angel's story ❤ ❤

she really has grown up, a great deal

2012-03-08T19:22:00.003+08:00

when junior was about two months ago, darling dear and i attempted to pour water from her head down during bathtime, she hates it and showed her anger. she must have dread bathing, i said to the man. but we are bad, we continued everyday, she cried everytime.

these days, she no longer cries. she stood in the bath tub happily with her arms waving at her cot mobile ducklings, stamping her feet and splashing the water onto the floor. the man was so heart broken about his wooden flooring. we still continue our attempts but as much as she dislikes it, she no longer cries.

now, we introduce her to the bathroom. we use the shower head and spray it down her head. the spraying water touches her little hands and it triggers her curiousity. she wonders where does the water comes from and this time round, she tries to catch the spraying water. the fast running water went down her face too, she is fine. she loves it :))

independence

2012-03-06T22:40:00.003+08:00

i really admire the people i see around me who know what they want and go all out to get it. i want to be like that too, to have a purpose, to be pursuing something important. they are not afraid to get shot down repeatedly and rise to the occasion at any given time. people with passion are people who are living.

i want to teach junior to not be afraid of anything, to stand upon the many things that she believe in.

i want to let her know that i will be her guiding light. a beacon amongst the darkness. i want to be her her lighthouse.

i want her to be calm and collected. to have every situation under her control. to be seek by people for guidance.

all i want is for her to grow up, not as physically as i'm grown up now. but independence.

on a side note, a candid video taken today. it is funny and i wonder what she is thinking at that moment :)

time for a break

2012-03-06T20:01:00.006+08:00

last week has been slightly weird, like i'm forever exhausted and feeling a bit too unmotivated for many things especially work. except for my dearest hubby and girl, seems like nothing excites me, nothing to look forward to and absolutely nothing to be happy about. just constantly knackered, i think it'll be okay to want a hug? i love hugs.

after a day leave today, work continues tomorrow and i really dread it. perhaps its because i started to question my role at work. i love to fight for people and i hate to be the management's spokeperson. i am sure it appears to be i am not exactly a nice person. i am sarcastic sometimes, too straight forward, unglamorous and pretty insensitive to a certain degree. i am a cynic to many things. when something good happens, i tend to question it alot and pick a flaw to attack. but after all, i am only a salary-paid employee right?

second six in one

2012-03-03T23:10:00.004+08:00

second dose of 6 in 1 last night.
as usual, no cries no tears
and no fever up till now :)

currently at 18 weeks and 2 days, junior is weighing at 6 kilo with a height of 61cm.
good size for a girl.
anyway to start with, junior did not come out big,
as quoted from doctor adrain, though she has the volume of a 2.8kilo baby but she is only 2.4kilo in size.

giving up your seat to people who are more in need

2012-03-02T08:44:00.004+08:00

i have been noticing there are many singaporean parents who ~~love~~ like to carry their child who is as big as four or five years old on the train or buses. "hello, your child is old enough to walk and hold the pole. are you trying to cheat yourself a seat? no, i am gaoing to stay put at mine." this is what i will thought to myself. after which i will turn to darling dear and whisper, "alexis must not be like this! i will never allow it!" luckily and gladly, both of us are in the same frequency :)

i know its too early for me to pass those comments because junior is only four months old. i never got her a stroller and we do not own a car. sooner or later as she grows older and bigger, she will walked herself tired and wanting to find her comfort zone. but, what comforts me is that, both of us have a pair of strong arms and a set of determined mind. i am sure nothing beats carrying your sleeping child, having to hear her breathing and teaching her the meaning of "giving up your seat to people who are more in need".

family is completeness

2012-03-02T08:35:00.002+08:00

i realise i do not like to be a sahm,
because only the feeling of completeness completes me :)))

triple As, i like!

she likes blue :)

2012-02-29T10:51:00.001+08:00

blue is the color of the sky and sea. it is often associated with depth and stability. it symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

junior @18 weeks

2012-02-29T09:26:00.001+08:00

happy 18 weeks!
and its a leap year,
smile lots and be a happy baby :)

one way ticket

2012-02-28T10:03:00.005+08:00

last night was the first night after the longest time i bathed junior alone. not that i can't do it but these days, she loves to stand in the tub and uses her feet to splash the water to the floor while i used a mini sponge to clean her body with the soapy musela. yes, she is just so active :)

she is no longer the newborn who came out 4 months ago. she outgrown the bath tub, she is becoming much more observant, she laughs when she is happy, she screams when she is irritated, she no longer need us to hold her milk bottle as she will attempt to hold it herself, she is learning to fall asleep on her own. there are so many things she is learning everyday and there are so many things we are looking forward to everyday.

her existence is not planned. i believe in fate and this little life amazingly completes my life :))

marriage and parenting are one way ticket. no turning back and of course, with such a naughty little girl, there is no way i want to turn back :))

independent

2012-02-28T08:53:00.002+08:00

an incident today made me realise that i can be very independent.
just a matter of whether i choose to be or not.

triple boohoo

2012-02-28T00:07:00.002+08:00

junior's appetite these days seems to get smaller, boo!
junior's weight hasn't been increasing much since one month ago, boo boo!
junior is down with a cough, boo boo boo!!!

its amazing how fast babies learn!

2012-02-25T00:02:00.001+08:00

quoted from darling dear, "now finally papa and mummy can do our own things while you are drinking your milk!"

a waste of my time

2012-02-24T23:37:00.003+08:00

when i see this comment, somehow it didn't trigger the anger in me. because i know what i am doing :)

anyway a few points to note for Mum of 2.

i assune you are a mother of 2 children since you name yourself as Mum of 2.

firstly seems like you have a tough time today, i do not know what happen but do not mind it if you use my comment box as a venting ground.

secondly judging from the way you write, it appears to me that you are a very proud mother who feels that you use the most perfect method to bring up your children. i am more humble, i am not the best mother on earth but at least i know i love my baby the most. whatever is your most perfect and flawless method, i am simply not interested so there is no need to advertise your parenting skills.

thirdly i do not think it is polite of you to write such things on my blog. you are a mother of 2 and is this the way you are going to teach your children? i will definitely not teach alexis to go into people's blog, scribbling on their comment box with own's opinion.

last but not least, alexis is our baby. i have been carrying her for 37 weeks and been a mother to her for 17 weeks. so mum of 2, not to worry, i will neither kill my baby nor abuse her. the time you spent reading my blog about her compared to the time i spent with her is nothing. i know her character, i know what is best for her. so before you comment next time in mine or other blog, maybe you should think if you have the right to do so.

no jab for today

2012-02-24T23:16:00.003+08:00

no jab for junior today because she is going at a temperature of 37.6 degrees :(
doctor prescibed cough syrup and nasal spray.

anyway at 4 months, junior is weighing only at 5.6kg with a height of 61cm.
seems like she is growing vertically at a faster rate :)

junior was unwell last night

2012-02-24T09:53:00.003+08:00

naughty girl was not feeling well last night.
she did not cry, she did not complain.
all she did was keeping very silent with a pair of drowsy eye.

took her temperature, it was 37.5 degrees.
not in the dangerous zone yet :)

fed her a spoon of baby pandadol and tug her to bed.
she woke up this morning with a smile, yayyness! :D

impatient girl

2012-02-21T20:44:00.002+08:00

she seems to know what she is doing - pounding her way through a brick wall by sheer willpower because she knew she wanted to be on the other side :)

anyway lesson for today: patient is a virtue and the key to success.

growing up

2012-02-21T19:40:00.002+08:00

everytime i look at her, i can't help but feel amused.

the happy-bright eyes sparkling look when i look at her directly, the dull-eyed look when she gets up in the morning - and i wonder, can she forever remain my little junior baby.

but now it just tickles me inside - to know she is growing up physically. in this quirky little shell of a body, weight increasing, hair getting longer but still a teeny tiny little, i've never felt happier.

yes, she is growing up!

”她的耳朵很漂亮，人缘很好！“

2012-02-20T08:35:00.002+08:00

junior is very popular with the sales people in tangs.
no joke! so any discounts please?

her turns, her laughs, her 123!

2012-02-19T19:27:00.002+08:00

this video will make me happy!

an area to consider to be a set of better parents to my junior, would be to take leave everyday and video her every actions!
ohh wells ohh wells...(in my dreams).

sip sip from a sippy cup!

2012-02-19T10:29:00.002+08:00

it is funny when she is trying hard to figure out where her mouth is.
but, at least we know she is trying, very hard!

good job, darling girl!

random thoughts on a saturday night

2012-02-18T23:39:00.003+08:00

before junior came out on 261011, darling dear and i had visions on how and what to we want her to be and what we do not want her to be. we want her to grow up to be independent and successful in life, we want her to be happy, we want her to feel loved. we will not spoil her, we will not neglect her and we will not make her feel unloved.

i stopped breastfeeding after the first week. i was undergoing tremendous stress at that point of time. i tried my best but i have to admit that stopping breastfeeding guilty-fied me. the first time i fed her a bottle of formula, i teared, treating as though i was feeding her poison. but looking at her satisfied eyes after that particular bottle of milk, i was bought over immediately. i was wrong, very wrong to read up too many articles or forum on breastfeeding even before i started. breastfeeding nazi will put down mommies who are not breastfeeding, making people like me super depressed! dumex.com.sg quoted: "breastfeeding can help to protect your baby from chest and ear infections and some allergies, like asthma and eczema." but hey, i know of a baby who was breastfed for eight months but in the end, he still develop eczema! however i still believe that breastmilk is still the best for a baby with all the nutrients that can't be found in formula. i have friends who breastfed and still breastfeeding now, i do envy them in some way or another and at times, i wish i can do the same. however now breast milk or formula milk no longer matters to me. with more time and less stress, i am confident of making junior as healthy and as happy as breastfed babies. this is the kind of happy person i hope junior will be.

nowadays kids spend more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to handheld video game systems, than actively playing outside. television is a major culprit. studies shows that kids younger than 6 spend an average of 2 hours a day in front of a screen, mostly watching tv, dvds, or videos. older kids and teens spend almost 4 hours a day watching tv, dvds, or videos. when computer use and video games are included, time spent in front of a screen increases to over 5½ hours a day! kids who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. not surprisingly, tv is linked to increased likelihood of being overweight. in other words, for many kids, once they get home from school, virtually all of their free time is spent in front of one screen or another. up till today, we are still doing it fine. the tv is off when junior is awake. she even got a non-electronic wooden cot mobile instead of those that are operated on battery. we also try our best to reduce the times in front of the laptops, ipad as well as the mobile phone. i have friends who feel sorry for her because they felt that we are depriving her off tv-watching. indeed the tv is the best way of occupying a kid when you have something else to attend to. having a child is a lifelong commitment and to us, nothing is better than physical interaction with junior. i love to read to junior every morning. i will explain to her the moral of the story to end the whole story telling. seeing her smile and coo really cracks us up! and once again, tv and electronics gadgets are things i will want her to grow up without with below the age of two.

the percentage of overweight children in the world is growing at an alarming rate, with 1 out of 3 kids now considered overweight or obese. many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the tv, computer, or video-game console. and today's busy families have fewer free moments to prepare nutritious, home-cooked meals. from fast food to electronics, quick and easy is the reality for many people in the new millennium. quick to say, darling dear and i vow to provide junior with the best home-cooked meals for as long as possible. no sugar, no fast food, no processed meat will be given to her for as long as possible. however we will not completely eliminate such food from her diet as i believe that forbidden food taste the best and she will tend to overeat outside. but at least for the first eighteen months, these are the food i want her to grow up without with.

i grew up in a home that had a rule of sitting down together to have our dinner. we did not just grab our food and eat separately somewhere in the house – we all sat down together to have our dinner. sometimes it was annoying, especially when i wanted to catch my favourite tv serial. but looking back, i can see how important it was. that was the time when we talked about our day and we had no choice but to listen to each other and bond as a family. i feel that no matter how big or small a family is, it is important to set aside time together – and what better time than at dinner? nowadays when darling dear and i have our dinner, we will place junior on a high chair placed in between us allowing her to get used to the idea of sitting down together during a meal. this is how the kind of environment i want junior to grow up in.

junior is now learning to poo in the toilet bowl. yes, at her fourteen weeks, we are putting her on the toilet bowl. it may sound crazy but seriously, she did it! initially when i told darling dear about my decision to start the potty training once she reaches 12 weeks, his reaction was like everyone else, "she is too young!". "if we don't try, how will we know she can't do it? we can just take cues from her reactions. if after we try and she really can't do it then so be it. we will try again when she gets older. but i still hope to try!" this is what i said to him, now he is very very very convinced :) two weeks have passed and up till today, junior is still pooing in the toilet bowl. i really got to praise her for this. as tough as it goes, darling dear and i are making every single effort to bring her to the toilet every morning. putting her on the toilet bowl every morning is our way of introducing potty training. this is the way we want her to train her.

nowadays kids spend more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to handheld video game systems, than actively playing outside. television is a major culprit. studies shows that kids younger than 6 spend an average of 2 hours a day in front of a screen, mostly watching tv, dvds, or videos. older kids and teens spend almost 4 hours a day watching tv, dvds, or videos. when computer use and video games are included, time spent in front of a screen increases to over 5½ hours a day! kids who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. not surprisingly, tv is linked to increased likelihood of being overweight. in other words, for many kids, once they get home from school, virtually all of their free time is spent in front of one screen or another. up till today, we are still doing it fine. the tv is off when junior is awake. she even got a non-electronic wooden cot mobile instead of those that are operated on battery. we also try our best to reduce the times in front of the laptops, ipad as well as the mobile phone. i have friends who recommend me to use the children's video or ipad to help her to learn the alphabets but somehow i am still rather resistant about this idea. there are people who feel sorry for her because they felt that we are depriving her off tv-watching. indeed the tv is the best way of occupying a kid when you have something else to attend to. having a child is a lifelong commitment and to us, nothing is better than physical interaction with junior. i love to read to junior every morning. it has been a repeating two pages of the Elmo ABC book but seeing her smile and coo really cracks us up! and once again, tv and electronics gadgets are things i will want her to grow up without with below the age of two.

up till today, we felt glad about not buying a pram or not giving her a pacifier. i am not saying that putting a child in a pram is bad or a child sucking a pacifier is ugly, but these are exactly the stuff i want my junior to grow up without. we simply love the physical interaction when we carry her or put her in a carrier. however sadly to say, everyone in the world seems to have an opinion about it. i bought a carrier for her instead. not surprising, i have friends who commented that i will definitely get a stroller as it will be too tiring to carry her as time goes by. i too have strangers who came up to us saying junior is too small to be in a carrier or she can't breathe when she is carried this way. initially we tried explaining to them that this carrier is designed from newborns onwards but after sometime, i started to realise what they are trying to say - we are abusing her. and i think that is crazy. but nevertheless, after meeting a couple of such people, i just decided to just roll my eyes and walk away from their remarks.

since junior was three weeks old, she had been undergoing the angmo way - sleeping alone in her own room on her own cot. all lights out with no pillows, bolsters, toys & parents but a good night kiss from darling dear and myself. the baby monitor was on and we learnt to check on her only if we hear cries. otherwise she will be left sleeping in her own dark room. the reason why we wanted to seperate her from us during sleeping time is because we want her to learn to be independent. and this is how we want her to be when she grows up.

i had spoken to friends who doesn't believe in caning and even more disagree with our method of smacking a three month old baby. "this will scare the kid!", this is what they tell me. however darling dear & i believe in fostering the right values and self discipline at a tender age. this is to say, disciple will start from baby. some people quoted our way of disciple as "military training". when i see caregivers chasing after the child with a bowl of porridge during meal times, i shook my head and tell myself that junior will not, must not be like that. when i hear stories about children at a young age cry for toys in a shopping mall, i will get paranoid hoping junior will not and must not be like that. at the end of the day, self discipline goes a long way. however our way of discipline does not limit only to physical discipline. most of the times we will reason out with junior, instead of smacking her. "you must learn to ask nicely, you must learn not to scream and cry if you can't get the things she want." this is what we said to her in a very firm tone. somehow or the other after repeating tries, she seems to be able to get the message across to her brain. and after some processing, the screaming-crying will stop and this is when we will carry, hug, kiss and praise her :) this is how we want to teach her - to ask nicely, to be humble, to be a good person.

extravagant full month baby shower or birthday parties are part of what we want her to grow up without with. there is two sides of debate in this issue. some parents will feel bad if they did not hold a party for their child because being one month or one of age is once in a lifetime. whereas parents like us who does not believe in extravagant parties believe in not wanting the child to expect a big birthday celebration every year, in other words - not spoiling the child. we had attended a couple of baby's full month parties, frankly to say i doubt the baby enjoyed it or knew what was going on. in another words, its all for the parents. but of course, these are only our opinions and perceptions. i believe there will come a time junior will request for her own birthday party, well, lets see when this time comes!

perhaps some methods or ways we used may fail but at least we try. and when we try, we are able to customise our methods accordingly to her personality and character. parenting is not about following books or advices from another person. what works on another child might not work on junior and vice versa. nevertheless all parents want the best for their child, we are no difference. there are many people who commented on the way we bring up junior, but well we are her parents and i assume we are the one who know her best? we may not use the best bringing up method but at least we know we love her. one day, she will know it too.

my little angel

2012-02-17T22:36:00.001+08:00

its amazing how a 30 minutes feeding-carrying session with junior can make me forget my unhappiness for that moment ((:

sip sip

2012-02-17T22:29:00.003+08:00

now that junior can turn, poo in the toilet bowl,
whats next?

hold a sippy cup! (:

its 58!

2012-02-17T17:52:00.001+08:00

now with a junior, its no longer a two-people world.
though its lack of romantic-ism, its more fun than ever!

happy fifty-eight months!

happy valentine's day

2012-02-14T22:30:00.003+08:00

thank you for the "surprise",
thank you for your love,
thank you for junior,
thank you for everything.

happy love day to you.

a walk to remember

2012-02-14T08:59:00.005+08:00

naughty girl has been very curious and imitative.

dunno since when she likes to stand and even started "walking".
we just need to let her grab our hands and she can walk a long stretch :)

books shopping week

2012-02-14T08:34:00.002+08:00

spent near to two hundreds bucks on a batch of good worth books.

reading to junior makes me smile,
though distracted and not understand,
i believe she will know it one day.

our little one in this big big world

2012-02-12T21:47:00.002+08:00

everything seems to be going well these days.

i can't thank you enough for being there everyday. the conversation that we have with each other, the silly laughs that you make, always makes our days get better. you are like an angel sent, sent to take away all the unhappiness and make us smile through sleep. when we discussed about your existence, your future. i'm really happy.

at 6.30 am

2012-02-11T21:53:00.002+08:00

...on a saturday morning,
she is crying out for help!

turn and flip

2012-02-10T10:30:00.002+08:00

she can turn! she can flip! :)
that means, can't leave her alone on the bed now.

time don't flies, they zoom!

2012-02-09T08:48:00.005+08:00

fifteen weeks passed,
much more responsive, even more fun but also a great deal of naughty-ness.

taking cue from your korean cousin - nicole,
time to add some barley tea into your diet!

cot mobile craze

2012-02-05T21:39:00.000+08:00

potty training continues

2012-02-05T21:30:00.000+08:00

its has been a week,
and i didn't know it will be so smooth :))

comments

2012-02-04T22:37:00.002+08:00

"she is tall!",
"she is only three months? but she is able to hold her head steady! i thought she is six months old!"

these are the two most common comments from passer-bys i got when i bring junior out :)

an everyday question

2012-02-01T21:49:00.001+08:00

"who loves alexis?"
"papa & mummy."

no soiled diaper

2012-01-31T21:29:00.005+08:00

for 2 days, you have been pooing not in your diaper, but in the toilet bowl.
keep up the good job! :)

deep shit

2012-01-30T22:34:00.004+08:00

we smack you thats why your thighs are red and swollen.
we smack you thats why you cry.
we smack you because you screamed at the top of your lungs.
we smack you because you threatened to bang your head against the high chair.
we smack you because we want you to learn.
we smack you because we love you.
we smack you thats why our hearts ache.

7,948,800 seconds!

2012-01-26T08:34:00.001+08:00

happy 3 months!

milestone missed

2012-01-25T16:52:00.002+08:00

junior is now turning round & round while trying to flip herself!
argh, this is another milestone i am sure to miss when i am back to work :(

stop complaining!

2012-01-25T07:46:00.006+08:00

so finally chinese new year is over for me because no more visitings, no more being bored and it's back to my normal lifestyle. seriously except for the long weekend, i think chinese new year is just another long unneccessary break because all i do is heap onto the goodies which equates to extra calories. most of the times, i rather just stay in my cosy zone with ayc and junior.

this cny quite often, i find myself getting stressed with the fact that i am surrounded by mothers, each of whom had gone through motherhood. the sheer magnitude of their parenting advises going on simultaneously in my proximity makes me uncomfortable. one advise come after another and i multiply it by all the mothers around me - !!! it's just so ______ to think about it.

are we made to know everything about one another?
perhaps that's a reason why we wear clothes.

but i still think the world would be a better place if everyone could be just a little more adept at putting themselves in each others' shoes. junior might not be that best baby and i am not the best mommy on earth but at least i know when she is sleepy, when she is hungry, when she is happy, and how she like to be carried, her favourite sleeping position and her favourite game.

okays, complains end here.
so work starts tmr. all over again.

obligation to tradition

2012-01-23T23:12:00.008+08:00

honestly, i have never liked any formalities and seeing relatives like once in a year, having to face questions about my future and when will my second baby comes even though junior just came out 3 months ago. most of the time, i'm just stuffing my face with new year goodies, listen to the mahjong tiles clash onto each other and look at my little nieces, wondering what will junior be like when she grows up.

so, many thoughts came to my mind when i saw many of my nieces and nephews. some of them are indeed not what i want junior to become while the minority are good.

as strange as it sounds, i feel i am really behaving like a mother.
okie, time to source for playgroups!

新年快乐!

2012-01-23T23:03:00.002+08:00

你收到压岁钱了吗?

the princess of ang

2012-01-21T21:00:00.003+08:00

with a new high chair and a new set of lamaze wrist rattle & foot finder, its makes being our baby dumbo looks so much brighter.

the ang's pantry

2012-01-21T20:54:00.003+08:00

today we have our little reunion dinner in our little comfort zone :))
all were great, we enjoyed ourselves, our stomachs were filled, junior was good, the not-so-finished spring cleaning went great.

so, dinner was all about steamboat - the everything all throw in a pot.
i think, its the kind of comfort food that one must eat during cny, especially on a rainy day!

sound of thunder and pouring rain

2012-01-21T17:24:00.002+08:00

thou shall not respond to "thunder" in the midst of lalaland-ing :)
because it's ALEXIS!

get motivated!

2012-01-20T22:35:00.002+08:00

motivation will help junior get started - like now! (or soon)

it helps her keep moving,
it helps her do more than others,
it makes the growing up journey fun.

no wonder motivation plays an important role in everyone's journey to success.

so! you! get motivated now!

downward pull of life

2012-01-15T10:54:00.002+08:00

i am surprised that this weird kiddo of mine understand newton's law of gravity at her young age.

she understands that by looking down on the floor, she will be able to produce more saliva and thus more bubbles...

REAL baby

2012-01-15T10:50:00.001+08:00

papa says this is a picture of a REAL baby - naked with only a diaper.

my resolution

2012-01-15T10:47:00.002+08:00

got this book at half price in vivocity.
ahh, how i wish i can be like jaime teo who spent 5 years perfecting her recipe for cupcakes.

a note to self: if ever i have a chance to go back to the states (maybe in end 2012?), i'm gonna perfect my recipe for my cupcakes!

thoughts after a marketing trip

2012-01-15T09:55:00.002+08:00

breakfasting cum marketing for the three of us at fernvale point has been a norm, but today was a little special because junior was surrounded by a group of old grannies touching her little hands and pinching her cheeks.

it might not had been expected, but it's an amusement for her parents. most importantly, we are proud that this little junior is our creation :)

junior and us

2012-01-14T22:48:00.003+08:00

now,
thank you for the laughter, smiles and the cranky cries.
thank you for the warmth in your hugs.
thank you for the love you are willingly share with us.
thank you for being here.

growing up is tough, but aren't you glad that we are here :)

a journey to vivocity

2012-01-14T18:28:00.003+08:00

today, for some appearant reason, i want to be down to harbourfront.
it was quality family time, with loots from mothercare, heatwave, pageone & marks and spencers,
there's something for everyone,
not forgetting how my naughty sweetie pie was getting attention from people, ohh yay yeah!

her new hobby found!

2012-01-14T18:18:00.000+08:00

...playing with saliva

if i love you enough

2012-01-11T22:07:00.002+08:00

if i love you enough, i will share my walmart-bought jim tao with you! :)

the long awaited news

2012-01-11T21:39:00.003+08:00

...is delayed to feb!

what's with the bonus,
or rather the boss.

大白兔奶糖

2012-01-09T14:15:00.004+08:00

your papa said you smell like sugarless 大白兔奶糖.
so your mommy gonna give you your toothbrush first and a toothpaste this weekend :)

her morning elegance

2012-01-09T13:46:00.002+08:00

i really love how her little hands hold the bottle. it cracks me up very well!

a combination of us

2012-01-09T08:43:00.002+08:00

work has started, not exactly with a bang but just okay.

however thes days,i feel nothing except total and complete love for my junior. yesterday and today i am flowing over with irritability and so much negativity in general that i am pretty sure it is hard to love anything else.

how is this happening!
ahhh, life.

getting closer to okay

2012-01-09T08:16:00.001+08:00

hoooray to junior who slept through the night! :))))))

dilemma decision

2012-01-08T21:55:00.001+08:00

to go or not to go?
argh!

do you want a smile

2012-01-07T21:31:00.002+08:00

so, on friday, coincidentally our rest day, darling dear, junior and i embarked on the trip to orchard road. the weather was really warm that day. after confinement, orchard road had always been a-place-that-i-must-go-asap, so i'm pretty happy that day. but, being stucked with a 10 weeks old baby became another thing; more interesting in fact :D

so we had a random idea of looking for april goh in taka nespresso.
the people there were pretty funky, especially when they went gah gah over junior,
in hope to get a big smile on her face.

so, next visit to orchard road in feb,
hopefully.

when papa-goh brings junior away...

2012-01-03T14:42:00.001+08:00

i still prefer to hear junior's screaming to having an empty house on my own.

the role of us

2012-01-02T21:22:00.003+08:00

we are here to protect you.

we are here to provide solutions.

we are here to minimise pain.

we are here to listen.

we are here to provide comfort.

we are here to love you :))

on a random note, junior had her first dose of 6-in-1 on 23rd dec 2011 cry-less and tear-less, and also fever-less after 11 days of monitoring! yayyness!

back to battlefield

2012-01-02T21:16:00.001+08:00

so, after all this not so long holiday, battle officially starts tomorrow!

what if this is not what i'm looking forward to?

walk, walking, walked.

2012-01-01T20:43:00.000+08:00

welcome 2012

2012-01-01T01:39:00.001+08:00

in a blink of the eye, 2011 has came to an end.
i'm quite surprised that i'm actually still surviving. :D
finally, or not so finally, i think i quite miss junior being a newborn quite abit but loving her more and more every seconds!

holidays's out, and work is in!
i'm still not adapting well to the going-back-to-work reality, sadly.
i'm stoning more often, caught falling asleep at weird hours, gaining weight but i'm trying to adjust!

so about parenting, though tough but i'm learning. good enough, isnt it? (((:

new friend found!

2011-12-27T13:43:00.002+08:00

junior is glad to know that there's somebody else who shares her saliva :))

activity that makes her happy

2011-12-26T21:03:00.001+08:00

she made her way to happiness! :)

i so missing a white christmas!

2011-12-25T06:39:00.002+08:00

if only the rain droplets were snow flakes..

our xmas dinner @home :)

2011-12-24T22:49:00.001+08:00

a baby santa with a big tummy

2011-12-24T22:13:00.006+08:00

a pretty christmas eve out with junior, and off we went in search for her first christmas pressie. she was very good, except that she has issue controlling her fart.

something to commemorate her first xmas, something that she can keep for life.
pressie left unwrapped, hoping for the day she can tear open the wrapping paper :)

merry first christmas, baby dumbo
- with love, papa & mommy

all i want for xmas

2011-12-24T21:55:00.004+08:00

fast forward 4 years 8 months and 1 week, and here we are: happy, together, everyday.

reconciling three diametrically different personalities and characters certainly hasn't been a bed of roses, nor have we ever expected it to be so.

but working together for one other has helped us grow so much; stronger, closer, more content.

all the love overload. thank you both for these (:
merry christmas, my dearests.

rest if you must, but don't cry

2011-12-23T23:05:00.002+08:00

her eyelids are so heavy that if you let her head rest for like a split second on a flat surface, she'll fall asleep :)

sacrifice

2011-12-23T22:52:00.001+08:00

"Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be.
It’s not something you regret. It’s something to aspire to.
Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices.
A mother works so her son can go to school.
A daughter moves home to care of her sick father…

Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it.
You’re just passing it on to someone else.”

- The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Mitch Albom

a happy injection!

2011-12-23T22:15:00.003+08:00

i stared at the plaster and i wondered why does a baby need so many injections.
oh wells, junior is a brave warrior for the day!

do i need to say more?
cry-less! tearless! :))

on a side note, 54cm junior is now 4.7 kilo @ 8 weeks.
mommy angel gonna have strong arms.

thoughts on a friday night

2011-12-16T22:36:00.003+08:00

so, i have been parenting for 1 month and 20 days.

it was a big jump from single to attached, from darling dear's wife to junior's mommy.
it was tough - from learning to accept, to knowing them by heart, to be able to love, to everything else.

i might not be the best wife and mommy around, i might had lose my direction in the midst of all these,
but, i'm glad i'm still in this :)

angel is a pillow

2011-12-13T16:23:00.003+08:00

papa-ang learnt that when junior is sleepy and crying crankily, it is just informing him that she wants her mommy.

counting down to another happy family day

2011-12-13T13:29:00.007+08:00

the thing why i love carrier to a pram: keeping junior close to my heart - literally.

my life as mommy

2011-12-13T11:31:00.004+08:00

one thing that parenting ever taught me,
to cry, angry, laugh and love at the same time :)))

to protect junior's brain, turn off the tv

2011-12-12T13:46:00.008+08:00

By Brandon Keim, wired.com

A decade ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggested that parents limit TV consumption by children under two years of age. The recommendations were based as much on common sense as science, because studies of media consumption and infant development were themselves in their infancy.

The research has finally grown up. And though it’s still ongoing, it’s mature enough for the AAP to release a new, science-heavy policy statement on babies watching television, videos or any other passive media form.

Their verdict: It’s not good, and probably bad.

Media, whether playing in the background or designed explicitly as an infant educational tool, has "potentially negative effects and no known positive effects for children younger than 2 years,” concluded the AAP’s report, released Oct. 18 at the Academy’s annual meeting in Boston and scheduled for November publication in the journal Pediatrics. “Although infant/toddler programming might be entertaining, it should not be marketed as or presumed by parents to be educational.”

Since the AAP made its original recommendations in 1999, passive entertainment screens—televisions, DVD players, computers streaming video—have become ubiquitous, and the average 12-month-old gets between one and two hours of screen time per day. (Interactive screens, such as iPads and other tablets, are considered in the new recommendations.) The 0- to 2-year age group has become a prime target for commercial educational programming, often used by parents convinced that it’s beneficial.

As screens proliferated, so did research. “There have been about 50 studies that have come out on media use by children in this age group between 1999 and now,” said Ari Brown, a pediatrician and member of the AAP committee that wrote the new report.

Those studies have found that children don’t really understand what’s happening on a screen until they’re about 2 years old. Once they do, media can be good for them, but until then television is essentially a mesmerizing, glowing box.

Used at night, TV might help kids fall asleep, but that appears to come at a delayed cost of subsequent sleep disturbances and irregularities. While the result of TV-induced sleep problems hasn’t been directly studied, poor sleep in infants is generally linked to problems with mood, behavior and learning.

At other times, media consumption comes with opportunity costs, foremost among them the silence of parents. “While television is on, there’s less talking, and talk time is very important in language development,” said Brown.

Three studies since 1999 have tracked educational television use and language development, and they found a link between increased TV time and developmental delays. Whether that’s a cause or effect—parents who leave kids in front of televisions might simply be poor teachers—isn’t clear, nor are the long-term effects, but the AAP called the findings “concerning.” In the same vein, there may also be a link to attention problems.

Even when media plays in the background, it distracts babies from play, an activity that is known to have deep developmental benefits. And for parents who use media to carve out a few precious, necessary free minutes in busy schedules, Brown recommended letting kids entertain themselves.

“We know you can’t spend 24 hours a day reading to your child and playing with them. That’s okay. What’s also okay is your child playing independently,” she said. “That’s valuable time. They’re problem-solving. They’re using their imagination, thinking creatively and entertaining themselves.”

As for iPads and other kid-friendly interactive computing devices, Brown said research has barely started, much less come to conclusions. But she counseled skepticism of promotional claims, which have been made with some of the same zeal as products of now-dubious standing, such as the controversial Baby Einstein videos.

“The way these kids’ programs came out was, ‘These are really educational! They’re going to help your kids learn!’ Well that’s great, but prove it. Show me the science,” Brown said. “I don’t have a problem with touch screens, and they’re not necessarily bad. But we need to understand how this affects kids.”

we have decided that it is important to develop good habits since the day she was born. it is essential to protect her brain, but it is more important to not let her become a couch potato. in other words, AAP guidelines are going to be on the top of our list. try.

as working parents, it is gonna be more convenient to have junior place in front of the tv or ipad. but as junior's parents, i believe it's most important to build a understanding relationship with her. in other words, we need to talk to her, play with her, cuddle her and the list goes on, and when we are lucky, junior tireds out faster than us!

yes, you can say that i am being sucha ordinary follower and darling dear is such an old school. but, the relationship we had built with junior doesn't come overnight. it takes a lot. and sometimes, fate plays a part too. so, this is one of the reason why i have been contemplating about moving back to the states for another two years. but, we will see.

tv or no tv,
it's still too soon to tell.

miss miss

2011-12-10T00:36:00.001+08:00

tonight is the night where i choose to take the risk -
to allow junior to abandon her nursery room,
because she's going to her grandparent's for a night stay.

iprayhopewish for them to have a good friday night.
ohh, all the aunties and neighbours gonna hate alexis.

the thing about being junior

2011-12-08T22:32:00.002+08:00

...,
you tend to miss out on sleeping on a pillow,
sucking on a pacifier and
sitting in a pram.

with love to you

2011-12-07T18:37:00.001+08:00

"though you threatened to cry with that loud voice of yours,
we will still love you like there is no tomorrow ♥"

in search for curiosity

2011-12-07T14:40:00.002+08:00

caught:
junior lifting up her head, happily looking down whats behind the sofa.
oh, silly silly :)

dad is full of bones

2011-12-05T21:20:00.002+08:00

why is a 5 week old kiddo so fussy about where to lie on?
now, the mommy is not so irritated by her meaty figure.

play moments

2011-12-05T19:14:00.003+08:00

they once said:
life kicks you around sometimes. it scares you and beats you up, but there’s a day when you realize you’re not just a survivor, but you’re a warrior. you're tougher than anything it throws your way.

life is wonderful, even with all the silly stunts you get from papa along the way.

unlocked a lifetime of happiness

2011-12-05T18:36:00.005+08:00

it's been a very hectic, but very fulfilling month.
it's tired me out completely,
but has also provided me with so many wonderful memories which i would keep close to my heart.

i guess this month has been a breakthrough month for me - spiritually, physically, and mentally.

i've been so blessed with a wonderful darling dear whom i feel i'd known for a lifetime.
he tolerates my nonsense and all my weird philosophies.
he tolerates me being weak and lousy when i'm not feeling my best,
he encourages me to wear dresses which i never thought i'll be able to fit in,
he says i love you all the time not just to kill time but because i know he really meant it,
and he actually can stand my ridiculous eating habits.

here's a big shoutout of love to you with such big heart,
i love you, with all my heart. :))

junior is a toy

2011-12-03T23:42:00.002+08:00

watching how papa-ang played with junior on our sofa was fun.

and, the best part,
she was literally climbing on him, as if he was her ladder.

greatness!

i need painkiller

2011-12-03T16:46:00.002+08:00

not a so good time to pull my muscle.
luckily junior is only 3.8kg now @5+ weeks.

family activity

2011-11-30T14:25:00.002+08:00

slow walking has been out favourite activity since our dating days,
and we love it (:
time to get junior in!

not a chore

2011-11-29T20:35:00.002+08:00

today is one of those days where i had to mop the floor while pacifying a crying junior. suddenly i thought, "am I crazy to find such joy in such days?!"

my answer is, "wells, life now seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. i'm loving it. definitely."

this kind of times assured me that i still have my motherly moments :)

i am a macaron-addict

2011-11-29T19:31:00.001+08:00

i'm missing my macarons,
anyone heading to the west?

i'm really happy

2011-11-27T22:40:00.002+08:00

everything seems to be going well, finally (:

i can't thank you enough for being there everyday. the baby languages that we have with each other, the loud cries that you make, always makes our night get better. you are like a dream catcher, sent to take away all the bad dreams and make us smile through sleep.

good job!

2011-11-27T22:35:00.003+08:00

lift up!

i think you are growing to resemble me.
ahhhh, my daughter.

lets keep on cuddling

2011-11-27T21:54:00.002+08:00

this feeling is the best and no you can't deny that.
one sentence: junior is love

wonderful motivation

2011-11-26T15:42:00.002+08:00

hello junior,
you're our biggest motivation ever, you know you complete our life!

a journey to the west

2011-11-26T15:30:00.002+08:00

you know you need to drive to et artisan sweets when you travel to the west.

pass more macarons to angel pleaseee!

26.11.11

2011-11-26T15:21:00.002+08:00

for i know, junior is one month old today.
running out and about! distributing sweeties' cupcakes :)

triple As

2011-11-25T22:16:00.001+08:00

lost count

2011-11-25T15:13:00.001+08:00

confinement period is 4 weeks? 30 days? or 45 days?
anyway papa-goh is good!
angel's confinement ended on 23rd :D