Pineapple Tarts

Last Saturday was spent baking pineapple tarts with my mom. It has been 5 years or more since we last baked for CNY. Pleaded with her until she finally said yes! Unfortunately, Anya was feeling under the weather which disrupted our baking now and then with her Mommy-I-need-more-love whines. Other than that, it all went well and am very pleased with the end products! :D

Here I go, round and round~

It cracked me up, the first few times she did it. I am certain it was purely self-discovery 'cos no one in the family does that!

Out and about

Last Monday, a dear friend (let's call her my Shopping Accomplice or "SA" in short) took leave just to meet up with Anya and I. Most of the friends that I usually hang out with have a full-time career. Thus, to have SA taking leave on a weekday to meet up is a treat that I had looked forward to.

It was on this day that I decided to bring the stroller out without The Husband (and the family car) for the first time in my mommy-hood. A little background here: On normal straight wide paths, I am okay with the strollers. However, when stroller meets escalators, I get hopeless. I have almost NIL confidence about maneuvering the four-wheeler safely up / down the escalators even when the baby is NOT in it. Not the mention the level of risk I am subjecting Anya to if she is in it. At the back of my mind, a nagging thought tells me that the days of relying on the sarong sling are numbered as Anya grows heavier. So, for a trial run with the stroller, having a friend around will be a confidence booster. Frankly, I didn't think SA will be of much help in the stroller-escalator department since she is a swinging bachelorette. Well, she proved me wrong.

We had arranged to meet at Mandarin Gallery's taxi drop-off. She was already there when I alighted the taxi with Anya in sling. Almost immediately, I confided, "I'm terrible with the stroller, especially on escalators". She coolly responded by saying "Let's take the lift then." and took over the reins of the stroller. Thereafter, I dawned on me that  Anya and I were my stroller was in good hands for the day.

Stroller catastrophe being averted aside, it was a day spent in leisure. Long chat and late lunch at Wild Honey where the waiting staff and patrons at the next table helped to keep Anya entertained half the time. Next, we shopped around. What started as a no-agenda window shopping was soon overtaken with fulfillment of respective wish lists. :P When dinner time came, both of us were still stuffed. However, I needed a place to feed Anya her dinner. We ended up in a nice quiet hotel's lounge where we ordered some nice cakes and tea to go with while I fed Anya before calling it a night.

Have you seen this?

I chanced upon this in Raffles City S.C. a few days back. I don't remember seeing this in Singapore before. Or maybe I've never noticed in the past - until I become a mother of a young child myself. While I am certain this facility can only be found in selective ladies' cubicles (not sure about the gents' though I will think the likelihood is remote), I am impressed! Can't help but just promoted Raffles City S.C. up in my list of malls that I can bring Anya to. :)

Genting Highlands: 7-9 Jan 2011

Finally, I settled myself in front of the lappy to do this! The Husband and I aren't big on gambling though our parents do enjoy some roulette and jackpot fun occasionally. Therefore, we organised this trip especially for the old folks could have some fun, do some in-laws bonding, and of course, spend some 60 hours of quality time with their fast-growing granddaughter.

The Planning:

After much debate, we decided to take a coach over driving up. That said, it meant we have to wake up to catch the coach at an ungodly hour, not to mention having a nine-month old in tow. Okay, more about that later.

Now that Anya is on half-milk/half-solids diet, the planning on things to bring part was madness. Usually before a trip, I will do up a things-to-bring list. This time, after writing almost one full page, I sort of lost it. Going by the sheer amount of things (notice I didn't use the word 'volume' cos they are mostly tiny or compact-able things like 4 tablespoon of brown rice, baby's blanket etc) that I needed to bring, I didn't think the list was going to be anymore helpful than relying on my own brain power. So there I was, at every waking available moment at home, I would be striding up and down, fetching things around the house, all the while talking to myself as I go through Anya's daily routine over and over again just to ensure I do not miss out anything. To the dog (Anya's usually asleep or at the in-laws when I'm packing), I must have looked like a nutty!

Taking off after making a mess

Caught red-handed

So up to the night before the trip, The Husband and I were still packing in those items that could only be packed in after the day's use. I was cooking Anya's porridge for the following day before washing the electric slow cooker to be put into the luggage. Up to the very morning, I was still packing the vegetables stock (for her porridge) out from the freezer to store into a cooler bag before putting into the luggage. I tell you, it was really madness! The amount of thought I needed to put in in order to minimize hiccups made planning for Anya's first overseas trip a few months back seemed like a piece of cake.

The Trip:

I was worried that Anya might be grouchy, having to wake up at 530 in the morning. Surprisingly, she wasn't. In fact, she appeared thrilled to be awaken in the darkness to have her diaper changed before being strapped onto Mommy in the sarong. She probably sensed some adventure ahead!

An hour later, we have boarded the coach and Anya's excitement has fused out. The Z bug was overwhelming her, and though she refused to drift back to sleep; it felt as if I was strapping a motionless rock onto me. Heh. Throughout the immigration checkpoints and the entire coach ride, she was quite the darling. When she was napping, she was kept entertained by her toys and her both sets of grandparents. To ease feeding and digestion on a possibly bumpy coach ride, we fed her yogurt and milk instead of her usual cereal.

All geared up for the cold

We stayed in the First World Hotel. On hindsight, it was an unsuitable choice given that we had a baby in tow. The room was cramp, there was no bathtub (only overhead shower). The tour agency that we made the bookings through was not being helpful either since they could not request a baby cot nor upgrade our room in advance. We had to make our room upgrade and baby cot requests only upon check-in. While the bigger rooms with bathtubs were fully booked, we were consoled by the fact that they had a baby cot for us.

Given that temperature was between 22-25 degree Celsius and only overhead shower facility was available, bathing Anya became a hasty process that involved both parents. One had to carry her (floor is too cold for her to sit on) while the other lathered and later dressed her. She did not like having of water pelting down her head and bath-time involved quite a bit of crying in that two days. Seeing her reaction, we abandoned the intention of shampooing her head. We were just thankful that the cool & dry weather helped to curb those pesky eczema from attacking her scalps in those two days.

Hmm... Did I subconsciously packed in matchy socks and PJs?

Out of the hotel room, we had a good time. We made it a point to have all breakfasts and dinners together with our folks. Most of the meals exceeded expectations - given that with The Husband and I set ours really low ones given our limited prior experience with Genting Highlands. One of the afternoons, the in-laws freed us from babysitting duties so we could visit the casino. Me, the mountain-turtle, entered the casino for the second time in my coming 30 years of age and surrendered RM$30 to the jackpot machines.

Home-bound ride was on a nicer luxury coach that has personal entertainment system. The Husband had actually booked it for both to and fro trip but the coach broke down on the morning of our departure, so we stuck to the normal coach. Ironically, the luxury coach ride home was less comfortable. The first two hours was spent in motion sickness (for most of the adults) and Anya was fussy too. Thankfully, we all recovered quickly after sleeping it off. 

Daddy, can I go into the luggage too?

All in all, it was a pleasant trip. The itinerary was simple, at our leisure pace and predictable, which was what we need. Food was good, company was great. The Husband and I got plenty of time for undisturbed talks (and iPhone) games whenever Anya went down for her naps. The Grandparents got to spend some quality time with us, Anya and the jackpot machines. At the end of the trip, both grandmothers pronounced Anya an easy baby on trips. We even talked about the possibilities of making this an annual event on our family calendar, though I am pretty certain we will not be staying in Third First World Hotel in future visits.

Looking Back: 9 months

Hi my dearest Anya,

Happy belated 9 months old! Sorry that this came late as we just came back from Genting Highlands. Will write more about that in a separate post.

My, how time flies! You are already 3/4 way to your first birthday! It's funny how Mommy has been by your side all these while watching you grow but constantly wonder: "Where did all the time go? And how did my little helpless baby become such a nimble crawler?!".

As you crawl past the milestone of being a pre-toddler, you have pretty much become your own little person. You have a sweet temperament that makes Mommy's job of taking care of you a joy. Anyone who spend enough time with you to assess concludes that you are an easygoing baby who isn't fussy over almost everything. Well, except for when you are unwell. You smile at every slightest opportunity and when you fuss over something, you get over it quickly.

With Aunt Iivi

At nine months, you are enjoying songs and music more than ever. Whenever you hear a rhythm, you will sing/coo as you swing your arms in the air or slap your hands on your lap to the beat. Once, I was feeding you lunch when you suddenly broke into your usual "sing-and-wave-to-the-beat" mode when I wasn't singing to you. Then, it occurred to me. You were singing and waving to the beat of the funeral procession that was passing by downstairs! (-_____-)

Among the songs that we have exposed you to, I'm starting to notice that you have one favorite song which is "Jesus loves the little children". How do I tell? The bob of your head and the wave of your arms are especially vigorous whenever this song comes on. Given your aptitude to wave/clap rhythmically at such a tender age, Mommy is optimistic (Disclaimer: but not hopeful to the point of being hopeless should it turns out otherwise) that you may be the first in our family line to be musically-inclined! Heh! 

Another distinctive personality that we identified in you is.. hmm.. how do I even say it in English? Alright, in Mandarin, we call it 撒嬌. But even that may not tell the full story. The best language to describe will be in dialect where both your grandmothers have point out that you are "yang orh" or "sai nai".

Food-wise, you are taking them well. While there are occasional misses (mainly contributed by bouts of colds), you generally have a good appetite. Your all-time favorite fruit is banana, with papaya and avocado following behind. Mommy has widen your choices of vegetables by feeding you whatever I can get hold of from the supermarket that are approved to be suitable for your age by the reference books. However, I have yet to gone back to try feeding you "kailan" and fish (while we are on the matter of dislikes) though I gathering the courage to reintroduce them to you again in the coming weeks. Other than fish, kailan and maybe one-two other dislikes, you are eating your solids and drinking your milk well. In fact, Mommy has been fretting over whether I am overfeeding you.

Moving onto the communication department. You wave in acknowledge upon greeting someone familiar who just entered the room. Couple with the wave, you will also go "eh!" as if in say hi! When prompted, you will wave to bid farewell at times. At these point, you understand questions like "Are you ready to brush your teeth?" and will open your mouth in response. While you "talk" alot, you have yet to talk coherently i.e. saying something upon request that means something etc. Daddy / Mommy. But it is okay, we aren't rushing to anywhere!

You exhibit much affection whenever you see Daddy / Mommy after missing us for a couple of hours. Whenever Daddy comes home from work, you exhibit much joy (sometimes even weep). If you happen to be in your walker, you will charge over and follow him around the flat while singing to a tune in your head. And when Daddy picks you up, you will cling onto him tightly with your head firmly rested on his shoulder - all the while either shrieking happily or coo-ing contentedly. Very often, when our little family happen to be sitting over together, you make it a point to be touching all us (yes, even Muffin!). This little characteristic of yours has made you especially endearing to us.

On the other hand, Mommy and Daddy are glad that you are making progress in showing more independence by playing on your own. These days, Mommy is able to put you in your play-barn and does not have to worry over you not having a good time. You will gladly roam about within the confinement of the fenced-up area of the play-barn, fingering this toy, banging the other. I just want to affirm you here as this little milestone means a lot to Daddy & Mommy as it means that you are confident and secured to be on your own. So yes, my darling, keep it up!

Upon the above reflections, I conclude that the past few months has been more and more enjoyable for Mommy and Daddy, and hopefully you too. Yes, it can be tiring crawling around with you, ensuring that you do not hurt yourself. And there is also the giving up of a large chunk of my social life, just to stick around to watch you grow. But hey! Mommy is savoring every bit of it and am glad and thankful for making the choice to be a full-time mom. For the record, while Daddy has to work and loves what he is doing; , I know he treasures the time spent with you and looks forward to coming back home to us every evening.

Thank you, my little bunny, for making parenthood such a fulfilling one for us so far. Am looking forward to your first birthday!

XOXO,
Ma ma ma mommy

A friend visits

Preview

 
Since Anya came along, I hardly get to catch up with this friend who is overseas on either work or mission trips half the time. Hmmm... Then again, I hardly catch up with other friends who are in based Singapore 24/7. So it is really me, I supposed. :P

Anyway, the visit was arranged one week in advance. Monday evenings are good because the in-laws are out (which means that we cannot crash their place for dinner) and we are unlikely to eat out (cos still recovering from the weekend's going-outs) -which means I will usually cook or The Husband will 'dabao' on his way home from work. In yesterday's case, of course I cooked. Heh. Cannot possibly serve economic rice to a friend who craves for home-cooked meals right?

The Husband suggested the day before that I dress Anya in the berms that The Friend gifted her for Christmas, just for earning brownie points. And he was right, those brownie points were much needed. We thought that by having a guest show up at home, Anya would not exhibit as much anxiety as when she was in a new environment. We were wrong. She was having her dinner when the friend walked in and started bawling, forcing The Husband to stop feeding her and pick her up instead. It was another ten minutes of coaxing before she allowed us to put her back onto the highchair to finish up her dinner.

In order to let Little Miss Can-see-no-touch warm up to her, we taught our friend some of Anya's favourite games. The response that she got from our Little Miss totally cracked us up. The first fifteen minutes or so, Anya was half-laughing, half-sobbing, it was hilarious!

Thankfully, by Anya's bedtime, she was all warmed up to the friend. She was particularly interested the wristband and watch that The Friend was wearing and even yelled in protest when The Friend flinched away as she tried to bite the wristband.

The night ended with The Husband putting Anya down for bed while The Friend and I chatted in the dimmed lights in the living area. We talked about God and His callings for us, about the past and the future, about our mutual friends and how our lives have gone in various directions in the last couple of years. This season of my life has resulted in keeping in touch with friends a more challenging task than ever, but it has made me cherish even more these once-in-a-blue-moon times where I get to have those missed heart-to-heart talks with close friends. So friends out there, remember, our doors are opened on Monday evenings! Just make appointment one week in advance. :P

Daily Musings

Between The Husband and I, we came up with this list of things that our Little Bun does on a daily basis that amuses us:

1. She sings and slaps her lap, almost in rhythm, whenever we sing to her.  
2. She sings to herself to sleep. As she tosses and turn, she would go 'ah.. ya... dee... taata...etc...' in a singsong voice. It can go on from 1-2 minutes till as long as 20-30 minutes. Then it stops abruptly whereby we will find her fast asleep.
3. She shudders when she pees. 
4. She squeals, she screams, she screeches. Anytime, anywhere.
5. Unlike what most books says, pooping is usually not the reason for her crying. On the contrary, she is always very happy after a poop. In the process, her brows will furrow in concentration, her face will turn red with the exertion. When it is all done & good, she will break into a wide grin, as if very pleased with herself for the hard work. Then, she will keep grinning us as we wash her.
6. She drinks only lukewarm water. Give her room temperature boiled water, she tosses the sippy cup aside.
7. Whenever we wave at her, she would wave back and holler "Ehh!" as if in acknowledgment.
8. More often than not, she weeps in joy when we pick her up from The Grandparents' place. Very drama, this girl.
9. She loves brushing her teeth. Ask her "Do you wanna brush your teeth?", and she will open her mouth and stick out her tongue eagerly.
10. During her goodnight hugs and kisses, she would wriggle and fidget constantly when it is Daddy's turn but keeps absolutely still when she goes over to Mommy's side. This point amuses only Mommy. :P

The above is what we think of at this point in time. She will certainly outgrow them along the way and  there will also be new things adding on. Now, the question is: "Are all babies like that?"