Countdown to Joash's 6th Birthday

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Countdown to Jaide's Birthday

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Countdown to Joram's Birthday

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Baby Conversation

Even though Joash and Baby C were too young a month ago to acknowledge each other's presence, they are now able to chat with each other using baby talk. Us adults were so amazed when we heard them taking turns to goo-goo-gaa-gaa at each other. Too bad I was slow to catch that golden moment and thus could only capture the last bit of their "conversation". It was truly hilarious!


I also managed to take a video of him having fun with Aunty Zuzu for a short while. Once again I just lost the timeframe when he was carried away with the fun of the game. Oh well... better than nothing, yah?



It is really enjoyable to play with Joash these days. Even though he has, for some strange unfathomable reason, forgotten some skills he used to know, (such as flipping over from his tummy to his back and using his hands to take away a towel that is covering his face) it totally melted my heart when he started calling me "mama" occasionally when he wanted me to carry him or when he is hungry. No prize for guessing my reaction correctly.... Giving him what he wants on the double, of course! Ha ha...

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Wow! He is getting big!

Week 1
Week 14

I was looking through the photos we have taken of Joash since birth the other day when I really saw for myself how much he has grown since. Goodness! I can't believe he used to be so scrawny! Many people has commented how big he is getting but as I see him everyday, it is hard for me to visualise the physical growth. I can only tell that he is getting heavier and heavier... (it is becoming very difficult to carry the pram, with him and the groceries in it, down the four flights of stairs to get to the lift landing)

As he becomes increasingly aware of his surroundings, I become busier during the day. He takes really short naps (15-45min) about twice a day and gets bored more easily. He also wants me to carry him more often now. No small feat since he is getting pretty heavy. As my husband would say, heavier than a sack of rice. Ha ha... Anyway, I more or less expected this cos a friend of mine mentioned the same pattern concerning her son as he grows older. I guess there will be more new challenges ahead.

And unlike in the past when he would be perfectly happy just to drink milk, feeding time has become somewhat of a battle. It's tough to get him to finish his meal as he wants to play as soon as he is not hungry (but not full either) and he likes to suck a few times and "surface" to talk to or smile at me before returning to sucking a few times and then coming out for air and sucking a few times.... You get the picture, right? Sigh... Very tiring. In the meantime, my milk will be leaking all over the place as he refuses to drink continuously. So messy and sticky.

However, it is really fun now to play with him as he is more responsive. He will chuckle with delight when he enjoys the game and smiles readily at anyone talking to him. I feel so fortunate to be able to spend so much time with him. It is indeed a blessing to be a stay-home mum!

Friday, February 15, 2008

At the top of Singapore?

I was really looking forward to this year's Valentine's Day as Joshua and I booked tickets to the Singapore Flyer. Just that morning, I was attending a mothers' gathering and some ladies commented that V Day is over-commercialized and overrated. In some sense, I agree cos the crowd there was indeed daunting. We had to wait in the queue for 1 and a half hours for a 30 min ride! It sure ran counter-intuitive for a financially conscious person like me to spend $399 for a run-of-the-mill bouquet, 2 glasses of cheap champagne and a goodie bag full of vouchers designed to trick people into spending even more money. (The 5 pieces of chocolates were quite good though.) However, time spent with Joshua is never wasted. There were always things to talk about and since all the people there were couples, we didn't feel awkward to PDA (Public Display of Affections)...

[Just a sidetrack... someone ever said that nowadays couples act like they are married when are not but act like they are not married when they eventually are. I see that it is sadly true for some couples when I observed the crowd around us. There were a few with wedding bands, assumedly married, stood apart from each other most of the time and looked bored in the queue while many young unmarried couples were busy groping at each other.]

Anyway, it was still a special experience as we found the situation very much like boarding an aeroplane which reminded us of our honeymoon... heh heh. Putting into practice what I learnt from the mothers' gathering to find loving things to do for one's spouse, I made the extra effort last min to dress up, wear my contact lens and put on make up as I know it would please Joshua, granted it was tough to maintain picture perfection while nursing a bad flu. Goodness! I really don't remember the last time I bothered to do all that... :P

Thank God that He is the center and the sustainer of our marriage. May He enable us to grow in love for each other as we continue to work on our relationship!

The Singapore Flyer up front

The beautiful night view from the top of the ferris wheel

Us inside the capsule

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Baby Farm Part 2

Strange things happen when the power of three combines... Baby N received TLC from Mummy cos she was unwell; Baby C refused the bottle and Joash refused the breast... !?! The normally wants-to-be-carried-all-the-time Baby C actually cried when she was picked up from the mattress when it was time to go home. The normally cheerful Baby N looked around with glistening beautiful pitiful big eyes due to her illness. And the normally perpetually hungry Joash refused to drink milk for 4 hours! (As opposed to drinking every 1 and a half to 2 hours) Feeling very insecure about the phenomenon, I kept asking Joash "Do you want to drink milk?" to the utter amusement of the other ladies in the room. He finally drank at 3pm plus but could only finish the left breast and rejected the right breast. So... I'm super engorged at one breast... just one. Pain!

Joash was looking great in his newly acquired overalls. Thanks to a lovely friend for the hand-me-downs!!! Looks like I don't have to buy too many new clothes for Joash since someone else also passed me lots of clothes that her son can't wear anymore. Babies outgrow their clothes so fast. It was just one month ago when I bought him 2 pajamas to wear to sleep and now he is getting too big for them! It really makes more sense to pass around baby apparels to maximize their use. Anyone needs newborn boy's clothes?

Saturday, February 2, 2008

The miracle of growth

A friend of ours told us that children grow up all too fast and thus I am determined to cherish every moment I have with my child. It is such a privilege to be there when Joash learns a new skills or reaches a new milestone. I want to remember them well too and thus the following montage...