My lifetime bliss and bother

WE HAVE MOVED!!

2009-11-18T04:43:00.000-08:00

Pls visit us at http://www.ourlifetimeblissandbother.wordpress.com

Thin Chewy Cholate Chip Cookies!

2009-11-13T00:32:00.000-08:00

Raining the whole of today! Wanted to take ern ern out to breathe some fresh air but was really too lazy to move my bones.

Watching her as she plays by herself and occasionally turning her head towards my direction to check if I'm still with her makes me wanna spend time with her indoors. BUT I have this super duper strong sugar craving that I just have to settle. Did some research and off we went to Cold Storage to get some ingredients to make - chocolate chip cookies!!

Ok so it is really not easy to make all the stuff when you have a baby that requires your attention all the time so I got some helpfrom my maids and brother-in-law to help. hahahha... Im like the command in charge. I gave instructions and they got down to work - prontos!

The entire process was really faster than I expected. (hahah got so many hands to help)

Ok I must admit that It doesnt look that great (I think it's a little too big. It really expanded loads manz...)
So much for greasing the tray uh? hahha...

Ok! Done in a flash! Yummy! Highly recommended with a cup of tea like the brits : )

Hong Kong to Julia Gabriel to SHE IS SICK!!

2009-11-07T04:26:00.000-08:00

We are back from Hong Kong! Been to hkg soooooooo many times and never have I felt this tired before! wahhahaha... c'mon manz... lugging around my little 10kg and a backpack weighing a whopping 5kg (easily 5kg) is really no joke! : )

Our day will start at 7am (ya know.. that's when she wakes up) shower change, feed her breakfast and meet the rest of the gang and set off at 9pm... till... 9pm! of coz... in between there will be breaks la. So its shopping shopping and more shopping!!

Overall experience: FANTASTIC!! way better to travel with mummies than with friends. hahha mummies will understand we need breaks to feed baby etc and they instinctively knew when to lend a helping hand whereas even for my hubby I still need to tell him what to do. As you can already guess by now, I dont really have much pictures to show here as it's really rather troublesome to reach for the camera.

And so back to reality. Ern attended Julia Gabriel and I would say that she enjoys the class except the painting session... I didnt quite like it myself! wahahhah I mean she obviously cant hold the paint brush and make decent strokes. She ended up eating the blue paint which made my heart skipped a beat. Then why let her attend so early would be the question right? hahhaha... my hubby says its good to start early ... but anyway she enjoyed the rest of the class : ) the mandarin speaking teachers are damn good. Really animated and enthusiastic when they act out the story... singing etc..This is her at water play session : )
She hardly noticed my existence or disappearance!
Taking a break and having her organic honeydew : )

However, that same evening she started vomiting and had diarrhea : ( took her to my trusted doctor and she is currently on medication. She puked like 5 times? and diarrhea like 7 times?! Hubby spoke to his doctor friends. The wife who is a PD and hubby who is a GP said that she most likely kenna the virus from the class she attended at Julia Gabriel : ( sigh... I guess I had better get her MC to excuse her from class before she spread to other children. (I very considerate hor? hehehe) Anyways, I was told that she may take 3 days at least to a weekto recover. Right now just like any other time when she is sick, I have to struggle to syringe feed her medication. Now that she is abstanining from solids and cant really drink too much milk (she pukes them all out) i'm really worried that she may be dyhydrated : ( Really hope she recovers soon..

Lentils Lentils Lentils (6 to 9 mths)

2009-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

It's a cheap source of protein and iron. (good for brain development) Note: Can be difficult to digest and should be combined with plenty of fresh vegetables.

Try this recipe. Makes 8 portions. (Freeze the rest!)

What you need:

1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup split red lentils
13/4 cup sweet potato, peeled and chopped
13/4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

Saute the onion, and celery in the vegetable oil till soft. Add the lentils and sweet potato and pour over broth. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for about 20mins. Puree and serve.

It's the first time I'm making lentils and I have never tasted it before... but the end result is good leh..
Sizzling HOT!

Fillet of Fish in Orange Sauce (6 to 9mths)

2009-10-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Tried this recipe.. not too bad! (If your little one can't finish, you will be happy to finish them!)
Tip: I used Malibut in this recipe but I thought it's better to use cod coz it has this melt in the mouth effect. Otherwise have to really puree the fish otherwise it's rather dry to swallow.

Makes abt 5 portions. Preparation time: 8 mins.

What you need:

1/2 lb white fish fillets, skinned.
juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup) I prefer freshly squeezed. : )
1/2 cheddar cheese (grated)
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 cup cornflakes, crushed. (i omitted this coz don't have it)
pay of butter or margarine (unsalted)

Put the fish in a microwave dish, cover with orange juice, cheese, parsley and cornflakes and dot with butter or margarine. Cover with lid and cook on high for abt 4 mins.

Flake the fish carefully, removing any bones and mash everything together with the liquid in which the fish was cooked. That SIMPLE!!
Before going into the microwave oven.Fresh from oven!Final product! But should mash it further...

Invasion

2009-10-27T01:24:00.001-07:00

You know how it feels when your personal space is being invaded?

Got the picture? Ok.

So if it's physical personal space, you may just opt to move your arse right? But no. I'm stucked to my seat trimming my bangs in a salon when an AUNTIE is pouring out all her life time sad stories OUT LOUD! and the best part was she was just seated NEXT TO ME!! It came to a point where I started to suspect that she really was shouting so that the entire people in the salon could hear her. Ya know sometimes yu really just wanna relax, get your hair washed, scalp massaged etc... but it was a mistake right from the start to step into that place la. I don't welcome negative conversations or hearing negative stuff la.. it just sucks my energy away... energy suckers shoo! shoo! shoo!
What could I have done in that situation? sigh... now my brain is full of her sad stories.. washing dirty laundry (panties etc) for daughtes and son but only gets peanutz etc etc.. hahahha now Im the energy sucker!!! better shut my trap now manz... hahahha....

Quick Conversion Sites

2009-10-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

From OZ to ML
From Ml to OZ
temperature conversion
common cooking conversion (cups teaspoons etc)
weight to volume conversion (recipes in grams and need cups?)
butter conversion (sticks of butter, cups, grams etc)

Good Old Fashioned Pancake

2009-10-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

Ok first of all I have no idea why Im posting yet another recipe on pancakes. Was thinking of having this for breakfast or maybe Flo inspired me.

Definitely not for babies coz it has egg white added in it. Ready in 20mins! Fast and easy!

What you need:

11/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
11/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter (melted)

Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. Pour the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Once brown on both sides, it's ready to be served!

variation tip: I added 1/4 vanilla into the mixture.

measuring tip: I bought measuring cups and measuring spoons from cold storage! That solves all measuring problems!

Baby Cereal Pancake

2009-10-25T02:39:00.000-07:00

Finally I found this life saver recipe. Occasionally I have leftover baby cereal that I want to discard(almost 1 month old) but always find it very wasteful. Ever been in this similar situation?! Here's the solution! Pancakes make great finger food. kekekeke..

What you will need:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup baby cereal
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mashed fruit of your choice
1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine (unsalted)
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup baby oatmeal
1/2 cup apple juice or water

Add cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla extract or other flavorings if you wish : )
Mix all ingredients together and add enough juice to make pancake consistency. "Fry" in a pan!

tips: may wish to add 1 tablespoon of baking powder to make the pancake fluffy as whole wheat flour will make pancake more dense and heavy. (rubbery)

pictures promised soon!

Salmon With Carrots and Tomato (9 to 12 mths)

2009-10-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

Went to Kinokuniya and picked up 2 "cookbooktionaries" hopping to get more inspiration to cook yummy and healthy meals for Ern. Will be making this! and will post some pictures later!

This makes a good, creamy-textured fish puree! SALMON!

Took this recipe from annabel Karmel!
MAKES 4 PORTIONS

what you need:
21/4 cups carrot, peeled and sliced
5 oz salmon fillet
1/2 tablespoon milk (or enough to cove the salmon)
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium, ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
scant 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Put the carrots in a steamer set over a pan of boiling water and cook 15-20 mins or until tender.

Meanwhile place the fish in a pan, pour over enough mil just to cover and simmer till cooked.

Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and add tomatoes and saute till softened and slightly mushy.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.

Blend the cooked carrots with the tomato mixture. Drain the cooking liquor from the fish, remove skin.

Flake the fish and mix together with tomatoes and carrots. For younger babies, blend for desired texture.

The picture in the book looks damn yummy la. Try it if you have the time and have fUn!! : )
Sauteed tomatoes with cheese.Salmon immersed in milk and butter. I cooked it in microwave instead. And this is the end result! The picture in the book still looks better. : ) Hubby tried it and said ern will love it... we shall see....

East Coast Park

2009-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 6.30am and off we went to East Coast Park. Daddy F went for his run while ern and mummy went for a long stroll. Think we walked for more than an hour. It's the same old familiar surroundings which brought me back to our good old bayshore days...

We used to wake up in the morning and bring our dogs to the beach for a run and breakfast. We decided to move out 6mths earlier than expected; rented a place at bayshore for 6months before moving into out unit in UE sq. But atlas I got pregnant and have to shift back with my in-laws as UE sq was a little small. (so we thought) Frankly, I think it's a decent space for a family of 3. (but can't accomodate the dogs : (...)

Yesterday hubby and I took ern to Lawrys (paragon) for high tea. It was surprisingly quiet, (we literally had the whole hall to ourselves) and the price was atonishingly cheap manz! It's like $12 ++ per pax!!(it's not buffet style) so we decided to order lotsa other stuff and the total bill is less than 50 bucks! Highly recommended! Will definitely go again!

Ok, it's recipe time again.
Noticed that she loves to eat Toufu. Just throw anything undesirable to her palette into toufu; she will finish up everything.
If your baby loves tofu, can also try these combi:

tofu + applesauce + squash
tofu + avocado + pears
tofe + blueberries + bananas
tofu + sweet potato + carrots
tofu + broccoli + parsnips

Things I love to do

2009-10-19T00:57:00.000-07:00

Life will never be the same again. : )

Things I love to do then was:

scrapbooking
grooming dogs (yes I took up a course for that)

Things that I indulge in NOW:

cutting her nails (hahha I know you won't believe it)
cooking for her
cracking my head over what to cook for her or doing some research on it.
playing with her
showering her
taking her out with me
breastfeeding her (yes! im still breast feeding!)
dress her up!
grocery shopping
COOKING

You see... everything revolves around her. What to do... I laugh when she laughs... same goes for my hubby too.

Every minute with her is so precious to me. Sometimes I just wish I have more time with her. But I really shouldn't be complaining as I'm still spending most of my time with her now that I'm working from home and occasionally taking a few hours to meet clients and all..

This November is particularly special. Lotsa events coming up.

1st week of November: Hong Kong trip with some friends and babies!
Last week of November: ern is going for Julia Gabriel class for the entire week! It's some holiday program thingy.
28th of November: My birthday and also happens to be my cousin's wedding! Double bliss!

And then comes Christmas! Though we never really celebrate Christmas but it always feel so special... so joyful. Hopefully can bring her to see some light ups. (things that I have never bothered in the past)

What do you love to do?

Deepavali or Diwali

2009-10-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

How did you spend the holiday?

We decided to take little ern out to this new hotel "Klapsons" at Tanjong Pagar for brunch. It's quite a nice boutique hotel. Ern enjoys the little surprise that the chef whipped out for her! Find out in a while...
The food is superb for the price we paid so YES it is highly recommended! The waiters who served us were all "poached" over from other restaurants like Ritz Carlton... etc.. so service wise is efficient and attentive : )

15 hoe chiang road Singapore 089316
T: 6521 9030
www.Klapsons.com

The restaurant we went to is apparently named after the grandson. So this family who opened the hotel is really rich! Hubby told me that on the day of it's officially opening ceremony ALL the banks representative in Singapore were there!This is part of the restaurant with daddy posing with ern ern. See the huge wine bottle behind them? They opened the same kind of bottles for the opening! hahhaa... I have never tried drinking from that kinda bottle before... wonder if it taste better? : )

I had this!! "blackened blue fin tuna" looks like steak hor? I have never really liked tuna coz I find the meat always too dry... but this one changed my opinion on tuna. : )~

hubby had this "wagyu beef burger" - his favourite beef!Foei gras hmm... hope I spelled it right.. slurps... still thinking about it : )
This is for ern ern! mashed sweet potato! See the stae it's in now... its yummy for OUR tummy too!

Cheesy Potato and carrot (6-9 months)

2009-10-16T05:24:00.000-07:00

This is a really fast and simple yet yummy recipe that ern loves!
Here's how to prepare.

You will need:
1 potato (peeled and chopped)
1/2 large carrot (peeled and chopped)
your baby's usual milk (amount would depend on the consistency you want)
knob of butter
mild cheddar cheese (shredded)
(you may wish to add broccoli and / or chicken to give it more texture)

To prepare:

Steam or boil the vegetables till soft then mash them up.
Stir in milk.
Add butter, cheese and microwave.

Hope you love it as much as I do too! I hope the next recipe would involve baking coz I went to get a mini baking dish! hiak hiak hiak~

Chawanmushi

2009-10-12T04:27:00.000-07:00

Loved Chawanmushi since day 1 and I finally got down to doing some research on it's preparation. For those who also love it just like me here's the recipe:
What you need:

3 eggs
1.5 cup dashi soup stock
0.5 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1tsp sake
1 chicken thigh (cut into bite size)
4 shiitake mushrooms
1 oz mitsube (trefoil)
8 slices kamaboko or narutomaki fish cake

Preparation:
Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl. Try not to bubble the eggs.
Add cool dashi soup stock, soy sauce, salt, sake and sugar in the egg.
Strain the egg mixture.
Put shiitake, chicken tigh and kamboko in 4 chawanmushi cups. Cover the cups.
Preheat in a steamer on high heat.
Turn down to low and carefully place the cups in steamer.
Steam for about 15 minutes. There you have it!!

Macritchie Reservoir

2009-10-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Took ern ern to Macritchie reservoir the moment she wakes up this morning hoping to capture some monkeys! real monkeys I mean. (She loves the two monkeys (woo and ah) on playhouse disney.) Was a little hot when we reach there, daddy F went for his run and I carried her in my carrier and all set ready to go! BUT... we didnt see any along the way...Weekends are all packed with people strolling... running... brisk walking... tai chi... some just gather around for a chit chat session... some settles happily with a little picnic under shady trees. It was quite comforting to see people actually taking the time to relax; slow down a litle and smell the roses.Rather scenic huh? When I was walking along the track some aunties saw me with a baby and said some passing remarks "aiyoh... why bring a baby here" with a face that kinda implied "what's wrong with parents these days"?! To which I replied with just a smile. : ) Their intention was kind but I guess no explanation was really necessary. : )

Ok. When I saw this I just had to shoot it. Isn't this a classic one? I bet your parents would have come to this very same spot for their wedding picture!
We continued walking back to where we started kinda resigned that we are not able to capture any monkeys today and then it happened!
The first monkey we saw. I was a little wary of this monkey coz it was staring at me when im taking it's picture! After I blast m shutter i just stood still hoping it won't attack! hahahha... ern ern didn't see this one..She saw this one! Then there were more running about; totally oblivious to the crowd of humans!
Daddy met up with us after his run and took a picture with ern ern inhis "slimy arms". hee hee...
Next stop... BREAKFAST!!!Went to six avenue - Guthrie haus for one of daddy's monthly craving - WAFFLES!
Looks not bad right?! I just stick to my old fashioned poached eggs with sausages served with freshly squeezed OJ. : ) and ern ern ... her boring cereal. wahahhaha...
That was how we started our Sunday. Hope yours kicked off well too! Enjoy your weekend... or whatever that is left of... ahhaha

At Mummy Florinda's

2009-10-05T04:53:00.001-07:00

mummy took me to auntie Florinda's place to meet baby Victoria. Haven't seen her for the longest time and I can't remember how she look like anymore. I overheard mummy saying that they are planning a getaway thingy! wheee..... can take aeroplane again!
Aunt Joey came slightly later and hence we met baby jeanette! She is the on on the extreme right and baby Victoria is the one in the centre! She sure knows when to take centre stage!
mummy saw that I had some difficulty trying to learn how to crawl so she took off my shorts! Felt soooo comfy after that. And airy too! You see, we were sharing toys. baby Victoria took my rattle and I took her comb!
See what I mean? It's tight!

this is mummy's favourite shot! Aunt Florinda took all the pictures! Thank you aunt Florinda!
We were baby talking. Good that the adults don't understand! Let's just stay this way for now. And by the way; Victoria is a damn good listener to all my sad stories! : P

Bonding

2009-10-04T01:13:00.000-07:00

Bought this piano from SMF which costs quite abit. Thought it's worth it though. She plays with it everyday and enjoys "jamming" it which will lasts for about 10 to 15mins. I sure hope that she will develop an interest in piano when she grows up! Daddy F says that his observation with most people that plays piano is that they have a better temperament - which I kinda agree too.

In these pictures daddy is teaching little ern to play some simple notes. Well; I call it BONDING!

From daddy F to mummy to you

2009-10-04T01:03:00.000-07:00

Daddy decided to give mummy a surprise by giving a bouquet of flowers. Though it's not mummy's favorite flowers; the thought is definitely 100%! Didnt know what to do with it hence decided to give it to little ern. She decided took it to bed with her. (Of course... its staged.)

November is gonna be event filled month! Will be taking ern to Hong Kong together with aunt Flo and Joey together with baby Victoria and baby Janette! That will fall on the first week of November. The last week of November will be taking little ern for Julia Gabriel's holiday program for consecutive 5 days! And not forgetting another wedding dinner that we will have to attend which coincidentally falls on my birthday! Looking forward to November!

What a wonderful Monday!

2009-09-29T03:39:00.000-07:00

This is baby Caleb! The second Caleb that I know! Mummy took me to this little gathering to meet him, baby Zethan and baby Jon! Baby Caleb seems to be enjoying his yogurt so much that I tried some too... Thankyou auntie Ophe!

He is baby Zethan! It was great meeting him!

Picture of me after eating yogurt for the first time!Jon was a little bored and wanted to play..He took my zoot zoot....and I took his....We went to aunt Angie's place. That was how it all started....We even like the same thing! I like Jon's company! Thank you aunt Angie for accommodating us and thank you for the pictures!! Am really looking forward to this Thursday's gathering at Goodwood Park!

First time at a wedding dinner! (8 months)

2009-09-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

This is the first time we brought our little darlin to a wedding dinner. Was a little apprehensive initially as she usually sleeps at 7pm! (way before the dinner starts!) However; all turned out really well! She was soooo well behaved and made us soooo proud!

Dinner started at eight-ish and we sat through all the way. (VIP table : ) and desert was YAM PASTE!!!!!! yummy for my tummy!) This experience has certainly raised my confidence level to bring her out for more dinners in future : ) and I forgot to add; she is eight months old today!

Our family picture : )

With po po and gong gong. hahhaha my dad kept singing her praises all the way... how well behaved she was etc etc etc...

After the second march in she was tired, said her goodbyes, goodnites and slept in her favourite beco baby carrier. Happy baby = happy mummy.

Terrible fever that lasted for 2 weeks!

2009-09-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

I finally knew why my fever refuse to go away(38.9).... After visiting 3 different doctors, the last doctor told me I had breast infection! My first question was "am I passing it to my daughter?" The answer is NO. (thankfully) Doctor advised me to continue to breast feed as per normal. (yeah!)

It's no wonder that my breast (right) feels tender to the touch and rather painful when I breastfeed and there is redness on my breast which feels kinda itchy. Im now on antibiotic and fever medication. Crossing my fingers and hope it will soon go away!

Adelia's Birthday Party!

2009-09-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

Mummy and daddy took me to baby Adelia's one year old birthday and I was overwhelmed with all the toys Adelia has! While mummy was busy eating I was busy playing with all the toys, tasting them one by one! I was enjoying myself so much that I really don't wanna go home : ( If only I have those toys.... Mummy can I? Can I?

teether? soother?!

2009-09-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Bought this soother (pacifier) during the Adelaide trip. It looks kinda weird and feels weird too! Ern chooses to use it as a teether instead. hahaha she still prefers the "traditional" looking one as a soother. Actually I am really thinking if there is a need to get her anymore toys... as of right now, her favourite toy is my water bottle!! Sigh.... the piano came today and she had loads of Fun "jamming" it!! and mummy paid like 400 bucks for it!! for her to "jam"!! *faintz*

A Pleasant Surprise

2009-09-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

It was an impromptu decision to bring ern ern out to meet Ophe and Angie today... was too bored at home and haven't really taken her out since coming back from Adelaide... down with a fever and all... We met at Tanglin Mall and daddy F came to meet us for dinner after work. Tried this restaurant caled Chillis on the second floor... ordered their Buffalo wings and drumsticks etc. Verdict: not so good. It tasted more like tobasco wings!

When we reached home, our maid tolds us that we have a package in our room : ) It was given by our neighbour. hahahha... They thanked us for rescuing their dog. A couple of days ago as we were all going out for dinner, a lost looking golden retriever came into our house and instinctively went "nose to nose" with milo (my dog) as if asking for direction! Hubby recgnised he dog and I whipped out a leash from the back of the car and leashed him up.

So I went:
me: "where does this dog belong to?''
hb: "26 oriocle cres"
me: "is it near here?"
hb: "not far"
I took the dog and walked him all the way... I dragged the dog for a good 15mins rather! (my hubby's near is not that near afterall!) That dog.... literally had to be dragged up the slope! A golden retriever! Weighing probably 20kg at least! At the top pf the hill, upon seeing his dear owners; he RAN!! racing towards them!! DARN!! Why didnt he run sooner?! hahhaha... but it was a happy deed la. We really wasn't expecting anything when they said they wanted to "thank us properly". " )

At matthias' !!!

2009-09-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today mummy took me to see gor gor matthias! he is soooooo handsome!! mummy actually went to work so I tagged along! we first went to aunt Iris' at choa chu kang and then to mattias' at bukit merah view.
It was quite a long wait in the car so I took a nap in between the shuttles. Mummy said that was good behaviour.
At matthias place I took sooooo many pictures!! There were so many toys to play with. Uncle Kenny love to take pictures so he snaps away almost non-stop! Mummy said we took 200 shots!!!! I felt like a movie star! I really wish I can have more of such trips with mummy! Can play with other babies ... play with their toys... and most importantly... BEING WITH MUMMY!!!

The wonder gal look.
I am pretending to eat. But I forgot my fork and spoon!
He is really gorgeous! I cant resist!! opps!
Mummy and me : )
What is mummy putting me on?
WOW!! tummy time like never before!!!
Feels ticklish..
All I want for christmas is YOU!!!
Finally I get to touch him!

September 11

2009-09-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

September 11 is rocky's birthday!! He is 8 yrs old now!! and for a JRT, he sure is fit! I highly suspect his body is mainly made up of muscle mass! will load his picture up when I have taken his latest picture! and of coz as usual, he gets his birthday meal - chicken thigh; his all time favourite. courtesy of my parents!

Septembe 11 is also the day ern ern has totally recovered from her blocked tear duct!(left eye) hooray!!!! I can FINALLY see her individual eyelashes and not "glued" together anymore! and she can now open BOTH her eyes when she wakes up in the morning to give mummy the refreshing smile!

her developments now at 7.5 mos:

I doubt she wants to crawl. (mummy secretly hope she don't crawl. Skip this step and walk)
She sure knows how to get what she wants and NOW by SCREAMING!!!!
She is as sticky as a sticky tape and koala bear all rolled in one.
She sits up pretty steadily.
She can play by herself for a good 30mins or so before screaming for attention.
She claps - her legs. opps!
She feeds herself biscuits.
She grabs whatever that's in sight. Especially buttons on the shirts etc... I think she is fine tunning her fine motor skills.
Grabs and PULLS mummy's hair all the time.
Stands up with support.
says "ba ba ba" "ma ma ma" and "mum mum mum"

This month, 26th september little ern will be attending a wedding dinner with mummy and daddy F and mummy is hoping she can take the night hours coz little ern still sleeps at 7pm! (sometimes 6pm)

Yesterday mummy, daddy F and ern ern went shopping in suntec city. Oh my... big mistake! due to the comex fair; the crowd is damn jialat. The air was stifling! I really thought I was gonna faint anytime. However, we managed to get what I wanted! My power suit from Blum & Co. Not cheap though but I really LOVE the range they have. The cuttings of the suit and matching skirt was second to none! I told daddy F hat I will have my future suits only from Blum and he said "ok". kewl!!! I went to get the suits mainly because I am almost back to my pre pregnancy weight. (2 more kg to go...) and its high time to change my miserable wardrobe. *_* Can't wait to wear thse suits... I feel empowered when im wearing it! No wonder all super heroes have outfits too!!

our first trip!

2009-09-07T05:01:00.001-07:00

Adelaide / kangaroo island here we come!
This is my first trip with daddy and mummy and we flew all the way to adelaide to meet mei mei adelle, aunt pei ying and uncle! the flight was great except there was another baby who was crying non-stop. Mummy didn't sleep a wink trying to coax me to sleep all the time.

Mummy and daddy took me to kangaroo island! I thought I can see lotsa kangaroos! but the weather was very bad... mummy didn't want to risk taking me out in the extreme cold weather so we didn't do much.... I remember sleeping in the car most of the time... gosh... daddy told me that kangaroo island is way bigger than Singapore!

Mummy said that I missed loads of sceneries coz I was with ZzzZZzz bear all the time. he told me that she saw kangaroos crossing the road, ducks taking its own sweet time to waddle across the road... cows... sheep.. horses etc... and lotsa road kills as well... so maybe its a good thing that I didnt see none of those?

Daddy took us in the car and drove us to a big ship that goes to kangaroo island!
This is me and daddy onboard the ship! it was cold outside!
This is me happily pulling daddy's hair while he is asleep. Daddy is so deeply in love with me; he won't scold me. hee hee..
This is one of the attractions that we wanted to go but mummy says its too cold, windy and its raining... so we just took a picture of daddy braving the rain and off we ran away... back to the car! daddy says he will bring me to san francisco the next time round to see the seals instead. Daddy and mummy loves me soooo much...

This picture mummy says MUST TAKE! It says "alot to learn from mum" though I don't know what it means but mummy says I'm already learning. Hmm... sometimes its so difficult to understand what the adults are saying?Mummy told me that we managed to catch our pot of gold in between the bad weather... so gold is made of these 7 colours?!
Daddy and mummy was delighted that there was a brief pelican feeding session just outside our hotel. So we were all ready at 9am to FEED THE PELICANS! I was so excited! but from daddy's action as you can see from here; I thought he was feeding ME to the pelicans!! and those big birds all look so hungry!
Time for a decent shot. and daddy didn't feed me to the pelicans. phew!
This is mei mei adelle! I really like her alot! so much so that I will cry when she cries!

Back at mei mei's place, I used her as a guinea pig for my foot massage skill! It's my first time and I hope to give daddy a foot massage next time coz mummy says daddy love foot massage!
..... after a while... Im back to my normal self again... yummy!!!! but mei mei seems to be enjoying it!
And soon... we gotta fly back home after spending 4 days here.. I keep hearing mummy saying to daddy that the trip is way toooo short. But daddy says he is bringing us to japan next year and will be a longer trip! Japan... sounds yummy!!

Love is not enough

2009-07-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

I have always heard mothers saying "give her all the love that you can give."

Looking at her sleeping soundly on my bed; I was wondering how I want her to be brought up. Is love really enough? My thoughts are love - unconditional love is enough to tolerate all the nonsense that we as a mother (or parent) are going to face.

My dad once said this to me years ago "the day you have a child is the day you will worry till the day you die." Well, needless to say when he said that to me I couldnt fathom what he was trying to tell me. I was thinking "wah biangz... I can take care of myself loh.." hahahha... A child will NEVER truly understand and appreciate their parents till the day they are one themselves.

I'm not only going to give her love, but also discipline, boundaries, rules, limitations and the value of money. I didn't really like the word "discipline" as it has a negative connotation. (shouting, punishing and god forbids - beating)

I grew up under the cane. Not that I don't believe in it, it's just that I believe that it is only necessary only when there is a very bad lapse in behaviour. I believe in effective communication. That itself is an art. And yes, parenthood is the time that you really do self evaluation. I guess ern ern will learn from example and that example is us. : ) (and I have countless departments to improve on!)

Hence from now on if I see a kid that is so lovable, I know its the parents' hard work which I believe, involved not only sweat but tears as well. So parents, Jia You!

she flipped! she flipped! she finally flipped!

2009-07-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

it happened all of a sudden! Without warning! it was totally unexpected. I saw her reaching out for her teether and thought to myself "ok, she shall entertain herself for a while while I go do my own stuff". The next thing I saw when I turned around; she is on her tummy! I jumped for joy as I shouted to my hubby "wake up! she flipped!!". It got us really excited for the next 10 minutes.

(10 minutes later...)
Well... though I have been waiting for this day to happen (17th July 2009) which marks the next milestone, she has been flipping like nobody's business since . *_* So I have been asking for it uh?

Brought her for her jab this morning and she is weighing a whopping 8.7kg 68cm! (9 days to 6mths) hahha... I'm not sure why, but I am proud of that! hahah the result of the never say die attitude of breast feeding!

For the rest of the day was busy running errands with daddy and with her in tow. : ) and mummy enjoyed every bit of it.

Once we reach home I changed her into her wet suit and hurried down the stairs to put her in our little pool.... bad move! she burst into tears as soon as she touched the water! It wasn't like this the last time... I guess it could be that the water is slighlty colder... or maybe it's due to her jab? or it's time for her 4.30pm nap?? I'm not sure... hahha we decided to abort the idea and poor daddy had to get out of the water as soon as he jumped into it! That's our baby for you!

Pics at aunt Kat's

2009-07-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah! New sofa!
Okay... somebody pls help... I'm falling... falling...

Why bother? Just chill and relax... c'mon... it's SUNDAY..
Mummy and me...
Mummy and me... again...

and aunt Kat. Mummy's best friend!

Eventful day?! well... it's her first time with semi solids!

2009-07-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today's schedule:

12 noon: Rhonda's place for re'ann's baby shower(sembawang place)

1.30pm: Hang out at Kat's place (Sembawang close)

well.... that was what I planned ...

What actually happened:

12 noon: ern ern wakes up after her 10am nap.

12.30pm: set off to sembawang.

1.30 to 2.15pm: lost in sembawang. (ern ern needs her milk. hence abandoned idea and proceeded to next destination; late)

2.20pm: kat's place; finally!!!

4pm: zoom zoom home..

went to buy her first rice cereal! bellamy's! she took her first semi solid at home and she looked damn satisfied with it! hahha... I had worried that she wasn't ready yet... well... I was so wrong! Can't wait to feed her cereal again! And I'm gonna mix it with breast milk. : )

The power of her smile

2009-07-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Im sure everyone have days when they can't find their things and feel so flustered and frustrated! that happened today. Just I was about to tear my hair I hear her "talking" to me as if asking me "mummy what are you looking for? I'm here!" I turned my head and look at her momentarily and she smiled... and from then on I threw my frustrations away. I scooped her up into my arms and "continued the conversation" with her. After my calmness came back to me I knew where I had misplaced what I was looking for. Isn't she such a darlin...

Gym Time with sweetheart caleb! and aunty Kristal!

2009-07-09T02:37:00.001-07:00

Caleb: "Mummy!! can u not be a spotlight?!"

ern ern: "caleb! Look here! camera's here!!"
Ern ern: "mummy.... i think caleb is cute..."

Every "doll" has it's days...

2009-07-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

What?! u mean mummy gave birth to this?!
And... she is bigger and has prettier clothes! just look at me! mummy can't even be bothered to wear my booties!
and now... it's time.... I'm much cuter, stronger and bigger!!
Nobody is watching....
YOU!! COME HERE!!
you think you are pretty uh? u #$%^& blond!
Take this!
This is mine! MINE!!!
Finally! Take that too!
Hmm.... I wonder how it tastes like...
Yummy...

On the day of her discharge

2009-06-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

Today is 26th June. Ern's 5th mth = )

Doc did their daily rounds and asked me this question "are you comfortable to bring her home this noon?"

I hopped about with her in my arms "more than just comfortable! Can I pack now?"

While waiting patiently for time to pass, mummy decided to nap with Ern. This time; peacefully.

Apparently Bronchiolitis is fairly common. We made friends with mummies whose babies are also suffering the same dreaded virus.

Hurray... we are finally going home after spending 2 nights in this lonely room..

Sleepy head

2009-06-30T05:21:00.000-07:00

Sleeping soundly .... AT LAST..

Brochiolitis

2009-06-30T04:55:00.000-07:00

This is my first post and gosh... it had to be this topic. I had been pondering if I should start blogging... hesitating .... and finally decided to just go ahead and document this.

Ern had persistent cough, we took her to the PD. Daddy and I thought that it would go away in a few days time and who could have ever guess it took a turn for the worst just overnight. She was wheezing badly and didnt look at all comfortable to me. I was praying hard that it's not asthma. There is a chance that it could be asthma as mummy had childhood asthma.

Mummy hurried her to the doc's and doc advised to send her to hospital immediately. Im not sure why, but the very mention of "hospital" brought tears streaming down my cheeks. I tried real hard to hold back but my maid only maid it worse when she tried to console me. At that time I was at a total loss. I went back to my parent's place and got my dad to send us to the hospital.

At the hospital Ern was a really brave bb. Though uncomfortabe she was, she never cried.

Doc took her X-ray to make sure it wasn't pneumonia and after an hour or so, the dreaded moment came when we were told that she had to be hospitalised.

Daddy rushed over as soon as his meeting was over and went back to pack my stuff as mummy will be staying over with her precious bb.

The stay at the hospital was far from comfortable! Every hour she had to be checked for oxygen level. Every other hour to check her temperature and every 4 hourly she had to go for treatment. Oh yes not forgetting the PA announcement which was really "timely"! It is really very tiring for the both of us and because her air passage was blocked; she simply didn't want to have her milk. I was really desperate at the rate that she is going, doc says that she may have to be put on a drip. I really don't even want to entertain that thought of needles poking her all the time. I had to be really patient with her feeding. My heart was wrenching in pain each time she refuse to drink. Kept telling myself that I must be strong and this will soon be over...