A Cut Short Lunch with Colleagues

Was very much looking forward to today's lunch with Bo and the rest. KS, Yeo, Irene, miss Ang and Bo were there. We gathered at 4 Fingers, Orchard Gateway.

It was back to the old times when we had long chats at lunch and talk sense and nonsense... lol. It felt really good. But short lived. As we adjourned to Yakun for part 2, mama's phone call gave me a shock and I sprinted back home.... not even an hour lunch together. She said Eden was crying non stop. Initially I misheard he was puking non stop. In either case I was still very worried so got to leave the gang without further ado. I felt worried yet sad to have ended my time out like that.

Thankfully Eden was a lil more settled when I reached home. Thankfully I could get into a cab without waiting.

Eden could be cranky as he was coughing badly or he could be looking for other people for companionship at home. Or even both. Poor baby was all whiney and tired and probably hungry. He was falling asleep during the milkfeed.

On the other hand I think bro and Evans are now having fun, the last I checked with bro, they were at Art Science Museum!!! Happening right!? I have never been there myself!

Eden is now asleep but I can't stop thinking when I can be out with friends  (free from worries) again. Actually I do have a dinner coming up this Fri. Certainly hope things will be better.

Throwback to Last Saturday's Dinner at Shabu Sai

When I was doing laundry just now, I tried to recall where did we go for dinner last week. Cos today I suggested not to go out  (sad) cos didi is having a cold.

I realised I forgot to blog about dinner at Shabu Sai, East Point last Saturday in celebration of my papa's birthday. It was my parents' first visit. Somehow it felt a while since we last went out for dinner like that. This time, with Bin Bin in the pram.

Hubby, bro and I are not new to Shabu Sai. And its 90 min limit is rather well known so I was quite cautious when they asked me to go have a seat first before the rest arrived. Then I realised the outlet at East Point wasn't particular about the time limit, probably cos there was no queue. The restaurant was not fully occupied but it was still bustling with action.

That outlet did not serve any cooked food like the one at Orchard Central. It seemed limited with the food choices but I still found it enjoyable. It's always the people that matters. I think papa and mama enjoy themselves too though they shared that the soups were a tad salty and the price was steep for the ingredients. True that but it is still a decent and reasonable place for family dinners. The last time at Shabu Sai was with Evans and hubby at the The Clark Quay Central which has now closed down. Still remember that time we were having staycation at Merchant Court and baby was still cosy in my tummy. Missing those times when I could go freely whenever and wherever I wanted. Now... ...

Anyway back to the dinner, paid around $161 with 3 top ups for free flow drinks and ice cream. Had my heart's content!!!

Got to think of the next dinner place to celebrate mama's birthday!

Breast Milk

People call mummy's milk as liquid gold because there are hundreds of natural nutrients in the breastmilk  (bm) which is not present in the formula milk (fm). During my mom's times, giving bm wasn't popular and we were on fm. But now, everyone is advocating breastfeeding. For Evans and Eden, I managed to latch for a few days before kicking in the pumping schedule. Very tough to start and build supply. Once the routine and supply are set, things seem easier even though for Eden, I had problem pumping on time because of lack of help.

I was more diligent during Evans's times because all of us just had to focus on one baby. I recalled I was an over supplier. For Eden, I had experienced short supply before and we had to rely on fm to tide over. Now 4 months plus post partum and Eden drinking 150ml for each feed  (5 to 6 times per day), I am just an "enougher". There were good times last 2 months when I could store some frozen bm in the freezer for future use when I am back to work. But now I just wanna focus on feeding the fresh ones, particularly because Eden seems to be coughing and he often sounds nasal. I could hear phlegm. I know a few friends told me due to narrow airways babies have, they usually sound nasal. But still I think it is affecting our sleep. At around 3 to 4 am, Eden would start to fidget and turn, I think he is trying to find a comfortable position to breathe better while sleeping.

Recently his coughing seems more frequent, so I feel that all the more I should give more bm for the antibodies. When he was coughing, I was still thinking "eh... I thought breastfed babies shouldn't fall ill so easily...." Recalled Evans was quite illness-free during the bm times. But now probably with a sibling, Eden is exposed to greater risk of being hit with some flu bugs. So I really hope my bm is a good medicine for him.

While bm is liquid gold, it doesn't mean breastfed babies don't fall sick. If they do, it will be less severe in terms of intensity and duration. So I can only keep giving my liquid gold and will keep pumping for the supply.

4 hourly, 20min per session, 1 middle of the night pump, 5 pumps per day.

To-gather Cafe

Last Sunday hubby brought us to this cafe in the midst of the neighbourhood at Bedok North. Within an old estate, this hippy cafe stood out and seemed to be popular amongst the youngsters and small families like ours, minus the baby.

Wouldn't say this was an enjoyable lunch despite the food was delicious. Eden was not too pleased halfway through so hubby and I got to take turns bringing Eden out of the cafe for a walk. And somehow I thought the outside smell a little with the birds shop next to it.

Anyway the consoling part is I like what we ordered. Other than the small portion of calamari, I think the rest was good and reasonably priced. I enjoyed my fish and chips! Smell and tastes great. The Mango breezer was a good complement, sour tangy mango in sparkly soda was what I needed in the hot weather.

Next time we shall try the lava cakes which looked alluring in the display window.

Catch Up with Aunty Baozhu

Met up with Aunty Baozhu, my confinement lady yesterday after lunch. Brought mama, Eden and Evans along. It was such a nice gathering. Has been months since we met. Love chatting with her as she is ever so jovial.

Her daughter Iris was there too and she is also very nice and could tell she likes kids from the way she interacted with the 2 boys.

Initially thought of bringing them to Délifrance as the seating seemed comfy but remembered Aunty and mama are not into "angmo" coffees so impromptu, I quickly googled "yakun", thankfully there is one at Century Square! And seats were just available for us!

Aunty Baozhu is getting popular as she has 2 upcoming confinement jobs! One of which is my bro's friend, giving birth in Dec. Going to be busy.

Mama also had a good chat with her. It just felt really nice. It would have been better if Eden did not whine (as he wanted to sleep).

Throwback to "Bringing The Boys to the Airport"

Brought my boys to the airport to fetch bro last Friday 21 Oct. He was back from Vietnam. It was my 1st time bringing them out. A little nervous about it because it was Eden's 1st time in the carrier and he was already a little sleepy when we went out.

Though it was not all smooth, I enjoyed the afternoon out with them. We were an hour earlier than his arrival and I was hungry, so we went for Mac. Evans was cooperative and it was easy especially after Eden fell asleep in the carrier, even though it was only for a few minutes.

What made the outing not so smooth were Eden's on and off crying  (probably discomfort from the carrier or lack of sleep) and Evans's repeatedly whining about jiu jiu taking so long and then being very hungry (at 6pm). I couldn't bring him for food because it would spoil his appetite for dinner. So... luckily finally bro arrived and we got home.

Will try to do this some other time when Eden is more adapted to the carrier.

Same Room, Different Babies

As I slowly and quietly turned the door handle down to go out of the room (to get my pump parts), I suddenly recalled doing the same when Evans was sleeping with me in the same room. Realised how things are different now and how time passes. My baby (Evans) is now a big boy and his words are very different, but still cute most times.

Now Eden is sleeping in the cot in the same room but very soon, the cot will be too small for him. Very soon, he will need a bigger space to toss and roll. Seeing other newborns or younger babies also made me realise Eden is no longer a newborn. One part of me really wishes him to grow up faster so that I have fewer things to pack and do... but another part of me reminisces his birth and how he was as a new baby.

I'm wide awake after my pumping session while Eden is stretching and tossing in his little cot. I better try to catch some sleep before the whole cycle starts.

When Mommy Scolds

Today something adorable happened. Not something I am proud of but I made Eden cry and his cries was very different from his usual whining.

I gently tapped his cheek and "scolded" him for not being a good boy during feeding. He would leave the 2nd round challenging... by spitting out the milk or refusing to open his mouth or fidgeting to avoid the bottle. After I scolded him, something cute happened. Eden started to show a sad face with his :(. My first time seeing such expression from him. Then shortly, he started to cry pathetically. He sounded like he was wronged or he wanted some sayang. It was really funny. My mama was amused by his unique cries too!!!!

So, a 4 month old does understand when he is scolded. And his cries is for real! His eyes were teary and red. At some point he gasped for air. Ohhhhh so poor thing. Made me feel bad but I really find it very adorable. Lol.

16 Oct Wedding of Joyce and Cedrick

Seems like a hot month for weddings, from many wedding postings on Facebook. And the weekend before was Aree's wedding and the next weekend it was cousin Joyce's wedding. A wedding I was looking forward to mainly just to see my extended family whom I didn't get to meet during CNY! Of course very happy for Joyce, my sweet and kind cousin. Always know her as a nice and respectful gal.

It was also Eden's first exposure to such setting. Yes his first appearance at wedding and also meeting the other family members! Not only me, Evans was super excited and happy to be there. He mingled really well and was equally inquisitive.

Wedding was at the Hilton and I enjoyed the wedding lunch. Sumptuous!

Oh and a small incident towards the end.... my heels gave way. The right sole was partially detached and the shoe started to flake. I moved with "grace" to go through the tea ceremony at the end and I think no one noticed. Thankful the heels gave way only at the end!!!! Looks like I need to think twice about wearing old heels to work since they were untouched for more than a year since my pregnancy.

Hair Cut and Treatment

As my original hair stylist isn't around, her hubby covered for her and did my hair cut. I was looking for a change to manage my falling and messy hair. But I knew without rebonding, I wouldn't be able to have the hairstyle that needs minimal maintenance.

Today I not only got a huge chunk of hair chopped off, the stylist also tried to thin my hair with some japanese technique. Actually it still turned out poofy especially after I got home. I am not all pleased or displeased with it. My head definitely feels lighter. The hair did not get worse as it was already quite bad so I just take it easy, just that I can't go out without tying it. But his recommendation for me to do the circulist treatment was good. It was extremely a "spa like" experience. The assistant did a good job in massaging my scalp. My scalp felt numb and many times, I could just sleep. Too bad it was 30min but because it took only 30 min, then I could do this. I still got to rush home to take over the duty from hubby and to pump milk. 

The treatment felt so good that I signed up the package for 10 sessions. Will try to be more regular in treating my hair well.

Anyway I also had an interesting conversation with my stylist. About enlightenment, about seeing things differently (reframing) and how we, as parents can do good for our kids with positive energy. Never expect to have this takeaway at a hair session, it did remind me of certain things. Thankful for this reflection opportunity. Don't get me wrong. It was definitely not related to any religious stuff but really, more of a OD way in managing self and people around me.

Celebrating Aree & Jahan's Big Day

Oh my... 8 Oct! I have been longing for this day to see Aree getting married to her guy. And also a chance to take a break from the baby and enjoy the evening away. Such a lovely evening to be at the SEA Aquarium. My very first time to attend a wedding there. So, yah very interesting for me. It was also great to catch up with colleagues like Soh, Galant, Kaiyun and Von.

The wedding dinner was simple but filled with love. I am really honoured to be part of this.

The venue was special. We got to enjoy the aquarium on our way to the dining area. At the hall, we got to enjoy the huge aquarium of fishes with live music. It almost felt like the fishes were really dancing to the music. But frankly I didn't focus on the view, instead I chatted a lot with the peeps. So nice to just talk and share. Life is normal again! Would have been perfect if kia and idary could make it.

Happy Wedding Areeky and Jahan. You guys are lovely together. Stay true and blissful always.

4 Month's Mark

Eden is 4 months old and he has surely become more aware of the surroundings. Feeding him is still not all smooth as he will leave the last 30 to 60ml as the ultimate challenge. Even after cutting a slit at the teat didn't help to reduce the fuss. I wish this phase can pass soon.

He is also starting to make half turns so that means we need to be more careful when placing him on the bed. His neck is getting stronger so probably he will be able to turn/flip next month.

Lately he also drools a lot and loves suckling his fingers.... you can imagine the mess of saliva on his face, hands and on my shoulder too.

Feeding, entertaining, bathing, putting him for naps are pretty much the routine tasks which make my day pass really quickly.

Less than 3 months to go before I head back to my working / social life! Am I yearning for it or will I miss baby and Evans? Let's see...

But ultimately I hope that my parents would be able to manage the 2 cuties comfortably.

Tiring Weekend

Lately it's getting difficult to feed Eden. And the worse thing is he refuses to be fed by hubby for don't know what reason.  For me, I can start off to feed him at least half way through before he starts to fuss and refuse to continue. On good days, he stops leaving 30ml but there are bad times when I have to coax him to finish the remaining 60ml or so. We start to reduce the feed from 150ml to 130ml or so cos there's just too much waste.

My mama even cut a little slit at the bottle teat to make the flow faster but it did not seem to help with him finishing up the milk but he surely drank faster now... just that still stopping at the 30ml mark. Painful experience for me... giving me phobia to feed him but now only I can do the job (on weekends). I am tired.

It didn't help when not only during feedings, Eden fussed a lot like he wanted to be carried and entertained. Think hubby was tired so he didn't quite spend much effort to entertain him. Evans would usually play his own toys unless I called for help, he would bring me Eden's toy to distract him.

But somehow last Saturday was super draining for me even though we didn't go out. There was one point when Eden kept crying, I just carried and looked at him helplessly as I was running out of energy and patience.

Nonetheless it was slightly better when Sunday came. And we got to go Bedok Mall for lunch and coffee. Eden cried on and off but at least I didn't feel quite alone. But the fussing episode replayed when we were at in law's place. Eden seemed tired but just couldn't sleep because I think he is less oblivious to the surroundings. He is more aware of the noise and all so he just couldn't sleep. I am not sure but he was fast to doze off in the car. *sigh*

It was a tiring Weekend but here's sharing some happy moments at Bedok Mall Swissbake.

To Evans

My dearest Jun Jun
You have been a darling to me. Being our first baby, I am very careful in deciding what to feed you. You aren't leading the life like most kids your age who got to eat more candies, chocolates or any other junk food. What you have is pretty much measured. This is especially so when you aren't well. I dread it when you are unwell because that means you are not feeling the best and that makes 2 of us not feeling the best. And it is really additional procedure to feed you medicine in the midst of our daily routine.

But I am really thankful for you for being rather disciplined and understanding when I disallow you to eat certain food. I appreciate it that while as a kid, it's natural to feel tempted but you choose to listen to me and refrain from the foods which I said No to. I am thankful because by listening to me without putting up a fuss, you make it easier for me while others might look at me as an overly strict/protective/burdensome mother who cannot let her son eat what he desire. I am thankful for the respect you give me while you fight your temptation away. I don't really want to care how others see me now since they are unaware how bad your cough can get, especially when you wake up. And I also hate to tell you off when you cough near didi.

I see an improvement so keep it up Evans. May the cough leave you and so you can enjoy a more variety of foods and we don't have to be bothered with the medicines!

Xxoooooxoooxoxxx
Mama