Estelle's favourite new hobby ---- Play with her feet!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Trip To Bintan - Estelle in her Swimsuit
This is taken at the pool of Nirwana Resort. We went there last weekend. Estelle experienced her first dip at the pool, in her very own swimsuit. Isn't she just adorable!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
A Mother's Wish......on Mother's Day
This is the first time I get to celebrate Mother's Day for myself. So, I must blog one entry to mark the significance of this day, or rather, Motherhood.
Being a mother is indeed not easy, but somehow, when you become one, you just rise to the occasion without realising it. It's amazing, but I guess women are created with the capacity to deal with the challenges.
Gone are the days when I can just laze in bed all day, with a mag in hand, a TV remote in the other, totally indulging in laziness and justifying it as my well-deserved rest from a hectic week at work. Gone are also the days when a phone call could send me jolting out of my bed, and after a frenzy of putting on make-up and hopping into my jeans, I would zoom out to meet my friends for coffee. Gone are also the days when I just drop everything and pamper myself with a spa treat topped with a rejuvenating facial.
Actually, being a mother doesn't mean you stop doing all these. It just means you put yout child as the centre of your activities, and all the other things you used to do, you plan them around your child's schedule. The difference is that the child has become the big rock, all others being the sand.
However, the "sand" has increased in big quantities, as in the following:
1. Washing of baby's clothes, towels, blankets, bedsheet, etc twice a week
2. Expressing milk every 6 hourly (procedure takes 45min)
3. Washing and sterilizing milk bottles
4. Preparing the bath water, bathing baby, clearing of bath equipment, dressing and massaging baby
5. Clearing and disposal of dirty diapers
6. Feeding, burping
7. Changing diaper
8. Coaxing baby to sleep
9. Cleaning baby at night
10. Ensuring availability of hot water
11. Monitoring usage and supply of baby's necessities
12. Packing stuff during outing
on top of:
1. Washing laundry
2. Folding clothes and putting them in place
3. Cleaning and mopping the floor
4. Washing toilets
5. Tidying up the place
6. Tidying up kitchen (sink, drainer, cabinets, fridge)
7. Washing sofa covers, bedsheets
8. Vacuuming the carpet
9. Tidying up study table
10. Shutting windows at night
11. Tidying up walk-in-wardrobe
12. Throwing the rubbish (Must walk out to corridor)
13. Clearing mails, sorting and filing
14. Boil water for drinking
15. Paying bills
16. Clearing up mess made by husband (put away his shoes, his clothes, skin of oranges he ate, tissue paper he used, his watch, his ring, his wallet, his socks, remote control, his bag, his EVERYTHING)
17. Taking care of husband (serve him drink, switch off tv for him, blah blah blah)
on somemore top of:
The one million, six hundred and fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and severty-five things at work
and on even-somemore top of:
Taking care of myself in the following ways:
1. Eat nourishing food
2. Watch my carbo, fat and sugar intake
3. Lose weight
4. Face (no time for facial)
5. Nails, ingrown (Did 2 pedicure so far)
6. Hair
7. Eyes (plus contact lens)
8. Drink water
9. A lot more
Thank goodness I don't have to cook. I have a great Mum!
All I wish for this Mothers' Day, is a husband who can help me out at home on his own, without me having to nag, so that I can breathe.
Oh yes, and world peace.
Thank you.
Being a mother is indeed not easy, but somehow, when you become one, you just rise to the occasion without realising it. It's amazing, but I guess women are created with the capacity to deal with the challenges.
Gone are the days when I can just laze in bed all day, with a mag in hand, a TV remote in the other, totally indulging in laziness and justifying it as my well-deserved rest from a hectic week at work. Gone are also the days when a phone call could send me jolting out of my bed, and after a frenzy of putting on make-up and hopping into my jeans, I would zoom out to meet my friends for coffee. Gone are also the days when I just drop everything and pamper myself with a spa treat topped with a rejuvenating facial.
Actually, being a mother doesn't mean you stop doing all these. It just means you put yout child as the centre of your activities, and all the other things you used to do, you plan them around your child's schedule. The difference is that the child has become the big rock, all others being the sand.
However, the "sand" has increased in big quantities, as in the following:
1. Washing of baby's clothes, towels, blankets, bedsheet, etc twice a week
2. Expressing milk every 6 hourly (procedure takes 45min)
3. Washing and sterilizing milk bottles
4. Preparing the bath water, bathing baby, clearing of bath equipment, dressing and massaging baby
5. Clearing and disposal of dirty diapers
6. Feeding, burping
7. Changing diaper
8. Coaxing baby to sleep
9. Cleaning baby at night
10. Ensuring availability of hot water
11. Monitoring usage and supply of baby's necessities
12. Packing stuff during outing
on top of:
1. Washing laundry
2. Folding clothes and putting them in place
3. Cleaning and mopping the floor
4. Washing toilets
5. Tidying up the place
6. Tidying up kitchen (sink, drainer, cabinets, fridge)
7. Washing sofa covers, bedsheets
8. Vacuuming the carpet
9. Tidying up study table
10. Shutting windows at night
11. Tidying up walk-in-wardrobe
12. Throwing the rubbish (Must walk out to corridor)
13. Clearing mails, sorting and filing
14. Boil water for drinking
15. Paying bills
16. Clearing up mess made by husband (put away his shoes, his clothes, skin of oranges he ate, tissue paper he used, his watch, his ring, his wallet, his socks, remote control, his bag, his EVERYTHING)
17. Taking care of husband (serve him drink, switch off tv for him, blah blah blah)
on somemore top of:
The one million, six hundred and fifty-seven thousand, nine hundred and severty-five things at work
and on even-somemore top of:
Taking care of myself in the following ways:
1. Eat nourishing food
2. Watch my carbo, fat and sugar intake
3. Lose weight
4. Face (no time for facial)
5. Nails, ingrown (Did 2 pedicure so far)
6. Hair
7. Eyes (plus contact lens)
8. Drink water
9. A lot more
Thank goodness I don't have to cook. I have a great Mum!
All I wish for this Mothers' Day, is a husband who can help me out at home on his own, without me having to nag, so that I can breathe.
Oh yes, and world peace.
Thank you.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Great-Grandma with the Kiddos
Today we went to have dim sum to celebrate my mum's birthday. After the great lunch, we dropped by Grandma's place to see her. She was very happy to see us and the little ones. This photo captured her looking so radiant and healthy (she's 81 years old, mind you!), totally happy with the great grandchildren crowding around her. This is such a blissful sight!
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Estelle is 2 and a half months old!
My baby has turned 2 and a half months old. She's now able to hold her head up, and now she favours propping up instead of cradle. She is cooing a lot, making lots of funny sounds. Last night, she surprised me with 2 distinct chuckles! She's been trying to turn over onto her tummy. She's pretty well-behaved, only cries for feed. Sometimes, when she's bored, she will also cry for attention. Other than these, she doesn't make a lot of noise. Nowadays, she's able to sleep through the night. With the last feed at 11pm, she's able to last till 7am. Compared to her first months of 2 feedings in the night, this is really remarkable. I get to sleep!The most lovable thing about her is, she smiles and laughs a lot a lot! When people talk to her, she responds with coos, and then if she likes you, she will smile widely. Of course, her favourite person is me, as she'll always smile at me when she sees me. She's shown signs of recognising people. She recognises her daddy, and the grandparents. Because she smiles so much, it's very hard not to like her. :)
Bathing is Estelle's favourite activity. She loves to be cleaned and pampered. After bathing, I'll usually massage baby lotion into her delicate skin. She super loves that! At night, before I put her to bed, I'll give her a good wipe and change her into fresh pyjamas, and that 15 minutes of work not only makes her feel good, it bonds us as well. Of course, she'll get another round of massage, and then after feeding, she'll knock out till next morning.
I just love my baby soooooooooo much. Muak!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Friday, February 17, 2006
Estelle's Daddy
I'd like to dedicate this space for a very important person. From the very day the second line showed on the pregnancy kit, he was there with me, participating in my pregnancy in every way he could.
In the early part of my pregnancy, I had a very bad headache once, and he took care of me, putting hot and cold towel on my head to make me feel better. The diarrhoea episode was even more trying. I had the runs the entire night till dawn, and the minute the first ray of sunlight hit the earth, he called up Dr Lee and went running to the pharmacy to get me medication. For the one or two times I had extra craving for Tiramisu, he drove out late at night to get it for me.
Every check-up at the clinic was a celebration, because he never failed to be with me to witness the baby's heartbeat, hands, legs, fingers, toes, brain, abdomen, spine, everything. Over the ten months, we watched Estelle grow from a tiny egg to a beautiful child. The togetherness as a family is heart-warming.
Every lesson at the antenatal class was a date I looked forward to. He learnt everything with me, from feeding to changing diaper to bathing and even the birth process. I asked him if he'd bathe the baby himself, he replied without batting an eyelid, "Of course. It's MY BABY too." I was touched, because he really wanted to be a good father.
Shopping is something I have always done alone, because he's never enthusiastic about shopping. However, shopping for baby's stuff became an activity that filled our weekends. He'd flip through the papers to source for warehouse sales or advertisements on baby products, and off we'd go, carting loads of things back home.
During my 12 hours of labour, he was with me sharing my pain. When I could take the pain no more, he was supportive of my decision to take epidural. I knew deep down, he couldn't bear to see me in such agony. When Dr Lee told me we had to do a C-section, I cried and cried. He looked into my eyes and assured me that it's going to be okay. Somehow, it gave me a lot of strength and I just became braver instantly.
After the operation, as I was wheeled out of the operating theatre, I met him and quickly asked, "Did you see her?" Like an excited child, he exclaimed with tears of joy glistening in his eyes, "She's so cute!" He was more moved than what I expected him to be.
The first words that he said to me when I was back in the ward were, "I love you." It came straight from his heart, I could feel it.
I knew there and then, I have found the right man for myself, and the perfect father for Estelle.
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