Year End Rendition

Another year is scuttling to a close in just 2 days. Last I remembered, I was about 13 weeks pregnant sometime this time last year.

Time has certainly flew by, faster than I imagined it to be. As it turned out, 2010 has been nothing short of being a very eventful year where I spent more than half of the time being uncomfortably pregnant.

From a trip to KL and Bali to rocking away in Concerts of Green Day and Muse, to having witness the protest from political crisis in our own backyard, to being evacuated out of our home MIB style with 3 cats in tow, to being hospitalized for food poisoning, to having a baby and embarking on mommydom while working full-time as well as everything else in between.

Everything happened so fast. Where has all the time gone? More than 5 years in Thailand, and almost 2 years of blogging and all in all, by far, 2010 has proven to be one of the more life-changing years I have ever experienced. It almost felt surreal.

Indeed, what an exciting year 2010 has been! I can only imagine 2011 is gonna be a lot more challenging and exciting.

To those who have followed my blog, contributed contents for my musings, provided comments and feedback, thanks so much for your readership and contribution.

From us here, I hope that you have had a fantabulous holiday season and that 2011 will bring you all the happiness, prosperity, health and everything else in between which you ever wanted! On that, I’m reminded of a quote I really loved from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:

"For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit... start whenever you want... you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again"

Have a blissful and prosperous new year everyone!

Dress in the window

Okay. So I am one of those females who do not enjoy shopping. If anything, I cannot stand the thought of it. Window shopping is not something I would enjoy and shopping has never been my thing. Period.

In fact, unless necessary, I would rather spend the entire day at the zoo rather than negotiate my way in a crowded mall. Such is my sentiments to shopping in general; hence my general lack of attention for merchandise in the shops.

However, if I happened to see something I like, my modus operandi is usually stop-look-see; and if I really like it, I’d do a quick-quick try-pay for it- get the hell out imeediately! If I have to queue for too long in trying to pay for it, I might change my mind and come back for it another day (or not!).

It so happened recently that what appeared like a tailor shop at the corner street of our apartment had a rather pretty looking dress on display which caught my eyes. As far as I am concerned, the shop has been there forever. I passed by it often, and this is one of those rare times when I kind of fell in love with the dress at the window display with each passing day.

Convinced that I really wanted the dress, I made my way into the shop one morning only to be greeted with a rather unfriendly yet puzzled face. Undeterred, I asked the lady in my best pidgin Thai what is the price tag of the dress so I could try it and purchase it immediately. My request was met with not only the most unfriendly “no,no,no,” I have ever had in my life, but also with a rather annoyed shove out of the store! I even had to inch backwards towards the door (and I was only about a meter into the shop) as she hastily moved forward as if to let me know I was not welcome when I asked if she could tailor it for me!

I was a very willing paying potential customer, but she acted as if she did not want my patronage ever! It was the strangest moment.

It makes me wonder if the shop is just a front for something dubious.

I still like the dress, though. Why do they put something up with the intention of not selling it? Perhaps I should try again another time.

Mothers & Daughters

I love these shots candidly captured by Silver Bullet when we were at the Bird Park the other day.

A moment of three generations still-framed in time.

Jurong Bird Park

To be able to leisurely squeeze in a half day trip to Jurong Bird Park was such a treat. It was just the perfect thing to do for my Mom to spend more time with Spud and round-up our Singapore trip before we headed back to Bangkok.

The Jurong Bird Park has a collection of more than 8,000 birds from 600 species, offers visitors an experience that is entertaining as well as educational. There are namely two things which highlight my day at the Bird Park – the “Fuji World of Hawks” Show and the World of Darkness!

Apart from parrots, I have a thing for the birds of prey. I am simply enthralled by them and I definitely can spend my time watching them for hours! One of my personal favourite since I was a child is the Snowy Owl. After all these years, the Snowy Owls are still thriving. And after all these years, they still mesmerize me! They really are one of the most beautiful creatures created by nature. So very mysterious, so very majestic.

Oh! What beauty those birds of prey are! I can only wish they are the cuddly kind!

Some awesome shots from Silver Bullet's lens. Check out the Snowy Owl (3rd pic).
 

Satisfied Wrap-wearers

Both Silver Bullet and my Mom have recently taken to The Wrap.

They like it for its sense of weighlessness and the comfort it provides with such simple twist and turn of the cloth, while keeping Spud warm, cozy and snug. Silver Bullet also mentioned that at times, he forgets that he is wearing a baby just because The Wrap made Spud feels so light.

I guess I now have more members added on to my personal baby wearing club : One Papa-Wrapper and One Grandma-Wrapper. How awesome is that! :D

Zoo-crazy

I only have fond memories of the Singapore Zoo and I remember my parents taking us there every now and then when we were kids to go gawk at animals for the day. To date, the Singapore Zoo (or the Night Safari or the Bird Park for that matter) remained one of my more favourite places to be to while away the day if I have the time.

Being back in Singapore last week gave us an excuse to go on a day-trip to the Singapore Zoo. I don’t mean to be biased here, but really, Singapore has got one of the best zoos in the world! It is an open zoo concept with more than 315 species of animals, which include about 16% endangered and threatened species. The animals are very well taken care off and mostly kept in large landscaped enclosures. In fact, it has earned many names and fame in the field of wildlife conservation and has been the proud recipients of many prestigious awards!

If I would still be living in Singapore, I bet we would be at the zoo at least once every month, with Spud in tow! While the zoo excursion was more for us than for Spud, we figured it is also a good way to start integrating the love for animals into her life. The zoo is a very stroller friendly place, and really! what better way to spend the day together gawping at animals with the loved ones!

While my favourite exhibits are that of the cats, especially the White Bengal Tigers and the monkeys, I noticed Spud’s favourite exhibit throughout the excursion were her feet and the harness on her stroller. It was quite a shame that she was not really up for the Night Safari (yet!).

The Singapore Zoo is certainly one of those places you will not want to miss when you visit Singapore. It is such a joy to be back home for just a little bit.

Here are some images from the lens of Silver Bullet’s:

Old find

Look what I found in the aisle of our local supermarket?

Ta-daaaaaaaaa!

I know they are not the healthiest of beverages, but it has been a while since I last had any of these babies! And, Cherry Coke...how long ago was THAT again?

"Cukur Rambut"

The proud grandparents in Singapore hosted the “Cukur Rambut” or Hair Shaving ceremony especially for Spud in conjunction with our visit back home last week. The ceremony was held on the same day as the “Kenduri Doa Selamat” (aka Thanksgiving Feast), symbolical of saying grace for the arrival of a healthy baby.

Apparently, such a ceremony will generally coincide with the end of the confinement period (pantang) observed by the new mother, which lasts between 40 and 44 days. (I was not following the confinement that strictly). But because of logistical issues – we being in Bangkok with no other family members in sight – Spud’s “Cukur Rambut” was postponed till we could make it back to Singapore.

The "Cukur Rambut” began in the afternoon where prayers were recited or sung (also known as marhaban or berzanji), with a reading from the Quran by the marhaban group. After about an hour or so, the new father, in this case, Silver Bullet, had to carry Spud to each person who will snip off a lock – usually done by grandparents, family or members of the marhaban group and religious leaders. It is customary (though not compulsory) for those who do the honours to present the baby with a little gift in cash or kind. The locks are put into a bowl of water. In some families, it is also customary to weigh the locks and donate its weight in gold (or the cash equivalent) to the poor and needy. As custom has it, the cut hair is then buried once the ceremony ends. (I forgot to ask my mom what they actually did with the hair at the end of the ceremony!)

As soon as the ceremony ended, guests were served with food and drinks, and presented with the quintessentially Malay bunga telur (a hard boiled egg enclosed within a single flower) as a party favour.

As I learnt, hair shaving is not peculiar to the Malays. In fact, the Chinese and Hindus also carry out Hair Shaving as a symbol of cleansing. For the Malay community, the “Cukur Rambut” is regarded as an important rite of passage and is very much seen as an occasion for the extended family to come together, renew bonds and welcome the new baby into the clan.

Introduced Spud to my side of the clan we did! While many people were really happy to have finally met our little baby, Spud initially seemed a tad overwhelmed by noise and the sheer number of people giving her the attention.She got somewhat bothered and cranky while trying to find some solace on her Papa's cushioned-chest.

As the crowd dispersed by the end of the day, her mood tremendously improved. She then spent a good 2 solid hours playing with random strangers in a private corner of her grandparents’s place where she can roll about freely to her hearts content. It was clear that she has a preference for a one-on-one attention with one or two people rather than many people at once.

As more guests headed for home, Yai-yi finally managed to get some private moments to spend some quality time with his first grand-daughter. From the looks of it, they seemed to have exchanged a lot of conversation pieces for at least an hour between each other!

 

Spud's first flight

I don’t know how many times I have bitched about getting on the plane and having to sit next to a bawling baby (ies) for the entire flight. Not only would I bitch about it, I would also give the mega evil, evil eyes to the parents in question. In my mind, I questioned the parents for having the audacity to bring their too young to travel and annoyingly precious babies on board the plane. In fact, I would not think twice giving these parents a piece of my mind if they cannot shut their wailing babies up. Wailing babies in the plane riled me up. Big time. Silver Bullet shared the same sentiments.

That was before I became a mom.

That was before we experienced parenthood and travelling with a baby ourselves.

And now, it was us who received the evil, evil eyes from fellow passengers on the plane when we travelled to and from Singapore recently. If.looks.could.kill.

I swear, seeing those exasperated expressions was enough for me to want to come up front and publicly apologise to everyone for the inconvenience we were about to (and) cause(d) them. You have no idea how bad I felt! I am now on the other side of the fence and I wished the ground would open up and swallow me in as soon as Spud became inconsolable.

While Spud did fall asleep the moment we cleared Thai immigration, we continued to be hopeful that Spud would sleep in her very first plane trip whilst in the air. After all, don’t they always say that the sound of the engine tend to soothe most babies?

We know by now that Spud is no “most babies”. Soothing it was not and Spud did not do too well in the plane. On both journeys, she created a ruckus almost throughout the entire flight time, refusing to nap; managing only about half an hour on the way back to Bangkok. Both Silver Bullet and I had to take turns to not only have our meals but to also rock her in our arms within the small spaces in the aisle we could find to calm her down. Her temper tantrums worsened as the flight descended, mainly attributing to the fact that her ears must have hurt loads from the pressure. Poor kiddo!

In truth, there was really nothing we could do. She refused to feed and would not get out of her crying fit no matter how much we tried to calm her down. We could only feel sorry – both for her and fellow passengers. (We found out later that there was some kind soul who felt sorry for us!) Good thing is, all three of us survived the flight.

So. I take back all the dagger eyes and nasty comments I ever made about parents travelling with a wailing baby. I did not know any better than. There must certainly be valid reasons as why parents have to travel with a young baby. Most of the time, I reckon it is something which they just have to do - whatever their reasons may be. Perhaps, it is not so much about feeling sorry for the parents per se, but rather, more for the helpless babies.

And, if you happen to see us and Spud on a plane next to you next time, please do be gentle with us. Know that we have been and will try our best to keep our baby quiet to the very best of our ability so you (as well as us) will have a pleasant flight ahead.

Trust me. We also want some peace and quiet no more than you do.

Here is one picture just for the record: Spud's first stamp on her passport!

Baby Talk?

I don't know if Baby Einstein had unwittingly made a deadly error in the way the English was being written here, or it is meant to be some sort of baby talk. But thinking about it and having lived here for a while, it is something so commonly found or said in the form of Tinglish.

Just what the heck is "Pull for try me"?!

Only in Thailand.

(Wonder if Baby Einstein brand is gonna do anything about it!)

Calvin & Hobbes

In the spirit of Christmas...

The Wrap in Review

These days I have been rather busy experimenting with The Wrap whenever I get the chance to wear Spud. While I did say that The Wrap does look a little daunting to me at the very first sight, I must say that I had lots of fun figuring out the various ways of tying it, and then being able to wear Spud in it. I actually enjoyed trying to master the art of using The Wrap that I literally squealed in delight when I was able to tie it without referring to the instruction booklet that came with my purchase.

After researching about wraps, I specifically opted for wraps made from woven fabric. They usually have a little stretch from the weave - enough 'give' to be comfortable and flexible, but they aren't as stretchy as the stretchy wraps, and hence sturdier. I bought mine from an online site, Didymos. I discovered 2 days later by accident that had I known any better, I could have also gone to a more geographically closer site based in Singapore and not have to wait for 2 weeks for the shipment to arrive.

By now, I am proud to say that I have mastered at least 3 out of the more than 10 ways of tying The Wrap per the instructions given with my purchase. It did take some practice – not only just being able to tie it right, but finding out which tying method is most comfortable for both Spud and me as well.

I found The Wrap to be very versatile and I like the fact that I can “customise” the carrier as it suits me. Come to think of it, the baby wrap carrier is one of the few traditional baby carriers that survived generations without much alteration to its original design of just being a single piece of cloth! I have come to understand that it provides many advantages that pale many modern baby carriers in the market today.

The Wrap is so comfy that I now consider it as another favourite next to my Mei-Tai. Even Spud seems to enjoy being carried in it. She took to The Wrap in no time at all.

I. The Double Cross Carry

This carry tied without knots and the flat fabric on the back is very comfortable to wear especially for leaning back comfortably.



II. The Wrap Cross Carry

Spud is held by three bands of fabric - one running horizontally, two others running diagonally across its back and supporting it.

Gripe Water

My mom first introduced me to Gripe Water when she visited 2 weeks after Spud was born, hauling 2 bottles of Woodword’s from Singapore. She told me that I should always keep this handy “just in case”. While I am not completely adverse to alternative remedy, I admit that I was a little skeptical of its uses since the concept was alien to me at that time.

I mean, what’s with the Gripe Water?! Why in the world would you feed that to a baby? (OK! What do I know; I was just a 2 week old mother then)

Now I swear by it.

When all else fails, it appears that administering 5 ml of Gripe Water to Spud works wonders! In fact, there were many a time when Spud managed to calm down within minutes of consuming it after fussing for a while in the wee hours of the night. That 5ml of miracle also managed to keep Spud asleep for a little while longer and in a few rare occasions, throughout the night.

It usually works at least 3 out of 4 times, and, the times it did not work was when Spud decided to spit everything out, and we could not continue giving it to her just because she got way too cranky.

I don’t know what it is about dill seed and bicarbonate soda (Gripe Water’s active ingredients), but the effect it had on Spud certainly made me a believer of its “super power” on babies. It apparently gives relief from wind pains as well as digestive upsets during teething periods.

It is, however, not something I would use on a daily basis, but certainly a handy thing to have for when “a-push-comes-to- shove-situation” arises. (Actually, I would love to use it daily if it means that I will get Spud sleeping through the night; but let’s not go there!)

Gripe Water has indeed lived up to its claim of being an “effective nursery standby and important to mothers”. I guess this is just one of the many illustrations of a Mom handing over her mommy wisdom to her daughter who is now a mommy.

While I haven’t seen any Gripe Water being sold in Thailand, I do know that for Gripe Water, Woodword’s one of the more trusted brands for mothers around the world. That being said, I guess it pays to be careful when buying Gripe Water since there are just too many copies of Gripey Waters out there!

Four Months

No mugshot this time round!

Spud turned 4 months yesterday, and seeing her development in her own little ways has been quite phenomenal indeed. I guess she is developing as every baby should, but it certainly is  awfully nice to see her responding to her name, turning her head to the sound of the voices calling her, and then look at you with a goofy smile. Seeing her go crazy ga-ga is very heart-warming when she sees the toys she likes, eyes wide and bright; legs kicking in excitement and arms flailing all over the place.

She has been rolling over one way, trying very hard to grab her legs and put her toes in her mouth (she almost succeed!). Every so often, she wants to sit up and her face gets all red in each of her attempts to do so before she gets cranky out of frustration. Many a time, we discovered that she managed to turn onto her stomach when she is asleep. She just moves around in circles within her cot, and hardly ever wakes up the same way she sleeps! We observed that she is quite capable of watching TV for at least half an hour if left alone; leaving us wondering if we are doing the right thing by introducing the tele to her at such a young age!  These days, she tends to babble a lot when you have a one-on-one conversation with her, and she gets annoyed if you ignore her.

I don’t really know what else babies do at this age, but Spud got me line, hook and sinker when she would immediately turn to look for me whenever she hears the sound of my voice, her head straight up and eyes in full alert, following me everywhere the moment I walk in the door and start babbling away.

She still does not like tummy time, but tolerates it just a tad longer.

She has also discovered the cats, and when she sees Fudge, she can’t resist but reach out to her, trying to grab and squeeze the hell of whatever she can reach. While Andy and Donut stayed well away, Fudge tolerates her and shift only that little bit more out of Spud’s reach.

It must be a bummer to be a baby - all the things to see and do, and yet constraint by not being able to do them.

I can’t wait for her to start sitting up on her own!

Peachyness

is sinking my teeth in sinful looking, but heavenly tasting desserts consisting of a cream eclair, some hazelnut chocolate mousse cake and something that's just very berry...

I simply could not peel myself away from the glass display of the Mandarin Oriental Shop after seeing them at breakfast and since contemplating of which one to get was such a waste of time, I decided to get all three just because they looked so good.

I walked away with 3 pieces of yummy looking treats and NO cognitive dissonance.

And Oh.My.God. They tasted so awfully good I just melted away and became gooeyfied after every single bite that I can die!

Bedtime routine

If there is just one thing we did right when we became new parents almost 4 months ago, it was to start Spud on a bedtime routine when she was roughly about 3 weeks old.

I don’t know what made us decide to embark on it, but I guess after a rough start, we both wanted just a teeny weenie bit of normalcy so as to be able to cope better. It still is one of the smartest decisions we ever made. Since then, (I’ll probably be jinxing it by mentioning this!), we have been able to have a sit-down dinner T.O.G.E.T.H.E.R and then wind down for the night before we go to bed 2-3 hours later.

A typical bedtime routine for Spud is like this:

6.30 pm:

• Sponge bath and change to her PJ
• Walk around the house to say goodnight to the nanny, the three cats and her toys
• Transfer her to the bedroom where the lights are dimmed
• Turn on her lullaby
• Swaddle (we did this till she was about 3 months old, after which it became an impossible task as she demonstrated her silent, but violent objection to it by strongly wriggling like worm)
• Feed (We stopped feeding her milk in the room before bedtime once we introduced her to solids, as she'll have her milk right after dinner)
• Place her in her own cot
• Read her a book (when she is not too cranky) - Since she was 10 months old, she tolerates the book better, and would insist that we read it to her firstbefore putting her in bed.
• Kiss and say goodnight
• Close the door behind us

7pm

• She is usually out cold

Sometimes, Spud will fall asleep at the breasts when she is being fed. Other times, she does not want to be fed and will flash her silly grins to tell you that she is still wide awake, in a fairly good mood and not really ready for bed (Although, we can tell she’s spent!). Sometimes she is a sea of calmness or at times, decides that she’d be better off fussing away to keep her parents occupied.

We never know with this child.

But while we follow her cues, we have also exercised some tough love when we put her down for bed. This is usually the time when we let her cry and put her on our 10-minute rule. Chances are, if she is still crying when we close the door behind us, she tends to stop well within the 10 minutes frame. When she appears wide awake and isn’t crying, she is able to fall asleep on her own after we leave the room.

We initially started her bedtime routine as early as 5pm and even as late as 8.30pm; but tweaked it over time till we found a time which worked for both Spud and us. It did take us some time, patience and consistency to get it right.

Since we stuck to our guns and conscientiously abide by the routine, over time, Spud got used to her evening ritual and knows that it’s bedtime. She still pushes her luck and fusses away every now and again, refusing to go to bed; but unlike her daytime naps, she ultimately succumbs to a deep slumber quite quickly for hours at a stretch.

This is also the time when we go “phew!”;  and for me, it is the bestest part of the evening. It does not mean I love her any less; it’s just that nothing beats the “oh! I-finally-can-wind-down and be an adult again” feeling.

That few hours of peace and quiet allow us to have the much needed “us” time which may otherwise be forgotten. It is possibly the most important part of the day where we catch up with each other’s day, then talk about Spud and how her poo looks like over dinner, watch some TV and just couch it out.

That  “phew" is also much more loaded that that – for us, it is a reminder that we have painstakingly survived yet another day of parenthood, and regardless of how trying it can be, we know in our hearts that everything will somehow, be alright.

Package from Deutschland

The long-awaited package has arrived!

Yep. I've done it. Without guilt and armed with nothing but a strong will, I have gone online and decided to throw caution in the wind, and subsequently burnt a hole in my pocket by purchasing that 5-meter piece of cloth a few weeks ago.

With that, my research for The Wrap has ended - thanks to a (forgotten) pamphlet I found tucked in a souvenir bag which I received from volunteering at the Baby Wearing Week a couple of months ago.

I'm beaming with excitement as I unwrapped the package to examine my buy. Am so happy with what I'm seeing that I cannot wait to try use it and review it.

Watch this space for a review on yet another type of carrier soon!

Breast Pump in Review

While my experience includes racking up more than 350x worth of pumping sessions over the last 3 months with at least 10-15 mins per session, I have, so far, only been familiar with one brand and type of breast pump.

Breast pump as a device was not something I initially gave much thought about to be honest. In fact, I dreaded thinking about having to buy a breast pump just because it seemed so intimidatingly complicated. I mean, there were all sorts of pumps and brands available and how do I know which one is the right one? Besides, those things can be so hideously expensive! It really was far too much to think about for my little can’t-be-bothered pregnant brain then.

All I knew was that if I ever needed one, and, being the lazy fart that I am, I’d want an electric breast pump. So, when my mom offered to get one as a gift for me, I really could not be more thankful! It was a welcome break since I have absolutely no idea what are available in the market, and till now, I don’t really have the patience to go research about it.

My mom has a knack of finding something of superior quality and will not think twice if she has to pay a premium for it. Knowing how she’d go about with buying such things, I completely entrusted her with her choice of investment. (Disclaimer: I have absolutely no influence over her decision.)

That’s when I got the Medela Freestyle® Breastpump.

Like I said, it is the only pump I know, and so there really is nothing else I could benchmark to. I remember regarding it with a certain level of uneasiness when I first saw it with all its parts loose. It did look rather intimidating for use, but once assembled (thanks to my geeky husband who could tell the pieces apart, and which goes where!) it actually looked pretty neat. I was surprised at how compact the pump really is and how it snugly fits in the palm of my hands.

Style and function wise, I really have no complaints about the product. What is cool about it is that the pump is designed to mimic the 2 distinct phases of how babies breastfeed – The Stimulation Phase (fast and light sucking to start milk flowing) followed by the Expression Phase (slow, stronger sucking for more and faster milk flow).

It also has a memory feature that lets you set the different levels for each of the two phases of pumping - a function which I hardly use.Apparently, it also remembers how long it took for you to "let down"! (haven't quite figured that one out yet)

I like the double pump bit as it saves me a lot of time rather than having to pump just one breast at a time. I can even do it hands-free if I like by using the accessories that come with it, although, so far, I haven’t had a need for that. Along with other accessories, it also comes with a handy cooler bag for storage with a contoured ice-pack, making it suitable for working women to tote it along when on-the-go.

This is one pump that is suitable for daily use and robust enough for multiple uses throughout the day. It is pretty idiot proof and contrary to the instructions I received from other experienced moms-who-pump to always, always sterilise the pump after every use, the manufacturer's instructions says that I will only need to sterilize the pump once a day; but ensure that the loose bits be rinsed with hot water and wiped clean after every use. After scouring for tips on pumping, this little instruction of sterilizing once a day came as a very useful and workable tip for me.

I almost fainted when my mom (unwillingy!) revealed its price tag. It was quite a hefty investment, but looking back at how well the Medela Freestyle® Breastpump has served me in the last 3 months, it is definitely worth every penny. It certainly is extremely useful, sturdy and very working-mother friendly.

Thank you, Mom!

Making friends

Spud and Fudge has started to get acquainted more often these days as Fudge could not resist cosying up to this strange looking looking human whenever she can.

Fudge is always nearby when Spud's in her play mode; athough she seems to trudge along carefully around her. Somehow I think these two are probably going to be best friends sooner than later..

All in a day's worth

Our entire apartment building had a major power cut for the whole day of yesterday as mandated by the authorities just so they can proceed with some maintenance work to “ensure that safety measures are met”. Out of the several apartment buildings in our soi, only our building was short-listed. Funny how they insisted on having these safety checks by cutting off all electricity that passes through this building while there are yards and yards of live cable wire with colossal thickness are lined up along our soi, dangling in plain view right above our heads.

But that does not matter, because when the Thai authorities ordered a decree, there is no defying their logic and so, mote it shall be!

While they did inform us about it a few days earlier of the impending power cut which was to happen from 830 am – 6.30 pm on a weekday, I still think it was not the smartest thing to do. I thought, as logic has it, the duration of the power cut was way too long and granted that while most people tend to be at work, these smart-arses seemed to forget that there are babies and nannies still left in the building.

Perhaps these smart-arses forget that nannies and babies are human and that they surely can be left to rot for 10 solid hours in a humid, stuffy apartment. Oh! Never mind about the frozen foods thawing away and perishables being thrown away too! They are, after all, not their problem.

So when I got a missed call from our Nanny whilst I was in training, I just knew things were not looking too good at home, as the basic comforts are compromised. Good thing we were prepared to expect the worse, and as soon as I got back in touch with her, Nanny and baby were ready to look me up at the hotel where my training was held. Half an hour later, she was at the lobby with Spud, Spud’s tote-bag and lo and behold! The cat’s bag!

Puzzled as I was, I swear she had me convinced she also brought along the cats! When I said I did not quite expect the cats as well, she had a quizzical look on her face. She was confused as to what I was talking about and then told me that she had to pack the expressed milk with the ice packs and so, seeing that there were three of those bags, she felt there was no harm using one of them since they look like a cooler bag to her.

Her response was so originally cute, I had to laugh! She was so earnest about it and I felt that I was partly to blame for not telling her earlier what those bags were for and where the original cooler bags were stored. I did not mean to embarrass her, but I was glad she was not offended when I highlighted to her that those bags were actually for each of the cats. She took it in her stride, apologized profusely and then had a hearty laugh about it.

I don’t quite know how the other families with babies cope, but not surprisingly, I heard several babies went into a crying fit throughout the entire time. One of the neighbours I bumped into this morning told me that it was super horrible for her. I imagine it to be worse for infants!

In the end, it worked out well. I was glad that by pure coincidence I happened to be at some fancy hotel for training. Getting them to come to the hotel was the right thing to do since the hotel offered a much better condition than having to battle through and rot away in the furnace-like apartment. The staff of the hotel was also kind enough to offer one of their empty meeting rooms for Nanny and Spud while I was engaged in training down the hallway!

That being said though, I do think we now have one hell of a great nanny who can be counted upon when dealing with unexpected situation and take it all in her stride. I count our blessings for having a-so-far ridiculously awesome Nanny.

I'm only hoping that this 10 hour cutting of electricity is not going to happen again in the next few years!

Peachyness

is basking in the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season because it is now DECEMBER!

I can just smell that holiday spirit in the air. My heart is bubbling, my mind is swimming and my stomach gurgling. All in a good way as the excitement starts brewing.

My holiday mood has kicked in.

Broken sleeps

“Things are going to get better, and they will usually start sleeping through the nights after 3 months”

Or so they say. And bollocks! I’d say, with “after 3 months” being the operative words here.

It has now been more than 3 months and I have been praying and hoping and wishing that one fine night, Spud will magically begin to sleep through the night. Not for just one intermittent night when she thinks she feels like it, but every.single.night. whether. she.likes.it.or.not.

I was extremely hopeful that it should have happened already as Spud has been a rather ok night-sleeper since she was 2 weeks old; waking up, at most twice a night for a feed. For some reason though, she seems to be going in reverse at the 3 month mark.

In the last few weeks, she has mastered the art of giving us night after night after night of broken sleeps. Suddenly we are getting up every couple of hours again as she yelps, fusses and cry through the night. First it was the tummy ache, a result for not crapping for a few days; then came the diarrhea; then we thought she was teething and then it was something else. The point it, the assault to our much needed rest was relentless as we suffer from too many broken sleeps. I can tell that the lack of much needed, restful sleep has taken a toll on me.

The thing is, if Spud does not sleep well, neither do we! And, it’s not like she has a sense of whether it is a weekday or weekend, 4am or 6 am…

Funny thing is, even when she sleeps badly at night, she usually wakes up with a gargantuan smile in the morning. Call me crazy, but I do wonder if she is just taking the piss out of us. I mean, if I had not known any better that she’s just this tiny little baby with no sense of time, I could have sworn she did it on purpose just to torment us.

I have honestly been quite a wreck these days. The broken sleeps from Spud being a fuss-pot in the wee hours of the night at almost every hour are just not funny anymore. While it is frustrating and puzzling, I guess she must have her reasons for doing so. It does appear that she may just be practicing her new skills of being able to kick off the blanket, suck her fingers or rolling over or whatever skills that she wants to master at this stage. The only thing is, with every new skill that needs mastering, these broken sleeps could potentially last forever!

At the moment, my hope of Spud sleeping through the night looks bleak. I wonder how much longer this will last before I lose my mind. Perhaps, I should start embarking on some tough love!

The term “sleeping like a baby” is so misleading. I mean, Hello?! Have you seen how my baby sleep? Slap you purple!

The things I do these days

Pumping is my ritual. It is not just a commitment; it is sheer hard work which has to be accommodated into your daily life if an inexpensive and a healthy supply of nourishment is what you are after. It is a routine and I pump at least 4x a day while in the office.

Having to pump outside of home also means that I have to carry an extra load with me all the time. I HAVE to lug my pump everywhere I go these days. In fact, I need to carry 3 freaking bags when I go to the office – my handbag, my laptop bag and my breast pump bag.

3.freaking.bags.

They not only put a toll on my shoulders, those 3 bags; they also make me look like a weirdo. Seriously, who carries 3 different types of bags to the office and then shuttle to and (sometimes) from work on foot?

I’m refusing to work any later than necessary these days, trying my darnest to get home before Spud’s bedtime. Hence, I would absolutely hate it if I have to walk home lugging my 3 bags just because traffic isn’t going anywhere. If I get stuck in traffic while trying to get home, chances are, I will not see Spud till the next day. And I will be pretty bummed by it.

So, I try to get home in time and the only way for that to happen is for me to sometimes walk home when traffic becomes a standstill. It is, however, an extremely daunting task to go on foot, especially so in the evenings because that’s when the little tote-pump-bag gets heavier, as the cooler bag is filled up with sachets of expressed milk.

But I still try, by stumbling on home with those bags weighing on my shoulders, and panting away looking like a complete idiot, along with my sweaty no-make-up face and untrimmed hair all over the place to complete the picture, while cussing at traffic for blocking my way, as well as feeling annoyed at myself for not being able to walk any faster. Not the most glam sight!

How things have changed! It is not very often that I would go to great lengths such as this, you know. I mean, the pumping, the cleaning, the sterilizing, the storing, the lugging of extra weight…oh man!.

The things Spud made me do these days! And all that just for an endearing sight like this when I walk through the door; making all that effort all worth it.

(Yes, she can now stand with her feet flat on the floor for up to a minute if she's being supported!)

It's back!

Yes, my friends. That elusive Peppermint Mocha has finally re-appeared after 2 years of hiatus from the market. It was such a great beverage that I was surprised, not to mention very disappointed when they took the beverage off their list during the year end season for several years!

There's definitely something about this Peppermint Mocha drink. I'm so, so, so addicted to it that I would not mind having it every day if I can.

Just to be clear, I'm not exactly a big supporter of Starbucks. I think they are over-priced, a bloody rip-off, and I have known of better places that serve much better coffee than Starbucks ever did for a third the price. However, there are 2 things I can't quite find anywhere else as easily; and so patronising Starbucks is just a matter of convenience:

• They serve decaf
• They now have that Peppermint Mocha drink

I have been waiting for this particular drink to make a comeback for ages! And, I have yet to find another place that serves better Peppermint Mocha at half the price. So, in this case, it will my exception to the "no Starbucks coffee" rule.

Ahh! Peppermint Mocha. Have it cold or hot and I still think nothing else beats the splendour of this minty drink for that festive, year-end feeling. I can smell that holiday feeling already!

And, NO. I.am.not.sharing.my.cup.

Sit & Grab

Spud has been busy learning new tricks to amuse us parents in the recent weeks! These days, she has been able to lift herself up to a sitting position, and then pull herself up to stand on both of her feet when we hold her hands. I guess that is considered quite an achievement for a 3 and half months old baby, eh!

Here are just a few recent pictures, capturing her sitting up (albeit a little wobbly!) while trying to grab one of her foot on one hand, and balancing herself by grabbing my fingers on the other hand.

Spud hates tummy time, though. Put her on her stomach for a few minutes and she gets royally annoyed. I reckon she won't be crawling anytime soon if she hates being on her stomach!

The one with expressed milk

Sometimes I feel like a cow which has its udders perpetually strapped to a milking machine.

You see, pumping (breast milk) has become an absolute necessity for me now that I am back to work. It is, of course, a personal choice for me to provide Spud with exclusive breast milk for at least the first 6 months of her life, and, I am fully committed to make this work. This is especially so after the initial hiccups of having to supplement with formula in the initial stages where I was led to believe that I was not producing enough milk.

There has been a mantra I live by, after being told by several well-meaning experienced moms who support exclusive breastfeeding that, unless you are diagnosed with a terrible medical condition, there is no such thing as not having enough breast milk. And, as I learnt with breast milk, it is nothing but a supply and demand process. More nursing or pumping will result in a greater milk supply. If one consistently decrease nursing or pumping for several days, the overall milk supply will decrease and apparently, you can expect to see a lesser pumped output.

As such, keeping up my supply of breast milk is more of a challenge now that I am not able to feed on demand any longer. Granted, pumping is actually a hell lot of work! I used to get so obtusely frustrated and annoyed whenever I had to pump. Not only do you have to ensure that the bottles and pumping equipment are clean and sterilized, you also have to ensure that they are cleaned-up well after every pumping session. Do this for 10-15 minutes, up to 7x a day, every day just to keep up your milk supply, and it would be enough to drive anyone insane! Not the most fun thing to do in your spare time, I assure you.

It is still not the thing I enjoy doing most these days, but pumping has now become a daily ritual of mine that I guess I can easily do them while being blindfolded. What became an interesting find during that few weeks of ‘boot camp pumping’ before I was due to go back to work was how close the amount of pumped milk to Spud’s intake was.

Simply means, whenever Spud feeds from the bottle almost at the same time (+/- 1 hour lapse) when I pump, I noticed that the amount of pumped milk vs Spud’s intake were almost similar (+/- 5 ml). This was not a once off thing, but truly at almost every feed and pump session done in tandem! Isn’t the body just strangely amazing!

I used to scoff when I heard people saying (one of them being Silver Bullet telling me) that thinking of the baby and visualizing the baby suckling can help with increased flow of breast milk while pumping. I thought it was all complete bollocks; that is, until I gave it a go. For some reason unbeknown to me, it worked like a charm and I’ve got milk flowing like there was no tomorrow whenever I think of Spud while I pumped away!(in spurts, not the entire pumping time!)

Honestly, as graphic and icky as it sounds, I swear the breasts just got all full and engorged whenever there was a crying baby nearby; as if a signal for me to immediately feed every baby on the streets or go pump all the milk out.

I know what you are thinking; but cross my heart, hope to die that I am not exaggerating here. The body is truly amazing, and sometimes, these new experiences overwhelm me.

One thing for sure though: with all the pumping, bottle feeding and the occasional  breastfeeding I get to do nowadays (night feeds only and intermittently over the weekends), I’m quite certain there will be no major issue of weaning Spud off my breasts when the time comes. (Fingers cross!)

New toy: Meaning of life

There can never have too many remote controls in one household these days. You know, that little device with lots of buttons that can be used to control a machine or apparatus from a distance meant for lazy bums like us, and usually comes as a separate component with the TV, the DVD player, the fan, the stereo, the air-conditioner, the satellite or cable box, game console, amplifier…

You name it and they probably make a remote for every single household item you can think of! And that is how we ended up with at least 6 remote controls just for the living room. Just about 5 too many.

Not only do these devices take up lots of space, contributing to unnecessary coffee-table clutter and fast becoming an eye-sore with just too many of them, it is also difficult to keep up or sort through the dozens of different remotes for the various electronic equipment.

So we’ve had it with those darn remotes and decided to do something about it. We smashed them up, pull out all the colourful buttons, karate-chopped them into bits, put them all in a blender and then stuffed them into the microwave oven.

And then it was magic.

Enter the Universal Remote.

(Ok. Obviously I lied about what we did with all the remote controls we have…although there were times aplenty when I felt that way!)

So. This magical remote has been supremely god sent; thanks to my father-in-law who planted seeds of geeks into Silver Bullet’s already geeky head. I never realised that my father-in-law is a closet geek (sorry dad!) but I remember seeing how his face lighted up ever so LED-bright as he so passionately and animatedly told Silver Bullet about this nifty little device. Apart from the price, we needed little convincing. Within hours, he got Silver Bullet excitedly drooling (more than Spud ever did) over a piece of an electronic device that could potentially improve our way of life. All hook, line and sinker!

Within days, we had Silver Bullet scouring online and within weeks, this little device was sent to our home.

Enter the Logitech Harmony Advanced Universal Remote Control. It is so smart; it is the most fabulous thing on earth. (I have every reason to believe that was designed by a geek.) It is a one touch activity-based control where you can program up to 15 electronic devices in ONE remote. Believe it or not, that is really all it takes to watch TV or a DVD, listen to the radio, watch TV, play a game or turn on the fan. No more going through a bunch of remotes just to turn on the TV or spend precious 15 minutes figuring out what went wrong or most importantly spending hours explaining to guests how to work those remotes when we are not around.

The buttons can be customized for specific tasks. Backlighting is provided for the buttons as well as the LCD display. The remotes are also rechargeable via the charging station, with low battery notification available when in use.

Getting started is as easy as using the included USB cable to plug the remote into the computer. Then, all you have to do is enter the make and model numbers of the components you have and answer questions about your entertainment setup—like what components are needed for different activities, how everything is connected, and what input is needed for what.

Best of all for an idiot user like me, if, any other component(s) that may be required to use it (such as turning on a TV also when playing a DVD) is not turned on, you can just press a button for help. The device is so smart that it will start searching the set-up again. Once rectified, it will prompt you to answer with a “Did that solve your problem?” All you have to do is hit yes or no. If no, the device will continue to search for the problem and rectify the problem immediately.

Tell me that this isn’t the most intelligent thing ever! What I’d do without my closet geek father-in-law and my darling geeky husband, right! It has only been 3 days since we started using it, but its presence has already made its mark on us.

Super-dooper-yippee-yay! Now THAT is the meaning of life.

Stacked shelf

One of the better tips given to us by a know-it-all-new-parent to a soon-to-be-new parents (us) was to get a stacked shelf for our newborn baby. Although unsolicited, it turned out to be one of the better advices we got from random people.

It also was easily one of  "those things" which we don’t really think about when we were about to become parents. I have to say, for us, it worked like a charm as buying it was one of the best decisions we ever made. With so many baby items to store, this stacked shelf scores a perfect 10 for convenience and practicality, simply because it allows you to keep things handy for as and when you need them. It is also best to get those stacked shelf with rollers as then you can push it along with you everywhere you go around the house.

It is just so nifty to have around. I know without this, I will be driving myself mad if I have to run to the room every time Spud does a poo/pee, (which in combination, can be up to 12x a day), a spit-up, or just having to change clothes because she wets them while at it

It took us a while to find this shelf in Bangkok, and we finally managed to find one we like from Home Pro. We can’t be happier with the purchase. Certainly a great thing to have!

Quote of the day

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world"

So simple, so loaded. It is such a beautifully phrased sentence.

The lioness' den

The day-cot which we used to have, tucked in between the living room and dining area where Spud was once "displayed", has now been banished to Spud’s soon-to-be room.

While it was a convenient thing to have in Spud’s early days (we don’t have to shuttle between the bedroom and living room when she is awake) and a convenience for later (it is also a travel cot), we felt that with her developments in the recent weeks, she’d be better off not being in the cot in the day time.

So, just about 3 weeks ago, the day-cot has now been replaced with something else that is more appropriate for a developing baby. This Tiger-Leo baby now has her own “den”!

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like we are stuffing her in a cage like an animal or something. Rather this “den” allows her to have a little bit more freedom for acrobatics on the hard floor rather than on a squishy day-cot mattress. On top of that, it is a much safer alternative where she can be left on her own for a little while; yet allowing us to observe her from afar as we attend to other stuff. It also works with the cats as we don’t have to worry about those munchkins jumping into the cot and onto Spud when she is unsupervised.

Spud is actually much happier being in there where she can observe the world around her. It keeps her occupied for a little bit longer and her attempts at acrobats are no longer hampered by a squishy mattress!

Once in a while, you get the cats watching Spud from outside the "den". I have an inkling that they are just glad that they aren't the ones in it! And when this lioness roars...the cats will quickly make themselves scarce!

Flat shoes

I remember how my feet ached like crazy whenever I wore heels after the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy. The pain on my feet was so bad that it continued to throb long after I had taken off my shoes.

Being the katek* that I am, I actually shunned away from those flats mainly because of vanity. At only 155 cm tall, wearing heels was my way of deluding myself that I am “tall enough’, and if throbbing feet was the only price I had to pay for a decent height, so be it!

(Un)Fortunately, I could not last that long, as wearing heels really took a toll on me as my weight increased in proportion to the size of my pregnant tummy. I remember how the bottom of my feet would hurt to no end for days and days. So bad was the pain that I had to a switch (unwillingly, may I add!) to wearing flat shoes! And flats were my only mode of transport when I am out and about for many, many months. Until recently.

Now that I am no longer pregnant, I rejoiced at the thought of being able to wear all my heels and platform shoes, and finally feeling decently ‘tall’ once again. However, after a 9 hour work day in heels for several days, (and still trying to lose my pregnancy weight), my optimism and attachment to heels was met with some discomfort of aching and sore feet. My feet had undergone a very rude shock.

I guess I should screw it with vanity; I really should consider going back to flats. They can indeed be the most comfy shoes ever!

*Katek means shorty in Malay

Rainbow

Saw a partial rainbow on my way to work today. It has been a while since I last saw one, too. What a lovely sight to start the day!