You are my sunshine... ...

... ... amidst the downcast weather!

Celebrating being in love for 10 years & counting

I wonder if some may find it funny that we are still celebrating this date since we are already married for 5 years. To me, this was the day when our relationship started and marriage would not have even happened if this never happened so it bears great significance.

Anyway, we just celebrated it a few days ago. As we weren't able to get any babysitting help, we decided to choose a quiet & family-friendly place for dinner & thought that P.S. Cafe @ Harding would do just fine. The Husband deliberately got off work slightly earlier so that we could beat the dinner crowd. Straddling Anya onto me, i took the bus till midway where the Husband intercepted & picked us up.

We arrived at 6pm - half an hour before their dinner operating time starts, and were ushered to wait at the al fresco area. While we enjoyed the greenery, i was thankful to be ushered into the indoors 20 minutes later as i was getting a few mozzy bites around my feet and was concerned about Anya.

Our plan was to order main courses, eat, and then feed her before we order desserts. Upon arrival of the main course, we straddled her onto the Husband so that he could free both hands to eat (Anya is not so fond of the pram). However, she immediately got fussy. So, the Husband who is already a trained expert in cradling her & holding the bottle with one arm while feeding himself with the other arm, had to feed her while we have our dinner. Thankfully, she dozed off at the end of the feed & we eventually finished our main course with her snoozing in his arm.

Unfortunately, we weren't so lucky when dessert came. She woke up & became fussy so we took turns to carry her around the cafe premise while she charmed the staff off their feet with her smiles & coos.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening albeit a short one with little hiccups here & there. We had proper conversations, joked, laughed, had good food & thoroughly enjoyed each other company. Having Anya with us actually made it more memorable, i thought. I was especially delighted that we finally took a decent family picture of three (although it would be even better if the furkid was also in the picture).

Happy 10-year anniversary, the father of my children! Thank you for being my love for the past 10 years & a lifetime to come! :)

Like Father; Like Daughter

Yes! The husband has finally agreed to it, before he go off to the barber to has his hair trimmed! Introducing the duo with matching hairdos:

;)

Roomies no more!

Last night, we shifted Anya back to her bedroom. Reason being: I noticed that she is starting to observe (thus perhaps will recognize) her surroundings. It will be easier to start her on sleeping in her own room alone before she can recognize her surroundings. This is part of our parenting belief in teaching her about independence.

In preparation for that, the baby monitor was set up & the weekend was spent cleaning up her room. I also took the opportunity to clear wardrobe of her receiving blankets, tiny newborn outfits that she can no longer fit into. Together with the breast pumps (the milk factory has officially ceased production), they were all packed into a cardboard box and put away in the storeroom.

So for the first time last night, she slept all by herself in her own bedroom. While she woke up a couple of times throughout the night, i didn't think it is a problem. Somehow, it appears to me more of a one-time-off incident. In fact, as I'm typing this now, she is napping soundly in her own room. So yep, she should do just fine in there.

I, on the other hand, seem to be having slight separation anxiety. After the Husband put her in her cot, I had walked out of her room with reluctant footsteps. Back in our own bedroom, i kept staring at the empty space that her cot used to occupy. Throughout the whole night, I had trouble sleeping; kept imagining that i heard her stirring / crying via the baby monitor. And when she was really crying, i jumped out of my bed and sprinted to her room. Guess I AM the one who needs some adapting to. Sigh! I miss my little roomy!

The Top 2 Comments about Anya are... ...

2. Somewhat / somehow to do with her hair.


It is usually along the line of:
"Oh, look at her hair!"
"She has lotsa hair!"
"So cute! All her hair are standing up!"
"Aren't you shaving off her hair?"

Anyway, you get the drift.

1. ...how much she looks like her daddy. This, of course, can only come from people who knows us personally. Or if the remark came from a stranger, then it is when the Husband is present.


Then recently, after browsing through Anya's album on Facebook, a friend came up with a suggestion: "Can we have a picture of the Husband with hair all standing while carrying Anya?"

*sniggers* Brilliant! I'm still trying to coax the Husband into doing it.

Looking Back: 0-3 months

Dearest Anya,

It has been 3 months & 4 days since you came into this world. Here's a little chronicle of the last few months:

You were 3.33kg and 50cm long at birth. You were able to latch on immediately and suckle strongly. During your first month, you were always sleepy (though at first it was difficult getting you to get some real sleep when it IS time to sleep) and often dozed off while latching on. You would have this contented expression on your face while dozing in my arms, often with your mouth wide open.

Unfortunately, we soon found that my milk supply was insufficient to meet your demands, thus we had to supplement you with formula. In fact, your milk intake has been increasing steadily while my milk supply is going down. I believe in the next fortnight or so, you will have to rely totally on formulas. Still, I am thankful that you were breastfed partially for the past few months.

Right from Day one that you went home, we knew that you were a screamer. Your hunger cries usually escalate from whiny sobs to high-pitched piercing screams within a span of 1 second! Because of this, Daddy & Mommy have learned to be quick on our toes when it comes to preparing your milk.

We had a confinement lady who took care of you while Daddy & Mommy were learning on the job and getting to know you. The biggest challenge we had with you in your first month was getting you to nap well & sleep well. You loved to wiggle and free your arms every time we swaddle you, as a result you kept startling yourself (usually 10-15 minutes into your sleep). It got to a point where even the confinement lady was very much tired out as the longest that you slept at one stretch was only 30 minutes!

Despite the higher incidence of Infant Death Syndrome associated with sleeping on the belly, I tried placing you on your belly during one nap time out of desperation. It was done, however, under watchful supervision. I ensured that your cot was cleared of everything except for a breathable blanket. Also, i was checking on you every 5-10 minutes to ensure your face was on either side and you could breathe with ease. And the result? You were able to nap for 2 hours straight! Mommy was dancing with joy while calling your Daddy at work to report about your little milestone.

The cute thing about you being a belly baby is that you would wiggle in your sleep. :) Usually, Daddy & Mommy will place you as close to the foot of the cot as possible and we usually find you at the head of the cot in the morning.

Daddy & Mommy has found that you generally enjoy bath-times.

Changing or dressing you, on the other hand, can be a daunting task as you will scream your head off. However, this has changed since we placed a colorful pinwheel right above your changing table. You never seem to get tired of staring at it and often greet it with a smile when we placed you on your changing table.

Still on the topic of physical development, you can now hold your head quite steadily. You can also hold your chest up when we put you on your belly these days. Mommy is looking forward to mark the day when you can flip over on your own!

The day you turned 1 month & 1 day was the days when we had a real proper outing as a family (visits to the doctors & polyclinics don't count!). We went to church in the morning and then adjourned to Parkway Parade for lunch. Parkway Parade turned out to be a bad place to be in with you as it was packed with people! Being over-stimulated and not having a proper nap in your pram as passer-by kept knocking into it, you howled & screamed while Daddy & Mommy got so upset that we lost our appetites too. It was a lesson learned through the hard way: Avoid bringing Anya to a overly crowded place. Thankfully, you have been such a dear during subsequent outings since!

While we managed to resolved your sleeping problem, we soon discovered that you sleep lesser as compared to most babies. Mommy was rather worried at the beginning as I read that babies need their sleep to grow! However, your first visit with the P.D. at 6 weeks helped to ease my worries as your P.D. confirmed that you were growing well and was generally a happy thriving baby. You sleep around 14 hours on average these days.

Still on the topic of sleeping, one of your biggest milestones so far was that you slept through the night at Week 7-8. This was something that Daddy & Mommy are so proud of, and thankful for. Usually, you will have your last feed at around 10pm and will be asleep by 1130pm. During Week 7-8, you would wake up crying for milk at around 5am. However, by Week 9, you would wake up at around 930am. Sometimes, Mommy even has to wake you up, fearing that you are starved / your diaper will burst!

You started to show a keener interest of your surroundings after you entered your second month. You would stared at the toys hanging right above you for ages when lying on your play gym, you even 'watched' TV with us occasionally!

At playtime lately, you would spend ages staring at your raised arm or trying to grasp your toys.You could track moving objects better these days, a evident sign whenever your fur-sister hovers near you.

Another milestone is that you can now grasp a handkerchief in your hand. Once you managed to hold the handkerchief, more often than not, you would put them into mouth and you will be sucking it happily. When a handkerchief is not in sight, your fingers or your wrist will be the object(s) in your mouth.In fact, I am certain that if you can grab anything & everything now, they are very likely to go into your mouth.

You have also started coo-ing and experimenting with pitches. Both Daddy & Mommy found your coos really endearing and very often, your face will scrunch up into all sorts of expressions as you responded to us as if we were having a sensible conversation!

Since you started having real smiles, we look forward to greeting you every morning. Your eyes will roam in search of us the moment we flipped you over on your back. Once you found us, your face will break into the most radiant smile. Occasionally, you even squeal in delight as you pump your legs excitedly.

As I'm penning down your progress in the last 3 months, I find myself smiling a lot. Indeed, you have brought much joy into our lives. Daddy & Mommy are so thankful to God for answering our prayers in the form of you. Do keep on growing and smiling, my baby!