an infinite deal of nothing

New Blog

2009-07-10T11:46:00.003+08:00

But still keeping this one. Decided to try to organise my posts a bit more and put all LV and mummy-related posts to a new blog @ beingmummy.wordpress.com. Seeing as that most of my posts these days are about LV and being a mum, chances are I'll be posting there a lot more than I would here. Who knows? This blog might die a natural death, but one can never tell. Not in this age where

Random bits of my life

2009-05-06T20:36:00.005+08:00

We celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary yesterday with a simple dinner outing. All 3 of us. And instead of taking pictures of us, I ended up taking pictures of our food. KM thought I was nuts. But why not? Heh, heh, heh...We wanted to have Japanese and ended up at Ichiban-Tei at Quayside (along the Singapore River). It was our second visit, and we remember it being not-too-bad the last time we

Sleeping amidst a bed of kitties

2009-05-02T01:17:00.001+08:00

Every weekend, LV gets to sleep in our bed with us. I say it's a treat for her, but really, I think I look forward to cuddling with her more than she does with me. I remember when she first started sleeping on her own, I couldn't fall asleep! Tonight, once again, she gets to sleep on our bed. With her ever-growing kitty collection. No thanks in great part to me, of course. But oh, what fun it is,

I need to keep a record before I soon forget

2009-04-10T21:40:00.003+08:00

She's growing so quickly, I can't keep up with my updates and records on how much she's changing and learning each day. My scrapbooking of her is totally not caught up, and I'm just blogging in the hopes (and plans) of putting them into her album one day. I just don't want to forget all her milestones and achievements. So for my own record, here are all the things she has managed that I don't

Shopping in Style

2009-03-30T20:22:00.002+08:00

Lauren loves flowers. And it would seem, pink bags too. We took her down for a walk this evening after dinner as we sometimes do when time permits. This evening, she picked her pink bag from Nai-nai to carry with her, and put in it the Strawberry kitty which KGB gave her for Christmas. Then off we went for our walk. We stopped by the florist to get her a long-promised flower - she picked a yellow

Silly Nursing Room Designs

2009-03-23T18:50:00.001+08:00

It must have been a male who designed this. Or more likely, a non-parent. For sure. Just look at where the soap dispenser is. In between the changing bed and the seat for breastfeeding mums. And where is the sink? Out of the frame to the far right. Because parents must have arms as long as Mr Tickle's that can reach some 1m away for the tap. And this is not the only silly nursing room layout at

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

2009-03-15T14:17:00.001+08:00

Isn't life just meant to be taken easy? Ah... To be a baby, enjoying Sunday afternoon cartoons on Mummy and Daddy's bed. Nice.

So tired!

2009-02-22T23:21:00.001+08:00

My little sweetheart was so tired this afternoon, she fell asleep sitting in the shopping cart! Poor little cutie patootie.

Serial Stalking of Cereal Stock

2009-02-10T07:18:00.003+08:00

Went to Cold Storage at HV last Saturday to get some avocado and crab sticks to make california rolls for lunch, and decided to walk down the cereal aisle just to check on the cereal stock as I always do. As you know, because of the cereal conspiracy going on, the walk down the aisle has been a disappointing affair for the last many months. But that day, I SAW FRUITY PEBBLES ON THE SHELF! YES! I

First Photo of 2009

2009-01-01T09:05:00.003+08:00

Dad bought us a table at the Civil Service Club's New Year's Eve Dinner and Dance, and as much as I would have preferred staying in on New Year's Eve (being the New Year Grinch that I am), I was indeed counting down to 2009 at the Fairmont with a crowd of horn tooting, mask wearing, conga line dancing people I did not know. And this was the first photo of 2009 that I have to document the madness

More Hello Kitties!

2008-12-28T09:48:00.002+08:00

Just about everyone's started to feed LV's love for Kitty. Grandma bought her the kitty foil balloon, and KGB got her the other tiny ("original Japanese ah!") kitty doll for Christmas which she loves so much! She's been carrying it around with her since KGB gave it to her last night. Lucky baby!

Growing vocabulary

2008-12-28T09:45:00.003+08:00

It's just amazing to watch a baby grow and learn, and at an amazing rate too.This morning, LV signed (and said!) "dirty" (I was telling her to stop biting the CD case cos it was "dirty"). Just yesterday, she learned the Sign for "scared/afraid". And also just yesterday, she learned how to say her own name! Her diction is also getting better for "Grandpa" (or "Papa"), "Grandma" (or "Mama").I hope

My Baby won't stop growing up!

2008-12-27T00:58:00.003+08:00

I *really* wish time would stand still. This morning, KM commented while watching her sleep, that she's such a big girl now - she's actually started hugging her little teddy bear to sleep. She's certainly a lot more fun now, but oh I wish I could go back to when she first started babbling and saying her signature "yoikoyoikoyoikoyoi!" Now, she can sayDaddy (so clearly too!)Mummy (though her "m"

Every child needs a teddy bear

2008-12-25T11:43:00.001+08:00

I've always loved stuffed toys. Having LV just gave me the excuse to accumulate them all over again. In the past year, friends and family have also contributed to LV's small collection. But to think of all the nice, pretty and carefully thought through teddy bears that were bought for her, she's taken to this little one that came in a hamper! Every child needs a favorite bear. Looks like LV might

Would I get a KidSAFE line?

2008-12-23T17:40:00.007+08:00

OK. Day 3 of testing kidSAFE by M1.As I said in my previous post, the features of the phone aren't much to shout about, but then KM pointed out to me that it's really not that bad, especially if you consider the following:1. The phone is only $48. *really* For a pretty fine looking phone, $48 really is a steal.2. The phone is light. Really light. It's 9.9mm thick (just 0.1mm shy of a cm! Heheheh.

KidSAFE, TelemarketeerSAFE, bothersomephonecallSAFE

2008-12-22T09:33:00.008+08:00

OK... So I've been fiddling with the Samsung SGH-E200, which is supposedly the only KidSAFE compatible phone in Singapore (or anywhere else for that matter methinks). I can't say I'm liking the features much at the moment. LV's only 13 months old at the mo', so truly, I'm not looking to get her a mobile phone, though I must say she looks awfully cute running around with one, speaking to imaginary

I got me a new gadget!

2008-12-21T22:16:00.005+08:00

Well... I *sorta* got me a new gadget. I was actually lucky enough to get the opportunity to trial M1s new Kidsafe service, a mobile service with parent controls. Basically, with this service, parents can determine up to 40 numbers their kid can make and receive calls and SMSes from. I haven't actually started fiddling around with it much yet, but I'm already thinking maybe it's a good phone for

My daughter's first Hello Kitty doll

2008-12-13T22:31:00.002+08:00

For some reason, LV has suddenly taken a real liking to Hello Kitty. I swear, it's not me. Really. I *do* own Hello Kitty things, but it's not like I throw it in her face, 'cos the Hello Kitty items I own are really unobtrusive, like my key ring (which is always in my bag), my bento boxes (which I pack and take to work way before she wakes up), or my Hello Kitty handkerchief from when I was 5

She changes everyday

2008-12-12T22:45:00.003+08:00

My little angel is growing so quickly! I wish time would just stand still, yet it's so exciting to see all the changes as they come each day.Her language skills are improving everyday. She understands more Mandarin with each week she spends with her grandparents on daddy's side of the family. She's also beginning to sign a bit more, showing sure evidence that she's been absorbing the language and

Cereal conspiracy

2008-12-08T08:48:00.004+08:00

I swear, there's a cereal conspiracy going on at Cold Storage outlets and Cold Storage-linked supermarkets. Each time we find a Post (or any other brand) cereal we like, it goes off the shelf! It has been months since we've seen Fruity Pebbles. Then the Honey Bunches of Oats series disappeared. And now, my Apple Cinnamon Cheerios! Instead, more "First Choice" (Cold Storage housebrand) cereals of

My Baby's One!

2008-11-28T06:59:00.002+08:00

So fast, time flies. This time last year, we were waiting anxiously for her to arrive. Then in the early months of trying to get to know each other, there were trying moments of figuring out what each cry meant, and getting through the difficulty of breastfeeding. My fatigue at that point was at an all time high and there were moments I wondered if I could actually see it through.Today, LV's a

Developing a personality

2008-11-11T20:10:00.004+08:00

My little sweetheart is growing up so quickly, I wish time would stand still. Everyday, she changes just that little bit more. Her eyes get brighter, her lashes just that bit longer and darker. She's stronger, walks more confidently and has a better sense of balance. And she's developing quite a personality.Many people ask us if Lauren ever cries or has a temper. It almost seems unbelievable to

Nothing-is-right day

2008-10-30T20:33:00.003+08:00

I'm angry. I'm feeling angry. Today's just one of those days where one single piece of news can get one so upset that nothing else good in the day can make up for it.My macbook hard disk crashed. It died over the weekend, but today my IT colleague confirmed that he could not do anything in-house to recover the data. And I am angry. Upset, then angry. Angry that the Apple is no longer as reliable

Oh the things she can do!

2008-10-27T22:19:00.004+08:00

LV's starting to learn how to mimic. Just 2 days ago, she heard KM coughing very loudly (and somewhat badly) in the shower room. She looked at me, shocked, and when I asked her, "How does Daddy cough?" she went, "ahu ahu ahu!" Heheheh...Today, she blinks her eyes when asked, "Who has beautiful eyes?" We have no idea who taught her that. And she can say, "Mama" on demand! Hahaha...Ooh... my cutie

Apple Pulp

2008-10-26T13:52:00.005+08:00

I have in my hands apple pulp. That's right. Pulp. Dead mush. My macbook is fit for the apple bin.ARGH!I have no idea what I did, except try to run a programme to convert jpeg files into vector images, and then poof! I got apple pulp in return. Dammit.KM says I should stop messing with my computer. But I didn't! Honestly *did not*. Something went wrong with it, and I blame it on... something. It

Doodle diner

2008-10-21T10:07:00.001+08:00

LV has a paper placemat where she sits at the dining table. We got her these Crayola baby crayon holders and have been encouraging her to doodle just for the fun of it. Gives her something to do when we're doing work at the table. She hasn't quite figured out the crayons yet (except for when she recently bit the tip of the blue one off), but she's managed to make a couple of dots already.

Rock on, Kitty!

2008-10-16T17:04:00.001+08:00

Suzanna and I went to Swee Lee this afternoon and lookie what we found! A Fender Hello Kitty electric guitar going for $399. Makes me wanna pick up my guitar and play it again just so it could remotely justify me getting this guitar. But for the sake of pretty nails... Hahaha...

How much do you give up for motherhood?

2008-09-25T11:10:00.002+08:00

I have been thinking. For a long time now.How much does one give up for motherhood?Sleep? - you manageTime? - every bit of free time is for your child, no regrets thereHobbies? - baby becomes your hobbyEnergy? - as with sleep, you manageYouth? - everyone ages, so deal with itCareer? - this is where I cannot decideAnd especially if you are mother to a daughter, what kind of example do present her

Lauren, my linguistic experiment

2008-09-22T21:47:00.003+08:00

I've been signing to Lauren since she was 6 months old, though not very consistently. I try my best to make signing natural, speaking and signing at the same time. But sometimes, I forget to sign as I speak. Nevertheless, inconsistent as my signing may be, Lauren's finally picked up some of the vocabulary. Today, she signed "milk"! Repeatedly too, with purposeful intention! YAY! Baby can sign!!!

Argh

2008-09-21T15:46:00.002+08:00

I've been wanting to blog for a long time.Nothing has been forthcoming.Not because there hasn't been anything to write about.Perhaps it is precisely that.There have been too many things happening, till I've decided I can't keep up with my own thoughts, the most current being that my online presence will out live me. Then what of passwords? Can my online presence be removed once I'm gone? Who will

The artist in me

2008-08-29T17:45:00.004+08:00

As part of teacher's day celebrations today, we were all given a small piece of canvas to work on. This was what I came up with.I call it "Celebration".This, together with the rest of the works done by the other teachers, will be put up in the school. I look forward to it being displayed.

Happy Teacher's Day!

2008-08-29T11:41:00.005+08:00

It's the last day of term today and it ended on a high with our first Teacher's Day celebration at SOTA.I love Teacher's Day. If there's any day in the year I am reminded why I chose to enter this service, it's Teacher's Day. The best bit about it? The cards and notes my students give me.And the hugs. It's nice to be appreciated.Thank you.

Fireworks!

2008-08-23T07:58:00.005+08:00

We decided to splurge this weekend on a room with a view at the Ritz Carlton. It was the Fireworks Festival with the French team kicking it off last night, and we thought that Lauren was old enough to enjoy the visual delight of exploding, multicoloured flares, and did she! The show started rather late at about 2130h, and we were beginning to get rather impatient especially because Lauren was

Baby loves curry!

2008-08-18T13:40:00.001+08:00

Thought Lauren was old enough to try some spicy food and gave her a bit of curry from the prata place at Thomson Road. She loved it!

Case of the missing double eyelids - SOLVED!

2008-08-18T10:13:00.003+08:00

My mum said that before my double eyelids became permanent, a show of them when I was a baby meant I was coming down with fever. What an indicator! Looks like Lauren's got that from me!

She falls asleep easily

2008-08-18T08:56:00.001+08:00

Sometimes, I'm amazed at how easily Lauren falls asleep. This morning, she got up at 6am. I was very reluctant to entertain her and put her in her crib and went back to sleep. She fussed for a bit but I was honestly too tired to pay her any attention. The next I checked, she'd fallen asleep on her own. If only it was ALWAYS this easy.

Red, rashy baby!

2008-08-17T10:13:00.001+08:00

Lauren has Roseola. Explains her fever and rash which surfaced after her fever broke. We took her to Children's A&E anyway to be sure, and the doc said she was a classic textbook case with swollen lymph nodes at the back of her neck and a very happy, rashy baby! At least it's not serious. Thank God! And strangely, her double eyelids have disappeared. Weird.

Becoming sentient

2008-08-14T22:25:00.002+08:00

Today, Lauren truly understood the term "no" and what it meant to be disciplined.She tried to bite the table while she was sitting on her high chair during dinner. For the umpteenth time, KM said to her firmly, "No." This time, however, there was a reaction. She looked at KM for a while, then her lips started to curl downwards and suddenly, "Waaaaaaahhh!!" She finally understood that she was

Red, hot baby

2008-08-14T10:44:00.002+08:00

Lauren's been running a fever since early Tuesday morning. The highest it got to was 39ºC yesterday morning. She's been taking her paracetamol every 6 hours, but the fever seems to return before the 6 hours are up. When the fever gets a little too high, she gets a little listless and loses her appetite. Breaks my heart to see her like that. But as the doc said, babies build resistance by fighting

Random blogging thought

2008-07-28T07:47:00.003+08:00

Two of my school buddies are away this week - one's doing his In-Camp Training; the other's gone to Harvard with a school team. Another one's just returned from a conference in Italy today, but she's asking for a bribe of cookies and cupcakes before she'll do a write-up for some school-related thingamajig. Perhaps I'm better off a loner this week.Hahaha...;)

Baby's got a bento!

2008-07-26T14:46:00.001+08:00

This bento business just gets better. *grin* I found me a mini traditional bento box (kitty, no less) for LV and filled it up with puréed sweet potato and carrots, a piece of peach and some biscuits. It's a really tiny box - I've got my hand there for scale - but as with bento practices, a tightly packed box holds a pretty decent meal.

Every time story time

2008-07-26T14:03:00.001+08:00

Lauren loves books and story time, and I love it when KM manages to come home early enough to have dinner with us and read her a story at the table. Anytime's a good time for a story. Especially when it's read by daddy.

More bento attempts!

2008-07-17T09:31:00.001+08:00

Tried making siew mai last night. Not quite the right skin for it - turned out to be flowering wontons instead. Thought it still looked pretty good as far as packed lunches go though. *grin* So well. That's today's lunch. Flowering wontons and vegetable gratin. The taste test will be at 1245h.

It's Bento Time!

2008-07-15T12:26:00.007+08:00

This is the next thing I'm into. Bentos. Started with a search for Kitty cookie cutters, then I fell to the temptation of Kitty sushi rice moulds. Before I knew it, I was on the hunt for Kitty Bento Boxes!Truth be told though, I've always liked the idea of packed lunches. I spent most of my teenage years collecting lunchboxes of all sizes. Big ones, small ones. Cute ones, practical ones. Fancy

The next phase of baking

2008-07-06T18:23:00.001+08:00

Kitty faces! I couldn't resist buying a set of Hello Kitty cookie cutters last week. In fact, I'm on an ebay prowl now for more (better) kitty (and other assorted) cookie cutters. As long as they're cute, they've got my attention. But I digress. Needing therefore, to justify my purchase, I'm now on a quest to bake and decorate cute cookies. It's just that our weather's just so humid, it's really

Potty time!

2008-06-16T10:30:00.004+08:00

We've started potty training Lauren. Rather accidentally, actually. She's started on solids already, and poo-ing in her diapers is no longer easy for her - she finds it uncomfortable and has been squirming in her pants every time she needs to poo, so we decided to put her on the bowl, and sitting to poo helps. She looks visibly more comfortable pooping and peeing in the toilet, and that's always

Vanilla cupcakes for Sunday School

2008-06-15T13:51:00.004+08:00

Recipes make all the difference, and as expected, the first recipe I tried from the book I got in Sydney did not disappoint. This was the Crabapple Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes. I was sure to use only New Zealand butter as the book suggested, full cream milk, and all ingredients at room temperature. They rose very nicely, the nicest I've ever had from my oven, as in, every cake rose evenly and nicely

She grows so quickly

2008-06-11T23:58:00.006+08:00

The photo to the left was taken when she was about 1½ months old. I had to prop her up to take the shot, supporting her neck carefully. At that time, I wondered when she would be able to sit up on her own and not need me to hold her all the time. I was lacking sleep and feeling so tired and defeated. It seemed almost painful (physically) to be a mum that I even wondered if I had made the right

Afternoon tea

2008-06-08T13:31:00.000+08:00

Wouldn't it be nice? Yes, I'm still dreaming and the dream's just got a bit more fancy. I'm now scouring the web in search of a nice dessert/teacake stand. You know, those cute little plates on a 3-tiered stand for presenting cakes and sandwiches at teatime. Of course I don't need one. I don't even have space for one. In fact, I so don't have space that the cupcake stands I bought are in my mum's

Dreaming about baking cupcakes

2008-06-07T14:23:00.005+08:00

I bought this book in Sydney after browsing through quite a few other cupcake books in the bookshops there. The recipes look rather good and I must say I have a good feeling about the cakes that could come out of it. I am now itching to bake. But the lazy, in-denial-that-my-holiday-is-over bug is still very much alive in my bones, and I can't bring myself to do much more than flip through the

1½ weeks left

2008-06-07T11:29:00.004+08:00

Time passes way too quickly when you're trying to rest. What is ironic in all of this, is that in order to get good rest, you try to finish up as much work as possible before the designated rest time, working late or over time in order to achieve that end, such that you end up getting very tired and the designated rest time ends up being insufficient; or you just simply can't finish the work

Mourning the end of our family holiday

2008-06-07T10:56:00.002+08:00

If only we could have 2 full weeks away together, but KM's work wouldn't allow it. *sigh*We got back late last night, and already, KM's worked beckoned. Barely 10 minutes home and he had to rush out to meet a business partner, as usual, "Just to drop something off. Won't take more than an hour." Yeah rite. If I had a $1 for every time I heard that, I'd have a pretty decent piggy bank collection

Cupcake Holiday!

2008-06-04T17:00:00.001+08:00

The highlight of my holiday has to be the cupcakes I'm getting to try at specialised bakeries. I had googled them out before we came, and found that they turned out to be pretty near where we stay. We actually stumbled upon the first one on Monday.Here's the first cupcake I tried from The Cupcake Bakery. Chilli Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream frosting. Just a hint of chilli. Not too bad. Not

Walking Holiday in Sydney

2008-06-04T10:55:00.001+08:00

It's been rather wet here in Sydney. In fact, the only day of sunshine was the Saturday we arrived, but we were too knackered then to do much, having hardly slept on the plane. Regardless, we've still been going on long walks through the city and parks in our raincoats with Lauren tucked in snugly beneath daddy's jacket in her Björn. She looks so cute in there, we've had many people stop to talk

Living a dream

2008-05-28T19:21:00.000+08:00

The sheep had dinner today. It's been 2 years since I left the Higher Education Division (HED) at MOE, and today we met up for a farewell dinner to send one of us off to Paris. She's off to Cordon Bleu in a week's time to study to become a pastry chef. Isn't that just exciting? She actually quit the service and will soon be on a journey I could only dream of. Not that I dream of becoming a pastry

Morning baby

2008-05-27T05:14:00.005+08:00

Lauren's a morning baby. It's 5am now, and she's up, rolling around and talking to herself, smiling at me. She was up since 4.30am, and shows no signs of wanting to go back to sleep. Come to think of it, she was probably up since 4am, but I ignored her and tried to sleep through her gurgling and kicks. I gave up soon enough though, and decided perhaps it would do us both better if I just turned

It's the last day of term! Yippee!

2008-05-23T19:52:00.002+08:00

Finally, we get to rest. Sorta. Of course there's work to be done still. Whoever said holidays were for resting? I reckon it's just meant for us to catch up on admin work. Teachers have a pretty bad deal actually. We get no leave days and get called back to work during the school holidays. The only way to not get called back is to go away, i.e. leave the country. But they really don't pay us

It has finally come.

2008-05-05T12:21:00.003+08:00

The request for longer skirts, that is.I find it terribly funny. Perhaps I shouldn't. But I've been getting funny responses from friends I've told. "Plunging necklines from tomorrow then?" suggested one. I told him that was worth considering, since I now have boobs thanks to breastfeeding. Another said, "That coming from a place where people prance around in tights?" Hahahaha... I never quite

Term 2 Week 8

2008-05-04T06:02:00.000+08:00

That's tomorrow. The start of it anyway.Goodness. I have been back at work for 2 months already. Time's going a bit faster that I thought it would. Would like it to. Would not like it to. Depending.When you're in school, time inevitably rushes by. It's this whole scheduled time thingy we have called a time-table. You just end up moving quickly 'cos the days are predictable, the weeks are

Shoe Talk

2008-04-16T07:02:00.000+08:00

There's no one to talk with -I'll talk with my shoe.He does have a tongueAnd an inner soul, too.He's awfully well polished,So straightlaced and neat(But he talks about nothingBut feet - feet - feet).- Shel SilversteinHAHAHA...

Where is all my time going?

2008-03-25T06:25:00.000+08:00

So here I am, finally back at work. Week 2. So far so ok, but I'm beginning to wonder where all my time is going. Between being at work, doing work (which continues well beyond my leaving school) and taking care of Lauren once I'm with her, there doesn't seem to be much time for anything else. Of course I could let the help continue to mind her even when I'm home so that I can do my work more

Total Defence Award - for whom?

2008-03-07T04:56:00.002+08:00

The nominations for the Total Defence Award 2008 is open. I hear the call on Power 98.0FM rather frequently to nominate employers who have "enable[d]...NSmen employees to fulfill their NS obligations with ease" because of their "strong support and commitment." Each time the call comes on, my toes laugh. Sarcastically. And then my mind automatically replaces the words "NSmen" and "NS" with "

Some of my Scrap Pages for Lauren

2008-03-05T13:41:00.000+08:00

My favourite layout of Lauren and Daddy.For KM's desk.This one's a record of the hours before and after Lauren's arrival.

Quiet mornings

2008-02-27T01:59:00.000+08:00

I have forgotten what it's like to be up and about in the early hours of the morning before the sun rises, moving around and getting things done in the quiet time that is mine and mine alone. KM left for the airport very early this morning, and in keeping with my Back-to-School practice runs, I got up at about 5.20am to get started on my routine. Since we're not going to my parents' today, my

Back to School Dry Run

2008-02-26T02:20:00.000+08:00

Perhaps it may seem like I'm unduly stressing myself out by conducting a dry run of my "back to school" schedule, which actually won't happen until 3 weeks' time, holiday week inclusive. Nevertheless, I'm glad we started on this, judging from yesterday's assessment - Lauren seems a likely candidate for reverse feeding, and that's not good!I started recording her bottle feeds yesterday, and from

Sleeping through the night

2008-02-23T10:21:00.000+08:00

Lauren has been sleeping an average of 6 hours at night now for the past 3 nights. I continue to pray this is the start of her taking longer stretches of sleep and not just a one off "happy occurence" for me. Last night, I tried putting her in her hammock to sleep, thinking that if indeed she was beginning to sleep through the night, I might be able to get better sleep if she was in a different

Baking Projects

2008-02-21T11:41:00.000+08:00

Just for the heck of it, I'm listing the stuff I've been obsessing about baking:1. Oreo CupcakesI am now in search of a recipe... meanwhile, I've gone ahead and bought the cookies already. ;)2. Chocolate Chocolate Chip MuffinsI might give up on these soon though. Have been thinking about them so much that I just might've overdone the eating of it (I keep running to Coffee Bean to buy me the

Cinnamon Rolls!

2008-02-19T14:42:00.000+08:00

Finally! My first attempt baking bread with yeast. Well, 2nd actually. I did a batch earlier but the recipe called for 20 mins and I popped it in the oven in good faith, went off to express milk for my princess, and when I got back to the oven, the bread had burned. :P I immediately made another batch, and this time I put it in for only 10 mins. Ta-dah! Now I very "gian" to bake more bread. :D <

A great sense of inertia

2008-02-19T07:50:00.000+08:00

I have so many things I want to do swimming in my head.I still have a blanket I want to knit for Lauren (which I have not yet managed to complete).I want to find and bake the perfect double chocolate chip muffin.I have the urge to bake cinnamon bread rolls.There are ideas for scrapbooking pages forming in my head.I'm beginning to obsess about making Oreo cupcakes.But then, I feel so so so sleepy.

Prepping Us

2008-02-19T03:04:00.000+08:00

Three more weeks before I return to work. Can't say I'm looking forward to it.This morning, I got up at 6.15am in an attempt to get myself back into my work routine and also to prep Lauren for changes in our morning schedule. The plan is to express some milk in the morning, shower, change, and breastfeed her at least once before leaving for work. Hopefully, such a routine in the morning would

At an absolute loss

2008-02-15T09:52:00.000+08:00

Just as my maternity leave is about to end, Lauren suddenly won't take to the bottle. We've been letting her take expressed milk through the bottle occasionally since she was about 2 weeks old, and in the last month or so, at least once a week. But all of a sudden in the last couple of weeks, she's suddenly refused to drink from the bottle. She would scream and cry and in baby terms, probably

Hammock Heaven

2008-02-02T07:42:00.000+08:00

She loves being rocked to sleep, and as much as I love carrying her around in the sarong all day, it does take a toll on my back (all day leh!!!). And since we're no supporter of babies crying it out (babies are traditionally carried around in sarongs or left to sleep in hammocks and I haven't yet seen or heard of generations of brats), we thought a hammock would be a good investment. This one

Do 2-year-olds understand?

2008-01-17T11:44:00.000+08:00

My dad left Dylan and Megan at my place yesterday afternoon for a short while. I was left instructions as to where Megan's diapers were and to change them if needed. So this was the conversation I had with her.Me: Are your diapers wet? Yes or No?Meg: No.Me: Do you need them changed?Meg: No.Me: Will you tell me if you need them changed?Meg: No.By now, I was wondering if she was just saying "No"

Projectile Poop!

2008-01-07T14:38:00.000+08:00

I've heard about babies deciding to pee while between diaper changes. I've even experienced it. But "Projectile Poop"?I was giving Lauren her evening wipe ("tze-ek" in Teochew) - a towel bath, I think that's what you call it. All was going well and fine until the diaper change when all of a sudden, she shoots poop out of that tiny butt! It got onto the floor, the chair that was about 1.5m away

Time to Ourselves

2008-01-07T05:50:00.000+08:00

We finally went on not one, but two dates over the weekend! Left Lauren with Grandma and Grandpa for a good many hours on Saturday and Sunday afternoon and caught us a musical (Beauty World - so so lah) and a movie (I Am Legend - oso so so lah). Reviews of our weekend entertainment aside, it was really nice to be able to be out on our own, walking through the malls and talking about stuff. Any

And Another Year Has Gone By...

2008-01-01T01:30:00.000+08:00

Feels like I was still puking my guts out just yesterday, and today, Lauren's already 5 weeks old. Where did 2007 go?I hate new years. Close friends know how much a New Year's Grinch I am, especially when the clock strikes 12 as the year comes to a close. I hate countdowns and am always in bed before midnight on 31 Dec. I usually just spend the last day of the year in deep thought, too moody to

I am an INTP - huh?

2007-12-20T06:19:00.000+08:00

Saw my friend's post on this in her FaceBook page and decided to try it out for myself. I'm a sucker for personality tests. Hahaha... Tell me, does it sound like me? I think it does.***You Are An INTP***The ThinkerYou are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can.Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge.Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you

Thank God for Mothers

2007-12-19T14:24:00.000+08:00

And now I know why. It's tough. I didn't think it would be *this* tough, but it is.From the moment you decide you want to become a mother, I can assure you, nothing that happens can be what you're prepared for, how your body will change, how you could react to the pregnancy, and then - how your life will change when baby finally arrives. Nothing anyone tells you can actually truly prepare you for

Superman to the Rescue!

2007-12-16T05:39:00.000+08:00

We went down to Gramophone last night for a quick look around to see what we could watch for movie night. Instead of a movie though, I found Season 6 of Smallville (currently showing on Channel 5 every Saturday at 6pm) for rental. Oh glee!So here's the plan. I pop the DVDs in just before bedtime, and I turn the tv on at every feed and watch 30 mins worth of Smallville each time, with the subs on

2007-12-14T23:13:00.000+08:00

How long can you last on 3-4 hours of sleep?Not much longer for me it would seem. This state of not getting enough sleep is getting to me. I'm tired, my temper and emotions are shorting out at a faster rate, and I think my sanity is just about to give way.She wants to feed every other hour. Each feed lasts between 30-40 mins. There's usually a need for a diaper change in between. That usually

Attempt at Getting Organised

2007-12-14T14:00:00.000+08:00

We went to IKEA for a short while earlier and bought us over $150 of storage solutions. My mum, in her efforts to help me get rid of the source of my irritation, sent me off to IKEA with a list of types of storage boxes to look out for. A minor dent in the pocket later, I must say I'm feeling a fair bit better than I did yesterday. At least the diapers are in neat stacks in nice fabric boxes and

Without a Care in the World

2007-12-13T23:55:00.001+08:00

I wish I could keep her in this state forever, that she may never need to have a care in the world. If only.

Feeling Irritable

2007-12-13T08:22:00.000+08:00

I think being at home for long stretches does not suit me. I'm not complaining about being on Maternity Leave. Far from that. I'm enjoying not having to go to work and spending all my time with my baby. But, I'm not enjoying looking at the mess around me. I'm not enjoying looking at the mess around me and feeling too tired to deal with them. I'm not enjoying looking at the mess around me, feeling

Back on Direct Feeding! Yippee!

2007-12-08T05:06:00.000+08:00

As of last night, I've gone back on 100% direct feeding from both sides. *broad grin* I had a little scare in the middle of the night though, when Laurie somehow suddenly appeared to have problems latching on to the left breast (which was not the case just a couple of feeds before), and I really panicked. I actually started to perspire! But that eventually sorted itself out and she's been feeding

Partially back on direct feeding...

2007-12-06T19:28:00.000+08:00

It's been 2 days of feeding Laurie expressed milk from the bottle while my nipples heal over. Just a couple of hours ago, I tried nursing her directly from the less sore side again, and it was sheer joy to see her suckle. She seems to enjoy feeding from my breasts instead of the bottle (and I enjoy it just as much watching her suckle), so it was really upsetting for me not to be able to for 2

So Useless...I'm in Tears

2007-12-04T20:38:00.000+08:00

I didn't mean to release Laurie from her latch earlier, but it was just so painful, I burst into tears!Breastfeeding is turning out to be a real challenge, not for the lack of milk production, but for the pain that comes with it. I feel so useless - I could give birth to her without an epidural, but I can't even breastfeed her! The pain was so excrutiating earlier when she gave her initial clamp

2007-12-03T08:20:00.000+08:00

Laurie settled into this position while feeding this morning. Isn't she just an angel? I'm so in love with her! She'll be a week old tmw, and she's been feeding well and putting on weight steadily since discharge. She sleeps well at night too, so we've been getting good rest as far as standards for new parents go. No complaints. Giddy with love and joy.

It's Been 5 Days

2007-12-02T18:35:00.000+08:00

It's been tiring but wonderful. She's such a darling, I could stare at her for hours! Her feeds are finally getting longer, with her taking in more each time and consequently the breaks between feeds are also lengthening. I reckon it's got to do with that I'm finally producing milk rather than just colostrum, so she's probably getting more full with each feed. That also means I'm getting more

We Became Parents Yesterday!

2007-11-28T10:00:00.001+08:00

My water bag burst at 6.30am yesterday. I had never seen KM bolt out of bed so quickly before! After pottering around for a bit - both of us managed to have breakfast and a quick shower first - we left for the hospital at 7.30am and were in the delivery suite by 8am. And 4 hours later, we became new parents! So far, it's been an awesome, albeit tiring first day, and she is certainly the cutest

On the Throne in the Delivery Suite

2007-11-27T09:25:00.001+08:00

So this is me blogging from my phone (no internet connection here in the Delivery Suite), and this is it!

Hot, Bothered and Very Restless

2007-11-25T12:27:00.000+08:00

No sign of baby yet. She's enjoying the food and lodging too much. I, on the other hand, am beginning to feel increasingly restless, hot, bothered, HIGHLY irritable and all round impatient. The next person to call me up and ask whether baby has arrived yet will get yelled at by me. Which is why I am not picking up the phone when it rings. While I would like her to be a Dec baby, the wait is

Has it started? Clueless

2007-11-22T23:56:00.000+08:00

I have been up since 2.30am. It's now 4.45am. I can't seem to fall asleep cos of this nagging lower back ache and slightly sharp pains that come and go. "Slightly" cos I'm not sure if they really hurt or not (ooh... I'm feeling it again), and I have a relatively high threshold for pain, so while these pains may be sharp, they don't make me scream or anything. So now I'm up, sitting in my bed

Two and a Half More Weeks To Go

2007-11-21T17:08:00.000+08:00

Baby's engaged, according to our gynae, but she seems very snug in me still, enjoying the food and lodging... no sign of her wanting to come out yet. This despite contractions being detected by the whatchamacallit machine. I didn't feel any of the contractions though. Maybe cos it's not too painful yet? Or perhaps 'cos I've got a high threshold for pain? In any case, it's 2 and a half weeks

Water Birth, New-Age, Airy-Fairy... Err... Hmmm...

2007-11-10T15:54:00.000+08:00

We discussed birth options with our gynae at our last visit, and she suggested we get a doula (a birthing assistant) if we wanted to go for a water birth. And so... we made an appointment with the person she suggested, and it doesn't seem like the doula and I are gunning for the same thing.When we decided we would go for water birth, it was really because we wanted to use water birthing

Nutella Cupcakes!

2007-11-08T06:16:00.000+08:00

KM had a choice between Carrot Cupcakes or Nutella Cupcakes last night and he picked Nutella. :) Guess Nutella sounds better than Carrot anytime, huh?I decided to try it myself (risking all!) and had half a cupcake, and guess what? My tummy held out! Nutella doesn't make me sick! Whoopee!! *grin* Here're some of the cakes before they went into the oven.And the cakes cooling on the rack.

Urgency

2007-10-24T17:08:00.000+08:00

Megan was playing with Dylan's markers the other day and accidentally put one to her mouth. Being the good brother that he is, Dylan got alarmed and went straight to my sis.Dylan: MUM!!! Megan put the marker on her tongue! Quick! Pray for her that she'll be ok!!Mum: (reading) Mmm... ok... (continues to read)Dylan: (alarmed) MUM!!!Mum: Oh! Oh! Okay!Adults... Tsk, tsk...