he is wearing onesies meant for 6 month old kids. Guess we have a tall boy here. Hehehe.

Some new discoveries this week- he prefers sleeping in bed with us, instead of alone in his crib, and he likes using this blue, towel-like blanket. He snores in his sleep too, and occasionally cries out as though he had a bad dream. I wonder what babies dream about?

We also discovered that he likes to dance! All that flailing about of his arms, is actually him dancing! So we'd dance about, and sing silly songs, and he would usually dance along with us. Happy times! 

This week, I met che and her one month old at Great World City. It was the first time I was bringing babyAC out all by myself, and while it was a little daunting initially, I am glad I did- it wasn't so bad. Sure I had to carry him in the ergobaby carrier (we haven't bought a stroller yet), and his diaper stuff in my backpack, but the overall load wasn't too unmanageable. 

Felt like a supercoolmom when I nursed him in the cafe too. Threw a muslin swaddle over my shoulder, popped my boob out, and nursed him. Easy peasy. 

BabyAC likes being out, and looks at his surroundings with such wide eyed (literally) wonder. The ergobaby does get quite hot, as you have him pressed against you, so it's important to take him out once in a while to cool him off. 

I've also concluded that too much fenugreek is probably the cause of my blocked ducts and his extremely bad gas. Things got much better after I stopped taking fenugreek (and in such large doses as well), and now I just take it only if I need a boost in my supply. 

Almost three months of motherhood, and it's something that I really enjoy. Sure there are the things that everyone talks about- being tired all time, having "no life", huge expenses etc, but frankly it's all worth it. Of course, I know that I'm extremely lucky to have all the help that I've got- from +3, my mom and my nanny, which really makes things so much more manageable.

It's so hard to imagine that a year ago, babyAC didn't exist yet and now here he is, snoring in bed next to me. *love* 

I'm The Luckiest Girl In The World

Was out the whole day for work, and feeling exhausted since I hadn't slept the night before. The cooler bag that I brought out with me because I needed to pump, had to be washed, along with all the bottles I had in it, thanks to a spilled bottle of milk that I didn't close properly.

BabyAC is tired but doesn't want to sleep, and is fussing in his crib. +3 was about to take a shower but sees that the baby is fussing, comes over and says, "I'll hold him." I don't know what happened after that as I drift off to sleep. 

4-5 hours later, I'm wakened by the sounds of my baby fussing again. He's hungry and his last feed was 5 hours ago. I pick him up and nurse him, and realise that I need to pump. I remember the mountain of unwashed bottles and pump parts. 

When I put BabyAC back in his crib, I see that the steriliser is full. I peek inside and all my bottles and pump parts are there, cleaned and sterilised. +3 washed them before he went to bed! 

It's a small gesture but one that makes me feel so loved and so supported. It's not an easy journey breastfeeding, but I'm glad I am doing it and I'm glad I have +3 on my side. 

4am

It's 4am and I'm absolutely ravenous but I have a sleeping baby on my chest and if I put him down, I'm pretty sure he'd wake up cos it's time to feed him. 

Anyway, my hungry little caterpilar is a little over six weeks old now and things have gotten easier compared to the first couple of weeks. In the initial weeks, we didn't really know what we were doing and my milk hadn't come in, so we struggled and had to supplement with formula for two weeks or so. 

The third and fourth week, we kinda got into the swing of things, and was mostly tired due to cluster feeding. Pumping was also starting to become a little bit more encouraging, as I was able to express slightly more. My hungry little caterpillar had bad gas and we learned the importance of really burping him properly after each feed. 

The fifth and sixth week was better. My hungry little caterpillar is getting better at sleeping at night, waking to nurse and not fussing as much when he wakes up. This translates to +3 having a better night's sleep. Hehe. 

Back to the sleeping baby on my chest. We headed out to a wake just now and didn't bring the baby, so I'm stocking up on cuddle time after his last feed. It's really my own fault cos I could have put him in his crib earlier. Ah well. 

One Full Month

Today, we celebrated babyAC's full month. We catered dinner, invited family and friends and neighbours, and had a simple do at home. The caterer we used was recommended by our neighbour, and the food was pretty good (approved by papa) and decently priced. We also ordered red eggs, ang ku kueh (or rather, the "boy" version, ang ee) and glutinous rice. 

How quickly time has passed! I love calling babyAC my hungry little caterpillar because when he is all swaddled up, he looks like a caterpillar. Hungry part is self explanatory hehe. 

The first two weeks back home was challenging. After being "pampered" by the nurses at the hospital, it was diving into the deep end having to feed and burp and change diapers and bathe the baby and change his clothes. 

My new-mom arrogance and idealism kicked in and I was all "I'm going to exclusively breast feed my baby!", except that my milk hadn't come in and I was actually starving my child (quite the opposite of what I was intending to do), and eventually +3 convinced me that supplementing with formula was the best thing we could do.

I also quickly learnt to let go of my ego, and more readily accepted the much-needed help of my mom and nanny, both of whom were more than happy and eager to burp and bathe and change his diapers. This gave me more time to rest and more time for them to bond with him and let me learn the ropes. 

By week three, things were starting to get a bit better and by the fourth week, we were definitely in a much, much better place than our first night home. 

We now know what makes him unhappy (being hungry, and being gassy- sounds just like me), and try hard to minimise whatever may cause him to cry.

Anyway, this is the start of an exciting adventure with the little one. I'm looking forward to many more months and years of this journey. :)

The Hospital Stay

Wow, it's been almost 2 weeks (11 days to be exact) since I delivered and how life has changed! The recovery in the hospital went well. I was in the hospital for 3 nights, admitted on Thu and discharged on Sunday morning.

We had originally grand ambitions to have the baby with us ALL THE TIME and to nurse him and do a total breastfeeding. The PD had mentioned that babies have a few days reserves, so we could try total breastfeeding, as long as hydration levels were monitored.

By Friday (day 2), baby was not peeing, so we decided to top up with formula after nursing him for 10 minutes on each side. The lactation consultant also suggested that I take fenugreek (3x 610mg capsules after each meal) and to pump after each nursing session. I didn't bring my pump to the hospital so I wasn't able to start pumping so soon.

Dr Adrian came by on Friday morning and said that the nurses would remove my IV and cathetar, and to try to walk around. I managed to get up with the help of +3, and walk a few steps. The painkillers that I was taking helped, I wasn't in much pain but felt more stiff than anything.

I had a major case of the farts on Friday and Saturday, Like MAJOR farting. I think it's a post-surgery side effect, I'm not sure, but woah were they loud and massive. I could actually see my belly deflate after a fart-fest.

It was weird having nurses take care of me. For the first day, I was told to lie flat for at least 6 hours. Didn't have to worry about getting up to pee cos I had a cathetar inserted and apparently with the IV drip and the water and red date tea I was drinking, I was filling up the pee bag pretty quickly.

The nurses also helped to change my maternity pad - post partum bleeding is heavy. And since I couldn't get up, they wiped me down with wet wipes too.

Oh, forgot to mention that on the first day while I still had my IV drip, I was trying to nurse the baby when I accidentally ripped the IV drip off and sprayed blood all over my newborn. Oops. The nurses quickly came in and reattached the IV, and also helped to clean my baby up after I was done nursing. Hehehehe.

We had a few visitors - Shyan and family came on Thursday night, Rodney came on Friday at lunch time, the parents and nanny came on Friday as well, SF, Aunty Moi and Uncle Leong came on Friday evening, Jeanne and Sudesh came on Saturday morning, and Yusnita and family came on Saturday afternoon.

The PD (Dr Allyson) and Dr Adrian came by every morning to check on baby and me. I imagine it must be a very busy schedule for them rushing to hospital to visit their patients in the mornings, then rushing off to the clinic to tend to more patients.

Anyway, by Sunday we were given the OK to be discharged. We finally agreed on a name for babyAC - his name means little and fiery hehehehe, which really did suit his character. We registered his birth cert in the hospital, and signed up for his CDA account. Packed up and was sent with a giant bag full of stuff from the hospital.

If there was anything I would have changed, I probably wouldn't have packed diapers and wipes at the hospital. Apparently you get charged for disposables, but I think we ended up paying for them anyway as the bill wasn't exactly itemised (it said "baby package"). And, going home outfits are also overrated. Next time I will just bring baby back in whatever the hospital dressed them in. The less stuff you bring, the less stuff you bring back. Hehe.

He's Definitely Our Baby

+3 was changing babyAC's poopy diaper today when he got fart-bombed by our son. I love my kid but this boy has got the stinkiest farts ever. Lol.

Birth Story

Feeling a little lazy but I really ought to pen this down while I still remember the details. Hehe.

27 Jan 2016 - The Night Before

I honestly didn't have a particularly great night. +3 and I had a little squabble, which on hindsight was due to a combination of being tired (both of us), unpacked, and scared (me). 

It was quite the sobfest for me, but +3 managed to calm me down (inhale and breathe in positive thoughts and energy, exhale and breathe out negative thoughts and energy). Calmed down and went to sleep at about 2.30am-3am. 

28 Jan 2016 - Home

My surgery was scheduled for 2.30pm so the gynae said no food or drinks after 8am, and to be at the hospital for admission by 11am. 

Decided to wake up at 7am and make myself a bowl of oats. Figured the fibre would be helpful for future post-op bowel movements. Went through the hospital bag with +3 and napped for a little bit more after. 

+3 had his brekkie at 8ish - 9ish, and I took a nice long, hot shower. Not sure how closely I plan to follow these confinement rules about not bathing though. But maybe I'll stick to it for a couple of days or weeks. 

Tried calling a cab at about 10am but we weren't able to get one. Coincidentally ah-jo was heading to SK to pass stuff to my dad, and we all hadn't seen her in years so went down to say hi to her and also try to flag a cab from the roadside. She was so sweet, and offered to send us to the hospital, and it was nice cos we had the chance to catch up for a little while. 

28 Jan 2016 - Admission & Prepping

Arrived at TMC at about 11am, waited 20 min to get the paperwork done. The one-bedded rooms were not ready, so they temporarily upgraded us to the Thomson Suite- a fancy shmancy room with living room area and 2 bathrooms. 

The nurses prepped me for the surgery, which includes getting dry shaved down there and also have some medicene to help you poo pumped up the bunghole. Not a pleasant experience, but it did clear the bowels so I guess it did it's job. 

At about 1.45pm, I get wheeled to the OT floor. +3 can't come in with me till the baby is about to be delivered (I had expected that he could be there the entire time). Anaesthesia doctor did her thing- gave me an IV drip, injected a local numbing agent, wiped my back with super cold solution, and did a spinal to numb me from waist down. Experienced mostly pins and needles but no pain whatsoever. 

28 Jan 2016 - Surgery

Dr Adrian comes in at about 2pm (I reckon) and starts doing his thing. I didn't even realise the procedure had started and all I felt was random tuggin and pressure here and there. The anaesthesist was very kind and kept me updated on what was going on. 

Apparently after cutting me open, the nurse has to help literally push the baby out. Another nurse calls for +3, who is dressed up in those full body mesh suits and cap and covers for his shoes. The doc asks him to ready his camera and suddenly I hear the crying sounds of my now-delivered baby.

"Take more photos," says Dr Adrian, "Take take take some more." The doctor then clamps the cord, cuts it, and passes the baby to the nurse to have him cleaned up. 

Baby is crying but the sound of +3's voice calms him down immediately. After a quick check and cleaning, he is bundled up nice and tightly and placed on my chest. The anaesthesist helps to take our first family photo, while Dr Adrian continues working on stitching me up. 

The nurses then take baby to another room to do a more thorough check, and +3 follows them. I lie there waiting for everything to be done. Dr Adrian is efficient and quick and soon I'm whisked off to the recovery room. 

I'm briefed on what to expect post-op (shivering, nausea), but apparently my side effects weren't too bad. Back in the room, I started shivering but it wasn't too unmanageable. 

28 Jan 2016 - Baby! 

Mom comes by at about 3.30pm-4pm and hangs around while +3 shows her pictures that he has been taking. They bring the baby in and everyone just falls in love. Met with the paediatritian (can't spell) who was supportive of my decision to do a total breastfeeding, and told me that babies usually have reserves for a couple of days anyway so as long as they monitor his hydration levels I don't have to stress too much about whether my milk has come in, and just focus on getting baby to latch on properly. 

It's a learning journey but an exciting one. So far, baby's first fart is super stinky (the whole room wad smelly!), but he is generally not too excitable. He is alert when awake, and seems to stare at you rather than giving blank looks. He is a heavy sleeper as well, but I'm not sure if it is because this is the first day immediately after birth. 

I have a 60% success rate with latching him on, with 2 out the 3 feedings having a good latch (I think it's good anyways, will see the lactation consultant tomorrow morning). The success is probably due to the nurses helping me, the one unsuccessful time was when I went at it by myself. Heehee. 

Anyway, I think this post is long enough. Still haven't decided on a name for the baby, so that's on tomorrow's to-do list. Gonna try to get some rest now. 

Hello Baby

It's been 12 hours since my baby was delivered, and I'm smitten. Some stats to remember: 

Height 52cm 

Weight 2.895kg

Head circumference 34cm

Time of birth 14:20 

Date of birth 2016.01.28 :)

The Last Weekend

Wow it's hard to wrap my head around the idea that this is the last weekend I'll have, where I'll be able to sleep through the night. In a few days time (4 days!) I will have my baby. 

*lets that sink in* 

I'm excited, for sure, but also unsure about what to expect. Sleepless nights, everyone says. But it's not just that. Parenting is a HUGE responsibility, and I wonder if I'm up to it. I'm glad that I've got +3 as my partner though, and as a team I hope we will do alright. 

*breathes* 

This has been an extremely incredible journey so far. I'm glad we took the plunge and that I quit my job. While I miss my paycheck, I'm so glad that I've been able to rest when I needed to and not have unnecessary stress and work pressures. I'm pretty certain that allowed me to have the smooth pregnancy that I had. 

Looking back, my first trimester was exhausting. I was tired all the time and would need to stop a few times to rest and catch my breath while walking back home. However, other usual symptoms that accompany pregnancy were minimal. Had some bloating, which I managed by having small meals. Some constipation which was cleared with a couple of sips of coffee. Very, very mild morning sickness which happened only a handful of times. 

Most of the time, I just slept and rested. 

It was also around my first trimester that +3 lost his job, which meant both of us were not working. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we had to move out of our rented place, and temporarily back to my parents' while waiting for the keys to our own home. 

Having him with me really gave us time to bond and grow as a couple, and also much needed help when it came to physically challenging tasks like packing up. 

Eventually, he did manage to get a job and by the time my second trimester rolled by, I was physically feeling better (woohoo, hello energy!) and we had already settled in my parents' place. So we had peace of mind leaving for our planned Japan honeymoon+babymoon. 

The Japan holiday was another highlight of the pregnancy. I think we travel well together and enjoy the same kind of activities and have similar attitudes when it comes to travel (don't plan so much and just enjoy oneself). 

It's also during the second trimester that you really start to feel pregnant, with the belly getting bigger and you start to feel the first flutterings that are your baby's kicks and punches. 

And it's amazing to see how the baby grows from a ball of cells that barely appear on the first ultrasound to a fully formed baby that visibly twists and turns and causes your belly to undulate with each movement. 

Sure, a bigger belly comes with accompanying backache and breathlessness. But even so, a simple backrub and positioning yourself properly (with a million pillows) while sleeping helps so much. And I'm still so lucky, I've barely had much water retention and I have the luxury to sleep in if I've had a poor night's sleep. 

Having the baby a few weeks earlier than we thought kind of forced us to speed up our preparations for the baby. Within a week of deciding to deliver earlier, we actually managed to purchase all the necessary hardware (crib, changing table, rocking chair) and +3 had everything assembled within a few days. (I do love me a man who can handle his power tools.) 

And here we are now, the last weekend where we are able to sleep through the night and where it's just the two of us. In a few days, there will be a baby boy to love and fuss over, who will probably dominate our lives. And while I can't imagine how things will be like, I already know that we will love him so much and that we are blessed to have him in our lives.