24 Sep 2009- Arrival of Baby Rainee

Derek and me went to TMC to visit Apple today. Her beloved princess Rainee arrived on 23 September 2009 at 2043hr. Both mum and baby are doing well. Rainee looked so cute and I was so tempted to hold her. Never mind, will carry her during her baby shower :)

We also went to look at the babies in the nursery- they were all sleeping soundly in their cribs, covered snugly in their towels and blankets. I guessed that's where the saying "little bundles of joy" came about! The visit brought back a lot of fond memories when I delivered Gerrard- and he is such a big boy now.

Hope all goes well for Apple's confinement and Gerrard will have a new friend soon!

21 Sep 2009- Our 44th day without a maid

Today is our 44th day without a maid. We are still surviving simply becoz life still goes on whether things are going your way or not. Now is no longer about myself only but I still have a child to care for regardless of me being tired, having to gobble down my food, having no time to catch a movie I really wanted to watch etc etc.. This is the greatness of being a mum! :))))))

I do not hope for a super maid, I just want someone who can get along with my mum and can look after Gerrard properly. Isn't it time my luck changed for the better?

9 Aug 2009- A bomb dropped on National Day

We sent our maid back this afternoon, within 24 hours of her request to go home. It was a typical afternoon at home then she wanted to make a call. She claimed her mother hurt her hand and no one to take care of her kids. I am just surprised if her mum hurt her hand and wants her to go back, wouldn't they write to her instead? Why is it only when she called back then she knew of it? On the other hand, she told my mum that her mother hurt her back and also said she is going shopping in Jarkarta before she goes back to the kampong. Would you be in the mood to go shopping when you are anxious to go back home to look after your kids? Then the agency said it is common of Indo maids to have such requests when it's nearing the Hari Raya festival so it means she is not interested to work anymore.

Who is right and who is wrong? Anyway, she's gone.

21 July 2009- Milestone

Gerrard took his first independent steps today!!!

13 November 2008- My 28th birthday

Received a birthday sms from my sister this morning and was greeted with the news that Gerrard rolled off the bed last night! Mum told me that he had rolled off onto Siti's mattress on the floor. When Siti found him, he was clinging onto the big bolster like a koala bear and his eyes were staring at her. Mum said he looked a bit puzzled, must be wondering how did he end up on Siti's mattress haha. He didn't cry but my parents gave him some "惊风散” in case he had a scare. My mum was so worried that she did not sleep the rest of the night while Gerrard slept in his hammock. And the 24-year-old bed (yes, it had been there since I was 4 years old) was dismantled the next day.

I received a diamond ring from hubby to my utmost surprise and we had a nice dinner at Ichiban. Even though it was late, we still managed to go and see Gerrard. And what makes me the happiest is that Gerrard has entered into our lives to be part of our family and I feel so blessed to have him. This is my happiest bday ever :)

A quick shot of him when he just woke up

30 October 2008- 9 months old

Gerrard turned 9 months old recently. Wanted to bring him out on Deepavali holiday but on 26 October 2008 morning, after his bath, I noticed a small red spot in his right eye near to his eyeball. I got all panicky coz it was a Sunday and PD is closed. I immediately thought of asking Derek to bring us to TMC for checkup then my mum told me to calm down first. She suggested bringing Gerrard to the GP and see what he says. And Dr Tan has been my family doctor since I was in primary school I think.

On the way to Dr Tan whose clinic was just downstairs my parents' house, I kept asking my mum, does Dr Tan knows how to treat babies? Is he competent? Are you sure? My mum assured me it should be fine, probably Gerrard is a bit heaty. And Dr Tan has 5 children himself, he should know what he's doing :P

Dr Tan diagnosed that Gerrard had a slight eye infection and that was when I realised that the day before, he had some sticky eye-wax on his eye too.. so this is usually an early sign of some infection. Will remember that in future. Dr Tan carried Gerrard and my boy wasn't shy at all. In fact, I think Gerrard seemed to be totally fine with anyone as long as they provide fun! Well, good and bad I guess. He gave Gerrard an eye drop and after 2 days, he recovered. Phew!

So we stayed home during the holidays and Wendy (god-yi-yi) was having fun playing dress up with Gerrard.

"Pirates of the Carribean"

Roarrrrr! Here I come!

"店小二"
Can you see what's on his head? Yes! It's his bedtime pants hahaha- is this Halloween or what?

Ah-ha! I know what you are trying to do....

Mmmm... what do you want me to do this time?

Found this pic of Gerrard in Derek's phone- I think it was taken when he was around 7 months coz now that romper can't fit anymore

Gerrard can't crawl yet and he doesn't really like tummy time too. We tried putting toys to entice him but it just gets him frustrated if he is unable to get them within his reach. Although I can't help wishing he will be "up to speed" soon like his peers but I know we cannot hurry this kind of thing. As long as he is growing up healthily, this should not be the top priority in my list. So just gonna be patient and 加油吧!

He is moving much faster in his walker now- "gliding" from here to there. And he likes to venture into the bedrooms too. My maid and parents must keep a closer eye on him now coz we are afraid he will knock into hard objects.

Mummy placing a ball on his head to tease him

I'm a juggler- Look at me!

Demostrating his "invisible kungfu hands"

This shot shows a double-chin

Shirlyn Yi-yi says Gerrard looks like a big boy here

Sometimes Gerrard will use his hand to tap/pat his head. He does it when he's feeling tired and going to sleep too.. managed to catch a shot here.

Since his 2nd month, Gerrard sleeps with me on the bed and recently, we have moved to sleeping on mattresses on the floor as I'm afraid he will roll over the bed. He is a very messy sleeper like me! Hence, his cot was like a white elephant in the room. I decided to bring it out and treat it like a playpen.

Playing with the wheels on a toy car

Gerrard has 4 teeth now, with a 5th lower tooth sprouting out soon. Last week, he had a new antic; when we ask him "Show me your teeth/ Where is your teeth", he will squeeze his face very tightly and show us his teeth. It looks bad but it is so funny when he does it. Over the weekend, we brought him to dinner with my in-laws family. Although he seldom sees them, he is ok to letting them carry and play with him. They had such fun seeing his funny expressions.

Cheeky shots!

His fav. moments are on weekends where Daddy carries him and kicks balls around. The picture is blur but Gerrard's mouth was wide open in awe!

My current camera is failing me- the pictures seemed to be in an "auto-sepia" mode and there are large "spots" when they are developed. Some of the clearer pictures were taken with Shirlyn's camera. I wanted to get a new one especially one that captures the quick actions of Gerrard.

Gosh, it took me almost 1 hour to type this post. I am not savvy with blog... it takes me very long to organise the format of the entry and the pics! And I'm facing some downside at work recently.. so when I feel down, I think of how Gerrard can make me smile and this makes everything better again. I'm also trying to get Gerrard involved in some trial classes so that he can make some friends- Looking forward to the Jan baby bash in Dec so that I can finally put some faces to the names who have accompanied me during my pregnancy and mummyhood journey :))

11 October 2008- Updates from 6 months- Pictures Galore!

I realised that my last post was in June- Gosh! 4 months had passed by and it was through a short chat with fellow Jan08 MTB "Mylife" that spurred me to start blogging again. Thanks "Mylife"!

The reason is I have been tied down with work as usual and on weekends, my hands are full with Gerrard. I do have a bit of time to blog but have no energy to do so. Sometimes, it's a choice between slapping on some moisturiser or blogging so I only have the energy to do the "must-do". I have also not logged on to the forum for a long time so hopefully, we can still keep in touch via our chatboards on blogs. Missing you guys- Fern, Kitsune, Godsent, Violetice, Icy, QQ, Steph77, Joyce, Angelsky, Mylife.... and I can see from your blogs that your princes and princesses are all growing up so well- Let us all give ourselves a pat on the back!

Gerrard started taking porridge from Month 5 onwards as recommended by Dr Ho. Grandma prepares the food for him, consisting of fish, pork, spinach, carrots, brocoli, potato, tofu and sometimes ikan billis. He loves his porridge and his favourite fruit is apple!

A typical weekend spent playing with Mummy & Daddy- We were just back from lunch at Ikea

Sneaking a look at us as I "forbid" him to put his hands into his mouth

Gerrard had fever around end Aug- early Sept. I remembered it started on a Thursday and my mum called me at work. I told her to give him the infant panadol and when I went to see him after work, the fever had subsided but I still decided to stay over at my mum's place to be with him for the night.

During the night, the fever started again and I took urgent leave to bring him to Dr Ho on Friday. He was prescribed panadol, running nose medicine and anti-biotics. And the fever went up and down throughout the weekend. It tested our patience as both Derek and me were anxious about Gerrard and in the course of that, we snapped at each other easily. And it doesn't help that Gerrard was sick and hence fussing quite a bit. On Sunday, his fever finally went down but he started to develop rashes all around his body on Sunday night. Once again, I rushed home from work on Monday and Dr Ho said it's Fake Measles. I have never heard of it before but she said it's common among babies usually after a fever. We had to apply calamine lotion on him all over and he got better after a few days. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when he was well again.

Balls and cars are his favourite toys

Rubber ducky float present from YiYi during Taka Baby Fair- we used it to contain balls for playing

Peek-a-boo!

In all serious-ness when he sees me with a camera

Just woke up in the morning and waiting for his porridge

Brought him back to Changi Airport T3 when we were on leave

Till next time everyone!

13 June 2008- When parenting 24/7 in not enough

I was checking my emails when I read an article on a Tokyo knifeman. Last Sunday, there was a stabbing rampage in Tokyo whereby a teenager drove a truck into Tokyo’s crowded district of Akihabara, the hub of Japan’s comic-book and video-game subculture. He swerved the vehicle into pedestrians, jumped out and started a stabbing spree with a survivor knife in one hand and a smaller knife in another. Five people died and twelve were wounded. He is currently in custody of prosecutors, who could press charges that lead to the death penalty.

Reporters interviewed his parents and his dad apologised and bowed deeply and repeatedly in front of national TV. His distraught mum cried and collapsed after the apology. On the eve of the rampage, the teenager posted in the internet that “I had been forced to play the good boy since I was little” His parents would sometimes complete his homework for him; “I was perfect in my studies as I got prizes for what a parent wrote or draw. As they wanted to brag about me to other people, they would finish everything up to make me look perfect”

Reading the article caused an unsettling stir in my heart. I could imagine how devastated his parents must have felt as it could be just another ordinary day and never in their wildest dreams would they have thought their son could be planning such a terrible activity. One step in the wrong direction seems to have changed their family lives overnight.

As parents, we will always want the best for our children. I can put myself in the parents’ shoes and visualise the image of a mother reprimanding a child when he misbehaves, telling him to be a good boy and not to do this, not to do that. In fact, I recalled the time in primary school where I was tasked to make a kite during art & craft and my dad completed the project for me as I had absolutely no idea how to. And yes, I got an A for that fabulous kite.

However, is wanting the best for our children wrong? How and when do we draw the fine line of leading them in the right path and not cause them to be over independent on us? How do we know how to GUIDE and not to INSTRUCT? How do we make them see that the best to us is also the best for them without them thinking we are simply too controlling and they can hardly breathe?

There is no easy answer to these questions but then again, there shouldn’t be.

11 June 2008- Stomach upset

Gerrard has been having loose stools for 2 weeks. The first time it happened was on 24 May morning and I thought it was just a one time incident. As he has been on FM since birth, other than the 1st month, his stools have been rather "pretty" in toothpaste texture and he has been "trained" by my mum to poo poo once a day. On 30 May 2008 during his scheduled 4 months vaccination, I mentioned his condition to Dr Ho. She told me that only the following 3 conditions are causes of worry:

1. Stools hard as "goh-lis" aka marbles
2. Stools liquid like water
3. Blood in stools

She explained that anything else in between is perfectly fine and it is not a case of diarrhoea as it is only once a day (diarrhoea occurs 3-4 times a day). As such, she gave him the go-ahead for the vaccination. Loose stools continued after that and I took the doctor's word that it is fine. Others shared with me that it may be a sign of teething and it's common for babies to have loose/runny stools. Both grandmas commented that Gerrard seemed thinner but the fact that it still occurs once a day and he was still active and happy caused us to not worry so much, thinking that it'll probably go away.

I waited to see if it improves but to no avail. I donno if it was Mother's instinct but his condition bothered me at the back of my mind. He doesn't seemed sick but somehow I feel that something is not right. Hence, finally I took him to Dr Ho again. She examined him and announced that Gerrard has a tummy upset. Perhaps he had a virus infection which affected his digestive system and he would have to change to FrisoSoy milk for at least 2 weeks since his condition has been so long. FrisoSoy is a type of soy milk which does not contains oil unlike other FM as oil may worsen his condition. He was also precribed a medication to recover his digestive system.

I have to admit that inside my heart, I was swearing. Didn't she tell me that it was ok when I told her the condition 1 week ago? It was based on her words that I kept telling myself Gerrard should be fine since the doctor said so. If she had diagnosed it earlier, he wouldn't need to go through the upset tummy. And indeed, Gerrard's weight maintained at 7.5kg. He has not gained any weight since his vaccination on 30 May 2008.

I feel upset when I see Gerrard on medication and stopping his usual Similac FM. Although he is not crying in pain but I know it can be uncomfortable for him overall. Adults experience discomfort during diarrhoea, what the more a young 4 months baby.

May Gerrard recover soon.

8 June 2008- First outing

Today is a significant milestone in Gerrard's life coz it is the first time we went out as a family! And it is not to Grandma's house, not for his routine visit to the PD but his first "gai gai" trip with Mummy and Daddy. Although to many people it is not such a big deal but to me, it really is. I have not "ventured" out with Gerrard unless it was with my mum as I find it too difficult to handle. In fact, we try to limit that to the minimum as well because 1. too many things to prepare to bring out 2. difficult to manage him when he wants to sleep but can't fall asleep in either our arms/ on strolller.

However, this weekend, my parents and Shir-lyn went to Msia to attend a wedding dinner. And as Derek took leave to help out, we decided to bring Gerrard for a small outing. Usual shopping centres were too crowded for our taste and hence we brought him to Changi Airport coz it's near our place.

All rearing to go

Surprisingly, all went rather well. Gerrard was pretty excited upon reaching the place and as we were extremely hungry, we had a quick bite at the foodcourt. While eating, we placed him in his stroller and he was well behaved and smiled/played with us afterwhich we walked around T3. At the viewing mall, it brought back fond memories as 4 months ago (when i was waiting impatiently to pop) a rather impregnanted me had been here with Derek and now 4 months later, we are back in the same place as a family of 3. It feels very special and fulfilling.

With Daddy

With Mummy

Initially we wanted to make our way to T1 but I decided that this may be enough for the time being considering that it is our first outing and Gerrard seems sleepy. After walking around, we stopped by TCC for lunch. I made his milk in a jiffy and fed him while waiting for our orders to come. After drinking, he fell asleep! I held him upright against me for a while as he had not burped. After I lied him down to sleep in the stroller, before I could whip out the camera to take a shot of him sleeping in his stroller for the 1st time, he moved a bit and woke up! I donno what's the matter but he is sleeping very little nowadays!

Looking surprised when he just woke up

Reverted back to his active self almost immediately when I played with him

Overall conclusion: It has been a good trip for a first timer and it has indeed helped to build up my confidence to bring Gerrard out for more outings in future. We shall still start "small" by going for short outings then gradually go further and longer as he grows. More importantly, Gerrard seemed very curious and excited and I hope that outings to wherever can play a part in his discovery and learning journey. Looking forward to our second outing ;)

30 May 2008 - Something new every time

Gerrard never fails to amuse us. Previously, he would smile widely when entertained and lets out a loud laugh once in a while. This month, he is able to chuckle. Whenever he does that, we can't help but laugh along with him coz it is so contagious. Wendy managed to capture a short video on his chuckling. That's my mum's voice in the background and she was simply saying "Ah... Puu....Tehhhh!" This meaningless phrase caused Gerrard to be so tickled! I guess it is not what we say but the way we say it that entertains him so.

This second clip was taken during Gerrard's weekend stay at our house. For some reason, I can't seem to rotate the clip so it's harder on your eyes while viewing. Again, Gerrard is entertained by ad-hoc words exclaimed by Derek. It started with different states in Japan... Osaka, Narita, Tokyo.... until even "Kopi-O" makes him laugh!

The first time I heard the phrase "Laughter is the best medicine" was from a copy of Readers' Digest when I was about 12 years old. My cousin used to stay with us at the time and I would flip through his monthly copies. The section refers to the jokes section which was easier to read and some short stories/jokes were pretty funny. All along I used to think that the phrase was just a very apt title for the session but what happened recently made me look at things from another view.

Things had been pretty rough at work recently and my plate is really full. My portfolio has increased and I guess it is a good sign as it gives me progress and exposure to more things. However, with this enhanced job scope, it translated into longer working hours. I try my best to visit Gerrard everyday but sometimes time does not permit me to do so. There were a few occasions where by the time I finished my work and reached Tampines, it is past his bedtime. Another time was when I had to attend a department outing and couldn't bring him back on Friday night. Derek's side is about the same as well with his work piled up everyday. I do feel guilty when I am held back by all these.

There was one day when I had a bad headache. People who know me well would know that I cannot bear the pain of a headache; I will pop a Panadol almost immediately. That day, I ran out of Panadol and I was busy rushing something out at work that I had no time to go down and buy. I told myself to hang in there even though I know it will cause me to be irritable and true enough, it got worse by the time I got off work. My head was simply hammering away. I was grouchy throughout dinner and the impending workload kept nagging me at the back of my mind. After dinner, I visited Gerrard to play with him as usual and on the way home, it suddenly dawned on my that my head is no longer throbbing. It seemed to have miraculously cured by itself! The first thought that came to mind was the exact phrase "Laughter is the best medicine" I used to be pretty cynical about things but perhaps this can be true after all. 快乐其实很简单。

Making faces

Trying to turn

Bath time

Seeing him everyday lifts my mood. It seems to set everything into perspective and I am finally experiencing what my colleague told me previously about rushing home just to be with his kids and the joy is indescribable. Although I feel drained after work, being with Gerrard sets my adrenaline pumping again. It is as if you feel like everything may be weighing you down and you can't take it anymore but yet you still can push on just a little bit on.

Playing on his yao-lan

I didn't know that becoming a parent means stacking today's unread newspaper on to yesterday's unread newspaper. Sometimes we eat a meal as if we are trying to create a Guiness record for finishing a meal in the shortest time- standing up! There are still times of exasperations and feeling inadequate somehow. But I tell myself that as Gerrard is learning day by day, we are learning to be parents as well. There are times when we fall down but I am sure that before we know it, the day will come where we look back at our silly mistakes/complaints and laugh about it.

Gerrard is 4 months old today and had his routine visit to the PD. He took his 2nd dosage of 5-in-1 jab and the Rotavirus medication. Dr Ho commented that he is growing well - what a relief as I was concerned about his reduced milk intake. This is just the feeling we have everytime we visit the gynae when I was pregnant. The magic words that the baby is growing well will set our hearts at ease. No wonder people say that you start worrying from the day you find out your pregnancy until the day your child grows old!

Looking intensely at my hp when I showed him pictures of himself

In line with the traditional Chinese customs for 4 months old, we let Gerrard have a teenny weeny lick of a ..... DRUMSTICK! He was staring in awe at the drumstick when we brought it to his face and he looked so curious when tasting it!

Thanks for coming into my life little one!