Water baby

BEEN taking Zoe for swims.

Sad to say the water has been freezing (by Singapore standards anyway) as there hasn't really been any sun.

It takes Zoe a little while to warm up and then she's quite happy to stay in the H2O.

She particularly likes drifting in her starfish float. She doesn't really bother kicking her legs or splashing her arms. She just likes to relax...

Even so, Z is pretty pooped after her half-hour sessions in the water.

It's a case of Please, just leave me alone!, as you can see here on two separate occasions:




Oh, and Z much prefers the big people pool.

On Christmas Day

HAVING gone to bed at a very late 10pm on Christmas Eve, Z missed out on the present opening at midnight.

So early in the morning, it was time to check out what Santa had delivered.


Sad to say, Z preferred to play with the colourful wrapping paper and glittery ribbons than her new toys.


Then it was time for a Christmas morning work-out.

A pig-out brunch with the family was arranged at 10.30am.

To eat so early and after a big dinner, we needed to work up an appetite.

So D and I bundled Z off for a walk at the revamped Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Grandpa came along, camera in hand.

But it was all in vain.

After about five minutes of bumping along in the stroller, Z dozed off.

At least, she was well-rested to meet St Nick. However, at their first meeting, she wasn't very impressed with him.


Go away red man with scary white hair on face!
We ate from 10.30am till 2pm.

Ooof.

Even Z had some grub, as evident in this photo. I think it was some pao.

Z with her own Santa Claus!

Christmas Eve

MORE elusive than Suri Cruise, according to some.

Zoe was finally introduced to the Koh clan.

After a nap from 6-8pm, Zoe made her grand entrance in Christmas hot pink. She took a while to warm up, then she bravely faced the paparazzi.

All shopped out

THE last of the Christmas shopping was completed today - with baby in tow.

Exhausted from fighting the crowds and navigating through Orchard Road, t'was certainly handy to have two baby helpers.

With a little more practice, I think I'd be able to drop Zoe off with...

...Aunty Smell at mealtimes (I think she's now learnt to keep hot drinks away from a baby's reach after the near disaster!):



...and Aunty Charles for entertainment:

Scrum chum

COUSIN Marcus took time out from his busy play schedule to hang out with Zoe on the floor mat today.


He then decided to teach her some rugby moves.


Zoe knew she couldn't win so she pretended to be too tired to play.

The heeheehee-headband

A visit to Dr B

A LITTLE horsing around at the doc's today.

She now weighs 8.5kg and is 69cm long.

She's doing good.

Out of the capsule

SHE'S graduated from her baby capsule - a month and a half or half a kilo earlier than recommended.

Zoe was just so tired of watching the world go backwards.

We decided on the MaxiCosi Tobi in the Topline Circuit design.

The lovely seat is a present from her Uncle Les and Aunty Keng.

Zoe just loves it.

She faces the right direction, sits high up so she can see out of all the windows, and the best part is that she can see me in the driver's seat.

Hopefully, this means that I can now take her out without someone having to sit in the back with her... except maybe for super-long trips or super=bad KL traffic.

This picture is from her first trip out in it. We managed to have a quick dip in the American Club pool between the vicious monsoon rains of this weekend.

Oh the weather outside is frightful... But for an hour today, it was delightful!

The first Christmas present

I'll be home for Christmas.

You can count on me.

Please have snow and mistletoe

And presents under the tree.

Zo a deer, a baby deer

A splash... of colour

DIPPED her toes into the ice cold pool at Hampshire Park for the first time.

An understatement to say that Zoe didn't like it.

She much preferred to soak in the UV rays on the deck chair.

And yes, that is one ugly swim outfit.

Denim blues

BIG people fashion - a peasant blouse with bell sleeves and a denim skirt. As you can see Zoe was quite the model in her outfit.

D had the day off work so we headed to 1Utama for brunch and a spot of Christmas shopping.

A disposable paper cup kept her entertained while we ate.

Blue Christmas Wonderland

It's so pretty at The Curve.

Back to living life rather than writing about it

COUNTLESS hours I have spent on the couch breastfeeding.

It became such an art that I could do it with no hands.

I used to prop the baby up with pillows, leaving all ten digits free to pitter patter on the lap top.

Hence the prolific entries on this blog.

But no more.

I am now unshackled. Unchained. Unfettered.

F.R.E.E.

And on that note, I've got better things to do than hang out here in blog sphere...

...like play dress up with my baby.


Z with fur.

Naughty or Nice?

Thanks Aunty Ickle!

Reflections at SEVEN months

DEAR Z,

It's just gone five in the morning and you're already banging away on your xylophone. Sleepy-brained, I need caffeine.

Ting Ping Clang Twang BANG

This is what it means to have a seven-month-old baby.

Thank goodness I don't have a hangover. I warm up your milk in the pantry and make myself an Earl Grey.

I still can't you are drinking from the bottle. Every time I feed you, you amaze me at how well you guzzle the stuff. G for gusto.

What was so difficult about this that you couldn't have done it a month ago, two months, even three!?!

You now have four bottle feeds a day:
6-7am (depends what time you wake up): 6-7 ounces
2.30pm: 5 ounces
7pm (just before you hit the sleep sack): 7-8 ounces
12-3am (depending when you wake): 3-4 ounces - but I am hoping to cut out this feed so in the coming weeks I am going to give you less and less milk... then hopefully you won't wake up for a feed anymore.

I was asking Nurse J how much I should give you now that you are downing 8 ounces quite easily at some feeds.

She said with a laugh: "There is a reason why they only make eight ounce bottles."

So it seems eight ounces is the maximum you'd give a baby per feed. I never knew that. Eventually, you should have three feeds of eight ounces a day, making a total of 24.

Not only do you love your milk, you also love your food. You will eat anything I give you. Right now I am trying out tofu, yogurt, cheese and bread (though I am not supposed to give you wheat yet!).

It's so fun watching you taste something new. I can't resist letting you try stuff. The other day we went to Sushi Teh and I gave you seme Agedashi Tofu which you LOVED. I used the spoon and plate from the restaurant - UNSTERILIZED!

Oh well. You sure ain't a bubble girl.

You've quickly regained all the weight you lost during weaning. Your chubbz cheeks are back! I'm so glad coz I love them.

Sometimes your Daddy gives you the bottle, but he still hasn't learnt how to make your formula or warm up the frozen breastmilk, and to wash the bottles after a feed.

We need to teach him this during the Christmas holidays.

It will be a good time for him to attempt to feed you your solids too...

Won't it be fun to see how colourful both of you end up. A palate of spinach, pumpkin and sweet potato will make some interesting artwork.

You have your Daddy wrapped around your little finger already. The last two occasions he has taken you out alone, you've come back with a new toy.

And these toys, I would never have bought you: A blue alien and a squishy cartoon ball.

But I guess that's why you have a Daddy and a Mommy - different perspectives.

Funny thing is, you really adore the blue alien.

He is now your best friend.

Every time you see him, you whip open your arms to give him a big hug, then you jabber to him so excitedly, and proceed to kiss him on the nose.

Or rather, to eat his nose.


You also love to "read". You adore your books. I'm trying to teach you to turn pages but all you want to do is to pick at the pictures.

You also love watching Barney. I just don't get what you see in the big purple blob.

Books, I understand.

But the blue alien and Barney, hmm.

Love,
Mom

Jugs of milk

FOR a while I knew what it was like to be Pamela Anderson.

Took a three day course of Dostinex to stop the milk flow coz I was getting Mastitis. Stopping au naturale just wasn't working out.

Then the boobies swelled like balloons on a helium pump gone mad.

Huge. Hard as rock. And oh boy, were they S.O.R.E. I kid you not.

Thing is, people are now telling me I shouldn't have taken the pills coz they make one's boobs super teeny once they deflate.

Sigh. It was good while it lasted...

Messy Monster Munch

WITH green guck all over the little cherub's face, she does a pretty good imitation of a scary monster.

"Raaaarrrrrr, I am gonna get you!"

Secret of her SUCKcess

WHAT a difference a week makes.

Zoe's taken so unbelieveably well to the bottle.

I've even been able to dump the Nuk bottles with their teeny teats and replace them with the Dr Browns ones.

I bought eight Dr Browns bottles before she was even born. I was told they were the best coz of their airflow system. Each bottle cost about RM40, or S$20. Super expensive.

(Not to mention the cost of the other bottles and teats I had to buy - and dump - in the hope that she would like them better.)

Half of the Dr Browns are still in their packaging and the others are brand new. I thought I would never get to use them.

Anyway, bygones.

Zoe is doing splendidly!

She pretty much eats anything we give her now. Even the sweet stuff.



Her feeding schedule is perfect. Gina Ford, also known as "the Baby Nazi" to some because of her strict schedules, would be proud of ours.

Zoe is down to SIX feeds a day. We just have to eliminate her mid-night feed and then we're basically set for good.

[1] 7am: Breakfast
Breastmilk - defrosted and served in a bottle!
1-2 tbsp rice cereal
Some fruit

[2] 11/11.30: Lunch
2 tbsp carb (potato, sweet potato, avacado...)
2 tbsp green vege (spinach, sweet peas, brocolli, peas...)
2 tbsp yellow vege (carrots, pumpkin...)
2 tbsp fruit (papaya, grapes, pear,

[3] 2.30pm: Milk feed
Breastmilk - defrosted and served in a bottle!

[4] 5pm: Dinner
3/4 tbsp rice cereal mixed with milk
2 tbsp green vege
2 tbsp yellow vege

[5] 7pm: Milk in a bottle
5 ounces formula
*And then to sleep after feed.

[6] Anywhere from 1am-4am: Breastfeed
* I am keeping this one last breastfeed for a few more days and then I will switch to a bottle. Then breastfeeding will be over. Slowly, this feed will be phased out. And then she will sleep through from 7pm-7am...

Yeah right.

Don't the Finns like kids?

MODERNITY and functionality.

The Scandinavians got it down pat.

It's no wonder that their baby stuff is so hard to resist.

Along with bits and pieces from Ikea (haha), Zoe's arsenal also includes:

From Norway: Stokke Xplory (pram) and Tripp Trap (high chair)

From Sweden: Baby Bjorn Carrier Air, Baby Sitter 1-2-3 (bouncer), feeding spoons (which incidentally are just the best feeding spoons ever!)... and soon maybe a potty

And now, a must-have from Denmark:



The TrioBike is a carrier, a bike, a pram all in one very cool, sleek package. Great for sporty parents, aka a Daddy toy. The bike features a Shimanu Nexus 7 speed gear and the pushchair is customizable with a selection of colours and added extras, like a hood.



So I thought: Hmmm, a possible Christmas present for father and daughter!

Wrong.

The price: €2587.

*Oof*


I'll just buy them a wheelbarrow instead.

By George, I think she's got it!

SUCKER!

Zoe is finally one.

Can you believe it took SIX 1/2 months for her to take to the bottle?!?

Madness.

Why did she finally succumb?

The formula (excuse the pun): Great - and very angst driven - persistence...

and...

1. The withdrawal of all day and night breastfeeds except for two - before bedtime and the midnight/morning feed.
2. Letting her starve if she didn't drink from the bottle.
3. The use of a pacifier to get her to practice sucking on a plastic boob.
4. The discovery of a teeny Nuk teat thanks to Mark from baby group.

Breakthrough!

Mummy gave me the dummy

WE are pretty much against the use of a pacifier.

For D, it's a dependancy issue. He thinks if she becomes addicted to it, it will be very tough to wean her off.

For me, I do't like the idea of having something stuffed into her mouth.

With a dummy, she can't smile, or laugh, or talk.

But having said that, about a couple of weeks ago, I started shoving it in.

I wanted her to practice sucking on a teat. I thought this would help with whole bottle conundrum.

She never liked the dummy before. In fact, she used to take great offense at being given one but slowly she started liking it. I think it was because she wasn't getting breastfed and missed the suckling.

And it's worked. Zoe now drinks very well from the bottle.

An added bonus: She sucks herself to sleep all on her own!

Playsleep

PLAYGROUP is really more for the parents than the kids.

As I was chatting to Mark, I let Zoe play with one of Maia's books on the floor.

A few minutes later when I looked down, I realised she wasn't reading fairy tales, she was dreaming them up!



It was the first time she's ever really fallen asleep on her own like that.

I think it must have been because of the pacifier.

As she slept, I was free to stuff my face with the dark chocolate cake that Pippa made and to chit chat unencumbered for more about 40 minutes.

We have such a lovely group going. It's basically made up of expats from all over the world. There are lots of Aussies, some Pommies, couple of Merrycans and even a couple of mothers from Ethiopia and Scandinavia.

Once a week, we take the babies out for an airing and leave them to swipe at each other.

Then the mothers parents swap baby care tips and tricks, compare notes, and most importantly whinge and be understood!

Here are some of Zoe's friends: Leah (from England), Maia (from Australia) and Alva (from Norway).

Brunch (again) at the Shang

A GOOD portion of the day is spent feeding the baby.

You'd be surprised the number of hours in a day that gets eaten up preparing Z's food, getting her to eat, getting her to drink, getting her to drink more, and cleaning up after.

Another big chunk of the day is feeding my belly, Seymour. Or Stephanie's Seymour to you.

Ah sometimes I crack myself up.

A mad post due to intoxication by sashimi.

A baby's job

USUALLY, and I use that term very loosely, Zoe wakes up between 5-6.30am.

While I have a steaming cup of Earl Grey, Zoe heads off to the baby office.

This activity center by Evenflo is another loan-me-down from Becky. It's a great invention.

Zoe sits on a seat which rotates 360 and all around her are little bits and pieces for her to yank / bang / spin / press / twirl / bounce / pop up / fiddle faddle with.

It keeps her entertained for AGES, leaving me free to do early morning chores. There's even time to blog!


TTYL I'm a very busy baby.