My Little Thinking Bubbles

2 years 10 months

2011-10-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and in two months, i am going to be 3 years old. Of course i am not quite sure about this whole age business (if anyone ask, i will say i am 2 years old, until Mami or Dadi tells me to say otherwise i suppose??)..

Aunty Katkat has been asking Mami how come she dont write for me anymore or update about what i know. I guess it is abit hard to keep track of the things i say or what i can do (or cant do) when i started talking in sentences and basically do most things that other kids my age do.

I am still scared of doing some of the more physical stuff... like going down a big slide. I do like the swing and see-saw though. I also enjoyed horse riding when i have the chance. I am enjoying going to school and got to know all my teachers and friends. Most of the time, i like story time in school and also the snack time! I also like to dance and pretend to be a princess. When i pick out my own clothes, Mami always laugh... i just like to wear my princess dresses.. :)

Dadi is still making me lots of toys so i have many friends around me. Over the last few months i also met many of Mami's friends. I met Aunty Lorna, Aunty Mandy and Uncle Tze Loong. Aunty Katkat has also came by twice on her flights here. I've also met Joanne Jiejie's mommy and daddy. Then Gonggong and Laolao visited us for two weeks too.

Now that Sping is here, we have been doing quite a lot of things. We visited the Zoo and also Scienceworks. We went to the Melbourne Museum and National Art Gallery a few times. I've also listen to the orchestra and watched ballet dancers danced. Just recently, Mami and Dadi took me to the Royal Melbourne Show where i saw and touched many baby animals and got very nice presents called "showbags". My favourite is the Abby Skirt because i can pretend to be a fairy like Abby.

Okie.. back to things i know:

1) I am still missing out on my 13 and 15 when i count to 20 but i am interested to count from 20 to 30 (sometimes beyond).

2) I am learning to recognize some familiar chinese words on my storybooks like 一二三, 大小 etc

3) I am learning about humor and what's funny. Sometimes i say things to make people laugh.

4) I am learning to apply logic and reasoning in my daily life. I like to know how things happen and why.

5) I am learning to draw and enjoy making art with Dadi.

2 years 6 months

2011-06-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Amazing how time flies and now Kiddo is 2 and a half year-old...

She has settled into childcare, growing lots and had a really charmed life so far (and well travelled too!)... Most importantly, she has added so much to our lives that we wouldn't want it any other way...

It is hard to imagine her as a baby now and i frequently looked at her old photos to remind myself how much she has grown over the last two years and a half. Sometimes we get so caught up with the the here and now, that we fail to see the road we have taken to reach where we are. :)

You will always be my little 小公主, my darling 颖熙chan... :)

Update from Dadi - Development at 28mths

2011-04-11T08:11:00.001-07:00

motor skills:

not very good with her throws yet
very cautious when going about running, climbing and jumping. possibly cos there weren’t that many kids that she can model after. hope the situation improves after she has started childcare. physiotherapist friends noted the need to strengthen those core muscles
enjoys dancing around and better with full body coordinations
now attempts finer motor movements, like drawing more curves, thread through buttons, turn dials on some of her toys (e.g. wind up toys)
seems interested in tracing alphabets/characters from books

http://www.facebook.com/v/10150123018511052

cognitive:

definitely doing representational play with loads of her own scripting. now she’s into reenacting/modeling adult practices like tucking her toys in bed, making food with playdoh and building playground with megabloks for her toys
sings and dances with her toys. enjoys listening to nursery rhymes/music cds. and can be rather insistent on selective tracks
imaginative in using of objects as tools
enjoys and excels at playing puzzles. able to complete >30-piece puzzles on her own.
enjoys painting but seems to prefer playing on the piano. attempts to play on piano with both hands and sing along, often ‘remixing’ songs she knows or changing lyrics to familiar tunes
memory holds for about 2 mths (?) cos she cant remember some of the poetry that she cld rattle off just 2 mths back.
recognises alphabets but still has yet memorised her numbers beyond 12.

affective:

started childcare 2 weeks back and she’s learning to cope with the separation (when we drop her off). initial wailing/crying/protesting has reduced in magnitude. she is now ‘resigned’ into having to get ready to get off her stroller and wave byebye…no more protest pukings and more explorations and observations of other kids at childcare. hope she will start playing more soon.
seems more attached to the mom. would prefer her mom to play and work with her if she’s around. but if she realised that i’m the only one at home with her, she exhibits attachment though not necessarily the same level)
does ‘protests’ deliberately (e.g. tries to cry and make herself throw up when she gets really upset) if she does not get her way and can understand that she’d done something wrong

language:

talks in complete short sentences, picking up and using phrases and sequences that we use frequently. sentences range from 3 to 5 words in english and mandarin
can hold simple conversation over the phone
can ask simple question ‘You want?’ ‘Papa take?’ “ermmm we go there?’, ‘papa & yingxi & mama go supermarket’
articulates things she remembers and reenacts them with her toys/ found objects
definitely in Subject-Verb-Object word order. she understands how to reply by rearticulating our simple questions as her answers and changing intonnations. uses the conjunction ‘and’ frequently, uses some preposition ‘at’, ‘in’
can articulate her intentions very clearly bilingually, but has a preference for english. possibly due to her increasing exposure to english in childcare and her mom. i’d still make it a point to converse in mandarin when i’m with her
also mashes up her own sentences/speech with ‘phrase-sounding gibberish’, often when she goes into ‘extended’ conversation during imaginative play. other times when conversing with adults her speech is usually understandable
vocabulary increasing, often picking up from material on tv and whenever we point out to her things on the go. often correctly labeling physical landmarks/objects/activities with related vocab/verbs
repeats to herself some words/phrases that she finds interesting (she is going on about ‘indonesia’???)
no discernable ‘accents’ when speaking in Mandarin. general pronunciation issues for her age in both english and mandarin

Lazy Mami

2011-03-17T07:34:00.001-07:00

I am been getting really lazy with regards to updating Kiddo's blog and filling in her thought bubbles.

It is hard to 'chart' her milestones because she just seems to come into them quickly and suddenly. And somedays it is quite hard to keep track on what she knew and what she has just learnt. She still surprises us each day. I guess it is also harder now to think about what she will want to say because she is actually becoming quite her own little person and what a little precocious little person she is. She teases. She sulks. She demands. She wheedles. One minute she is driving me up the wall by fussing for no rhyme or reason, next minute she is on my lap kissing and hugging me, pulling my face with both her little hands next to hers demanding that i kiss her back.

What i wouldn't do for that kid...

She will be starting at childcare next week and I am not sure how she will cope there. She had 3 days in another childcare (we had to switch cos our first choice told us they have a place for her) and was doing fairly well till the last day where she broke into tears when i left. After which, she would always say 'no' with her head on her chest when we asked if she wanted to go play with friends in school. I hope she wont have too much difficulty settling into a new routine. I think she may cry, but the good thing about her since our last trip home, is that she has grown more open and bond easier with adults (instead of being fearful of strangers). She can be calmed pretty quickly if she has a stable caregiver that she can identify with. Hoping for the best...

Since coming back to Melb, she has really started chatting alot and getting quite fluent in Mandarin as well. Just the other day, she actually managed to 'converse' (i.e. answer questions) with her Laolao over the phone in Mandarin. Nowadays, she enjoys dancing and singing to Mandarin children CDs and is quite mesmerized by her own reflection in the mirror (she prances and dances infront of it everyday). It is always funny to watch her.

Frankly, i am quite contented with how she is developing and i guess i no longer look at or look for milestones/development quite so carefully anymore. She is showing me that she has her pace of growing and yes, i am sure there are things she should be doing (or doing better) but i am happy with where she is and she seems happy enough doing what she do. I think that's enough for me. :)

2011 and I am a happy 2 year old!

2011-01-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

It's a brand new year and i am starting 2011 as a 2-year-old.
How is it so far?

I AM LOVING IT!

First of all, i am back in SG and spending lotsa time with my family and friends. I am eating alot of good food and been on many playdates. Life can be busy for a 2-year-old, i find. Esp one who is on holiday! I always seems to get plenty of attention and Mami said, the reason we are going out so often is because alot of people wants to meet me. Apparently i am sort of a mini-celebrity on Mami's facebook. Most time, people recognized ME before they recognized Mami. Hahaha!

We have been back in SG for 2 weeks now and who have i met?

Gonggong, Laolao, Yeye, Nainai, Gugu, Guzhang, my new baby cousin Jared for family...

And for friends, Blythe meimei, Grace jiejie, Isabella meimei, Ethan korkor, Erin meimei, Aaron korkor, Andy didi, Sue ann meimei and many of Uncles and Aunties as well.. And i finally met Aunty Lorna who has sent me so many cool presents from Adelaide! She and Uncle Mark were in SG for holiday too so it was really nice to finally see her in person (plus she gave me even more presents! Puzzles!!!). No wonder Mami thinks i am totally spoilt... But i am really enjoying myself. Mami also said that i seem to be more sociable and friendly now compared to when we were in Melbourne. She was surprised that i will spontaneously say "Hi" to people instead of hiding behind her! Well, that's cos now i finally see how nice it can be to be around people mah! Of cos i am still abit confuse how come some of the other children don't listen to me (Mami thinks it's cos i am too bossy) but i really enjoyed being around them and playing!

Just today, we went to visit godma Angie and i played with Aaron korkor and Andy didi. It was so fun that i refused to leave! Mami promised to bring me back again.. i cant wait to play with them again! I also enjoyed my other playdates... so much so that Mami told me that i should enjoy going to childcare when we returned to Melb at the end of Feb. Err.... I am not too sure about that though... Childcare means Mami and Dadi will leave me with some teachers and friends for the WHOLE DAY... I hope i don't cry... it sounds really scary! Mami hopes that i will have some good friends there and enjoy myself.. I certainly hope so... but... but.. but...

Sigh.. anyway, let's just enjoy what i have now first and worry about that later!

So.. it turns out that we will be going to Japan during CNY! I've never been there before and i am excited to sit on aeroplane again! Mami told me that it will be snowing and i need to wear a new jacket and also mittens. Hmmm.. i don't like my new stuff... But i dont think Mami is letting me choose at all. Sigh. On the positive side, i may have a chance to go to Disneyland (provided that Dadi is agreeable!). We will be going with Gonggong, Laolao, Big and Small QQ... I think Gonggong is very excited too. He is always telling me about it!

Anyway, plenty to look forward to in the next few weeks before we go back to Melbourne. Sorry that there is not much photos for the post this time cos Mami doesn't have her computer in SG (we have to borrow Gonggong's!). Mami also said now that i am 2, she is not going to chart my monthly milestones already. It is just too tough.

So briefly on what i can do by the time i am 25mths old:

Language
- vocabulary is still expanding. Mami reckons i have a receptive language (that is words i understand) of more than 200 - 250 words but expressively uses about 150-200 (mostly English though i do understand at least 70-80% of the Mandarin equivalent and uses them less in my day to day interactions).

- uses full-sentences most time. Able to formulate 4-6words sentences such as "I want to play bus puzzles" and questions such as "What are you doing Mama?".

- uses plurals and some tense (such as /ing)

- understands and uses prepositions such as in, out, up, down

- uses adjectives in sentences such as colours and sizes (big/small)

- uses pronouns such as mine, I, you (but sometimes confused me/you)

Cognitive
- identifies shapes, colours, alphabets, numbers (up to 20)

- knows A is for __ from A to Z

- count objects confidently from 1-10 (abit unsure from 11-20, esp 13 and 15 seems to be omitted unless reminded)

- have emerging notion of time (such as before and after) and shows some ability to recall past events

- understanding of common categories (e.g. shapes, animals, vehicles, fruits/food)

- attempts and completes interconnected (jigsaw) puzzles of up to 28 pieces using a variety of strategies (trial and error, awareness of error, matching, scanning)

- putting together sequence of events for make-believe play (e.g. pretending to have tea with her toys, cutting, feeding, drinking), developing more complex play scripts that involves brief dialogues (she talking to toys, and getting the toys to 'talk' to each other)

Social/Emotional Development
- recognize and identify family and her friends

- developing more interest in her peers and initiate to interact/play/talk to them

- greets familiar others spontaneously, will respond to other's greetings (even if unfamiliar)

- less 'shy' and more confident in verbalizing to others (often other children)

- less stranger anxiety though still cautious with unfamiliar others

- shows affections readily to familiar others and will return hugs/hi 5 when initiated by unfamiliar others

- develop attachments to her belongings and soft toys

- imitates gross motor movements/actions, sounds, words, and simple expressions

Motor Skills
- running abit more fluidly but with her arms tucked close to her chest and not moving much

- attempts to jump but both feet barely off the ground

- walks up and down regular stairs (up to 3 flights) on own by holding on to the side, able to walk up and down without support for a few steps (smaller steps) with both feet on the same step

- able to isolate fingers to count 1-5

- uses spoon/fork/crayons with palmer grasp

- imitate horizontal, vertical, circular/circle strokes

- manipulate/assemble objects such as blocks, puzzles with both hands working cooperatively

- able to thread with pipe cleaner

Mami said some of these things i learnt pretty fast cos i have good memory and enjoy sit-down stuff so have good attention for them. But i dont quite like the active stuff so even though other friends are already jumping and climbing on their own, i am still pretty cautious and a little scared to try things in the playground. I guess everyone is just different and Mami & Dadi is just happy with the way i am. I am pretty happy too so i guess that's alright! :)

Update from Dadi - Development at 24mths

2010-12-11T17:46:00.000-08:00

Thankfully Dadi is doing his Masters which involves looking at child development so he has been keep track of my development (cos Mami sorta gave up after a while - she say it is going too fast for her old brain.. tsk tsk)

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

cognitive development:

reads books / recall certain texts in books/prints (e.g. whereabouts the picture of a ‘spider’ in a book, sometimes will be triggered by another activity that may have mentioned the word ‘spider’). but she does only refer to certain ‘key’ books that she’d read more often.
can recite to 20 and sometimes 25 in english, still trying to figure out the logic of 12-19 in mandarin. (10+1 kinnda logic). not necessarily understanding the math of anything more than 10 yet.
counting objects out 1 by 1 but usually double counts the 1st object she points to
exhibits more clearly long term memory. e.g. can remember and state some activities that she’d done over a few weeks ago e.g. remembering that i’d taught her how to play the abacus at ikea 3 days after. (upon seeing a picture of an abacus during a bedtime storytelling session, she took my finger and attempted to move the beads in the picture. and said play at chair cos she sat on a chair at ikea and played with the real abacus then). e.g. remembering that family friends bought her a birthday cake close to 3 weeks after the incident.
can remember more names of people like her playmates, and some of the family friends and relatives
exhibits preferences for TV programs and remembers their approx. show times (midday is sesame st., evening in the nite garden, or playschool)
but also starts to exhibit some degree of ‘forgetting’ e.g. drew blank responses from what we’d taught her previously (like location and names of some countries on the world map)
does not distinguish between english and mandarin text when she ‘reads’ aloud. but she is exhibiting an understanding that the alphabet is different from mandarin characters (through labeling exercises e.g. she does not pronounce 苹果when shown the word apple)
can play on her own for extended period of time approx. 20 min (she moves from activity to activity like talking to her plushes, reads books, rolls around the mat and walks around the apartment looking for objects/ walks to see the aquarium) gets longer should the TV be on
loves playing and building stuff with her megabloks (make robot! make jellyfish!, make choochootrain!)
remembers activities and their relations. e.g. swimming at bother in laws pool when we show her her swimming costume / us taking out the suitcase means taking an airplane / unfolding the blanket means sleeping / when seeing either of us resting, she’d lower volume in a learnt behavior and whispers ‘Papa sleeping, shhhhh’
she has more complex imaginary play (more props/plushes involved with clearer activities like cooking and having a meal play)
she starting to play with actual jigsaw puzzles
more aware of new sights and sounds and will CONSTANTLY ask about them (points and says ‘whazzat?’. sometimes will uses ‘whazzat’ to maintain interaction with us. )
knows the concept of big and small, left and right, short and tall, and most colours all these in both english and mandarin
can navigate confidently through my iphone and across the several pages of applications. she has learnt to switch off the phone whenever i asked for it back, or changes menu/closes / switches between apps on her own. she’s also beginning to try out other apps rather than just going for the usual ones like before
she loves anything with rhythmic beats (e.g. she turned on song on my iphone, drags out her 2 empty milk tins and started drumming to the beat / dancing to the jingle whenever she’s in a departmental store)

physical development:

toilet trained. can go on long periods without wearing diapers but she still has them on during naps and night time. she can hold the pee and poo rather well but gets reasonably upset when she really needs to go
right hand dominant, has to be reminded to use her left hand to support a bowl etc etc
getting good at playing with her megabloks though lego blocks are still too small for her
manages a more ‘holistic’ form of dancing (now doing the steps and waving hands) as compared to just moving her butt from side to side previously
manages to run at a steadier gait (loves chasing after pigeons) but still working on hopping
still not very confident when going about playing in playgrounds. wary of heights and the slide is not always something that she’ll try. though she now loves to get onto the swing
likes to climb steps and counts them when stepping
about 85 cm tall and 10.5 kg in weight

social & emotional development:

talks comfortably in front of strangers often saying hello and whats that/ what you doing, do this, come here. but often than not other kids do not respond but she didn’t seem to mind.
expresses her needs clearly, understands the concept of hugging and to a certain degree sharing/giving
stranger anxiety expressed through down turned eyes and bowed heads. especially so when in the company of elderly strangers. for unknown reasons, she tend not to warm up to the elderly
approaching terrible 2s hence more insistent on certain routines and preferences e.g. starts to dislike vegs but will still eat carrots and broccoli!
will keep or set things back to their original positions when asked & on most occasions she does that on her own. in fact she does get somewhat frustrated should she not get to keep stuff when she said she wants to
enjoys ‘reading’ aloud back to us / to herself and engages us with questions of her own (usually ‘whatzzat’ or some gibberish)
likes new experiences and material objects especially when is told that they belong to her e.g. new toys, clothes and shoes (she goes ‘whoa…’)
likes to pose for camera (she will prompt ’1,2,3 cheese’ and beams)
enjoys reactions of others, often expecting others to clap upon her completion of a song/dance routine and she’d join in the clapping. usually will repeat her ‘performance’ just to get the reactions

language development:

sings along with songs/jingles while watching tv shows
sings many complete verses from about 3 of her favourite songs to date, like 夜上海 and 月亮代表我的心. sings the whole of Twinkle twinkle little star (also the Mandarin version) and 拔萝卜. does attempt to parrot phrases from some other songs, usually doing a pretty good job with catching and singing the chorus.
learnt to converse more in Mandarin (probably from the exposure in the recent trips to China, HK & inevitably having watched quite alot of Mandarin cartoons like 喜洋洋)
recites about 80% of about 5-7 of her favourite nursery rhymes and 唐诗 on her own.
answers questions predominantly in english but her speech does contain both english and mandarin phrases. will answer in mandarin (if asked) after she answers in english. will answer in mandarin should the vocab was first introduced to her in mandarin (mental branding i suppose)
vocab increased in both english and mandarin, largely due to the traveling in the past 2 mnths.
makes remarks almost appropraitely with phrases she’d picked up from our speech. e.g.: she makes exclamations along with facial expressions and exaggerated body language such as ‘ i forget’ / 忘记了！/OH NO!/Is that so?/How bout dis wan?

23 months and 3 weeks

2010-11-26T02:26:00.000-08:00

I have been away for so long... but that's because i've been travelling alot with my Mami and Dadi. I spent 5 weeks away from Melbourne during Sept and Oct. I went to visit my big QQ in HK, then see Gonggong and Laolao and xiao QQ in Humen. I also went with them and Kaka Ann and Kaka Yati to Shanghai! We visited quite a few places and also went to the world expo there. It was all very exciting.

Of course, when i was travelling, i had a lot of chance to try different food. There are the nice dimsums in HK and also the wonderful cooking by Kakas in Humen. In Shanghai we had xiao long bao and steamboat too. It was nice spending time with everyone. I learnt a lot of things while i was there. I learnt how to sing a few chinese oldies that Gonggong like, like 夜上海 and 月亮代表我的心. I also learnt to converse more in Mandarin and watch quite alot of Mandarin cartoons like 喜洋洋. Most of all, i discover my interest for chinese opera after a visit to the HK national museum. It was all very amusing for my grandparents. They were surprise that a little girl like me will like such music!
Of cos, there were also alot of shopping too. Everyone bought me things such as clothing, hats, toys, books and accessories. And i had a chance to visit Disneyland again, this time with Mami's friend Aunty Gracie, her husband Uncle Colin and Nat Didi. We had alot of fun in Disneyland and i was so excited to meet my good friends Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie Mouse again! On this trip, i also had a chance to visit the swimming pool at QQ's house. I really REALLY like the bubble pool (aka jacuzzi) in the changing room. Most time i refused to leave and would get really upset when Mami try to change me.
It was a good 5 weeks of holiday for me and it was fantastic to have all the company even though it can be quite tiring travelling at times from different places. Alot of people say that i am really lucky to have chance to take aeroplane so many times before i am 2 years old but to tell you all the truth, it is very TIRING, especially when you cannot sleep well on the plane (although i love the food on the plane and the toys the nice stewardess jiejie always give me).
Anyway, i was back in Melbourne in Nov and managed to meet up with my friends Grace Jiejie and Blythe Meimei again. I also met alot of other of Mami's friends. But sad to say Blythe Meimei now has gone back to SG and i have one less friend in Melbourne. *sigh*. Another sad thing that happened in Nov is that my Ah Zhor (Mami's grandma) passed away in Humen, 3wks after we came back to Melbourne. So we had to fly back to China again. where we met up with Vanessa Biao Yi and other granduncles and grandaunty. It was a long flight from Melb to Sg then to HK, and then a ferry to Humen. Mami got to see Ah Zhor again but to me, it seemed like Ah Zhor was orh-orhing. Mami asked me to friend-kiss Ah Zhor and say byebye... usually I am quite scared of Ah Zhor but because she was sleeping, she wasnt as scary so i told her byebye and friend-kissed her. After that i didn't see Ah Zhor again.
We spent a week in Humen and flew back to Melbourne after that. Once we came back, i had a hard time getting back to sleep. Mami said it was because of all the travelling... it took a while for me to settle down in the night time but i think it is better now. Mami and Dadi just re-do my room and moved me to my own big bed. I am not sure how i feel about it yet because tonight will be my first there in it. I am a little scared but Mami think i will be fine because i am going to be a big girl soon cos it will be my 2nd birthday next week! I am not sure what my Mami and Dadi has planned for me.. but i hope there will be an Elmo cake there! *Heehee* Update again when i am a 2-year old!

21 months

2010-09-05T06:52:00.001-07:00

In 3 months time, i will be 2 years old! Wow! Time really passes very fast.

Let's see what did i learn over the last month...

1) I am now officially a day toilet trained toddler! That means i can tell Mami i need to go peepee or poopoo when i need to in the day and dont need to wear diapers! But i still wear a diaper when i go to sleep la!

2) I can sing alot of songs! And by that i don't mean just the last word only. I can see the whole of Twinkle twinkle little star (also the Mandarin version) and 拔萝卜！I am also reciting about 60-70% of the nursery rhymes and 唐诗 on my own. Mami thinks i am absolutely adorable when i talk in my baby voice and when i try to sing Dadi's favourite hokkien song - 一百万!

3) I can recognize most of the alphabets (capital letters) and count from 1 to 20 (with occasional gap from 14 - 17). I am also counting objects out 1 by 1!

4) I am not afraid to go down slides anymore! I will even ask Mami to bring me to the 'playground' to play with 'slides' and 'swing'! Heh heh i used to be quite scare of these physical activities but now i think they are alright. :)

5) I have learnt what's Mami, Dadi, QQ, 小QQ and my own name!

Over the last month, i had fun going on playdates with Grace Jiejie and Blythe Meimei. It was very nice that Aunty Andrea open up her house for us to play that. She also makes us food and treats us to ice cream *yummy*! I love playing with my friends!

I am also been getting new toys made by Dadi. I especially like Mr Bunbun and i will bring him out with me sometimes. He is very good company and likes to go shopping too! Dadi just got a new sewing machine and i hope i will get more toys from him!

Next next friday, i will be flying off again. I am going to go HK to see QQ JJ, then off to Humen to see 姥姥 and 公公. We will also be going to Shanghai. That means i will be away for a month from Melbourne and all my friends! Well, i am sure i will see them once i get back.. and i will definitely bring back some presents! In the meantime, I am looking forward to going swimming and eating all the good food there again. I am sure QQ and everyone is also looking forward to seeing me there soon!

Till next time! Byebye!

20 months and 1 week

2010-08-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Dadi has been 'copying' from Mami's little posts about me on Circle of Moms (facebook thingy) so now it's her turn to do so. This is what Dadi noted of me in my 20th month!

cognitive dev:

• able to imitate movement (will attempt to imitate jump or dance from what she sees on TV and finer finger movements of my hand, e.g. scissors, paper, stone)
• STILL uses toys inappropriately (anything can be a phone)
• recognizes self in mirror (will ‘comment’ on her clothes or parts of herself/ blabber incessantly in front of mirror)
• remembers where objects are located/ person resides (even in abstract terms such as faraway places i.e. Singapore)
• uses objects as tool
• recognizes shapes, most alphabets and numbers
• notices little objects and small sounds
• sits alone for short period of time with book/tv
• more symbolic thinking in pretend play. observed ability to switch perspectives when playing with her plushes
• object permanence fully achieved (she’s been looking and asking for my iphone at all places and at all times!)

physical dev:
• enjoys unceasing activity
• carries objects in both hands
• points with index finger
• picks up small objects with index finger and thumb
• turn pages confidently
• walking independently, sideways, in rounds and backwards
• eager to walk up and down stairs with aid
• some degree of hand preference (Right)
• no longer watches feet when walking
• YET to master jumping with both feet off floor, throw
• can walk fast but yet to transit smoothly from walking to running. improved drooling but dribbles still noticeable at times

social & emotional development
• imitates adult behavior like wiping, cooking, stirring
• solitary play
• laughs when chased
• explores reactions of others
• imagines toys have life qualities
• responds to praise but not so much scolding (been getting her to understand the need to apologise)
• little/ no sense of sharing (never gives up things that she likes e.g. food, toys, crayons) unless ordered by parents
• temper tantrums (crying, saying ‘no’ when she doesn’t get her way and pointing everywhere and sounding very irritable when she’s really tired)
• engages in parallel play with other kids
• hugs spontaneously
• clingy in front of strangers
• communicates her wants ‘i wan i wan’, sensation e.g. ‘pain pain’ / ‘cold cold’
• points, verbally ‘orders’, pulls my finger or tug my pants when she wants something / go somewhere

language development
• expanding vocabulary of about 100 words (both English and Mandarin)
• ’parrots’ last words/ phrases by others
• has good memory. will articulate certain words on pages of some of her books (such as last words/phrases on selected lyrics of songs and poetry)
• manages to sing more words in ‘twinkle twinkle lil star’
• manages 3 word utterances
• refers to self as ‘I’ and ‘Yingxi’, but not quite getting whats ‘me’ and ‘you’ yet
• asserts wants ‘i wan i wan’
• points to named objects (nana – banana) more often
• spontaneous humming/singing/blabbering
• use ’self’ when wanting to eat on her own
• uses some short incomplete (3-4 word) sentences at times
• utter names of shapes, most alphabets and numbers in English while numbers too in Mandarin
• sometimes make connections to words she hears and replies in Mandarin
• will reply in Mandarin if communicated to in Mandarin, likewise for English

************************
In other news, Gonggong and Laolao has gone back to Singapore and I've been having tons of playdates with Grace Jiejie and Blythe Meimei :)

I have also started REAL toilet training and now Mami doesnt let me wear diapers in the day anymore, except during naptime and sleeping time. I still need reminders to ask to go peepee but i can tell Mami if i needed to poopoo!

Mami say she wants to compile a list of the vocab i know but she has yet to do anything yet. Hahaha and in the meantime, i just keep learning more words, at this rate, she wont be able to catch up!
Spring time is coming and i can hardly wait!

19 months

2010-07-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

This winter in Melbourne has been really cold but Mami, Dadi and I are doing well. Mami said time passes really fast, before she knew it, i've already turned 1 and a half year old, and soon, i will be two! Over the past month or so, we had a few visitors from Singapore, and i also caught up with my old friend, Blythe meimei, who also moved to Melbourne from Singapore. It is nice that i now have a playmate and hoped that Aunty Vanessa will bring Blythe meimei over for more playdates soon. We went to the museum last week and we really had fun!
Winter in Melbourne also means school holidays for the bigger gorgors and jiejies here. There are alot of children's programs happening and just the other day, Mami and Dadi took me to the NGV's children corner where there was a really cool art installation for kids like me to play with. I could play with lights and there were fishes swimming on the floor which made a musical sound whenever i try to step on them. After that we also went to a Tim Burton exhibition where i saw a lot of "MONSTERS"! But i wasn't scared at all and Mami and Dadi enjoyed it, even though there were alot of people there.

Mami is still waiting for a place for me at the childcare school. She thinks it will be nice for me to go join other children for play and learning a few times a week. The school was very nice and big but also very popular. There are still 150 children infront of me in the waiting list! Anyway, it seems exciting if i can go to the school. I saw alot of play toys and activities! There was also a big dining room where i can go by myself to take food (with teacher of course) and everything is cooked fresh there! Even though Mami said that i am learning very fast, she also thinks if i have more friends, i will really enjoy it. I think so too. I love being other little friends and sometimes they will hold my hand when i go to them.

The things i know now... wow.. there are too many things that i can't really remember also. I am eating on my own with a spoon. And i can identify alot of shapes now, like circle, square, triangle, diamond, heart, and oval. The other day, i also managed to thread a button (big big one!) using a pipe cleaner with my two hands. Of course, when it comes to talking, i am now more confident in using more phrases and sometimes sentences. Sometimes i uses Mandarin too but i think i prefer English because i know more words. I still love my songs and i can sing quite a lot of them (not ALL the words but i can remember the ending of each sentences for all the songs, even if Mami had only sang them once or twice). Mami say i should start toilet training soon so that she can save on all the day time diapers. But perhaps she will only start when the weather is warmer. Laolao and Gonggong will be coming in another week's time and Mami had has them to buy me alot of pants for my 'toilet training'. Sighhhh....

Well, that's all for now... Wonder what new things will i learn or new places i will go in this coming month! See you soon Gonggong and Laolao!

17 months and 3 weeks

2010-05-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

It has been two months since we (Mami and I) last posted! Again, i point the finger at Mami... heh heh

I am almost 1 and a half years old now and officially a toddler (since i started walking as reported in my last post). I am getting more and more independent with my walking . Nowadays, i even tried to jump by imitating Dadi but of course, i cant seem to get my feet off the ground, without falling over. I can do several things pretty well by myself such as feeding myself with a spoon (or fork but i need help poking my food with it, esp the slippery ones.. like grapes) and pretty much insist on doing it myself (i will tell Mami "self-self"). Mami has almost given up on trying to record down the new words i am saying. Hahaha, i am surprising her by popping up with new words, phrases here and there. I think i am more confident with talking now and if i really want something (e.g. food), i would even string together simple sentences like "I want..... more". Just the other day, both Dadi and Mami got a shock when i told them to "Sit Down!" (of course i meant what i said, i even tap the sofa so that they don't misunderstand me!) because previously all i could say was "down down".
Dadi is still concerned if i will speak Mandarin correctly. Okie, i admit, i do have a bit of a funny 'accent'. But that's because i cant really get the 'pin yin' right, so i always tend to end on a higher intonation. Shrug. But Mami has been quite patient, she would say the words really slow and get me to repeat after her, some times i was able to get the right sound. She told me, i just need to practise more. But at least i am understanding instructions in Mandarin fairly well and I can identify or express the label of some common things in English (if i already know them) when Dadi ask for it in Mandarin (e.g. "香蕉" is banana - "nana"). I think Dadi don't have to worry... i am most probably going to grow up Bilingual. Once i get my intonation correct! Hahaha. My articulation is getting much better too, so is my ability to imitate words and sounds. Mami always do it face to face with me when she is massaging me after my bath. I found it great fun, especially when she does her funny faces, sing funny songs and tickle me.
Over the last two months, I went on another trip (yes i know! I am not even two yet and has been on the plane so many times!) to Hong Kong and Singapore. This time we went to Hong Kong to see QQ who has just moved into his own apartment. Wow.. i really like his balcony because i can see ships, cars, buses and alot of other things from there. It is on the 46th floor but i am not afraid of heights. I love going to the balcony! I also like the indoor playground in QQ's apartment building. It was while there Mami taught me to climb up and slide down a slide. I guess i am not very confident with my gross motor skills, which had Mami worried for a while (esp when i showed so little interest in participating) but when she do it together with me, i found that it is actually easier than i thought! Once i get the hang of it, it was easier for me to do again and i began to enjoy it.

Over in Hong Kong, i also met Gonggong and Laolao and Xiao QQ. They took me to eat alot of different things. I love growing up because now Dadi and Mami let me try anything and everything (except prawns/crabs). I love the dim sums, the cakes, the desserts, and oh, so many good food! I think Gonggong is also like me, he loves eating too! Gonggong also went with me to Ocean Park but we didnt really enjoy it because it was hot and really crowded. :/ I think QQ enjoyed my company quite a bit and often played and talk with me while i was there. Mami thinks QQ should get married soon and have his own kiddies, then i will have more playmates. :) Well, in HK, of course there will be shopping besides eating. Dadi bought me some toys from HK and a pair of new shoes. Now that i am a confident walker, i dont need the soft sole shoes anymore and can wear regular ones which looks so much nicer.
We spent about 6 days in HK then we went to SG for another 5 days. It was a pretty busy trip and I had fun going shopping at Carrefour with Mami and Dadi. I also had fun going to Polliwogs with Aaron Gorgor and Andy Didi, with my Godma Angie. I had a chance to demonstrate some of my new skills there (like climbing up the giant playground and going down the slide). That day, we also met up with another of my Godma Suean and had a Japanese buffet dinner! It was a early celebration for both my Godmas birthday. So happy early birthday Godma Suean and Godma Angie!! Of course good food for me again... except the raw stuff which Mami say i cannot eat. It was great to see Aaron Gorgor again and this time he didnt bully me at all and we could play together! Andy Didi has also grown bigger and taller! I think when i go back to SG next time, i will be able to play with him too!

Over the trip, I also met some of Mami's ex-colleagues like Fiona Jiejie and Aunty Fauziah (whom i greedily took a whole box of oreo cookies from.. heh heh). Fiona Jiejie was very good and told Mami how to help me be more confident with using my body and reducing my drooling. Well, it really works because my drooling has really really reduced! Nowadays, i hardly need to wear any bibs. HAHAHA no more people laughing at me wearing funny bibs! Before we left SG, I also met up with my cousin Joshua. Mami had a good time having a family dinner with her cousins (my aunties and uncles), while i was busy checking out the new toys that Joshua Gorgor have. Heh heh. Gonggong and Laolao was also back so there was plenty of good food again (i tried my first yong tao fu!). It was a good trip back and i miss seeing the Elmo that QQ got me which Mami left in SG, so that i have a friend whenever i go back to SG.
Oh, the last thing we did before we left SG was to cut my hair. Aiyo.. why must they mess with my hair? Even though the aunty that cut my hair was very nice and i get my own little tv screen to watch Thomas the Train, i still HATE cutting my hair. Sigh. Anyway, after 11 days of being away, now we are back in cold cold Melbourne again. Sad to say, after a few days, i began to have a cold. I started to have mild fevers, runny nose and cough. Poor Mami and Dadi had to do shift work to take care of me through the nights again. Till now, though my fever has stablized, i am still having my runny nose and cough. Sigh. It makes sleeping most uncomfortable, even though i have my humidified and a pillow to help elevate my head. I really hope to get well soon, and then i can sleep better and go out and play again. Sighhhh....
Okie, i think that's all the updates i have for now. Hope to write again soon!

15 months and 3 weeks

2010-03-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

We are now back in Melbourne and the weather has been rather good. Mami has been taking me out for walks in the garden nearby and i also started my playgroup again. This time, everyone in the playgroup is older than me and everyone is walking so well. Except me. But then, i am the only one in the group that's talking alot and labelling pictures in books. Mami says everyone is different and we will all learn things in our own time. Well, at that time, i wish i could walk because everyone looks like they are having fun pushing toys and doing drawing. They could also come and take my biscuits away from me. But of course, i am the one that can tell them "No!" when they do that... not that they understood me. Hahaha.

In any case, that was 2 weeks ago. NOW i am starting to walk so i think i will be catching up with the rest soon and we can all join in the same games! Heh seems like walking is a major milestone because i heard Mami and Dadi being asked if i can walk already by Gonggong and Laolao all the time! Well, it is not like i couldnt but you know, i just like to be careful... i feel safer if Mami or Dadi let me hold their finger. But yesterday, after our visit to the garden, i surprised Mami and Dadi by walking across the living room. Wahh.. you should see their faces. Heh heh i felt very proud of myself also because even though i was still abit scared, it is OK to walk without holding on to Mami! So now i will walk for a bit without Mami BUT only if i can see her infront of me (just in case i fall down). Heh she seems to think it is a game to see if i could catch her... It is actually quite fun. :) I think give me another week or so, i will be chasing after the dogs in the garden. Hahaha that is one place where i DONT want Mami's finger because she is always making me go in the opposite direction that i WANT to go. Well, you just watch Mami... when i don't need your finger any more, i can go wherever i please!

Okie.. back to what else i have been learning. Now i can do a 4 pc inset shape puzzle with knobs, with a little help from Mami to keep me focus (i tend to do 2 then i want to take them out again... well, what do you expect? i am still a kid mah!). I also like to do my shape sorters. Mami wonders why i am can be so neat with some toys but not with my books. I will always put the balls back in the sink of my play kitchen but will leave my books all over the floor. Eh.. cos the sink is easier for me to keep things than the shelf?? Haha Oh.. almost forgot, Mami and Dadi got me a small table/chair in the spare room where we also keep the piano. Now i have my very own 'work-station'! So sometimes i will sit there to play with my puzzles or musical instruments while Mami plays on the piano. Of course i will also clap for her when she finish a song and sometimes hum along.

One of my favourite activity now is scribbling on paper. Everyday i have to pester Mami to let me have the crayon and paper. Sometimes Mami will nag at me not to draw on the floor or eat the crayon (i wasn't eating!!! but it looks nice to chewchew and my gum is itchy la!). But dont know why, the drawings i did all dont look like what i have in mind. Hmmm... Maybe i just need to practise somemore. Mami also bought me some finger paints. Cant wait to start on that. Heh heh. Should be fun! But there's also the not so fun part. Mami has been putting me to sleep on my own and without my tutu too. Sigh... she say that i am a big girl now so i should learn to go to sleep on my own after she help me brush my teeth and read me a story. I did protest initially but after while i decided to save my energy. Besides, i am also tired. Yawns... it is actually not such a big deal to sleep on my own because i still have Minky with me. And then, Mami promised she will see me in the morning when she say goodnight and so far, she has been keeping her promise! :)

Anyway, Mami thinks i better note down some of the new words that i know.

* down /下 (i know "up" and "上" already)
* 干 (as in 饼干)
* egg /蛋
* bear
* pay (as in play - the piano)
* baby
* 包 (as in 面包)
* mao (as in mouse)
* doh (as in avocado)
* bitebite
* patpat
* peas (as in please)
* hab (as in help)
* 萄 (as in 葡萄, or glips - grapes)
* 毛毛毛(for her 毛毛虫 caterpillar toy)
* car

My words are getting clearer too so that means more people can understand me. Of course most words i am not saying it spontaneously unless i hear or see something related to it (Mami calls it 'labelling'). So ya.. i am 'labelling' objects that i know. I can also related to some actions when i see photos of it (like "mum mum" when i see a picture of man eating). Mami was abit surprised but i dont know why she should be surprised since it was so obvious! Mami was also surprised that i can do 'pretend play' because she saw me trying to feed Big Bird, Ernie and Mewmew with a spoon. Well, if my buddies are feeling hungry, of course i have to feed them. :) I guess, i better ask Mami to get me some food that my buddies can eat. Mami mentioned something like toy food.. i guess that must be it. :D

Listening & Talking

2010-02-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

These days I am talking a dime to a dozen though most time people don't understand me. However, Mami does a fair job of 'interpreting' what i say. In fact, I am getting better at imitating sounds and words. But it also depends on my concentration level. I must say, my best time is in the early morning while in bed cuddling with Mami. I especially love songs and Mami is always surprised at how fast i picked up words from songs.

At 14 month and 17 days, this is what i can do so far:

Receptive skills -
1) Identifying familiar people by pointing to them: All the family members including QQs and Laolao's helpers
2) Identifying common objects by pointing at the real objects: e.g. My toys (including my tutu), familiar fruits/food (biscuit, apple, water etc), household objects (including flower & dog)
3) Identifying common objects/animals/fruits by pointing to pictures (e.g. strawberry, ladybird, flower, apple, ball, etc)
4) Identifying nursery songs by doing parts of the corresponding action (e.g. signing 'twinkle' , 'diamond', 'gongxi gongxi')

Expressive skills -

Here's the list of words and parts of songs that i can say/sing -
* Mama/Papa/Laolao (rao rao)/ kaka (what she calls the helpers)
* MumMum (for eating)
* Hello (ah-roll)
* Byebye (ba-bye + wave hands)
* Bubble (bah-ber)
* Ball (bah)
* Star ('tar) - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
* Up (up + pointing up)
* Biscuit (b-skiat, kiat)
* Cake (kay)
* Flower (far-were)
* 抱抱
* 鞋子 (cheh-si)
* 猫 (mao, meow)
* 拔萝卜（ba-bo) - 拔萝卜
* sprout (spout) - Insy Winsy Spider
* More (orh + sign)
* Tutu (titi + sign)
* No (now + shakes head)
* Apple (ah-per, per)
* Duck (duc)
* Bird (ber)

I can be quite insistent on people looking at me when i talk to them (esp when Mami wants to sleep, i actually have to move her face and tap her eyes so that she wakes up!). Persistence also plays a part when i insist that people carry me. I will say "抱抱" until they do, if that's not clear enough i will say "抱抱 up" too! Of course, with all these 'talking', i am also enjoying singing... from just "lalala" to now some words. I love completing the songs whenever Mami sings to me my favourite ones. Mami also asked Dadi to use the same way to teach me to sing some Mandarin songs too.

Anyway, it gets less frustrating now that people can understand me abit better, especially when i am asking them for somethings. Pointing just doesn't work with some people you know? Well, if all else fails, i guess i can always fall back to screaming. THAT definitely gets their attention. Hahaha!

13 and 14 months.

2010-02-07T07:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks... we have been travelling so not much updates but at least photos are up on flickr on our trip to Humen/HK!

Some recent developments:
- My two top front teeth are out and I am spotting another two below! Tally is now 6! Now i can BITE! (Mami being the first 'test' subject)

- I am eating adult food now and I enjoy buffets!

- I am saying a few words: flower, ball, tree, laolao, byebye, ahro (hello)... I call a doggie 'woahwoah' and I can sort of sing the last words of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" ('tar'-star, 'ah'-are) with abit of 'action'.

- I can relate picture of objects with the real thing, and see the similarity in two same pictures (i.e. pointing to picture of ladybug and pointing to the ladybug on my bib).

- I can point to my family and friends when their names are called.

- I can climb up the stairs (but not down) and walk when supported.

- Finally i learnt that 'kiss' is not to knock others with my forehead but plant my lips on them! And i will kiss anyone!

- I ask for help by giving others the object and pulling their hand. Sometimes, if Mami happens to be sleeping, i may need to tap tap her face too.

Finally, a post from Dadi!

2010-01-19T06:24:00.001-08:00

Observations of The Kiddo Dec09-Jan10

The Wife maintains a blog for the kid. in fact she does a pretty good job at it and i've just been plain lazy to contribute my observations. but of late, she'd grown to be more interactive and expressive....e.g.

she's certainly not reserved in literally pointing out to you what she wants. she will also make short 2-syllabic 'commands' when she points
she shakes her head and pushes item away when i get the wrong stuff for her
she understands 'give' and of late will assert her refusal to give by shaking her head rigorously and spinning herself in circles (when she's seated)
she pouts and frowns when i think she's thinking hard enuff
she joins in the conversation, often exclaiming with outbursts of 'hahahas' & outstretched arms
she does some imaginative play with her toys, 'talking' to them
she treats everything with buttons as a phone (she used to just press n bite on them), placing them next to her ear and mumble to it
she is proactive in getting us to play with/demo to her. sometimes when she can't get a desired reaction from her toys/wants our participation, she'd take our hand and place the toys in them (e.g there was this once when she took her tutu as a phone and stuffed it in my left ear)
she crawls fast and explores new places a lot more
she associates certain sounds to some animals - cow says, moo, sheep says baa, tiger& lions says hraarrr, cat says meoow, dog says woowoo
she waves byebye (& the odd mumble of byebye when she remembers...tho she can't do flying kiss)
she kisses by doing a forehead knock on us

i'd also like to think that she'd gotten more discerning and exhibits different behaviour when she's with either of us. for example......

i'm the iphone guy & she'd come to me for her sesame st-on-the go kick. she no longer likes The Elmo Song...now she prefers Bert & Ernie's Lalala Song, Diana Krall's Everybody Song & The Pointer Sister's 12 Pinball Song
i'm the carry-me-hi-hi guy & she'd try to get onto my shoulder when i carry her

but she's still pretty much the same in other ways.....

she has only 2 grown teeth
i hope she'd learn to stand and maybe totter around as she builds more confidence over the weeks.

12 months 3 weeks

2009-12-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

I am 1 year old now!

Okie, maybe 1 year 3 weeks old (it is so hard to get Mami to update my blog!).

So what did i do on my birthday?

Mami made me a small elmo cake and i saw my first birthday candle! I also had some chicken rice which Dadi made and took photos with all my furry pals at home. After that, Mami and Dadi took me to the park and we blew bubbles (they blew bubbles and i chase after them la). It was a nice day with great sunshine and i get to spend it to the two people i love most: Mami and Dadi. Of course, i also had all my new presents to play with too! Mami said Dadi went crazy on Ebay. Not that i mind cos' i really love my new toys! Esp the table with singing Elmo!

Then on Sunday, we went on a picnic with Aunty Phyllis, Uncle Mark, Korkor Owen and Korkor Liam, as well as Aunty Wendy and Uncle Laurence. It was another nice day. Mami made me some more cupcakes and egg sandwich. I also had my first mashmellow from Aunty Phyllis! Wahh... sweet!!! After that i watched the two korkors played with bubbles and had fun trying to crawl to the tree and pick the flowers off it. It was another nice day... Aunty Phyllis was suggesting that we should do this more often, maybe next time at the beach. *nod nod* i think that will be really nice.

So...

Now that i am 1 year old has anything changed?

Not really!
Hahaha!

I still only have two teeth but Mami say she can see my top tooth is coming out. Hmm maybe that's why some nights i feel so uncomfortable and don't sleep well. But other than that, Mami said she is glad that i am beginning to sleep through the night! Well, i guess i am a big girl now, so have to TRY to be more independent. I still like to drink milk milk from Mami but sometimes i am just more interested to look at my toys, look out the window at the cars or do other stuff! Anyway, Mami will always be there. She say she is like my milk kiosk, or 7-11. Ah.. not sure what is that, but its good! I can self-serve too! Heh heh

These days i particularly enjoy listening to people talking and singing. I found that i can actually 'lalala' along with them and my body seems to move to the music beyond my control! Dadi thinks i am a groovy baby... well, i love grooving! Besides singing and dancing, I also like to listen to Mami make animal sounds, which i try to follow. I especially like the lion's roar. It goes like this.. "rroooooaaaaarrrrr". "moomoo" is another nice sound. It always makes me laugh. Nowadays, Mami will play "hunt for the animal" with me. She will say an animal name and then i had to go around the mat to look for them. I love pointing at 'zebra', 'elephant', 'monkey' and of course, 'lion' *rooarrrrr*. At night, i love to do some reading... sometimes i read on my own (Mami say she dont understand what i am saying but that's because she doesnt understand baby-lish) or i will bring the books to Mami or Dadi to read with me. Mami hopes i will enjoy reading as much as she does. Well, i do.. though i wish Mami will let me read HER books. Hmmm..

Okie... next week i will be seeing Korkor Aaron and Didi Andy when Aunty Angie and Uncle Max come for a visit. We will be celebrating Aaron korkor's birthday too! And hopefully, Mami wont get so lazy and update my blog soon! :P

11 months 3 weeks old

2009-11-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

So sorry everyone for not blogging for such a long time! Mami has been lazy with updating even though "I" wanted to... (Avery has been really interested in grabbing Mami's laptop keyboard).

I am going to be 1 year old soon! This is an important time for baby because this is the first ever birthday and so that's special! I wonder what Mami and Dadi will do to celebrate this special day with me (Mami: Hmmmmmmmmmmm........). Small QQ came the week before and it was nice to see him again after so many months. I love to crawl to QQ's room to visit him because he also have a laptop and it is always on the floor where i can reach it! Yay! And he also have a PSP which i was eyeing. Hahaha. Dadi say i am a gadget girl. Yessireee... I love Dadi's iphone too because it has my favourite Elmo song on it. "la la lala la la lala Elmo song!" Then there are the sesame street podcasts on Dadi's macbook which are also very nice! I think i prefer these to watching the children's song vcds that nainai gave me. I am so in love with Elmo (Dadi: Then you will like your present. Heehee).

This month, Mami has been cooking up a storm for me. Some of the new things i have tried are, Cheesy Tuna and Pasta Gratin (I love cheese!), Pumpkin Risotto (*Smack lips*), Steam Egg with Chinese Mushroom (I ate it with rice!), Apple Crumble (Sweet!) and Chicken Pasta (Chicken is yummy!). There are others too but these are a few of my favourites. I think Mami has a new cookbook, that's why she is so hardworking. I like these more than i like porridge. Dadi say i eat like an 'ang moh'. Hmmm what's an 'ang moh'? Anyway, Mami say as long as i am eating well, it is okie already.

I am not sure if i've learnt much new things this month. I am still pooing in the toilet bowl and drinking from my straw cup. Mami got me a new straw cup but this is much harder to drink! I think it because the straw is longer. Anyway, i dont like changes. *sulk* Why can't i just keep to my old cup? Sometimes i can hold the cup and drink on my own but after that, i love to fling the cup around and watch the water dribble all over my table. Hahaha. But Mami doesn't like that very much. Oops. I am doing alot of standing, cruising, holding to squat and getting up but Dadi still ask me how come i am not walking. Well, let me just say that, i will walk when i am ready! Dont hurry me please.

I think Dadi will get more headache IF i am walking because i am so ready to let him chase after me while i go around and meddle with his stuff. Already he is always complaining about me pulling my books off the shelf (I love to count them as them fall down) and pressing the buttons on the PS3 and DVD player. Now my new target is trying to get to the kitchen! Dadi thinks he can stop me by putting the shopping trolley infront of it but that's not going to stop me for very long. ESP if i am walking. Hahaha. (Dadi: Nevermind.. i got a GATE already!).

I am still going to the playgroup and sometimes we meet my friends in the park. My friends are all older than me by a few months but i am taller than most of them! But of cos, i am also skinnier. Laolao seems to be abit upset with Mami for not making me fat fat... but then i think taller is better. Heh heh Dadi say he hopes that i will be taller than him but Mami say like that hard to find boyfriend. Dadi say i am too young for boyfriend. Hmmm...

Anyway... I am all excited thinking about my birthday, so much so that sometimes i wake up in the night and laugh to myself. Of cos' that means Mami will have to come tuck me in to sleep again. She wonders how come some days i can sleep through and some days i can't. Well, i can't explain it either. Sorry Mami! Well... hopefully i can sleep through and only wake up in the day. Dadi say Mami is very tired if i keep waking up at night. :/ Well.. i will try la.

Okie. That's all for now. When i write next, i will be one year old! Will tell everyone how my birthday goes.. :)

10 months 1 week old

2009-10-06T05:21:00.001-07:00

This past month I've been very busy because I had alot of visitors coming to see me! We also went out quite a lot. Here's a picture of me with Dadi and Mami at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival. We went with Nainai, Zhorzhor and Gugu when they came to visit us for a week from Singapore. It was nice how suddenly i have so many people in the house to play with for the whole time. Nainai they all also went to see the Great Ocean Road and Philips Island but they didnt bring me along because i am still too young. Sigh. Mami promise that we will go when i am older. Actually its okie... there's always a next time. Anyway, Wabit Jiejie also came to visit me one day and she bought a bitbit bear for me! Now bitbit bear is my best friend and i love to munch on his ears. Heh heh. Aunty Kat also came by one weekend to see me. Mami says that Aunty Kat flies on big aeroplanes to many different countries. Wow... i wonder if next time i will also get to do that. The last visitor we had was Aunty Jenny and after she visited me, she invited us back to her place to play with Isaac again. Isaac also had his hair cut... like me!
Some of the new things i've learnt.
1) Letting go to stand on my own for a short while.
2) Sitting up from a lying down position
3) Crawling on my knees

I love to see Mami and Dadi's faces when i suddenly do new things. They always wonder if i have been practising at night. Speaking of night time, i think i am still driving Mami nuts because i will wake up 2-3 times during the night. She is wondering when will i stop that and just sleep through.. Hmm all in good time Mami! I think i am just busy 'learning' all night so my brain activity is just moving non-stop! Heh heh..

Oh oh before i forget, i must talk about the potty! Hahaha...Now i can sit on a toilet to poopoo!! Really! Dadi thinks that it is a big change from when i was just a tiny little infant. Dadi say i used to poo 6 to 7 times a day! Can you believe? I don't remember it at all! But apparently, once i even poo on Dadi and Mami just as they were cleaning me up from my previous mess! The poo came 'flying' out! Wah.. like some rocket like that. Hahaha! But now i am very guai la... At most i poo twice a day. Mami says i am like Dadi. Very regular. She ask me how come i always poo in the middle of my meals at lunch or dinner. Well, i don't know also. You know, when you have to go, you have to go. So now, whenever i feel a poopoo coming, i will do the 'ng-ng' sound and Mami will bring me to sit at the toilet bowl (of course i have my own special seat on top so that i don't fall down). Initially i was rather scared of it (sitting on a hole is new to me then!) but Mami sat with me (behind me actually) to get me used to it and now she don't have to anymore. I can sit by myself and once i am on it, i will 'ng-ng' and there! Poopoo! And if i dont have to poo, i will just put my hands around Mami to let her know i want to get up. Mami then show me how to wash and wipe hands. Dadi is very happy cos' he say i save alot of diapers. :)

When i turned 10 months old, Mami and Dadi cut my hair. Aiyo... I miss my fringe! I thought i used to look quite cool but now... Dadi say i look like "ah wang" (I don't know who) and quite 'doot doot'. :( Alot of aunties saw my photos said that i look nice because the 'slanted' hairstyle is trendy but.. but.. i still want my fringe back! I really didnt like to cut my hair and struggle alot. Mami say that's why now my hair is lopsided. Sigh... Why can't i keep my hair?

After the haircut, Mami and Dadi brought me to the Zoo... i guess they wanted me to forget about my hair cut. Heh heh. The zoo was quite nice. We had lunch there and Mami bought me a hat because the sun was shining so brightly. Luckily i put on sunblock or else i would have gotten sunburn! I saw quite a lot of animals at the zoo but halfway through i fell asleep (afternoon nap time mah). Dadi say nevermind because he signed up for membership at Friends Of The Zoo. It is free entry to all the Melbourne Zoos throughout the year! I think i will try to stay awake the next time we go. Today we went to Scienceworks which Mami says is abit like the Science Centre in Spore. Dadi wanted to see some Star Wars exhibition... Well, not very interesting for me because i cant really touch anything... maybe i will understand it if i am older.

Well, Gonggong and Laolao will be coming again this week and we will be having visitors again! It is spring time so the weather has been getting warmer so i get to go outside more often too! I wonder where will Dadi and Mami bring me next...!

9 months 1 week old

2009-09-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

I am standing! Well sort of anyway. I can pull myself to stand and even started to cruise a little by holding on to the sofa (sometimes Mami will also hold my hands because there is only _that_ many sofa in the house). Mami likes to hold me by my waist and then let go to see if i can stand on my own. Sometimes she counts along before i fall laughingly into her arms (she hasn't let me fall on my bumbum yet.. heehee). The best i can do is 10secs! But i wobble alot too. I think i still cannot balance very well. Mami say nevermind.. maybe next month i will be able to. :)

I still only have two teeth but its okie because i can still chew and munch my food very well. Nowadays Mami don't have to puree my food already and i am having lots of fun munching through sugarless apple/cinnamon muffins...

and also lotsa other dishes like beef/veggie stew, pasta, couscous with soup and salmon/veggie porridge...
I love eating and usually finish up the whole bowl. My favourite is the yummy porridges, esp if Mami add meat to it (very sweet and nice to munch!). I think i am putting on weight but QQ say i look thinner. I think maybe because i am taller? I don't know but the nurse told Mami that i put on 500g over 1 month which is very good already.

This month, Dadi and Mami also brought me to the Botanical Gardens and it was the first time i sat on "Grass". Its green and prickly! Mami laughed and laughed because i didnt dare to move once i was sitting down. *sulk* But it felt so different from my mat and the floor at home!! Mami say she will have to bring me more often to sit on the grass so that i can get used to it. When the weather is warm, she will introduce me to "Sand" also... hmm *frown* i dont think i will like that very much either. :P Anyway, Mami/Dadi showed me alot of things and let me touch them.. like flower petals (nice!), tree bark (very rough), tree cone (weird)... But i dont think i will mind if they make me touch them again.. it has been quite.. ermm interesting... heh heh

After the nice weekend at the Botanical Gardens and just before nainai and ah zhor come to Melbourne with Winnie gugu, I fell sick. Mami and Dadi also dont know why but suddenly i had fever and was super cranky. Actually i dont really mind it because that means Mami and Dadi will carry me AT ONCE when i cry (heh) but it was HORRIBLE when both of them made me drink this "stuff"! Sometimes its pink, sometimes its orange. It taste abit sweet but... so WEIRD!! At first Mami use the spoon but i refused to drink it, thinking then Mami will stop forcing me (it usually works for food i don't like). BUT she didn't stop! She got Dadi to help and he try to put the stuff into my mouth while Mami carry me in her arms. I cried and sometimes i ended up choking and throwing up. I really really hate it! *sniff* I had to drink that every 6-8 hours for the last two days... No matter how much i cry and spit the stuff out, Mami and Dadi just continued giving it to me. Don't understand why they must be like that... but when it is over, they always end up just hugging me because i was so sad and crying so much. Of course i forgive them but doesn't mean i like drinking that stuff... sigh..

Mami say she hope that i won't fall sick again... well.. i hope so too.. yuck yuck YUCK!

8 months & 2 weeks old

2009-08-19T06:38:00.001-07:00

It has been over 2 months since we have arrived here in Melbourne and during this time, my food journal has been growing. Right now, Mami don't need to puree most of my food anymore, just need to mash it up lightly and i will gum the rest on my own. My favourite food is still avocado but i am also enjoying the beef pasta and cheesy veggie stew that Mami has made for me. Sometimes Mami try to let me eat on my own with bits of cheese and bread. I can pick them up with my fingers but it is so hard to get them into my mouth! *grrr* So you can imagine that i am not a very happy baby when most of my food get crushed in my hand or fall to the floor. Luckily Mami is there to help me but i wish i can do it on my own!

This month Mami also introduced yohgurt to me and it tasted so funny! Eeeuuu... i don't quite like sour and yohgurt is so sour! Even after Mami mix it with fruits like bananas! Mami was quite sad that i didn't like yohgurt because she had to finish the rest for me (Dadi also didnt like it. heh heh heh). She was also very sad because i was giving her a hard time refusing to drink much water or milk from the sippy cup. *hrump* I don't see why i have to drink out of that "thing" when i am perfectly fine having milk milk with Mami. But Mami says i have to start learning to drink from a cup and also to drink milk (not Mami's) because when i am older, i wont be getting milk milk from Mami already. *sulk* So everyday she will keep showing me the cup and getting me to drink abit from it. But most of the time i just let the milk dribble out.. heh heh heh.. but i did 'drink' some when Mami fed me with toast soak in milk. Guess i really like bread huh? :D

This month I've learnt a few things and made a few friends. I have started to creep (leopard crawl) around the house and this is so much fun because sometimes Mami will chase after me shouting "No!" whenever i got close to the TV or bookshelf or table. I am not sure what "No!" means but it was really funny to see Mami's face when she comes around and carry me away. Sometimes i will do it a few more times just so i can see what Mami do. The other thing i enjoy doing is standing in my cot or by the sofa. Wow.. you can see alot of things when you are higher up! I also realize it is so much more fun to 'bounce bounce' on your feet than your bum! But i think i still need to practise a bit more because once i pull myself to stand up, i can't sit down on my own again! Hmmmm... a few times i even fell down in my cot or on the mat. *ouch*

When i am not busy moving around, i am busy with my toys. I finally realized what that little green thing can do on my toy toolbench! Now i can play with it all on my own for a while, pulling, sliding and pressing on the buttons. And i figured it all out on my own! Mami was very proud of me because i am not trying to put the toolbench into my mouth now (anyway, it was also too big). Sometimes Mami will play 'hide and seek' games with me using a little ball. Most time it is quite easy when she use 1 cup... but sometimes she used 2 and moved them around! That's confusing! But if she does it slowly, i can find my ball most of the time. Heh heh that is quite fun but i must really really concentrate alot!

Last week i've met a few friends of Mami's with their babies. I made friends with Miguel, and Kieran over lunch and Isabella, Ollie over playgroup. Their mummies are all very nice and baby Kieran and his Mami also came over last friday, and we all went out for a walk at QV market. It was very nice to meet with other babies but most time it is still just me, Mami and Dadi. Mami hopes that i will get to meet more friends soon so that i can have friends to play with next time. I hope so too... :)

7 months & 3 weeks old

2009-07-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Its has been quite eventful this month for me. It may be hard to see from the picture but one of the most important thing that can happen to a baby my age is happening to me! Yes! I am teething and it is NOT fun! Why? Cos' its really irritating and sometimes painful.. First it was just one little tooth appearing just under my lower gum (middle right) and that made me cried a few times in my sleep for 1-2 days before it broke through my gum. But just as i was feeling more comfortable, the little tooth's friend next to it started to appear too! Now i am having problem sleeping again.. Thankfully Mami is always there to carry and pat pat me whenever it hurts. She also tried to put some gel on my gum (yucks.. it makes me gag) but that only works for a while. Sometimes it helps when Mami gives me a icy cold teether but i still feel that the teething rusk works the best. It makes my gum feels better and taste good too! But of cos' i also make a big mess whenever Mami gives me one. Heh heh heh.

Anyway, teething is a really difficult business for babies. First, it is painful. Second, it makes me drool alot. Hence Mami has to do alot of wiping... on my face.. my clothes.. my toys.. the floor mat. She tried putting on a bib on me but i hate wearing the bib so i always pulls it off. Now Mami threatened to sew one on me permanently but i dont think she will do it la.. Hahaha. But teething is not all bad... because i feel something constantly in my mouth, i am starting to be more aware of what my mouth can do, like making sounds! So nowadays, i am quite 'talkative'. I am also more aware of the things that goes into my mouth. Somethings i can bite and its okie (e.g. like my teether) but biting some other things can be quite painful (e.g. like my plastic stacker)! Mami is abit worried that i may break my teeth but on the other hand, she is quite happy to see me 'biting', 'chewing' or, like she said, 'gumming' my food. This mean i can eat more things that has texture instead of the same old boring 'soupy' or 'watery' stuff!

Like what i've said in the previous post... i am now eating quite a bit of things. On top of what i've last posted, Mami has made me this really delicious Baby Beef Stew for me a few days ago. This is my first time eating beef and it was YUMMY! It has sauted beef, carrots, tomato, cooked in stock, and i ate it with my multigrains cereal. Wow.. even Dadi wanted some cos' it was so tasty. Mami also let me tried honey dew, which i didnt quite like. But i think i might have liked it better if my gums weren't hurting so much during that meal time. Maybe i should try it again. Mami also made me a funny combi meal using califlower, potato and cheese blended together, eaten together with couscous. It was not bad! Mami said she will make me more 'Western' food on top of my favourite porridge because she has a new baby book with new recipes (it's called "Your Feeding Questions Answered" by Annabel Karmel). I think Mami is very interested in the book cos' she is always reading it. Heh heh now i wish my teeth can all pop out so that i can enjoy all the food!

This is me with my 姥姥. Do we look alike? Many people said that i look like a boy, esp when Mami dress me up in pants. Aiya, that's cos' i have short hair mah. See! My 姥姥 also has short hair wot.. how come no one say she looks like a boy?? 姥姥 and 公公 just went back to Singapore after visiting us for 2 weeks. Now the whole house is quite quiet lor. Last time 公公 will carry me in the morning and play with me so that Mami can rest abit longer. Now cannot already. Oh well... 公公 said that they will come and visit me again in 3 months time, so hopefully i can show them more of what i can do. Now i am learning to crawl (Mami say its creeping cos' my stomach is still on the floor) and pulling to stand (Mami still need to help me with this one). So when 姥姥 they all come, i hope to show them that i can do them on my own already, or even more things!

Things i can eat!

2009-07-12T04:44:00.000-07:00

Since Mami started feeding me solids when i turned 6 months, i have ate quite a number of different things... sometimes they are mixed together into different combinations too. Here's a list of things i've tried... and how much i like them:

Grains/Proteins
Rice cereal (with FM)- Yum.
Oats (with FM) - Not bad.
Couscous (with stock) - Not bad.
Fish - Yum.
Chicken - Yum.
Tofu - So so only.

Fruits/Veggies (mostly steamed/mashed or pureed)
Apple - Not on its own.
Sweet Potato - Yummy!
Pumpkin - Yummy!
Butternut Squash - Yummy!
Carrot - So so only.
Pear - So so only.
Potato - So so only.
Avocado - Yummy!
Green Peas - Not bad.
Banana - Yummy!
Papaya - Yummy!

Combinations
Carrot/Potato - Not bad.
Carrot/Potato/Corn - Yum.
Avocado/Banana - Yummy!
Avocado/Apple - Yummy!
Pumpkin/Corn - Yummy!
Tofu/Banana - Not bad.

Porridge (Rice & couple of dried scallops)
with Fish (Rockling)/Spinach - Yummy!
with Fish (Flake)/Broccoli - Yummy!
with Fish (Rockling)/Pumpkin - Yummy!
with Chicken/Corn - Yummy!
with Carrot/Sweet Potato/Chicken - Yummy!

Finger Food
White bread (with Avocado or Banana) - Yummy!
Teething Rusk - Yummy!

6 months 4 weeks old

2009-06-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Last week was quite a busy week for Mami, Dadi and me. I met some of Mami's friend and QQ came to visit from Hong Kong! Mami said that i am very lucky that QQ is flying all the way from HK to see me. I also feel very lucky becos QQ is such a fun person! He plays with me.. talks to me.. and carries me around. He also taught me how to make a smacking sound with my mouth. So now when i see him i will always make the "smack" sound. That always make QQ laugh. Somemore, QQ has also become my human swing. He will carry me and swing me which is really fun but Mami is abit worried becos she said that she will have to do the 'swing swing' with me now that QQ got me addicted to it. *heh heh*

Besides seeing QQ, I also saw Uncle Alan, Aunty Jennie and their dog Isaac. Mami & Dadi had lunch with uncle and aunty at this place called Footscray. They had Vietnamese beef noodles which they didn't share with me. *sulk* Instead they put me inside the stroller and i ended up napping becos' it was warm and comfy inside. Later uncle and aunty invited us to their house and that's where i met Isaac their dog. Isaac is very friendly and at first i was a little shock when he barked but after a while we made friends with each other! We had a nice time in uncle's house and by the time we got home, i was sound asleep again.

Aunty Angela also came to Melbourne last week and we met her for dinner. Aunty Angela also gave Mami and Dadi a giftcard present... and Mami used it to buy more toys for me. So THANK YOU Aunty Angela!! *hahaha* Everyone had steaks at Hog's Breath in this place called Chadstone. Luckily Dadi had his GPS or else we would be lost! We went to pick up Aunty Angela at her hotel to go to dinner. At dinner, Mami and Dadi had to feed me first becos i woke up from my nap feeling very hungry but there was no suitable baby chair. In the end Dadi had to carry me while Mami fed me. Then Aunty Angela had to carry me while Dadi & Mami eat their steak. Aiyoo... luckily Aunty Angela was very funny and tell me jokes so that Mami/Dadi can eat their cold cold dinner. *Sorry Mami! Sorry Dadi!* Mami say Aunty Angela should come to Melbourne for holiday instead of work then we can go to somewhere nicer. But it will be better if the weather is not so cold. I think Aunty Angela don't quite like Melbourne though... esp the many cars on the roads.

The last weekend we went to Uncle Laurence and Aunty Wendy's place in St Kilda. Over there i also saw Uncle Marc and Aunty Phyllis. They are all Mami's old friends from long ago (way before i was born!!) from this place call IRC. Except Mami didnt quite explain where is IRC. I think Dadi also not very sure. Hmmm.. Anyway Uncle Marc and Aunty Phyllis have two boys.. korkor Owen and korkor Liam.. They are both much older than me so i can't play with them. Uncle Laurence cooked lunch and Aunty Phyllis also baked a very nice chocolate cake. Too bad i cant eat anything... :( Sigh... Mami and Dadi had a good time though.

Well... this week I will have more visitors cos' Gonggong and Laolao is here! Suddenly the house has a lot of people. Mami thinks i am quite 'overwhelmed' because she said i was cranky on the first day they arrived. Aiya.. i have so many people now to 'talk' to so that's why abit more tired lor. :P Anyway... Gonggong & Laolao will be here for 2 weeks but QQ will be flying back to HK this Saturday. :( No more swingswing already... *pout* Mami say the next time i see QQ will be next year... by that time, maybe i can call QQ or walk already. Wahh.. what a long time that will be!! :(

6 months 3 weeks old

2009-06-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

Hello from Melbourne!
Brrr.. it is really cold now and to keep warm, Mami has been letting me wear thick thick jumpers and bodysuits. Some were bought by Winnie gugu and some from Laolao. We came here 11 days ago on a big aeroplane after saying byebye to Gongong, laolao, yeye, nainai, ah zhor, gugu and all the other aunties and uncles who came to see us off at the airport. It is my first time on the aeroplane but Mami wants me to go to sleep. *sulk* I have my own bassinet on the plane but didn't really spend much time inside because the pilot kept the 'fasten seatbelt' sign on most of the 8 hours flight from Spore to Melbourne. So i slept in Mami and Dadi's arms most of the time.

When we reach Australia, we had to push a lot of bags on a trolley through immigration with Mami carrying me in the carrier. After that we took a big big taxi van to go to QQ's old apartment near the city. For the next few days Mami and Dadi did a lot of cleaning and i was so happy to see my bumper mat from Spore because i can still play on it while they are working. And because there was no baby cot yet, I also spent a few days sleeping with Dadi/Mami in their big bed. It was very warm and nice to sleep between then and i can have milk milk any time i want. When i had my own cot and mattress, Mami put me to sleep in another room next to theirs... i wasn't too happy at first and woke Mami up a few times at night because i wanted a cuddle from her. Still, Mami kept putting me into my cot and try to make my cot nice and cosy for me with my favourite bolster and cute cute toys. After 2 days, i began to like my cot and now when i am tired, i just want to hug my bolster and sleep inside my cot.

Once i am here, Mami has been feeding me a lot of different nice food! I love avocado, pumpkin, potato, apple, banana, pear and carrots. These are usually mixed with my rice cereals and i can now finish one bowl. At first my tummy was not so used to the new food and i had a bit of trouble trying to poopoo. It was difficult and made me cry but after 2 days and some bananas later, everything is ok again. Now Dadi also got me a high chair from ikea and we will all sit down together on the dining table to eat lunch and dinner. Sometimes Mami will feed me and Dadi will feed Mami. Mami always laugh because Dadi say I have to learn to feed him next. Then we can go around feeding one another. I really like sitting down with Mami and Dadi during meal times because everyone will be smiling and talking to me. Sometimes i will laugh and Mami will say that i am very loud.

Mami say it is important for little babies to have a routine. So here's mine:
7am - Milk milk with Mami then back to bed somemore
9am - Wake up with Mami, Have milkmilk & cuddle cuddle on Mami's big bed
10am - Pompom time
11am - Play time on my bumper mat with Mami/Dadi or on my own while they make lunch
11.30am - Lunch time! I usually have cereals with 2 different type of veggie/fruit purees.
12pm - Nap time
2pm - Play time or Outing time (Mami and Dadi will take me go shopping and walkwalk in my stroller)
3pm - Milk Milk time then play time (if at home still)
4.30pm - Nap time
6pm - Play time
6.30pm - Dinner time (same like lunch but with different purees) then sit with Dadi/Mami while they eat
7.30pm - Wipe down and dress for sleeping
8pm - Winding down with Mami or Dadi
9pm - Milk Milk time
9.30pm - Bedtime

Now i can skip my midnight milkmilk time though i may still cry cry abit at midnight or 2-3am but Mami usually just come and pat pat me or give me a bit of water then i will happily fall asleep till the next day. Mami is very happy that i now like to sleep in the cot and i will want to lie down when i am sleepy after she cuddle me for a while.

I don't know how long we will be in Melbourne but so far it has been quite nice because i see Dadi and Mami everyday and they are always there to play and carry me. It may be abit cold so i dont get to go out very much to see outside but Mami promise that she will let me play in the big park next to our apartment and bring me to the beach and go swimming when it gets warmer and people stop being sick outside. Yippee!!

5 and a half months old

2009-05-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

Mami: "Okie baby, Mami's going to hijack your blog to talk about how naughty you are over the last month..."

Avery: "Sniff sniff" *sulk*

Did you know baby, you gave Dadi and Mami the fright of their life when you rolled off the bed the day before you turned 5 months old? It was at our Serangoon flat where Dadi and Mami were packing up and you were asleep on the bed. We thought you were guai guai sleeping on the bed while we were clearing up when suddenly you cried so loudly (first time ever) and Mami's heart nearly popped out when she found you lying on your back beside the bed. Aiyo... you were crying so hard until you threw up all the milk! Mami cried and wanted to send you straight to the hospital. Sigh... Luckily Dadi was more calm and kept reassuring Mami that you will be Ok. We waited 5 hours in the A&E at KKWCH but never got to see the doctor because there were SO MANY PEOPLE! Anyway I think you were okie and didn't have a head injury after all... phew. Next day you woke up and still smile and said 'Mama' so Dadi and I was very relieved. Still, we monitored you for 3 days to make sure that you are fine.

But who knows... just after the big commotion of you falling off the bed, all 3 of us became sick with stomach flu. Aiyo.. within 1 week, so much worrying over you! And for the 2nd time, we rush you to A&E, this time for high fever. We could tell that you must be feeling quite sick because you were so listless and cranky. Mami and Dadi had to sponge you almost throughout the night while both of us were also sick. Those few days were the toughest days so far since you came into our life. It was NOT easy giving you medicine every few hours because you cried each time and sometimes until you throw up then we had to give the medicine all over again.. You cannot imagine our happiness when your fever finally stopped and you finally could sleep well again. Anyway, we all survived as a family and i think after this, Mami and Dadi also became more confident in taking care of you the next time in Melbourne.
Okie la.. besides all this 'pain' we had over the month.. we also had some 'fun' moments... you were babbling "Mama" and "Papa" and made us so proud! Dadi said when you were sick and babbled "Papapapa" so pathetically, his heart was really painful. But funny, how after you recovered, you seemed to have stopped saying "Mama" and "Papa"... now you laugh and scream alot. Sometimes you go "WAH" really loudly and make us wonder what's so funny.

Around 5 months old, you also started to suck your toes! Yay! Another milestone for you! Auntie Fiona and Auntie Azmah (Mami's occupational therapist colleagues) thought you were wonderful. Of course, now Mami has to really watch out for you rolling smoothly (No more being alone on the bed missy!). Oh! Let's not forget that you are also starting to sit on your own, supporting yourself with your hands. Well, you are still learning and sometimes topple over but Mami is happy that you want to try to sit by yourself and will also lift your hands up to balance yourself. Hahaha, for 10-20seconds, you would sit so nicely and balance so well! Good job darling!!

Well, my dear baby girl... you are going to 6months soon and Mami and Dadi will be bringing you to Melbourne then. We are so busy packing and baby, you really have so many stuff!! Well, let's hope we all get there in one piece and settle down smoothly okie? Hope that you will enjoy it there too. :) In 1 month's time, we will see... okie darling? Be good alright?

4 and a half months old

2009-04-19T00:03:00.001-07:00

"Allo everybody. My name is Avery Tan and I am a pacifier-holic."

That's what mami said, she will be sending me to Pacifier Anonymous soon because i am loving my tutu too much. Actually i think she is exaggerating because i don't need my tutu ALL the time what... i can give it up whenever i want to... eh.. wait. Don't take it away yet.. ARgh! STOP STOP STOP..

Okie. Maybe i am abit addicted but i think i can tahan not having it some time... just dont take it away before i fall asleep.. please?

4 and a half months! I am now 6.6kg and 68cm tall. I thought i am growing pretty big until mami brought me to this place where all other babies were there with their mommies and daddies. Wow.. some of them are even bigger and taller than me even though they are considered my meimeis or didis! Pout. But nevermind, Mami say i still got time to catch up as long as i guaiguai finish up my milk instead of driving poor laolao and nainai up the wall in the afternoons when i take more than an hour to finish up my milk (sometimes not finished even). Mami has been back at work in the afternoons for almost a month now and laolao plus nainai are the ones keeping me company. Most of the time i take my naps but when i am awake, they always have to find some ways to entertain me or else i will 'complain'. Laolao also complain that only when Mami is around then i am more guai... which is not true because i am guai if Dadi is around also.

Mami says that i am a Dadi's girl cos Dadi loves taking photos of me and i love posing for him. Sometimes Dadi will tell me funny jokes or make funny noises and end up laughing by himself (sometimes i really dont understand leh) or i laugh along with him. Dadi is spending more time with me now because he is not working on some days. So on those days, he will be the one who pompom me and feed me my milkmilk. Sometimes he also let me sit on his lap to watch colourful moving pictures and listen to music on his computer but usually i get bored after 10 to 15 minutes. I think i much rather suck on my fingers and go for a walk.

I've learnt some new things in the last month. I can flip from my back to my tummy and now i am trying to do the reverse. I can do it if Mami gives me a little help by tucking my hand nearer to my body. I am also sitting up with abit of support and i can now see so much better when i am upright! I am also having more fun with my little playgym. Wow.. i didnt realize i can do so many things with it. My favourite part is the 'Chicken in the Egg' which i like to spin and open/close. Most of the time i can entertain myself for 10-15 minutes with the playgym while Mami sneaks off to go take a shower. Sometimes i didnt even notice she is not beside me because the EggEgg is so much fun!

Another of my favourite pasttime is to 'Talk **** Sing Song' with Mami. We make the most wonderful sounds together. Now i can say 'Ah', 'Mm', 'Hmm', 'Oo', 'Uh', 'Ya', 'Ai' and my favourite 'WAH'. It is funny when Mami says the same with me and then both of us will giggle and giggle while Dadi wonders what's wrong with us. Heh heh. Last by not least, i really enjoy going out with Mami and Dadi. Yesterday we went to East Coast Park and saw alot of people rollerblading and it was nice and breezy. Mami say when i am older she will bring me swimming but she has to buy me swimming diapers first (she is worried i will poopoo into the pool hahahaa).

We have also been doing abit of shopping for stuff for me like diapers and toys. I think Mami is getting ready to pack them for our move to Melbourne. I've never sat on an aeroplane or gone to Melbourne before so i think will be very exciting! Laolao and Gonggong already brought over 2 full suitcases of my clothing and toys there but Mami say i have so many things, they will have to ship some over because the suitcases wouldnt fit all my stuff. Well, what to do, I am a girl mah, of course must have many pretty clothes. Winnie gugu got so much stuff for me until i think i dont need to buy more clothes till i am 3years old! :)

Oh well... there will be more things to learn this month because Mami is planning to let me try cereal when i turn 5 and a half months.. Ooo mum mum time soon! Hahaha I can hardly wait!!!

3 months old (plus a bit more)

2009-03-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

3 and a half months old now and at the last weigh-in, i was 5.7kg and 58cm which doctor said that i am just nice on the 50 percentile. Not big Not small though i can't say the same for my eyes. Mami and Dadi has been looking at me very closely these days and kept saying that i have one eye big (Left) and one eye small (Right). Okie. The picture above is abit of an exaggeration but you all get the picture la. I think it is quite okie because it shows that i belong half to Mami (small eyes) and half to Dadi (big eyes) mah. Kekeke!

A lot of things happened in the last 1 1/2 months... I have been going out quite abit because Dadi got himself a cool Baby Bjorn carrier which he said had excellent back support. I guess it must be pretty important especially since they all want me to grow bigger. At first my view is always of Dadi's chest and goatee.. it was so boring that i kept falling asleep whenever i go out. But now it is better because Dadi has turned me around to look outside. Wow! So many things to see around me, especially in the shopping centres! All the toys and people! Heh heh it also gave other uncles and aunties a chance to see and smile at me, telling me what a cutie i am *beams*. Mami thinks i am quite heow because i enjoy it so much and love smiling back at them.

Besides going out, i am learning to do a few things. Like reaching out for toys and sitting up to read books with Mami on the Bumbo chair that Aaron GorGor lent me. I have been exploring with my hands and fingers too. I suddenly realized that i can open my hand up really wide and put my fingers into my mouth! Yum!! But Mami is always putting a nappie or bib around my neck because she say i drool so much. Heh if she doesn't do that, i think i will be blowing spit bubbles all day. So fun! BlooOoooopooppoooo..

Oh ya! I am also better on my tummy and is able to hold my head up high now. I was also trying very hard to flip myself around from my back onto my tummy. It took many many MANY tries but i finally made it on the 15th of March. And i did it when Mami was not watching too so imagine her surprise when she went to fill the bathtub and when she came back, i have already flipped over. Of course now she will have to be more careful cos' i may just flip myself off the bed *evil snigger*. Dadi at first didnt believe Mami so i also demo for him today. Heh heh he was very proud though i still need abit of help to adjust my arm because somehow it always get stuck beneath my tummy. Sigh.

This month was also Mami's 33rd birthday on 1st of March so Dadi got me together to 'perform' with him to sing Happy birthday song to her as a surprise. Of course i cannot sing yet but it was the thought that count la. So one more time... Happy Birthday Mami!!!!! *drool drool*. Dadi also got Mami a chocolate cake. Looks very nice but they didn't let me have any... guess i must wait until i have some teeth lor *wistfully*. Oh well... maybe on my first birthday...

I heard Mami telling 姥姥 a few days ago that she is going back to work so will need me to start drinking my milk from a bottle while she is not at home. That made me very cranky because i prefer my milk-milk time with Mami! *frown* I tried to get Mami to stay at home and stop giving me the bottle by protesting and boycotting the bottle. So i cried and cried whenever they put the bottle into my mouth. I know i was abit naughty because i actually don't mind the bottle because i have been using it every night since i was born but I just dont want to have it anymore if it means Mami is going away *sulk*. Mami had to try so many ways and she got me all kinds of different bottles, teats and milk. But actually, i don't care what type of milk or bottles or teats, I just want my milk-milk time with Mami lor.

Sigh.. but in the end i think Mami is alot more firm than i thought because she didnt give in to me and finally i had no choice but drink from the bottle or else i will go hungry. When i finally drink from the bottle, everyone smiled and Mami said that i am a good girl. So now i will drink from the bottle (but sometimes i like to tease them by smiling and not drinking at first.. heh heh) even when Mami has to go out. Anyway, it is not like all the time i have to drink from bottle so it is still Ok.. because i still have my milk-milk time with Mami in the mornings and at nights. If i can, i hope Mami will always let me have milk-milk time with her because she always sings and tells me little stories while i sometimes try to follow by making my own sounds *smiles*.

Well... it is time for bed now. Oh.. i have my regular bed time now and Mami is so proud of me because i don't fuss and will go to bed without complaining or needing people to cuddle me too much. *Stretches* Yawwnnn... maybe i will surprise Mami tomorrow by saying "mama or dada"... Maybe maybe.. heh heh

2 months old

2009-02-02T17:25:00.001-08:00

2-month old now and I've grown! Now i am 5.4kg and mami is starting to find me heavy to carry about all the time. They have also shaved my head, making me look more like a boy than a dainty little girl *sniff*. Worse thing was, now my hair is growing out all patchy. Mami said the 'hairy' part belongs to papa and the bald patches belongs to her. Funny grown-ups. And there is laolao who kept rubbing my head with some funny alcohol thingy. I don't think mami and papa think it works but still, laolao persisted.

Before CNY, papa was attempting to take my photos for my passport. As you can see, I am not really cooperating because it was more fun trying to do funny faces. See bottom left? That's my impersonation of a king-pin terrorist. Fierce right? Bottom right is my "Gah" face. Hee hee, too bad papa didn't use this for my passport. I think the immigration officer would have enjoyed it. Top left is my usual "don't mess with me" look. Top right is my warning face, for when people disturb me while i am sleeping.

Anyway, after a while I thought better give some nice smiling shots for my passport so that papa can stop flashing that 'giant nipple' looking camera at my face. I thought bottom left was pretty good but mami decided to go with bottom right. Maybe cos' my eyes looked bigger in that one or she thinks one eye big, one eye small look is IN.

During CNY, I wore my very first dress that Aunty Winnie bought for me from US. Everyone thought i looked really cute but i am still a little miffed that i have no hair. Here i am with my very first angbao from papa. Mami said since papa gave the angbao, she don't need to give and anyway, she has already given me breastmilk which she say is priceless. I think mami is just being stingy *snort*. For my first CNY, i received many many red packets from all the relatives uncles and aunties. Papa was quite impressed. I have a feeling that this is the first time papa and mami got so much angbaos.

Over the last month, i also started to have some time to notice more things around me. All i remember from my first month was alot of sleeping, people changing my diaper and milk-milk time with mami. But now, i realized that there is a funny turning mobile on top of my bed. Sometimes mami will switch it on for me and it will go round and round. I don't like to stare at it took long because it makes me dizzy as i kept twisting my head a round to catch the next animal going round. The mobile makes music too but i much rather listen to 'live' music, especially when mami sings to me, cos' i get to look at her mouth moving. It really tickles me when people talk near my face and i see all the mouth movements. Makes me want to move my own mouth and make sounds too.

Mami said nowadays i am more 'managable'. I think it is cos' i am sleeping longer now at night. I usually know that mami wants me to go sleep on my own bed when she wipe me down, it becomes dark and she cuddles me close after milk-milk time. It is hard not to feel sleepy when it feels so nice and warm, with a dry diaper on my bumbum. After cuddling for a while, mami will wrap me up all cosily with my blankie and put me in bed around 9pm. Usually, i will have another milk-milk time at midnight (this time with papa and the milk bottle) but i am hardly awake when i drink the milk so can't remember much. Then next time i know, it is already 5-6am.

In the day, I am very good too. Once i finish my milk with mami, i will go poopoo. I finally realized that the 'ng-ng' sounds mami makes means to poopoo. Mami always laughs when i make the same sound as she helps me to poopoo. Papa say i am like him. Very regular. Once i poopoo finish, mami will bathe me and let me splash around in the tub. I like weekends when papa is the one that bathe me, because his expression is very funny when i pee on him while he is cleaning my face. I don't really have a chance to do it on mami because she always clean my face very quickly and then put me in the tub. I still nap alot in the day but i've been waking up more and like to have people talk to me. I also like looking out the windows where it is bright and being carried around for walks. Laolao thinks mami spoilt me by carrying me too much but she and gonggong carries me alot too. Heh heh.

This month is also the first time i saw my QQs and Aunty Winnie. QQs are mami's brothers. There is the Big QQ who likes to talk to me and put my photos on his own msn. He works in HK and always ask papa if got new photo of me on flicker. There is Small QQ who works in China. He doesn't talk to me much but he bought me cute chinese shoes and click his fingers to entertain me when i am bored in the car. Both my QQs don't dare to carry me, unlike Aunty Winnie who is papa's sister. She is very pretty and she bought me alot of pretty clothes. Aunty Winnie works in NY which is very far away so sometimes papa will show me to Aunty Winnie using his computer. Like Big QQ, Aunty Winnie also like to look at my photos on flicker.

*yawns* I think i need another nap already but first i want my milk-milk time with mami. I feel so comfy being cuddled to drink my milk. Mami say i'm the cutest when drinking milk and sighing contently. Maybe if i am good, she may bring me out go walkwalk later when i wake up.. *yawnnnsss* *sigh*

1 month old...

2009-01-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

On 2nd of Jan 2009, Avery turned 1 month old, the same day of her yeye's bday. We didn't think to have a first mth celebrations since it was so near to xmas, new year & CNY, besides my mom is still sick and undergoing treatment. In the end, we just had a small luncheon at the in-laws where a few of mook's aunties/uncles came by to see the baby as well as celebrated Avery yeye's bday together. Actually felt quite bad not having 1st month thingy for Avery, esp on my side of the family but looking at my mom, i think it is better this way.

Anyway, it is tiring bringing Avery out the whole afternoon to her grandparents' place. Perhaps it was the number of people passing her around, so she was abit cranky and tired (same like mommy). Subsequently, mook and i tried bringing her out, once for a walk near indoor stadium, we barely lasted 1/2 hour because she pooped and needed to be changed (the car was a handy changing room). Thankfully i already had a chance to practicing changing diapers in the car because after her first month thingy at the in-laws, we had to make a side trip to deliver some cakes to mook's great-aunt and Avery decided to let rip a big poo enroute there. Oh well, could have been worse if we were on a cab or bus or mrt. :P

Avery also had her check-up at the PD after her first month. Everything is fine, except for a big pimple on her face. Doc say its normal due to hormonal changes but gave us antibiotic cream to help clear it in case it start to have pus and leave a scar. So far she is reacting well to it and the 'pimple' is clearing. I wonder if the cream will work for normal pimples for adults too.. :P

Currently she is 4.45kg and has grown 4 more cm (55cm) since birth. The double eye-lids we thought we saw seems to come and go and we did not notice any dimples though the grandparents swore that they saw one. Avery is smiling more (often in her sleep) and getting quite alert. I especially like the way she is cooing nowadays whenever she is feeling contented. However, putting her to bed is getting to be an issue since she will either nurse to sleep or pat to sleep in my arms. Whatmore, she has taken a liking for sleeping on her tummy so though people have caution me of it, i am putting her in the prone position but very watchful of her. Good thing though, she has turning her head left and right in the prone position and having pretty good neck muscle development at this stage.

Her feeding times are pretty regular at 2-3hr intervals and she is only waking up once at around 3am and 6am for her night feeds. The jury is still out on whether to use a pacifier for her. I was quite sure that i don't want to use but nowadays, if it will help sooth her, i am willing to try anything since i refuse to buy in to the "cry-it-out" method. If i refuse to apply it to my ASD kids in school, no way am i doing it to my own daughter. Crying will only lead to more stress and withdrawal. And the long-term impact on children is also pretty detrimental to their development. Besides, as a newborn, she doesn't even have the concept of cause & effect yet, hence it is ridiculous to say that she is being manipulative (i.e. to be carried etc) though things may become a routine (e.g. nursing to sleep). However, priority at this moment is to have a happy and secure baby. The rest of the stuff regarding 'discipline', will come later. And i am slowly working my way to develop a better long term routine regarding her sleeping.

It is tiring to be sure. Mook and I looked like pandas while our koala of a daughter (koala cos she enjoys clinging onto me to sleep) continue to poo, pee, fuss, coo, smile, feed and snooze. I am looking forward to the 2nd and 3rd month as she grows bigger and when i can introduce new toys and play. :)

The beginning - as told by daddy...

2008-12-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

Day 0

The labour was close to 10 hours. Or rather we were in the labour ward for that duration. She had been dilating slowly throughout the day and towards the last hour, one of the midwifes had to help with the dilation. I'd almost thought that she'd pop the following day.

The gyne arrived at about 10.45 pm and told the wife that all she needed by 11 pm were 3 pushes. 2 midwifes were assisting by pushing on each side of the wife's tummy.

By the 2nd push, he paused to ask me what was the make of the camera I was using and commented that since he had not seen it before it must be new. I was dumbstruck for a good 5 seconds and lost the focusing on the camera. I had too lost track of the 3rd push, only to realise the baby will soon be out as the gyne reached for his 'favourite' vacuum plug.

The gyne barked over my wife's raised legs, telling me to ready the camera for the 'moment'.

***

She kind of 'slipped out' with the final push.

The gyne was almost directing my shoot from the front of the wife's legs.

'Set it on multiple!'
'Here's the head, look!'
'Out. Here you go!'
'Shoot shoot!'
'Take the time, the clock's behind you.'

My camera swung from place to place.
Got the baby, got the blood, got the wife, got the clock.
I'd lost focus on the camera but I didn't quite care. It's the Moment, right?

In a seamless flow, the midwives were dabbing and wiping her while inserting the tubes in all orifices to suck out the fluids. She cried and cried, then paused momentarily to open her eyes for the first time, peeking into the World.

I went 'wowowowow' and broke into a few 'hos'. I was tongue tied. Vocabulary eluded me. The wife was slightly better...at least she went 'Oh my, oh my....hello baby.'

The gyne had deftly snipped the cord and I was looking up down the little one, checking for hands, fingers, legs, toes, ears, nose...just making sure she's got them all.

The gyne then proceeded to draw the cord blood for our donation and had the placenta removed. I took a glance at the blue-purplish blob of placenta on the tray and failed to understand how anyone would process and consume it. I wasn't sure if the wife felt the gyne stitching her up after this. She was just looking over her shoulders, watching the midwife clean up Avery.

The midwife had her wiped down and prepared to give her her first jab. I alternated between shooting and assuring my wife.

The stitching took a while more (those were really big surgical hooks!), in the meantime, she was bringing the house down with her cries.

***

The midwife brought her to the wife.

It was indescribable that the pregnancy had ended and we were looking at our baby, our firstborn for the very first time. I don't know how the wife felt when she cuddled her for the first time. As i recalled mine, i was awkward, afraid that I would mishandle and injure my fragile dearest.
The stitching got done, and the gyne recommended a ped for Avery.
He got round to all the paperwork and gave me a firm handshake and a pat on my back.

'Congratulations.'

Avery was all swaddled by now and we were told that she'd be wheeled to the nursery on Level 6 and the wife had to stay put for 2 more hours for further observation. I followed the midwife and was briefed of the procedures for retrieving her from the nursery.

It's already 10 minutes past midnight when i called the folks to let them know of Avery's birth. Guess that officially makes me a father and them, grandparents.

***

We popped!

2008-12-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Well, Avery Tan Ying Xi... Welcome to the world darling. :)

37 weeks and counting

2008-11-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

37 weeks.. or is it 38 now? Almost 38 i think. Sort of lost count after these days. Yes, pregnancy amnesia has finally hit me.

I am as big as can be. Okie... thanks to those who say that i don't look that big and making me feel better but the scales can't be wrong. All in all, i've put on 15kgs from the start of my pregnancy till now. There may be another spurt of weight gain but let's hope that it just bbump.

Bbump is about 3kg last week. Holding it stable for 2 weeks but that could change at next doc's appt next tues (there was a pasta lunch sometime during the week). But hey, bbump may be out by then! Except, if bbump is really coming, please do it on Monday and not the weekend, cos' mummy wanna go watch Avenue Q on sunday. :P

Family is sort of holding their breath and waiting for me to pop anyday now. I am still going to work (today is my last day since next week will be school hols anyway and i start to clear leave then). Bros will call and ask "Water bag broken yet?". Parents-in-law commented that they are not sure if we will be doing our weekly weekend dinner for the coming sunday (could pop then you know). My mom insist that she thinks bbump as descended though it felt otherwise to me.

So how am i feeling? Bbump is wiggling rather actively most of the time and the tendency is for me to feel a leg (or some limb) kicking out at the side of my waist on the right. Must be quite a tight squeeze. Am getting mixed feelings such as wanting to pop ASAP (but no... not before Ave Q!!!) and worried that once bbump is here, my life will go haywire starting from confinement (mothers from both side will be presiding). Sigh. Doc mentioned that bbump may be a big baby *groan* so asking me to consider epidural.

I am not that gungho anyway so i guess depends on how much i can tolerate first before going to hospital (doc warned to go only when STRONG pain but what's STRONG pain??). If "strong" pain already when i reached hospital and only less than 4cm dilated, i say give me the epi. Cannot imagine cannot tahan already and still more than half way to go. But say if's journey half done, then at least it make sense to 'diong' all the way.

In any case for now, i am still feeling pretty... normal. No funny sensation or anything. Sorted out work things before starting my leave (the reports i have to vet, the minutes i have to write, the emails i have to clear... sigh). Arranged for cordblood to be donated to the Singapore Cordblood Bank. Didn't think to spend $$ and store the cordblood for personal use but since they take donations, may help other people in future. Who knows? Finished packing my bag for the hospital and making sure necessary documents are packed (need real marriage cert or photocopy will do?). Got bbump's room ready but i think the test will be when bbump is back and the taking-care stars.

So... that's it. Just waiting for bbump to pop out. First decision bbump will ever make. That's cool.

34 weeks and counting...

2008-10-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

We more or less confirmed bbump's chinese name but still looking for an AngMo name but if don't have also nevermind i guess.

We have confirmed the gender too at last week's visit to the doc. He also did a 3D scan and printed the side profile of bbump for us. Took a while because the placenta kept and cord kept getting in the way but the doc managed to snap a pretty decent side profile. It really cheered my mom up.

We are happy to say that bbump is doing well and at the moment, weighs 2 kg, more or less. The stuff we needed to buy is also almost done. Will need to wash the nappies and clothings. My mom made bbump two chinese patchwork coverlets. Very very cute. She also made a fluffy cotton mattress, bolster, pillows and a special tea leave pillow. Will need to also sun them and the cot mattress donated by a colleague of mine.

Looks like everything is ready, set... We will just wait for bbump to say 'go' in a 4-6 weeks time. Before that, must remember to pack the bag for hospital but i think i have some time left.

26 weeks and counting

2008-08-26T23:41:00.000-07:00

Last consultation with the doctor during my 25th week showed that Baby Bump (still no name yet!!) is growing proportionally and having no major issues other than being smaller than it ought to (2 weeks smaller to be precise). I am not sure what kind of measurements norm the machine compared to but i guess Mook and I are still abit concerned.

Generally, i think i put on a bit of weight. 6 months into my pregnancy and i think my total weight gain is about 9-10kg. That's like 1.67kg per month but now i am not sure how much is me and how much is the baby. I am wondering if i am one of those mommies that suck in the nutrients instead of the baby. Eeuch. That's abit unfair since the only reason i am consoling myself for the weight gain is that it is all for the baby. And now, Mook is trying to make me pig out so that baby can grow more (durians being one of the things offered on the menu - eeuch eeuch eeuch!). But i am thinking i might be the only one ' benefitting' from the pigging out and who will be lumped with the excess weight at the end of the day? Me!

So poor Baby Bump, not like mummy is trying to starve you or anything (you should see the look on daddy mook's face directed at me when he talk to you about growing big and strong) but it is okie for you to fight mummy for the nutrients okie? Infact, take ALL of it! Mummy wants you to grow big and strong too, though not via the durian path. Eeuch.

Off our asses, and out shopping.

2008-08-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we are finally on our start to get stuff for Baby Bump. A colleague of mine is going to donate her cot to me (her 3 kids have outgrown it) which saved me some money since it is still in good condition. Was also shopping at the recent Taka Baby Fair. Mook actually made me rush down early at 10am on National day (fair opens at 10) to avoid crowds and pick up the bargains. Baby Bump may grow up as Singaporean as daddy, with that unique brand of "patrotism" but i think i will try to keep it in check.

Mook has sussed out the advert the day before (i think he kept a copy of the advert too) and our main target would be the stroller which is going for $388 after discount (original price is 500 plus i think). After 3 hours of looking and comparing (well, i took a few breaks in between while he carried on), we finally got the stroller that was advertised, as well as the corresponding car seat/carrier. Other stuff we threw in the mix were: 1 Avent electric bottle senitizer (bundled with bottles, teats and whatnots), nursing pads, extra bottles/teats & milk powder container and hypoallegenic shampoo/body wash for baby. Bill came up to over 900 plus just for those stuff. Anyway, by the end of 3 hours, i am just glad that at least it is free delivery and we had two toy xylophones & one bath towel (& 5 chances to win $5000 in a lucky draw) tossed in as well.

In any case, i think that's about all right? Diapers i am sure i can get at Sheng Siong and the likes... Friend did mention about the breast pumps (electric? manual? handsfree??? - the last will really make me feel like a cow) and Mook was thinking of going back to the fair before it ends on the 24th. Sigh. I am tempted to order online (based on friend's recommendation) instead of thronging through the crowds again. Heard that it is cheaper in the USA. Wonder who i can ask to help send back if i order online, possibly Baby Bump's little aunty who is now working in NY. Throwing in Fedex charges, may work out to be cheaper, since the model i saw cost about USD$200+++ . Can't remember who told me that good pumps are going for 7-800bux locally.

Roll eyes.

Well, Baby Bump, you better appreciate all these pumps and strollers and whatnots when you are out here because buying them and spending the money is stressing mommy out. I think just for that, no toys for you for 2 years. *hrump*

Week 23 and counting

2008-08-04T02:23:00.000-07:00

Mook says that i don't blog enough about baby bump. Well, i did invite him to write but then, i guess he is even more lazy than me. All he really wants to do is to take photos of my tummy but so far, i have been politely declining because he wants to do those Demi Moorish type of photos. *roll eyes*

Anyway, so far so good with baby bump. I am "showing" and i think it is because i have taken to wearing back my polo-tees instead of those 'roomy' shirts. People seems abit shock to see how obvious my tummy is but i think its just that i have been 'hiding' it quite well. Baby is not that big yet and it is not like i am shy to show my tummy, i just don't quite like the 'in between' stage where people can't quite discern if you are really pregnant or just fat. Now, since it is quite obvious that i am pregnant, so it's back to 'flaunting' it.

Baby bump been moving around quite actively at night and i am starting to feel the weight. I wonder how much more 'weight' i will have to carry by the time this pregnancy is over. Anyway, i am back to training at the gym and swimming once a week. My usual personal trainer has been quite good, working on building up my back and pelvic muscles (for bearing the extra weight and of course the delivery). Sessions has been quite relaxing since i can't go beyond heart rate of 140. After gym i will pop down for a swim at the condo... just relax and massage my muscles at the jacuzzi.

Quite the eng eng cheng cheng lifestyle. Hahaha no wonder people tell me to enjoy the pregnancy. I always wondered if pregnancy will bring with it some sense of enjoyable (not that i realize there is anything tangibly enjoyable about it) but it is really to enjoy myself before the endless waking up at night and caring for the baby once it's arrived. Anyway, 船到桥头，自然直。We will see how it all goes.

20 weeks and counting

2008-07-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today i felt the baby kicking (or punching) and it was surreal. Now i know what others mean when they say its a feeling can't quite be mistaken. When it happened, i was just sitting at the computer doing my work for the afternoon's workshop. All of a sudden, there was this "poke" right at the bottom of my navel area. I nearly slided off my chair. Well, there have been instances over the last 2 weeks where i felt 'movements' but this was much more intense... and strange. Makes me wonder what baby is doing inside my tummy. Exercising?

Everyone has been advicing me to talk to baby. Mook talks to baby everyday by placing his face right next to my tummy (when he is not at reservist, that is). I told him to use a toilet roll as an amplifier so that baby can hear him clearly instead of all that muttering. I am still feeling a little funny having to talk to baby out loud though now is about time that baby is learning to discern different sounds. I do think to the baby alot but i guess it is not quite the same. Guess i will have to be abit more vocal.

Other advice i had recently including playing nursery rhymes and classical music for the baby, as well as look at cute baby pictures (for fairer skins and bigger eyes). But all i have been listening to are my Mayday's CDs (a rocker baby perhaps?) and chinese oldies. As for cute baby pictures... unfortunately i went to watch hellboy instead. It is not sceptism or anything... i guess i am just not a very.. erm.. kancheong sort of person. I haven't wanted to shop for maternity clothes and stuff, or buy baby things. Mook has more initiative when it comes to things like that. I am just prodding along, not quite frenzied by the imminent arrival of baby in 4 months time. Or perhaps the last minute bug will bite only at the.. well, last minute?

I wondered if there's anything wrong with me... not being kancheong that is. Now that all the tests and things turned out fine for baby, i am just relieved and happy. Those are the only things i really worried about. Guess, it could be my personality as well. Since when did i show much remote interest in shopping and buying things? That's why i have mook right? Still, perhaps it is time i take more action and stop being too laid back... maybe baby is also getting restless that i am not displaying some sort of obvious urgency for its arrival. *ouch*

Clothing Anxiety

2008-06-24T01:51:00.000-07:00

Geez... i don't know what to wear...

Hmm more like i've got nothing to wear for work. Tried some of my friend's stuff, either too big (for later i guess) or not 'work-ish'. And my mom is not back yet.

Well. Baby Bump is getting bigger and showing. Colleague just came back and said, "Oooo so cute" and pat pat on my tummy. *peng san* Honest to god.. it is not _that_ big... is it? Maybe it is the two Mr bean pancakes i ate this morning :(

Mook has been wanting to take photos of the bump but i am feeling alittle bit down. Gosh, suddenly felt like i am all 'bump' and nothing else. He said it is for 'documentation' and evidence for Baby Bump to know where he came from. Well, not sure what's in it for me really... Do I really need to have reminders of a growing tummy? Perhaps some women might enjoy that, but i have never much like having my own photos taken... esp when they don't look that good. And as if photos are not bad enough, Mook actually would like to VIDEO the whole birthing process (ala more documentation). Why do i suddenly feel like one of his art work? Well, maybe in essence, he does feel like i am. I threatened to bite him if he brings a videocam anywhere near me when i am in hospital. I have a feeling i am most probably going to be not in very good mood during that time.

Ahh....

Growing Bump

2008-06-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Just back from Bintan and feeling like it was too short a holiday. Wish i could say that it was a nausea-free holiday but still managed to throw up like once a day. Not too bad already i guess but the return ferry was a bit rocky at the last 1/2 hour, so by the time i got home, i was getting all pukish again.

In all trip was fun. Not sure if baby bump had fun but it certainly has grown abit. So far i havent had the need to change my warerobe and still fitting into my regular stuff but the last two days, i definitely noted a pretty well-defined bump below the navel. Looks like i will have to start changing my pants soon. Thankfully a good friend pass me some of her maternity wear, and my mom just called to tell me that she picked out some work pants for me from Korea and China. Guess that about settles it for the clothing side of things.

People has been asking me about the gender of the baby which honestly, i still don't know. Doc said it may be possible to see something in the next appointment when baby is after four months old but i guess this kind of thing also depends on baby's 'mood'. As for our preference... aiya, as long as healthy, its okie boy or girl. That said, i think if its a girl, i may need more help because i am not sure if i am the 'pink and barbie' type of mummy, since "rough and tumble" is more my cup of tea due to my personality. Hahaha oh well.. no kids of mine will be playing with barbies anyway (mook did wondered if that will make them more 'deprived' *snort*).

The older folks all said that they don't really mind if boy or girl, but i think secretly they would all like to have a boy. As my dad said, if first child is a boy, that will be a lot less stress for the mother aka me, cos' after all, mook is the only son and eldest grandson of the family. Anyway, this kind of thing not up to us and in this day and age, frankly, i think everyone will be happy as long as both me and baby are fine. :)

Week 15

2008-06-13T01:03:00.000-07:00

Couple of good news...

1) First trimester screening results came back and everything is fine. Both me and mook are relieve but we are also treating this with 平常心 because this is only one of the many worries and hurdles which we will have to go through. After all, developmental problems can happen anytime during pregnancy, during birth and after birth. Test for toxoplasmosis was also negative. I suspected as much since Ruskie is a house cat who doesnt mix with other felines and the only food he eats is premium cat biscuits. :P Blood sugar is abit low but that's normal since i was still throwing up alot when i did the blood tests.

2) My nausea is 'almost' gone. Hurray! Was throwing up 6-7 times a day last couple of weeks everytime i tried to put anything into my mouth (food or fluid). Now, its mostly in the evening, which means that i at least get to keep my lunch in. With more stable food intake, i am also starting to regain back my weight steadily. Good thing is i haven't had much food cravings. The only serious food cravings so far was once for 豆浆油条 and last night, for roast duck leg. Hopefully i will crave for more healthy stuff instead of all the oily and bad-for-health stuff. I try to eat healthier for lunch and mook has been making me eat fish, except the smell of fish really makes me gag and throw up. Yuck. Looks like those things i don't like before pregnancy, i STILL don't like while pregnant. Hahaha

3) I can finally go on a trip now that my first trimester is over. Mook is booking a short getaway for us at Angsana Resort and Spa in Bintan next week and i am so looking forward to it. Finally i get to chill out and go swimming now that i have more energy and less throwing up (hopefully it will stop altogether by next week). Crossing my fingers! I really need a break i think and so does Mook. Sigh...

Baby bump is 15 weeks old now and at the last scanning, it was 7cm and we could see the baby moving rather actively as the doc run the ultra-sound scanner around the tummy. The baby has distinct fingers and arms, and it was waving the arms about as the doc 'irritates' it trying to get a decent scan of its neck and spine. Heh heh heh.

Week 10

2008-05-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

Week 10 and counting!

Been quite tired and pukish (as usual) but the last two days, by some odd miracle, i was feeling great. No sign of vomitting and i ate pretty well. That said, today i was back to my old self and nauseous again. Maybe it was that i slept really early on the two days i felt better. I am going to try that today and see if tomorrow i will be feeling better.

Work is tiring me out even though now i am done with lecturing. The marking of assignments however, has been a huge problem. I can't seem to focus on reading anything (even the newspaper) much less someone's assignment paper. I can't exactly do them during normal work hours because of.. well, normal work. And once i reached home, i am usually pukish and concussed. As for the weekends, I had to drag myself to do the marketing with mook and maid, though it often ended up with me throwing up by the roadside (i get car sick) while they go get what needs to be gotten. After which, i am concussed again for the afternoons till dinner time.

I wonder if all pregnancies are that tiring. Another colleague of mine seems fine and doesn't really puke much even though she, like me, is in the 1st trimester. However, she said she have awful cramps which i am thankful that i don't. Another friend shared similar fatigueness but there also those who don't seem to get so washed out like i am currently facing.

Anyway, mook has been really really good and helpful, such as volunteering to do most, if not all, the housework. I guess he feels really sorry for me everytime he see me run to the toilet and retch/throw up. Sometimes i feel sorry for myself too but i guess its all part and parcel of things so i am still coping.

Saturday 26th April

2008-05-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

I brought baby bump to 'listen' to Mayday's Concert (of course, i am doing the watching). Wah.. feeling damn high but also damn tired. Used to be that i could stand and jump for 3 hours straight during their concert, but now, barely 15minutes and i am feeling giddy and tired, so had to sit down periodically. Chewing on antacids helped for a bit with the nausea but the fatigue is something i have no handle over. So here i am watching my idols having a whale of a time but at the same time feeling damn sick and wondering when the concert will be ending.

God, when will the 1st trimester be over?

First Trimester Screening

2008-04-25T02:11:00.000-07:00

Went for a check-up with the gynae today and the option of doing screening for foetal abnormality came up. A while back we have already decided that we would go for the screening because a cousin of mine had a baby with Down Syndrome. When the doctor spoke of the option to me today, nonetheless, my heart was still pretty jittery despite that the choice was already made.

My work in a special school prepared me in some ways that age is actually not the only deciding factor when a child is born with special needs. Unlike some parents who thought that as long as they are below 35, their baby will be okie, i've seen parents even as young as 18 giving birth to a child with DS. I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse that i know so much about children being born with special needs. On one hand, i know what to look out for and can prepare myself mentally should anything happens, on the other hand, i am also frightfully aware of all the things that could potentially go wrong during pregnancy, during birth, after birth.

I find myself having to balance between being realistic and maintaining a positive outlook. My parents being staunch christians put everything unto their faith in God while i guess my in-laws probably don't think anything bad will happen to us or the baby and has prayed to their gods about it as well. I don't know about mook but being an agnostic, i guess it is not as easy to think the same. Yet, it is time like this i do sometimes wish that i have a strong spiritual faith to help insulate me. However, that said, at the end of the day, i am not looking for 'insulation' because bad things do happen regardless of faith (IMHO) and damn if i am going to have my head stuck in the sand thinking that it will never happen to me when it does.

I guess i am a realist at heart.

Home Leave

2008-04-15T22:46:00.000-07:00

Put on MC for 3 days by doc because i am dehydrated. How not to be dehydrated when everything you put into your body comes right back out again? I am still trying to get a handle of the nausea and vomitting. And it hit me quite badly over the last week. Almost the whole day i felt like puking or if nothing to puke, burp like the devil who just had tacos. It's not fun and it makes me feel car-sickish even when i am not in a car. Guess now i know how people who gets sea-sick feels like.

This is a new sensation for me since i hardly get sea-sick. Everynight i will go to bed feeling like a sailor who had just disembarked from his slow junkboat. A few times i swore that the bed really moved (well, it does have wheels afterall). Now my best friend in bed isnt my darling mook, but my trusty axbrand medicated oil which i rub liberally on my nose, my temples and my chest. For some reason, i thought the 'heat' may help disperse the 'gas' there but mook say he will just get me that wind-banishing oil from the tv commercial (you know, the one that had the little girl lovingly tell her mom that she went "ptoo"). Not sure if it will work but heck, anything to help me feel less like a giant gas-bag.

So now, i am supposed to rest at home and take little sips of water. The doc also gave me some 'unproven' advice which he said worked for most of his clients, like drinking ribena, avoiding things that trigger nausea (e.g. brushing teeth in the morning??), eating crackers instead of soupy stuff that will make the stomach churn more, taking walks after meals, trial and error with all sort of food and taste to see what i crave for (e.g. spicy, sour etc), eating whenever i am feeling okie, drinking coffee (no more than 2 cups a day - including any caffeinated drinks) etc. At this rate, i am most willing to try anything just to stop losing weight.

Before pregnancy, i was around 58-59kg in Feb (and that's after trying to diet and eat less when i saw my weight shot past 60 in Jan). Now, in April, i am 56kg without even trying. Doc say its mainly water and its normal, well, didnt feel too normal to me because i am seriously not putting much food inside my body. I am still eating supplements like folic acid and VitB6, as well as taking juice etc for the vit c whenever i can for the baby. But i don't like this nuah nuah feeling like i am walking on a boat the whole time. Hopefully it is really the 1st trimester thingy and it will be over once and for all (cross fingers) in another month or so.

Baby bump is 8 weeks and counting.

Green Bean

2008-04-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday went to another gynae recommended by colleague's mom whose a nurse. Seems like a pretty prominent doc with years of experience. Saw a couple of 'celebs' photos of them and their kids also. Thought the whole experience was not bad, the doc was straight-forward, no-nonsense type but quite fatherly. Was telling mook that he probably will scold his patients if they don't have common-sense or when they don't listen to him. But he was very thorough during the consultation and examination. The terms he used was also very funny. For example, during the ultra-sound, he kept calling the egg sac "baby house" and "bank". Mook thought it was quite cute while i am trying hard not to giggle while i have something sticking up my you-know-what.

Anyway, finally we had a look at baby bump. Now at 6 weeks old, he/she is as big as a green bean but there was a pretty steady pulse. I made a probably silly comment like, if the pulse was mine instead of the baby's and the doc promptly told me that my heart isnt so low down, only a male's heart would be. Took me and mook a split second to realize that the doc was joking. Then it was another round of me trying hard not to giggle while mook gave me a look from behind the doc.

So 6 weeks old and pretty much everything is proceeding normally. Doc gave me some pills to help with my vomitting though he did threaten to put me on a drip eventually if i don't start to keep food down. Also had a lengthy lecture on danger signs to look out for and medication to take should i feel cramps (told doc that i felt occasional discomfort and was immediately told to take those things seriously). Also had Vit B6 prescribed together with the usual folic acid and schedule for another appointment in 2 weeks time because doc will be going on holiday after that and wanted to monitor how i am before that. I think he also wanted to talk to me a little bit about baby's development and screening because of i had a cousin who delivered a baby with down syndrome.

In any case, me and mook is now in the process of deciding which doc we should continue with. The nice younger lady doc who treats everyone like a friend or this older male doc with experience with the funny sense of humour.

Decisions decisions decisions.

Hormonal ups and downs

2008-04-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Morning baby bump...

I think mummy is finally getting the reality of having you inside me. You might be tiny now but you have no idea what kind of havoc you have been creating in mummy's body ever since you found a snug (i hope it is) place to grow for the next few months.

One thing you will learn about mummy is that, she loves food but hates to be fat. Unfortunately, it is in mummy's genes that what mummy eats, usually ends up padding up her thighs and arms (don't laugh, because it probably means you will be the same too). If you look at 婆婆，you will know that the gene breds true from mother to daughter. 公公,on the other hand, is like a beanpole. Daddy Mook has it better because his mommy and daddy (that's 爷爷奶奶 to you) are pretty slim so though daddy mook gets chubby whenever he gets lazy, he usually loses it quite quickly if he decide to be hardworking and go jogging again. So let's hope that you will be like daddy mook in this aspect.

Anyway, mummy loves food and will usually have to diet because of the reasons above so that she doesnt suddenly become like 婆婆. But these days, mummy has not felt like eating much and that's really REALLY rare so she has been losing weight even though she wasn't trying to. If mummy doesnt know that she is pregnant, she would have thought that she was being really sick. You are now 5 weeks old and mummy has lost about 2 kg since the time. Initially it was just a lost of appetite but just today, mummy realized that baby bump has another surprise for her: nausea, which led to throwing up, even if there isnt anything to throw up.

Mummy is not blaming you baby bump because well, i guess it shows that you are there and mummy's body is trying hard to adjust to you growing. Though mummy love to lose some weight but she is a little worried that you wont be getting enough nutrients if mummy can't keep her food down. Guess, that's where the supplements and milk comes in even though mummy usually gag when drinking milk, and even daddy mook is surprised that mummy would drink milk voluntarily (and trying hard to keep it down).

There are other things that's changing with mummy now such as always being tired and sleepy (strange for a late nighter like me), having sore nipples (ouch) and a sudden outbreak of pimples (mummy's complexion is usually quite good). So life's a little topsy-turvy still but i am coping so far. However, i really hope that the nausea thing could end soon. But as i was talking to other aunties who had babies, looks like mummy will have to bear with it for the next few weeks or so. Hopefully by the time you are 13 weeks old, mummy will be able to enjoy eating food again.

Note to baby bump

2008-04-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

I know that baby bump is only 4 weeks old and it will be another 8 weeks before we could say that things are stable. Even after that, anything could happen before birth, during birth, after birth. There is just so much to think about but all i know now is, i am so happy and i just want to tell that baby bump inside me..

Grow well baby bump.. be healthy and strong. Both me and your daddy mook is so looking forward to meeting you and it seems like such a long time before we can see your face and fight over who you look like. But before that, i am going to take good care of myself with the help of your daddy and grannies and granddads and greatgrandma and uncles and auntie so that you can grow peacefully in your own time, inside me. There are so much things out here which we want to show you but right now, you have to just trust me when i say that you will like being here with me and ur daddy mook.

Even though you are inside now and i don't think you will hear me till later, but i think when you do, you will probably find that mommy can have a really big temper but don't worry, because daddy mook is quite good at making mommy laugh and be happy again. I think you will like daddy mook alot because he is going to show you all his toys like his ultra-brothers though i am not sure if he will let you play with them. And if you are a girl, i doubt that it will matter either because daddy mook has rather funny ideas about what's fun for a child. While inside, you may also hear mommy talk alot to 'ruskie'. I must warn you first that 'ruskie' has a rather bad temper (like mommy) but he is really one of the silliest and funniest (as well as fat) cat around.

Mommy doesnt really know how the next few months is going to be like. I just want you to be safe and to know that you are doing okie. This is something that the both of us will be going through so let's just help each other along until the day you are ready to meet everyone okie?

Love you baby bump...

And it was not an April's Fool Day joke...

2008-04-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of those most unexpected and eagerly anticipated event in my life. Actually, to be frank, my mind is quite topsy turvy now after all the emotional roller coaster over the last few months. Who would have thought...

I've always figured that kids would come naturally when i wanted to have them. When mook and i got married, we had a plan. 2 years of our own lives before having a little one or two, then i will quit to take care of kids or work part-time. Sounds perfect and that's exactly what we did till towards the end of the two years, we started to get a nagging feeling that perhaps little ones don't just appear as readily as we thought they might. It wasn't so much of the fact that girlfriends around me and my age were starting to pop, as frequently as popcorns, but that odd nudging feeling that things may be more complicated for us than others. Based on that intuition, we had check-ups despite the fact that we were both just trying only for a couple of months.

At first, some said that we should just give it a little more time, but in a way, i am glad we didn't listen because as it turned out, we do need help in this area. In any case, chances were slim (though not impossible) if we were to conceive naturally. I had a hard time grappling with the fact and spent nights crying about it while mook tried to console me. Thankfully, my ob-gyn was a really positive lady and she gave us options immediately, medication first, and if not, possible procedures to follow. Main thing is, we are still young and if any thing was to be done, at least we will have a higher chance of success. I think i really latched on to that hope though i knew mook was more cautious and slightly overwhelmed.

All that was 2 months ago. Over the last two months, there were times when i tried to convinced myself that children may not be the necessity in my life and that mook & i could still have a fulfilling life of our own, just the two of us. I tried to picture the two of us travelling, enjoying our lives independently without cares but there will be days where i would become unreasonably upset and moody about myself. On the good days, mook and i would laugh at our 'stress' and fill them with funny dreams of living on salmon in Helsinki. On bad days, i would bitch at him and say horrible things because i thought he didnt want to have kids as much as i do or that he was bias towards the ob-gyn & her recommendations. In fact it was a week of the 'bad days' when i finally thought that something is not quite 'right'.

So far, we had been following what the gynae suggested with the ovu-kit and meds but somehow, by the 1st month or so, i am already trying to adjust my own thinking (including my family's expectation) so that none of us would be too disappointed. By the 2nd month, both me and mook are both pretty strained trying to be nonchalent yet, internally feeling more and more upset with ourselves. It was in the midst of that period of not really sure how to comfort each other and yet having to appear 'normal' that i realized that my menses was overdue. It was only 2 days or so and i didn't want to get my hopes up but somehow, last saturday, when i went to get the refills for the ovu-kit, i just picked up a test kit as well.

I was supposed to be conducting a workshop that saturday but perhaps i just wanted to get the bad news over and done with, i did the test just before the workshop started. I think i nearly fainted when two lines appeared instead of the usual 1 (i am quite accustomed to seeing the single blue line, but two lines? that's something new...) In any case, i did complete the workshop in one piece but it took me one whole day before i could mention it to mook who thought that i ought to do another test a few days later since i had medication for a cold just the day before. We went to get another test kit (with two tests this time, i think we were just a bit KS about this), and despite mook's idea that i should repeat the test 3 days later, i did another one on sunday night and this time round it was a + sign appearing.

Two tests in two days. I doubt panadol could change the result of a preg test and the box did say it shouldnt. Thankfully my gynae had a slot to see me on monday and while she thought that 2 tests cant be wrong, she agreed to do a blood test to confirm it just for my peace of mind. The positive results were confirmed a day later when the doc called me personally. :))) Mook and I told our families over the phone and we had similar reactions, some asked if it was an April Fool's joke. Hahaha, as if we would joke about a thing like that!!

My mom was even better. When i first called her in China, she just told me how she 'already knew' because God has spoken to her and gave her signs. She told me how her prayers had come true. But just a few minutes later after she put down the phone to call my brother (who is in HK) and he commented that i could be pulling an april fool's prank... the faithful one had to call my darling hubby just to confirmed that i am indeed pregnant and not pulling anyone's legs. Mook's dad apparently had the same reaction. But all in all, once we reassured everyone that I am indeed 'knocked up', everyone in the family has been wonderfully happy for us and encouraging.

So yes, mook and i are going to be parents! :))