Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Happy Birthday To Me AGAIN!

It was my birthday yesterday and I must say I had a rather memorable birthday despite not doing much.

My celebrations started on Saturday when hubby ordered and bought me this yummylicious durian cake. We finished a quarter of it and put it in the fridge (up till today, my fridge still got durian smell…)

Then, on Sunday afternoon, my sis, Clari, made this soggy cheesecake (they couldn’t find vegeterian gelatine and used jelly powder instead) for me and me and my family had a great time eating the crust. Hahaha… I give her and Thomas full marks for trying though.

At night, I went out for dinner with Ace, hubby, Richie Papa, Jez Mama, Tashi and Oracle. Haha.. felt like a family gathering celebrating my birthday.

We went to a Nepalese restaurant in Serangoon and gosh! There were so many Indians there!

After that, we went to Paramount Hotel with the intention to meet up with our friends who were attending a seminar there. However, when we reached there at 11pm, the seminar had not yet finished.

We stood around and then finally at 11.53pm, Ace decided he got hungry waiting and he started to make a lot of noise. The worst thing is that there were no available chairs at the lobby for me to sit down and feed. So I had to make a very important decision:

1) Go home and then at 12 midnight, get birthday wishes via handphone

2) Stay on for a few more minutes and then have like 20 people sing the birthday song to me in public.

I chose to go home. I think my son’s hunger pangs were more important and I guess I preferred to be sharing the joy in private with my family. After all, it is the first time that Ace will celebrate my birthday with me.

Then when we were on our way home, Max stopped at a junction (traffic lights turned red)and broke out into a birthday song! Hahaha.. wow.. the red lights really came at the right time man!

In a way, I felt that this was special and memorable. This is the first time people sing birthday song to me while driving. Hahahha…

Then we went home and slept.

When we woke up in the morning, Daddy volunteered to bath Ace but alas, the happiness of celebrating my birthday was too much for Ace and he actually ‘performed’ a special stunt!

He SHIT into the water while Daddy was bathing him!

The rest of the day was spent having lunch at Lingzhi, going shopping in Takashimaya, yet another round of birthday song singing in coffee club, watching DVD at home..

It was nothing special but it felt good that me and Max could spend time together with Ace.

Anyway, the real celebrations will take place when me and Max go to Hong Kong for a tour next month. Yipee!

Now I have to start planning for and thinking about how to celebrate Max’s birthday (on 6 Sept) next week!

Sunday, August 28, 2005

Aunty Killer

Ace is a ‘see lai sat sao’ (aunty killer)!

Yes, all his aunties (my sis, my friends, hubby’s friends, my sis’s friends even) absolutely adore him.

Power, a friend of my sis, adores him so much she has downloaded his pictures from this blog and used them as her desktop wallpaper! Even my insurance agent cum friend, Alvin, says he feels like getting married and having his own kid when he sees Ace.

Need more proof of his charm? It happened at my birthday celebration.

Yes, it was MY birthday celebration BUT my friends were actually ‘fighting’ for Ace’s attention!

Once Aunty KP arrived, she started playing at Ace and he was happily smiling at her. I then told them that Ace likes pretty women and smiles at all pretty women.

Upon hearing this, Aunty Linda the Diva decided to use the surefire trick I mentioned in my blog (see, there ARE rewards for reading my blog) about how to make Ace smile and she immediately started doing the “Ah Geng Geng…” thingy with Ace.

He smiled.

Hahaha.. ok, Aunty Linda the Diva is now certified PRETTY.

Not to outdone. Aunty GH also tried to make Ace smile. Yet for some unknown reason, whenever Ace sees her, he gave her the *blur* look. No matter how hard she tried. He just refused to smile.

Maybe Ace got tired of smiling. Maybe.. hahaha..

But the two aunties (Linda has got her fair share of playing with babies when her nieces and nephews were young) KP and GH just could stop bending down (showing Ace their cleavage.. oops) and playing with him.

But it doesn’t stop there!

After a sumptuous meal at Sakae Sushi, we went to Café Cartel for birthday cake.

Yet once the candle was blown out and pictures taken, it became photo time for Ace and his favourite aunties. To GH’s relieve and delight, Ace finally smiled when he was taking a photo with her. (He should! She looks good after losing almost 10kg for her ROM!)



Alas, the aunties are all inexperienced with babies and do not know how to carry Ace properly.


After loads of ‘oohs and ahhs’ at how cute Ace looks, we started to sit down and make small talk.

For some unknown reason, the seat beside the baby pram became ‘prime seat’. It was initially occupied by KP, who spent like a good 30 min ignoring us and playing the “you- are- such- a- handsome- little- boy” game with Ace.

GH had to wait very long for her turn and when it finally came, she started playing the “do-you-want-aunty-to-carry-you” game with him. When she stopped halfway to join in our conversation, KP scolded her and said that PRIME SEAT meant her job is to play with Ace. “How can you ignore him?”

The two aunties even decided that they shall annul their marriages (they are getting ROMed at the end of the year) and wait for Ace for 20 years. Muahahahaha…

I hope their husbands Mike and Joe are not reading this!

Hiya, 2 months old can mesmerize women a quarter century older. Wonder wat is going to happen when Ace is 20 years old.

But THAT would be HIS problem, not mine ;)

PS: Girls, if you are reading this, thanks for the great night out and the warm birthday wishes! You girls are the best! Thanks for always being there for me through thick and thin!

Saturday, August 27, 2005

The Chua Family Goes To Hollywood!

We are FAMOUS!

Me, my baby and hubby.


We've gone to Hollywood and made our very first movie ever!

Starring Angel Peng and Maximus Chua:
http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=165961

Starring Ace Chua:
http://www.weddingcrashersmovie.com/crashthistrailer/index.htm?id=165965

Well, I personally think that Ace looks quite good in his movie... even better than Daddy and Mummy! ;)

What do you think?

Business Class Travel For Ace

We finally got round to buying Ace’s car seat the other day. After I complained to hubby for the Nth time that Ace is getting heavier and that my arms need rest while travelling in the car, we finally got around to buying it.

Talk about travelling in style.. You wouldn’t think there would be so many different types of car seats available!

There were those for newborns that look like a basket. And then there are those for children 4 months and above that looks more like a 'seat'.

I bet you didn’t know or didn’t think that the car seats have different quality/category that are very much like the kind of different seats you get on a plane.

I am NOT kidding! I was so so so amazed when I saw the different classes of 'seats' available.



In the lowest and cheapest range, we have the economy class. It is simple but already not cheap. When we went by the other day, there was a sale going on but the unit was still priced at a hefty $245.

(Remind me to get into the children's toys/accesories business ok? What were they thinking! $200+ for an EXTRA CHAIR in your CAR???)

And then, for better comfort (this includes additional pillows and support and the use of better and softer material for the cover), we have the business class. Amazingly, even the fabric feels like that of a business class seat! To enjoy all these specials, that would mean about another $100 more.

If you are looking to splurge, however, go for the first class seat!

Be prepared though, to part with $400+ and recieve unnecessary accesories like the messy mat (to prevent the child’s shoes from dirtying your car. But darling, my car seat is made of black leather) and sunshade that keeps the sun away (harlow, I dun own a convertible!).

In the end, we chose the ‘business class’ seat because Daddy wants Ace to have more comfort when traveling. After all, Daddy (not me.. I plan for 2 only.. hahahaa) has plans for 3 kids and finds it worthwhile to invest in something better.

Yet, the car seat hasn’t been used much since we bought it almost a week ago. My arm hasn't been rested much since.

Everytime we travel around, Ace will be hungry and asks to be fed. Thus, he always ends up in Angel Mummy's Arms. Sigh...

With Ace getting heavier by the day, I am really looking forward to the day where we can ‘recoup the investment’ and Ace will start preferring Safe n Sound to Angel’s Arms while traveling in the car.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you?

Friday, August 26, 2005

Angel Mummy Ti Lam

I was human ti lam (mattress) for one day. And man, was I shagged.

Well, what happened was that I woke up to my son crying out loud. Usually, I will let him cry till I feel fully awake then go and talk to him.

Maybe it is ESP between mother and child. Today, I woke up immediately and went to carry him cos I sensed it was something wrong. True enough, he wet his cot.

So I had to quickly go and bath my baobei. But because I was too tired. I brought him back to bed to sleep after bathing him.

Then me and baobei woke up and my dad came to deliver lunch. Baobei Ace had a great time talking to his grandpa (he has a penchant for beautiful women of all ages and OLD MEN- eg, my dad, my father in law) while I ate my lunch.

After grand daddy went home, mummy was left alone with Ace. Since he looked happy on the bouncer, mummy just rocked him to sleep and continued to pay her bills online.

Suddenly, Baby Ace cried and mummy picked him up to feed him, thinking that he was hungry.

Alas, when mummy looked down at the bouncer! Yikes!

SHIT!

Mummy looked down at Ace’s diapers!

SHIT!

Mummy look down at her clothes!

Heng ah! No shit. (Haha.)

Mummy quickly changed diapers for Ace and washed his buttocks. But from then on, mummy became permanent HUMAN TI LAM.

Ace will want to be fed and mummy will feed until one drop of milk also dun have and Ace will fall alsleep.

Now mummy has a problem. The cot is out (cos kenna smelly smelly urine), the bouncer is out (cos kenna smelly smelly poop). Left only the smelly rubber mat where mummy changes Ace out of his shitty diapers.

But whenever mummy puts him down there when he falls asleep sucking, he will cry and wake up like 30 seconds later and make a big fuss until he is picked up.

Only when Ace is lying on human mattress Angel Mummy that he will be quiet and peaceful.

Also, Pooping makes Ace hungry so Baby Ace wants to suck on mummy’s breast again and again and again and again.

This went on for 4 hours.

Till mummy dun even have one drop of milk left.

Finally, mummy had a bright idea! Mummy fed him full full and put him on mummy’s bed. (At least is not shit smell but mummy’s smell)

Phew!

That’s why now got time to BLOG, wash bouncer, wash mattress, wash clothes, hang clothes, eat dinner, reply email.

Mummy will keep her fingers crossed till Ace wakes up…

Cant relate to birth? Good or bad?

My friend Sinclair just gave birth the other day. I visited her the very same day that she gave birth and she shared with me all the horrors of child birth. Eg, how painful it was and how she was screaming.

Reason? She only used laughing gas and had that injection in the thigh.

The other day, another fren, Christine, was telling me about the horrors of childbirth. About what gross things the gynae did and how she will NEVER EVER forget the feeling.

Reason? She opted for 100% natural birth. No epidural, no injections, no nothing. Just massage from her doula. (This mama performed no mean feat, I salute her man!)

As I listen to them talk about how they battle labour pain and braved it all to deliver their little bundle of joy, I cannot help but feel a little envious.

I do not know whether I should be feeling glad that Ace was an emergency caeser or not.

You see, I had wanted natural birth. But being the chicken I was, I opted for epidural.

At 5am in the morning, my water bag burst. Reached hospital at 6am after a bath and then the doctors came and gave me a jab to hasten contractions at 7am.

Because I was a scaredy cat with low threshold for pain and because hubby cannot bear to see me go through pain (or maybe he cannot bear to go through what I will do to him when I am in pain.. my fren scratched her husband from shoulder down the arm during delivery), I was easily persuaded by hubby and anesthetist to have epidural early in labour.

I was in labour for 12 hours. The last 4 hours were a little painful. Like the dam menstrual cramp. But my cervix only dilated 3cm (you need to dilate to 10cm to deliver) and so my gynae concluded that the head of my baby must be too big for my pelvic bones.

So strange right? I always thought I had big pelvic bones cos I had a big bone structure. But my baby beat me to it with a strange head shape and a 39cm circumference.

So I had to go for Caesar. Because of the complications, my gynae preferred me to be unconscious.

So at 7pm, I was wheeled into the op room, given laughing gas and then I was out like lightning. When I awoke at 9.30pm, after seeing a flurry of lights (which meant that I was being wheeled out of the op theatre), I heard hubby’s voice telling me, “The baby is very handsome. He has double eye lids!”

See.. the baby was out just like that. No struggle, no nothing. Just a slight pain at where the cut was. Of cos I had to bear with the fact that it took me more than a month to recover (still in recovery.. but at least no longer red and angry looking).

I always thought there is no point doing it the painful way if I can do it the painless way.

But hearing people talk proudly about how they battle childbirth, I can't help but feel a sense of envy and a sense of loss that I did not have the chance to go through that.

I felt that because I did not go through that, it took me a longer time to connect to my son.

For the first three days, I just simply could not believe that this handsome little baby was mine. I didn’t even feel like he was mine until I had to leave hospital and leave him there because he needed treatment for jaundice. (This useless mummy cried and almost made daddy cry too.)

Thank goodness I opted to breast feed ;) It certainly helped us to bond. I mean.. how not to when I spend like 20min to an hour at each feeding and I feed at least 8 times a day.

Well, I can only pray that my next baby (yes people, I am ready to think about a NEXT baby as my hubby will be VERY PLEASED to know) will have a smaller head and then maybe I will have a chance to brave the storms and blog about it ;)

PS: On second thoughts, I may want to leave it till the third child. I dun want to survive the ordeal only to declare that I NEVER want to have children again! Hiaks… :P :P

Thursday, August 25, 2005

New Hair Do!

Went to do my hair finally.

I am tai tai leh. Cannot have bird nest for hair.

So after bearing with bird nest hair for like 2 months, I finally got a chance to go and do my hair because hubby is on half day today and has offered to take care of baby Ace for the afternoon.

After feeding Ace and putting him to sleep, I proceeded to have my hair done.

Just 1 hour in the salon and hubby smsed me:

”Your good son gave me shit today.. so big pile, kenna pants, bath again…”

After reading like 6 magazines (hair perming is a VERY long procedure), I got really bored and so I smsed hubby:

“Wat’s our son doing now? How does it feel to be mum 4 one day? Still envy me (hubby always says it is unfair that I get all the fun of taking care of and playing with Ace) or not? Haha…”

His reply:
”Wah lau eh.. hectic an! But at least you could just take off clothes and feed. No need to warm milk.fed him twice already. Still dun sleep. :("

Now daddy knows that it is not easy being a mummy.

PS:
But that being said, I must say that Max is a GREAT husband. He never takes me for granted and really tries to help out whenever he can. He wakes up early to bath baby during weekends so that I can sleep longer, he plans surprises for me and he massages my hands when they are painful.. the list goes on..

Anywayz, mummy is now funky mummy with funky hairstyle!

Alas, yesterday, in bid to buy some cheap clothes that can fit me now and fit me later, I went into WANKO (yes, tat aunty brand) and bought 3 knitted tops. (get 3 piece and enjoy 70% off)

Because they are on sale and knitted.. so trying allowed. But I see the salesgirl wear like very nice leh.. so I bought tat particular design.

Alas, when I went home and try, the design looked quite different on my very aunty figure. It looks well.. AUNTY lah.. wat do you expect from WANKO!!??

I am crossing my fingers and hoping that it is just because I tried it with three quarter pants. With jeans should look different right?;)

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Ace’s Favourite Things

Mummy sings:
Raindrops on roses
and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles
and warm wollen mittens
Brown paper packages
Tied up with strings

These are a few of my favourite things….

Ace sings
(to music of My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music):
Feeding on mum’s breast
and suckle the whole day
Sleeping in my bed

or mummy’s bed whole day
Bathing myself
andpooping big time too
These are a few of my favourite things!

Well, all babies love to EAT AND SLEEP so I shall not go into details about that.

But man, my baby loves to BATH! :)



Everyday, when he wakes up, he will ask to be fed. Once he is fed, he will play with himself while lazy mummy lies in bed somemore… (What a thoughtful baby!)

Once mummy wakes up though, he will make noise about wanting to bath and eat. He will not stop until I put him on the rubber mat because that means I am going to prepare his bathing water.

During bath time, his favourite time is when I ‘brush his teeth’ for him. He never fails to break out into a smile when that happens.

After that, I will clean his face and his body and wash his hair. When he thinks he has enough of bathing, he will start to whimper a little.

That is my signal to drip dry him a little and wrap him in a towel and bring him to the rubber mat to dress him.

This is also probably my favourite time of the day too because this is when I will be rewarded with all his delighted goos and gahs while I massage and dress him.

I guess as a parent, you get a sense of satisfaction that you are doing something right to make your son happy. But I suspect his happiness also lies in the fact that he knows that after bath time comes feeding time. Hahaha…

Then we come to his next favourite thing… POOPing.

Do you smile after you poop?


My son does.

I read somewhere that some babies look as if they are drunk after they finish drinking their milk. The experts says that it is their feeling to satisfaction that causes them to have that expression.

My Ace does that sometimes when he finishes drinking his milk. But he does it almost ALL THE TIME right after he poops!

Maybe my sense of satisfaction when he poops is translated to him so he always has this very “shiok” look after he poops and then he will start to smile away as if he is secretly pleased with himself about passing out so much rubbish from his body.

Anyway, I have a little worry now. It seems as if ‘being carried’ is slowly but surely climbing upwards in the list of his favourites and will soon be listed. If that happens, I won’t be able to do housework or blog in peace!

I can only keep my fingers crossed…

Monday, August 22, 2005

Aw... So Sweet...

Ace did a very very very sweet thing that caused me to melt yesterday.

He was asleep in the living room on his favourite blue bouncer and I was happily typing out an email to tell the whole world that we will be owning our own cafe and spa soon (Dream come true man!).

Then suddenly, he cried...

Being the good mummy I was, I ran out to the living room to ask him what was wrong.

He still cried.

So I picked him up and carried him.

"What is it, darling?" I asked him as I carried him close to me.

Miracles of miracles. He stopped crying the moment i carried him!

And then he opened his eyes very big and kept staring into my eyes....

After he stared at me for 30 seconds, he let out a "hmm..." sound and then moved his head close to my breast and just looked blissful that he was being cuddled and protected by mummy.

My god! I almost melted when he did that!

I mean, usually I am the one who puts his head close to my breast. He finally has a strong enough neck (he can sit upright now with little support) to manouvere it to anywhere he wants it to be. And he chose to move his head right next to my breast!

And that blissful expression can melt any heart. All my theories and talk of tough love just suddenly evaporated from my mind...

Argh! Die liao. If he used this tactic on me again, I sure will give in to anything he want.

How?????

You Van, Then I Lorry!

These two days, got one kukunaden keep calling me on my mobile and ask for Lawrence.

I do not understand why some people just can’t seem to get it into their thick skull that a wrong number called is a wrong number called. That’s that and nothing more!

On Friday, Mr Kuku called and asked for Lawrence. When I told him he got the wrong number, he said sorry and hung up.

And then, on Saturday, early morning at 6.10am, right after I finished feeding Ace, my phone rang. “Who could it be ?” I thought to myself. Just as I was about to pick it up, it stopped ringing.

One minute later, it rang again and I picked it up.

Me: Hello.. (sleepy..)

Kuku: Hello, is Lawrence there?

Me: You got the wrong number. Who are you? ( wanted to make sure is not my friend dialing the wrong number on his phone before I let out my x, y, z..)

Kuku: I am Van. Give me lawrence’s number leh…

Me: What Lawrence? I dun even know you!

Kuku: Give me lawrence’s number leh. Dun like that leh.

Me: How to give? I dun know Lawrence and I dun even know you!

Kuku: Oh! (hangs up)

(5 minutes later…. The phone rings. This time it is an unlisted number)

Me: Hello..

KK: Lawrence please.

Me: I told you that you got the wrong number. Can you stop calling this number?

KK: Give me Lawrence’s number leh. It is very urgent and very important.

Me: I already told you I don’t know Lawrence. (actually I do know a few lawrences but I think they are too smart to mix with a silly kuku like this one)

KK: Are you Lawrence’s sister? Can give me Lawrence’s number?

Me: Uncle, I already told you you got the wrong number. Please hor, next time want to call wrong number, dun do so at 6am in the morning hor!

KK; Oh! Sorry sorry.. (hangs up)

I dam DL when I put down the phone. I told myself. If he calls again, I am going to tell him. “Van right? Well, no Lawrence, Lorry you want or not?”

Fast forward to 11am in the morning. Kuku Man calls again. This time using a different phone number and ask another person to call.

Me: Hello

KK Friend: Lawrence please

Me: What number did you call?

KK Fren: 97744.. erm, I dunno lah. Is Lawrence there?

Me: I already said wrong number and no such person! (Dam DL lor.. dun even bloody know wat number he call and ask for Lawrence again.) Stop calling this number!

KK Friend: Sorry sorry.. (hangs up)

*&#^$#^%(*RY)E&_(EW! Why are some people just so DENSE!!!???

Finally, at 1 plus, Kuku Van call me again using the original number. By then, hubby is awake and just beside me. I saw the number and complain to hubby. He says he will take the call.

Good. My hubby got deep, sexy.. but very fierce voice…

He then scolded Kuku Van, “Why you keep calling the wrong number? Do you know that you woke up my baby last night? There is no Lawrence and you got the wrong number. If you call this number again, I will call the police…”

Like a true officer he was, hubby did not let it stop there…

“Did you hear what I say?”

“Do you understand me?”

“Do you understand me or not?”

Finally, when Kuku agreed, hubby hang up.

The result?

PEACE all the way until now ;)

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Ace's Revenge


I don’t know what’s wrong with my son today?

Sigh…

He was actually having quite a good time and very guai throughout most part of the day.

I have not been feeling too well for the past few days. Caught the dam flu bug and have been sniffling and coughing slightly these two days. Didn’t help that just as I was about to be recovered, my tam chiak nature brought me back to square one when hubby bought durians that day.

Anywayz, Ace slept through the nite till about 5.30am in the morning and then he woke up and asked to be fed for a little while. Lasted till about 8 plus. Woke up and was fed a little while and then the next time he woke, hubby brought him to enjoy his favourite pastime, bathing.

And then we went out.

Cos today is an exciting day! My good friend, Sinclair, has given BIRTH! Hey, tat’s exactly 8 weeks after I have given birth. Her baby still doesn’t have a name and we call him baby Bill after her husband cos he looks exactly like his father.

We bought Ace’s car seat (haha.. finally got round to doing it.), visited Sinclair, went to a friend’s house for makan, went jalan jalan at Parkway Parade, then brought Ace home. Throughout, I dutifully fed him in between at 2 hour intervals.

When we reached home at 10 plus at night, he seemed all tired out and was soundly asleep after I fed him for a short while.

Hubby, who happens to be a die hard Liverpool Fan, decided that EPL Liverpool Vs Sutherland match is a must watch and went to the kopitiam downstairs to watch it with fellow LP supporters.

Me? I stayed at home and watched Racing Stripes on DVD.

Just as it ended, Ace started to wake and started to cry. Because he was all sticky and prone to fall asleep after feeding, I decided it was better to give him a good cloth wipe (was getting too late for a bath) and change his pampers before the start of feeding.

Usually he will be patient and wait for changing to be over and whimper a little here and there.

Today, for some unknown reason, he gave it all he had and cried till there were streams of tears down his eyes. It was as if I had ill treated him and had not given him milk for the past 100 years!

Since I was a seasoned mum (or maybe not quite that seasoned but I usually dun let baby's crying get me), I decided to just go ahead with my plan and ignore him. I started wiping him clean and then when I got to the part where I was suppose to change pampers, he peed on me and then still refused to stop crying!

His pee was like water fountain like that lor. So much! My only consolation was that it means that I am feeding him enough. In the end, the left leg of my Bermudas got wet.

Then I quickly fed him to shut him up. After a short feeding, he started to go dizzy and fell asleep. Because his shirt was a little wet from the little ‘accident’ earlier, I proceeded to help him change into another shirt.

Then I kenna AGAIN!

This time, he puke milk all over my hand, my shirt and the right of my Bermudas.

One nite can suay (or should I say ‘heng’) two times, sure must buy 4D right?

I was really very angry lor! What made me even more angry was that when I scolded him angrily, he actually SMILED at me and then fell asleep! The impudence of it!

And then I remembered that I read somewhere that even if I raise my voice, he doesn’t understand that I am angry. So I decided not to waste my effort but to divert my energies to complaining to my husband instead.

I then asked my son, “Why did you cry so hard to be fed only to vomit it all out leh? What is the point of it all??”

He didn’t reply. He merely continued to smile and continued to sleep.

Gee, I wonder if he is secretly seeking revenge on something I did to him.

Maybe in the past life?

Or maybe just for taking the above shown picture? ;) *hiaks*

Ace’s 2 Month Report

Yes! Ace is 8 weeks old! So is this blog ;) Well, for those who are following, here's a report on how Ace is doing right now ;)
---------------------------------------------------
Name: Chua Yen Feng, Ace
Gender: Male and verified “Straight” (smiles at and likes to be cuddled by females)

Weight: Approx 5kg
Height: ?
Circumference of Head:?

Remark: Has already taken his 1st month injection for Hepatitis B. Brave, baby. Only cried for 2 seconds.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENTS:

- Cradle Cap Is Decreasing: While I used to love scratching out the cradle cap on his eyebrows and his head (erm, mums, this one dun learn. I couldn’t resist. Too itchy handed), there seems to be not much of it left to scratch.

- Hair Loss + Hair Growth: While his hair is starting to fall out a little since full month (after you bath him, you will see hair no his nose, his arm, his shirt), the front part of his head where the forehead is, is sprouting very tiny short hair.

- Starts Making Sounds: Ace can spend like ONE WHOLE HOUR talking to his grandfather in baby talk. He can make a different array of sounds like “Ah, ooo, oh.. “

- Increase Size of Torso, Arms and Legs: While he used to have rather skinny legs, Ace is starting to put on some baby fat on his cheeks, his arms and thighs. So much so that when you wash him, you have to pry open the lines in between to get rid of the dirt stuck inside. Baby fat only though. Not Michilin Baby kind of fat.

- Toughened Neck Muscels: Ace can now sit upright without much support on his neck as long as you support his back. Burping is now much easier. If you put him on this tummy, he can do mini push ups and lift his neck and head up.

- Increased muscle movement and control: He has learnt how to shift his upper body when lying down. The other day, I put him in bed, sleeping parellel to me a little 10 cm away, only to find his head right next to my nipple (while his buttock still in original place) when we woke. What wouldn’t he do for another MILK BREAK huh? ;)


BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENTS:

- Suck his own hand when hungry to pacify himself

- Use different variations of actions to show different stages of hunger. In his 1st month, he could only do the mouth one side and kick his leg. (see Hungry-O-Meter)

- Sleep through the night and wake at 7am in the morning

- Make more poses when he is sleeping

- Recognize mummy and follow me when I walk around the room with his eyes

- Talk lots of baby language and respond when you converse with him

- Understand Teochew and SMILE when asked (See Ah Bright Bright)

- Clap his hands (he loves it and always smiles when doing it)

- Cover his eyes with his hands when too bright

- Cover his ears with his hands when too noisy

- Look into the camera and smile

- Sleep on his own as long as you throw him into his bed, on the music.

- Raise his hand and say bye bye (sometimes)

- Play with his Saliva

- Follow the source of sound and turn his head over (takes a while though)

- Recognize mummy, daddy, grandma, grandpa

- Pretend to cry until very cham so that he gets carried/hugged or fed (Sigh, so young know how to blackmail using emotions liao)

- Learnt to wait for mummy to wake up before he cries. If he wakes before mummy and is not very hungry. He politely waits and entertains himself.

- Likes playing with hanging mobiles

- Swings arms and legs to music. He especially likes Twinkle Tiwinkle Little Star and Ke Ren Lai. Techno songs also gets him moving. Classical music,m however, mostly gets him sleeping.


Top Pictures of the Month:
Here are top pics chosen by me.. comment and vote for the best picture.. ;)

Saturday, August 20, 2005

Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my Chinese Birthday. You know.. birth date on the lunar calender.

Yeap, that’s right. I was born on the 15th day of the 7th Lunar Month.. the day called HUNGRY GHOSTS FESTIVAL and the day where all the ghosts will be supposedly released into the world to visit whoever they want to or do whatever they want.

Because of this, I always joked that the ‘good brothers’ will not come and bother me cos I was born on this ‘blessed’ day ;)

Anywayz, I think I had a great year. I mean, I carried a baby for 9 months, gave birth and has been full time mum for the last one month. I guess I enjoyed it much more than I would like to admit ;)

My hubby just sang me the birthday song when it passed midnight.

My son? He was just crying to suckle on my breast before he is willing to sleep right after drinking 125ml of Isomil.

Maybe that’s his way of saying,

“I love you mum. Happy Birthday!”

Well, thanks guys! I love the two of you too! ;)

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Som Bah!

I hate it when people criticise my parenting methods or philosophies.

Unfortunately, many people just like to give their two cents worth of view when you educate and develop your child the way you want to.

I know that most of the time, they are sharing well meaning advice. But hey, what is important to you may not be important to me. What happened to you may not happen to me too.

If people are so clever and got so many theories, that's great! I think they should go seh (give birth to) their own kia (child) and apply them.

If you already are a parent, then just do what you like, I am not telling you how to raise your kid, why are you telling me how to raise mine???

I try to ignore them most of the time or try to share with them wat "EXPERTS" and "DOCTORS" say to shut them up. But sometimes I really feel very exasperated. And usually, these times come when the people most forcefully give out advise using the "I know it better" tone just because "the salt they eat more than the rice i eat"...

And guess who is best at doing tat? Of cos is our parents lah! :) hahaha..

Like the other day, my mother in law came visiting. My son dunno why chose that precise moment to start hiccuping. And then my mother in law ask me, "You never feed him water?"

Before I can answer, my father-in-law says," I see that she dun feed him water one..."

Huh? Which eye of yours see????? There are 7 days a week, that's 168 hours. You visit him once a week for at the most an hour, that's only 9.5% ok. You see Ace 9.5% of the time in a week and you can see that I dun feed him, water?

So which eye you use?? Thousand mile eyes ah??? :)

I absolutely hate being yuan wang (wronged).

And in addition, didnt you know that baby hiccups will not be cured by feeding the baby water?

Also, babies who are breastfed before 6 months need not drink much water at all. They get all the water they need from the milk they drink. Ace pees like a thousand times a day so I think we are doing fine, thank you very much.

SIGH!

Then there are people who tell me that I should not spoil Ace by:
- petting him to sleep
- rocking him to bed
- carrying him to sleep

I do agree. But at the same time, I feel that it is really how you look at it. These things may not be things we want to do frequently lest it becomes Ace's habit. But used properly, they are great tools to give me sanity cos it does help him to sleep and give me time to rest.

I can only do what I deem best and hope the decision doesnt haunt me later...

I guess different people really see things differently and that is why people like to give advice.

Just the other day, i was telling a friend that I allow Ace to choose the clothes he wants to wear everyday.

Everyday, before I bath him, I will bring him to his stash of clothes and ask him which one he wants. I give him two choices to choose and will allow him to wear the one that he smiles at. (By the way, babies are not stupid ok, he knows how to choose.)

The point I want to make to him is that he is an independent little boy and should make his own decisions.

But surprisingly, the first reaction my friend had was, "Hiyo, you spoil him ah!"

Hmm.. I never thought of it like that and never thought it possible to look at it like that.

Anywayz, I swear that I will try my darnest to keep my mouth to myself when I see a struggling parent. I will share if they ask but will not infringe on their right to bring up their children the way they want to.

Som bah!

I Am NOT Afraid To Grow OLD! :)

I just finished reading Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire.

I found the book unexpectedly when I brought Ace to the library to borrow books for him. In the end, I decided I should borrow ONE BOOK for myself as it is really very boring to have nothing to do while I feed.

I mean, if you look at the pic, you would know that going to the library was no mean feat. I guess I should reward myself a little huh? ;)

Gosh, I have forgotten how exciting Harry Potter is!

I missed The Goblet of Fire and kind of didnt follow up on the series after that. I shall try to follow up on what happened while everything is still fresh in my mind...

After reading Harry Potter, I decided that I am not afraid to grow old at all because after I read the story, I have decided that my favourite idol in the Harry Potter series is Professor Dumbledore! He is so bloody cool!

The things he do and the way he handles things are that of a great leader and I aspire to be a great leader like him. I admire his wisdom, his wit, his kindness and integrity... I like the way he treats Harry and the way he develops people around him into bigger talents than they already are and I hope I can do the same not just for Ace, but also for the many assocs I have around me...

I think the reason why he has such great wisdom is because he is many moons old... all his experiences gave him his wisdom.. his white beard is so long.. must be at least a hundred hears old rite??

So I am not afraid to grow old! Hahaha.. I want to have wisdom like he does and be a great leader like he is. But of cos, the only difference is that I have my HUNZA products and while I grow old gracefully and have loads of wisdom, I wun have white BEARD or long white hair.. rather, I will look exactly the same 10 years later as I look now.

Ai say, steady man..

Monday, August 15, 2005

Sleeping Handsome

Long long ago, there was a handsome little baby who loved to sleep.

Little baby Ace (his parents named him such so that he has an easier time trying to learn to write his name in school) would very often wake up and ask to be fed.. only to fall asleep in the arms of his mommy...

Well, as they say, babies are cute/handsome and no matter how you look at them, they are still cute/handsome. And it is especially so for this handsome little baby.

That is why he is also known as Sleeping Handsome.

Because he is aware of his 'reputation', Sleeping Handsome never forgets to pose even when he is sleeping.

While his most classic pose, "Come into my OPEN ARMS AND LEGS", was inherited from mummy...


Being the creative little baby he was, he came up with many other variations on his own to show of his personality...


He is the (from left) The King, The Gentleman, The Encouraging Cheerleader, The Thinker...

He also likes to show off his emotions when he sleeps...


Just the other day, he was feeling (From left) HUNGRY.

"ALAMAK! HOw huh?" he asked himself.

But being the professional he was, he decided to keep posing and went into the "I am a Xiao Shaoye" pose.

But there was alot of construction going around at that time and it was too noisy so he couldnt concentrate on his pose. But being innovative, he decided he will kill two birds with one stone and cover his ears in a similar pose...

Anywayz, when he as fully well rested enough, he woke up and sucked on mummy's breast and lived happily ever after.

~THE END~

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Hungry-O-Meter

It is indeed true. When you live together with someone for a while, you will start to know and understand their whims and fancies. Likewise for my baby.

I must say that Ace is relatively easy to care for compared to the many stories I have heard about other children and their parents. He really only has two needs… love and food ;)

Because he is the first son/grandson/godson to many people, there is no lack of love around him as he is always being cuddled, talked to, played with..

I mean, even when I bring him to office, it takes me like 30 min to walk from Richie’s Room to the main door.. which is like only 10 meters away.

I get stopped often because Ace is so cute everyone just wants to talk to him and play with him for a while.. and you know lah.. one person starts, the others will crowd around liao.. heng he likes crowds ;)

As for food. I dunno why. Please god, do tell me if my milkflow is enough cos my boy is CONSTANTLY WANTING TO FEED! He is growing ok so I keep my fingers crossed.

I always say he "got food no love" cos he is pretty easy going most of the time unless it involves food:)

Because he is hungry so often, I get to do very detailed case study on his behaviours when hungry.

You see, when Ace cries, there is a hungry-o-meter based on his actions that will tell you how hungry he is. On a scale of 1-5, this is how it goes.

1: Feeling hungry liao
Ace will start to make his mouth into an O shape and he will start to put his tongue out. Initually, tingue only touches lips... and then it will slowly extend longer and longer... Uusally, he doesn’t cry at this point and will still smile at you to politely inform you that he is feeling a little hungry.

2: Getting hungrier
Now, he will start to play with his saliva and salivate. Put anything that can be sucked near him and he will suck it. He has since tried to suck: Richie’s (my MALE mentor) breast, my arm, my knuckles, his daddy’s breast and arm, the stroller cushion…

3: Full fletch hungriness
At this point, he is feeling hungry for sure. He will open his mouth side and shift his mouth to the side in an attempt to find the breast he so finds comforting.. he will also kick his legs violently. As he gets hungrier, his legs will be raised higher. When his legs are raised 90 degrees to his body.. you know he is about to let out a howl.

4: I need Food !!!
His fists are clenched. His forehead is wrinkled. He howls softly but there are no tears at all.

5: For Sure!
Tears are formed and his howling gets colicky n he might start to cough..

If he goes to stage 4 when mummy is not around, he will choose perfect timing and go full fletch into stage 5 when mummy appears.

Who says babies do not know how to think or strategize?!

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Grand Day Out 2

Well, I was suppose to meet my ex-Mediacorp colleague, Yvonne cos she was getting married and migrating to Netherlands and then I had to change the timing to later cos my son wasn’t in a good mood and since Yvonne said she had a bad migraine, we decided to postpone the meeting.

Nevertheless, I HAD TO GO OUT!

You see, it is my “Papa”’s birthday today. Papa’s name is Richie. He and his wife Jez are like my other pair of parents. They are my mentors in many aspects of life… be it my biz.. my family.. everything from my career, to BGR, to when I got married and had children, they were the pillars of support and encouragement.

We became a family when we worked closely within one department. So they were my bosses before we became business partners. I must say that they are great bosses. Never throwing you to do work alone, always caring and going all out to help you. Where to find such bosses!? :)

So it is Papa’s birthday today. (It is also Wilson [hubby’s brother], 1st two presidents of Singapore and XIAO S’s husband’s birthday) And I haven’t bought his present yet!!

Argh! Just what do you buy someone who has everything he needs?

I dam leh cheh lor.. I must buy something he like and I must like it too.. if not I wun buy one…

Anywayz, in the end, after I completed my housework, I chio a fren I made from the Most Beautiful Mum-to-be competition to go suntec to jalan jalan.

What a sight we made. Two mummies, two babies. Two prams. ;) Hahaha.. and not to mention when feeding time was near… Waden, Christine’s son started his ‘police siren’ to attract attention.

Strangely though, MR ‘got-food-no-love’ Ace Chua was silent and happy to just look around quietly and stick out his tongue at anything that seemed edible. He usually would cry for food too. (Haha.. feeding him full full before going out and that extra feeding in the taxi works! ;) )

But doing too much housework made my brain fried. You see, I was suppose to buy richie’s present, buy sparkling grape juice for celebration, buy my hubby a surprise gift and get candles but all the time, I was walking around with Chris, I felt like I didn’t really know what to do or what to buy like that. I was also annoyed that I did not feel confident to go up and down escalators, which would have made the journey shorter.

Only when we settled down some place to feed that I kind of knew then what I had to do after. Of course, it helped to have extra hands, CLARI (in case you dunno, it is Ace’s psychotic Ah Yee) and THOMAS (her boyfren) ;)

After feeding, me and Chris chatted while waiting for Clari and Thomas to reach Suntec. We talked about parenting and baby stuff and then the subject of my occupation came up. I think Chris was taken aback when I told her I was in the network marketing biz. She became very quiet when I told her that…

Sigh.. I hope I read her wrong. She looked kind of shocked and kind of went quiet when I told her that. Maybe I am too sensitive.. but leh, usually people will behave strangely after I tell them that. Haha…

I really dun understand why people always treat me like a monster when I tell them that I am in MLM? It is juz a choice of career that puts food on my table and allows me to put my talents into good use.

It is the reason why I can be a full time housewife now and still get paid decently every week and the reason why I am about to own a international café franchise (and in future, a spa franchise). In fact, give me some 7 years and I will be on my way to retirement and financial and time freedom!

Bah, I am a professional! I don’t do hardsell and I choose the people I work with! (Sorry hor, not any Tom, Dick or Harry gets into my team) and I am in the business of changing lives and proud of it! ;) Yet, the people who give me the most strange looks are the people who are closest to me..sigh.. Thankfully, there is another group of them who are very supportive...

Anywayz, enough ranting and back to the ‘story’.

When they arrived, we went shopping again and went for dinner.

I must say a big thank you to THOMAS, NANNY AKA NAI BA OF THE YEAR (see picture for proof!) :)

He helped me:
- carry the heavy bottles of sparkling juice
- bring the stroller up and down escalators
- stroll baby around while I was in RAOUL picking out clothes and paying
- even BOTTLE FEEDING BABY so that I can have my dinner in peace

I think he must be a very family oriented man cos he seemed really happy playing with Ace.

After that, went with me back to WBG to await for Richie, his AH YE to arrive so that we can all sing birthday song for him.

Throughout his time there, he was quite happy to sleep and play on his own. But suddenly, he kept whining and then when Ah Ye Richie carried him, he realized that Ace POOPED! (Richie, buy 4D ah!!)

It is big time poop this time ok! He hasnt shitted since the last time I posted a picture of his shit. I think he choose to let it out all at one shot! This time even bigger pile than the last ok!

I dunno why. It seems like because WBG is such a happy and healthy place, he just naturally would poop whenever he is there. Hahaha.. he almost always poops when he is there.. ;)

Anywayz, we had a great night cos Ace slept through till 6 plus in the morning before he asked for milk.

More grand day outs?

Yeah, deifnitely!

Thursday, August 11, 2005

The Sound of Music

When babies reach 1 month, they start to swing and sway to music. I am told they are very receptive to sound at this age.

Thanks to Xianglin, a seasoned mother, we own this toy elephant that plays music and drumbeats. It will make Ace happy or quiet 90% of the time we use it when he is grumpy..

I think Ace will love and like music when he grows older.

I play Mozart for babies (courtesy of Edmund) to him every morning and my mum and I take turns to sing songs to him. He shows a preference for songs where there are actions n likes songs like Ke Ren Lai, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

He also likes soothing songs like Hahayo (Mother, a Jap song.. I try to expose him to diff languages)

Sometimes I just sing to him any song that comes to my head and the strangest pop song will come out of my mouth. It is as if Ace and I are going down a memory lane of songs that I listened to and impacted my life as I was growing up.

I suddenly realized they were mostly sad love songs. No wonder have to go through 3 broken relationships before I found Max, my husband. Haha!

When our fren’s daughter, Tashi, played the xylophone for him, he started to wave his arms and legs to the beat. The little girl was so excited and kept telling me “He is dancing! He is dancing! He is dancing!”

Haha.. little wonder.. I sing and dance around with him a lot. Haha.. in the afternoon when I have nothing to do, I will sing or play music and dance waltz, rock and roll, tango.. etc with him:) His dad also teaches him how to dance to SCS music when he is free…

I think music lays an important part in one’s life. Be it expressing oneself or cultivation of character, it really is a universal tool and language to spread love n peace. I would like Ace to grow up knowing how to appreciate good music like his mum n dad. :)

Alas, my strange sister tells me wants to sing all our childhood songs to him. You see, when we were growing up, me had a great imagination. I came up with a lot of strange songs that me and my sister sing fondly today in remembrance of our childhood.

There is one called Ni Shen Jing Bing (You are a nutcase) which I composed music for.. based on this rhyme that all children my time are familiar with.

Ni Shen Jing Bing (You are a nutcase)
You are a nutcase (lalalalala)
You are a sick (lalalalala)
When you reach the hospital though, you are well
Once you are home, you become a nutcase (lalalalala)
I think you are a nutcase

You are a nutcase (lalalalala)
You are a sick (lalalalala)
You stole my vitamin and ate it
I am bathing (lalalalala)
And you start peeping (lalalalala)
The doctor says you are a nutcase

There is one more that we sing like a drama serial opening song everytime we play this game Ma Hai He Gong Zhu (The Horse Boy and the Princess), starring me, my sis and her rocking horse.

Ma Hai He Gong Zhu (The Horse Boy and the Princess)
The Horse Boy and the Princess
The Horse Boy and the Princess
Having adventures together
Having adventures together
When the King sees them he stops them
But
The Horse Boy and the Princess
The Horse Boy and the Princess
Having adventures together
Having adventures together
Lalalalalala…

Note: All the above songs are mandarin songs. I merely translated them loosely into English cos I dunno how to post teng lang on this blog… anywayz, I think you have a good idea why I dun want my sis to sing these songs to him even though I was the one who composed them.. hahaha…

The one song I am especially against her singing is called Guang Tou Ren (Botak Head) in memory of our LEGO toy man who has got no hair but just a helmet because he is a lego fireman. He apparently has two other ‘friends’, MR and MRS CHEN who have got hair because they are ordinary citizens. Whenever his friends invite him for dinner, they would not be able to find him at dinner time because he is always sitting in the balcony and singing this song just before he goes for dinner.

The lyrics, when translated loosely to English go like this:

I am a botak head (bald)!
I am a botak head!
When you see me, You know I am a botak head!
(Repeat 3x)

I dun think it is a good idea to sing this to Ace cos I have been singing it throughout my childhood and now my husband is a botak head… I scared wait my son sing the song and he become botak head..

Then how????

Like Mother Like Son

Who says Peng Family ZHONG no contirbution? *hiaks*

Here's a photo my hubby took when he came home last nite.



I was wondering to myself why my son always sleep with his legs and arms wide open.... now i know.. hahahahhaa:P

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Whose ‘ZHONG’ is GOOD?

Did you know that after 9 months of attention when you get pregnant, once you give birth, the spotlight will immediately go to your son or daughter?

That happens with my in laws, who are always intrigued with all sorts of new things. (My father-in-law loves to change doctors for his same aliment of hand ache. As long as is new, he will try.)

When my hubby brought me home, I was the 'new toy' and hubby was ‘left on the cold shelf’ so to speak. When we got married and I got pregnant, i was a 'treasured toy'.

And when Ace was born? Hahaha.. both me and hubby are then relegated as ‘old toys’ and ignored when we go over for supper every Monday night. (My husband laments that he has less and less say/position in the Chua Family.)

Usually, they will coo over the baby and me and hubby seem to have on some invisible shield. (Which is a welcomed break for us to just chill out and not bother about the baby.) Sometimes though, they suddenly realize that we exist and start talking to us again:)

“Heng (luckily) we are still useful and got value..” my hubby commented. He is referring to the fact that my father-in-law longs for a grand daughter and the fact that we are planning for a next kid…

Despite my father in law saying that we are not supposed to praise Ace (old wives’ tales lah… Dun ask me why, I also dunno the rationale…), he himself is so impressed with his grandson he simply cannot stop praising him! But I see it as more like praising himself… haha..

Ace is so handsome.. look like Daddy.. ah gong 'zhong' (seed) is good

Ace is not afraid of strangers.. like Ah Gong.. our family 'zhong' is good

Ace is a good boy.. daddy and uncle also very guai when young, ah gong 'zhong' is good..

You get the idea…

First time I heard it, I was a little peeved..

Harlow, takes 2 hands 2 clap leh… you mean mummy carry him 4 nine months, bear pain of delivery n take care of him 24/7 n my Peng Family zhong no contribution?

My parents are the one who makes me lunch everyday, (I appreciate my parents much more now actually) fixes my pipe when it is spoilt and takes care of my son for me so that I got time to eat lunch... and my PENG FAMILY ZHONG NO GOOD?

FYI, a baby is born when the SPERM meets the EGG.. your zhong dam bloody good, no egg, you try give birth to a baby and let me see?!

Then after awhile, I think it is just grandpa’s pride.. so there is no need to get upset…:)

My husband says, “Is like that one lah, your family would say your zhong is good ma..”
Sorry hor, my parents are more objective. Ace is cute.. full stop.. end of story.:)

I guess diff grandparents show their love in diff ways. My in law was shocked that my dad and mum don’t kiss Ace like his family does.

“Hiyo, they are so strange, they dunno how to appreciate babies?” *embarrased look.. oops, I shouldnt comment on my in laws in front of their daughter* (he realised his shoot off too late..)

I tell him they are more shy and conservative cos I dun want to upset him.

What I don’t tell him is that they spend hours talking to him in baby language, sing songs, cuddle him and Ace seems to enjoy THAT a lot more. *wink*

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Ace is A Fortune Baby!

My son has been conferred a FORTUNE BABY by the Singapore Soka Association (www.ssa.org.sg) for being born into a family that follows this religion.

At the conferment ceremony, there were like 300+ babies and I am so glad that Ace is a month plus and easy to care for. Throughout the whole of the 2 hour ceremony, he would just sleep or feed.

The daddy seated beside me told me, “I wish my son can shrink back to your son’s age..” His three-year-old bundle of energy was running around, crawling under chairs and pushing people around. “My son has got nails on his buttocks!” says the exasperated daddy.

Well, waiting for 300 babies to go on stage to get their certificate can be a boring process. Especially when your number is 15 out of the 300. So I took to looking around and this is what I observed..

80% of mums will become FAT
It is true! I met so many people I knew when from way back when we were teenagers. All mummies have put on weight after the birth of their babies. And even though their babies are already one year old or so.. they are still FAT. They just have not lost their pregnancy fat!

Even those who are there to view or help out also have grown fat. And when I say fat.. I mean REALLY like fat lor.. God, age is really no woman’s friend. I seriously think these people need my help to lose weight.

That got me to start wondering what I would be like should I not have lost 15kg and dropped to 55kg . If I were 70kg at the start of my pregnancy, I would probably be like 80+kg now! Yikes! That’s terrible, I think I would look like a KING KONG and hate myself for life!

FAT mummies have FAT babies
I love to look out for michellin babies… and I found a lot of them and I suspect that they are all on formula. Mostly, they have rotund faces and their arms and legs have got these creases where you have to peel to clean. All in all, they just look like a ball of fat. Not cute at all! Some look like la bi xiao xin (Crayon shin chan!) Haha…

Some people think babies like that are cute. I think they are just plain unhealthy! I wish them good luck in losing all these baby fat man!

Ace does not look his age at all
Right in front of me was this baby who was also a month plus like Ace. However, he is much smaller. I think Ace is taller, fitter than most babies his age. In fact, when I compare, I think Ace really looks quite mature for his age. He looks like a 2-3 month old. Heng ah.. look mature and not FAT ah. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he is very tall also…

AVENT is a popular brand
The event might as well double up as a baby show man! Baby contraptions of all shapes and sizes were on display! There were all sorts of prams, carriers, bottles, etc.

It was also like a mini fashion show for baby clothes too! One baby even had her ears peirced!

And I noticed that AVENT.. which Ace is currently using is indeed a very popular brand as I see many babies using it.

Ok, at least I dun feel like I want to 'long piak' (bang against the wall) for not buying the NUK brand which EVERYONE tells me TOO LATE that it is very good..

Ah Bright Bright

I went home with Ace the other day and saw my grandma (that’s my granny on my father’s side) playing with my son.

She would point to his cheek and say, “Qie..” (which is teochew for ‘smile’) and he will smile. Wah lau, I din know my son is a language genius and can understand teochew without anyone teaching him!

Then I saw her doing a strange thing. She started saying, “Ah geng geng, ah geng geng..” to Ace and he smiled VERY HAPPILY.

I was so amazed!

I thought we say, “Ang goo goo” to children. I have never heard of “Ah geng geng” and so I asked my grandma what it was.

According to my grandma who is 83 years old, that is baby talk. Babies love it and no one can explain why. When I asked her what it means, she says it merely means, “Ah bright bright” (when loosely translated into English) in the teochew dialect.

I tried saying it to him and he smiled. My dad says it to him and he smiles.. it is almost like a magic word!

Mummies, you might want to try it on your babies and let me know if it works with babies who are non-teochews :)

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Which will you choose to be?

If you could pick a picture/crystal to represent yourself or your baby, which would you choose?

or













I recently attended a seminar by a certain Dr Emoto. He is the best selling author of the book, the hidden messages in water. I invited many to go along but they were not interested. You missed something really interesting!

During the seminar, he talked about how he would take pictures of frozen droplets of water and magnify them and how he would conduct research on what would contribute to the difference in the results.

He found that the ugly picture on the left comes from water:


- which has gone through water treatment, especially water that has chlorine added to it, (water from the taps of Tokyo, that is heavily chlorinated looks dam ugly man)

- which has been scolded or exposed to negative words like “You are a fool”, “I want to kill you”, “Hitler” (yes, he experimented with different languages)

- Exposed to heavy metal music

Likewise, the picture on the right comes from water:

- that is natural

- that has been exposed to positive words like “Thank you”, “Love”, Mother Theresa

- that has been exposed to happy pictures (water has memory, show it a picture of a dolphine and the crystals will reflect this)
- that is purified with a water filtration system called Kinertec V6

- Exposed to prayers, hymns, classical music

Remember THE RING? One of my fav, jap movies, this movie is about how a little girl with supernatural powers was murdered and how her revengeful mind left a negative energy on a roll of video tape that would kill anyone who watched the tape within one week.

Looks like it ain’t such an unbelieveable story after all if you hear what Emoto has to say.

His book was also made into a movie and he showed us an excerpt. There was a woman who went to an exhibition featuring his photos of both the beautiful crystals and the ugly ones and words the water was exposed to… and at the end, there is this man who remarked to the woman, “If words can do that to water, imagine what they can do to us..”

That was really haunting man.

People, in case you dun know.. our body is made of 70% water hor! Babies even worse, 90% water!

If you want a really unhealthy and unhappy baby, just go ahead! Scold them! Tell them they are stupid, tell them you hate them for coming into this world! And yes, feed them chlorinated water (Eg, water from the SINGAPORE TAP WATER)!

And if you want to have bad water inside you.. just tell yourself that you are stupid and you are the lousiest, etc. Listen to rock heavy metal music, it helps! (Maybe that’s why babies are advised to listen to classical music)

Of course, you can also choose to drink pure water without chlorine, tell yourself positive things and listen to classical music everyday. The choice is yours.

Ok, dun say I din tell you hor..

By the way, if you want :

- a inexpensive and effective method to remove chlorine and add a boost of energy into your life and system,

- tips on how to make your son/daughter cute, healthy, happy like mine
you can contact me at
angelpeng@richnyang.com

Dun complain that I never share secret of why my son is such a smiley and happy baby hor! ;)

Can 1.5 month babies smile and talk?

How can people complain that their babies don’t smile?

My confinement nanny says she every seen a baby who never smiled the whole month she was there. She has 13 years of experience and has seen near to 100 babies …

Then today, I read tat there are people whose babies dun smile for 3 months. Apparently, according to experts, your baby will not be able to smile until he is 6 weeks old.

Please hor, Ace was already smiling on day number two tat he was born hor!

I thus find it really hard to believe that babies like the above mentioned exist.

I dunno if Ace is different because I have been telling him that he is a happy baby since I found out I was pregnant.. I would like to think I made the difference. He is always very happy when he is sleeping and having a nice dream or when he is full..

He was especially happy and specially woke up to smile when we saw my husband’s colleague by the beach with his very sweet looking 1.5 year old daughter. Phew, I think I can be sure my son will not turn out to be GAY :)

I think I heard my baby call me Mama just now. I wonder if when babies made noises, are they just making noise or are they talking in their own language? Do all babies share the same language?

With yesterday’s experiment held using Zhenyuan’s camera, I have verified that babies are like dolphins, they communicate using their own language.
My fren, zhenyuan was trying to video Ace and then when she played back the clip of him gurgling to himself. He actually heard and replied to himself and made the exact same sound! Hahahah.. it was hilarious I tell you!

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Parents United .com

Once you become a parent, you automatically will be signed up as a parent of Parents United.com. ;)

It’s true!


I went for sushi with some friends and then it being a wkend, there were many families there.

Even though I dun know these people, they will smile and nod at me just because we all:

- had prams by the sides of our table

- had babies in our arms

- had a big bag full of baby stuff

- had to pacify the baby (ok, me was exception cos Ace slept through the whole dinner)


- look like one happy family

Gee, i still cant believe I am a parent though :)

Massive POOP

Warning: The below may contain graphical descriptions and graphics of POOP and STOOLS. May make you feel uncomfortable. Do not continue if you faint when you see sai!

So how did I end up with the kor mia of having to breast feed so often in the night?

Basically, my son was in a bad mood.

There was one afternoon where I thought he seemed to not be having enough milk.. so I fed him formula to make sure he is full. He slept for the next 5 hours and I wanted to run to the computer and write a LOOOOOOOOOONG article about the wonders of formula…

I am glad I didn’t.

Cos after that.. my son stopped shitting for 3 days. I am told that is the norm for babies who start on formula.

Norm? Cannot shit is the norm? Wah lau.. you use toilet 3 days, just use some water to splash and dun flush or wash toilet bowl can or not?

You know when you cant shit for 3 days, it is a dam disgusting feeling even for adults. Your stomach is bloated and then you have to kek sai and use a lot of strength.. and you feel dam frustrated when nothing comes out… somehow your mood becomes very bad and you feel very pek chek..eat also feel dam sian…

How do I know? Basically, I used to suffer from constipation too. Would shit once in every 2-3 days and it is usually hard and difficult to force out. Like goat shit you know..

That.. until I took something called FIBRE PLUS.

I LOVE FIBRE PLUS! This one must spend time embillishing on its benefits one!

I must say tat FP helped to make going to toilet a very enjoyable experience. I kid you not! Unless you tried it before, you have no idea wat sense of achievement I have when I can shit within 3 seconds and it is so smooth that you wipe ass also cannot find anything on the toilet paper. It is the reason why I had a constipation-free pregnancy.

Anywayz, back to my constipated son.

I am glad to announce tat he has since decided to poop all 3 days supply of shit at one go.

I look at his diaper and feel a sense of achievement that I helped him remove all the sai inside his body:)

Now that his tummy is smaller and his digestive system is not congested, he is once and again a happy, healthy baby. :)

PS: You can order FIBRE PLUS FROM ME: $45 for 30 sachets.
Email:
angelpeng@richnyang.com.
Bulk orders of 3 packs will get $10 discount.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Wonder Panda With Quirky Fashion Sense

This is NOT a fashion statement.

I repeat.

This is NOT a fashion statement.

Sigh… how did it come about? Well, just try breast feeding in the middle of the night for 15-30 min every one or two hours and you will end up with this cris crossed nursing-bra-over-my-blouse look.

These days, I have slowly become a panda like creature. Just the other day, I went to office and someone complimented that I look prettier after birth of my son.

Thanks buddy! The miracle called make up!:)

So how do I survive on 2-3 hour of sleep everyday for 3 consecutive days? All thanks to the miracle called Indinine!

I may look like a stupid panda without my war paint.. but I feel good enough to go out and meet friends, go office and wash diapers, cook and clean the house everyday ok! Even I am impressed with myself.

My sister wrote about taking care of my son for me in her blog (clatzz.blogspot.com) and hey, I am doing what 4 adults do for one afternoon only… every single day!!!


Hahaha.. feel like wonder woman.. make tat wonder PANDA ;)

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

7 Things Mums Must Do Everyday

My mentor, Dr George Lim said, “ There are 8 things that a boss should do everyday.”

They are namely:
Think
Recruit
Communicate
Sales
Learn
Teach
Monitor
Motivate

I think the same rule applies for all mummys.. hahaha…



So what are the 8 things that mummies should do leh?

Think:
Should always plan ahead for the next day so that I can complete all housework on time. All trips out of the house also has to be planned. Contingency plans like extra clothes, bottles are a MUST!


Recruit:
Recruit as much help as possible. If you can ask people to help, DO SO! If not will only die of tiredness...

If you dunno how to change diaper.. ask for help. If you want to go out, ask for babysitters. It pays to be nice to other pple but do recruit the right pple for help.

I mean, I left my baby at my mum’s place and after taking care of him for ONE AFTERNOON, my sis kenna 3 day MC. Haha

Communicate:
I am told we should talk to our babies everyday! Babies who are left alone will not learn how to speak and interact with other people and babies whose mothers talk to them will feel loved and secure and grow up happy, vibrant children ;)

Sales:
Of course must do sales lah. You should ALWAYS sell to your in laws or your parents ideas like:

- why teaching your son how to drink alcohol at a young age is a bad idea,

- why it is ok to put a mirror in the cot for the baby to learn things and

- why it is not a great idea to call your precious son ‘chao Barbie” even though it may be a term of endearment during their time. We dun want our children to grow up thinking that they are smelly pigs, do we?

Learn:
Yes, everyday, I learn new things about my son and I think he learns new things about me too.

I learnt today that:

- He enjoys sleeping on that blue bouncer because it is airy.

- Always feed formula if not enough milk. Dun cheng qiang. I cheng qiang from 4am till 4pm in the afternoon and in the end? My son the super persuader won and I am glad he did. I managed to get time to finish a few tasks and write this blog too ;)

Teach:
Everyday, I will teach and educate my son. I believe in early childhood education aka 0 age education.

I will sing to him the alphabet song and sing 10 little Indian boys to him. I also make him count along with me when I count the number of Vitality Plus ( a health food I take) I have to take for the day.

I teach him to sing children’s songs and teach him where his eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet are.

I also teach him morals, ethics and manners by explaining to him the facts of life and how he can become a better person.

I also give him physical training. Currently, I am teaching him to sit up. So far so good. He can last upright with some support from me for as long as 5 seconds. Not bad for a 5 week old huh? ;)

Monitor:
VERY IMPORTANT!
- Did baby poop?
- Did baby pass urine?
- Is feeding time past?
- Are diapers washed and dry?
- Is he sneezing too much?
- Is he running a fever?
- Is he sleeping enough?

Motivate:
Whenever he does something I like. I smile and laugh at him and tell him he is the best. He especially likes it when I say he is CLEVER, HANDSOME and claps his hands. Never fails to smile whenever I do that.

With so many things to do everyday, I really wonder how some mummies hold full time jobs man.

Monday, August 01, 2005

1+1 = 3?

I believe strongly now that there is a SPECIAL reason why god made it such that only man + woman = baby.

Just why do we need a daddy and a mummy before we can have a baby leh?

The answer is staring right into my face!

These few days have been tough.


I have been waking up frequently in the night and my menstrual cycle has decided to restart itself. Maybe my body forgot that the baby is already out and is continuing to make a lot of food.

I am losing so much blood and suffering from lack of sleep so bad that when people talk to me, I can’t think or even react!

Thank god for my hubby!

That is why 1 + 1 will equal 3 you know! So that we can take turns to get zonked out and rest. Because of hubby, me managed to sleep at like 11pm instead of 2am. Because of hubby, me even can take afternoon naps.. because of hubby, instead of waking at 7am like my kid does, i can sleep till 9.. isnt he a wonderful man?!:)

Over the weekend, I had a lot of help from him. I now certify him qualified daddy and house husband because he can:


- Feed baby (obviously not from the breast lah)
- Burp Baby
- Bath Baby
- Wash clothes
- Fold clothes (including diapers ok!:P)
- Mop Floor
- Vacuum
- Go grocery shopping with me and carry all the groceries

All these… while he holds a full time job and manages a part time business.

Isn’t he GREAT?:P

And by the way, because of him, i am able to find time and energy to write this. Haha.. I hereby will like to thank my hubby, Max... Thanks for being the greatest hubby and daddy in the world. I wouldnt know wat to do without you! *HUGZ*


you should thank him too :) (If you enjoy reading my blog that is...)