tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1104556984981677252024-02-21T22:14:23.785+08:00The Adventures of minibeanie and microbeanieThis blog follows the ups & downs and highs & lows of parenting a toddler in his "Terrible Twos" and a baby in his first year. Whoever thinks being a SAHM is easy obviously hasn't done this before!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.comBlogger251125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-26852736866963581332010-02-24T01:29:00.003+08:002010-02-24T11:20:25.875+08:00Tai-tai! (Bye)<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As mini-b would say "tai-tai" coupled with a backward wave, so am I now saying Ciao! I can't believe I'd made more than 250 posts over 2.5 years. But like everything, it's time to move on.<br /><br />Thank you all who have been following this blog :)<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 5 months, 2 weeks & 4 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler<br /></span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-50046071182067464072010-02-20T21:36:00.003+08:002010-02-24T00:44:03.889+08:009 daysWhat a difference 9 days make. That was how long DH was away on a trip to Barcelona. And in that time,<br /><ul><li>mini-b was potty-trained! (something that I never thought would happen)</li><li>micro-b grew.... visibly</li><li>micro-b made his first crawl</li><li> micro-b found his toes</li><li>I lost my marbles on a couple of occasions</li></ul>On the potty training bit, it was his school who initiated the first step. I remembered his teacher, Miss Lauren, writing in the Communication book about being potty-trained as a goal for the new year and I remembered thinking, yeah right. I couldn't even get him to sit on the elephant potty let alone on the 'big boy potty', which is what we call the 'potty' that we big girls and big boys use.<br /><br />But 2-3 weeks before school broke for the Lunar New Year holidays, Miss Lauren embarked on a no-diaper policy. And so upon arriving in school, mini-b changed out of his diapers and into training pants. The first time he peed into the tiny urinal, he got a two thumbs up from Cullen a 3 y.o in his class and a group hug from his friends. How sweet! Over the course of a week, he got the hang of it. There were several accidents with the washing machine kept very busy everyday and once or twice where I picked him up in school without his pants because mummy had forgotten to pack a spare one. My bad. I can just imagine the severe disapproval I must have gotten from the Chinese who would point out to me that the kids are cold without woollen beanies.... and mini-b going barelegged in winter. Tsk tsk!!!<br /><br />Anyhow, when the 2 week long Lunar New Year holidays started, I bravely took that step of weaning him off diapers. (Incidentally, DH's reaction was one of pure terror when told of my plan.) As expected, there were many hits and misses. Progress seemed like a 2 steps forward, 1 step back tango. Along the way, I lost my marbles a couple of times when he peed in his high chair, sofa and even once on his bed (no, not when he was sleeping). And the worst was when he pooped in his training pants :# <br /><br />Come Day 4 however, we had made significant progress. He still didn't go to the toilet on his own but I'd learnt to read his cues, like when he kept moving his feet in the hair chair, squirming on the sofa and basically acted like there were ants in his pants. He still had to learn how to aim and shoot though. Gosh, why did God made that equipment so complicated? I had also gotten him to sit on the 'big boy potty' with a duckie insert to poop! Yes! That was a major accomplishment. And I later found out that the reason for his resistance was his fear of the hole ("high up") and how he would "fall down". I broke that resistance by putting him on it, sitting beside him and giving him the car magazine that was in the bathroom. After a couple of minutes talking about Lamborghini, Ford & Volkswagon, the 'big boy potty' wasn't so scary after all.<br /><br /><br />And as for micro-b, he gained another form of mobililty by lifting his bum and with some luck and traction, inched forward towards that rattle/ stuffed elephant/ sock that he just MUST have. Most days he was sleeping through the night again but he was drinking tons of milk which translated into less time for me. I couldn't wait to start him on solids!<br /><br />It had been a most eventful 9 days.<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 5 months & 2 weeks old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler</span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-69041734634314552522010-02-08T00:16:00.005+08:002010-02-08T00:24:34.402+08:00Hermit I am<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I only have to look back 2 years ago to realize that holidays then and now are worlds apart. Literally. No more "off the beaten track" or "adventure" but hello to "kids friendly". Instead of The <a href="http://www.rockyresort.com/">Rocky Resort</a>, a boutqiue resort with a private beach far from the madding crowds at Koh Samui.where we spent our honeymoon, I'm looking at Sheraton Phuket where words like "visiting baby elephants" and "supervised kids' activities" get me rather excited. And when I see the description of a 'Happy Baby Studio' that includes a high chair, stroller, cot AND a microwave, it makes me want to do a crazy dance around the room because there's the remote possibility of a holiday. What have I morphed into??! A parent with 2 VYC.<br /><br />Having VYC makes traveling a logistical challenge to say the least. We will be bringing cargo-loads of diapers, jars of baby food and ration of formula, Crayola markers and papers, story books and favourite toy cars. Sometimes this logistics challenge makes any excursion more emotionally costly than the enjoyment it bestows. And for that reason, I loathe to drag the VYC out.<br /><br />But like a friend puts it, everyone needs a holiday. She just left for a 3 week Thai beach and KL holiday with 2 preschoolers. Maybe when these VYC become not so very VY, I can dare imagine getting out of the house again.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 5 months & 2 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler<br /></span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-23803107273363993122010-02-06T02:04:00.003+08:002010-02-06T02:20:48.605+08:00Starting solids soon?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">micro-b is 5 months old today! And a month (or less) to go before introducing solids! Hip hip hooray! The sleep-through-the-night routine is a distant memory. In fact, ever since he got the cold in early Jan, he had begun waking up in the night. Ok, so I thought he'd settle back into the old rhythm after the cold but no, he's still at it :( Yes, I've read that these things happen...illness, teething & growth spurts do that. Recently however, it becomes clear that he's increasing his feeds and over a month, he has increased the amount he drinks by nearly 30% which is phenomenal.<br /><br />Last night, he got me up twice. I'm so sleep deprived as a result. I know it's bad but I'm so tempted to start popping a spoon of cereal into his mouth right now. Why don't I? There's an increased risk of allergies by starting solids too young.. and since micro-b has eczema, I'll just have to grin and bear it for another few weeks or so :P<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 5 months old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler<br /></span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-68776625645631367782010-01-29T15:40:00.005+08:002010-01-29T16:01:01.610+08:00My 2.5 yo knows more about cars than me!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">mini-b is a petrol-head just like his dad ;) He probably knows all the makes and our favourite activity on the ride back from school is to identify cars on the road. And the condo carpark is a close contender with the playground as his favourite place to be outside. Let's see, h</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs46c5kCc_IyA8GcW3JClVi5RIUUwiPS0hs27LFywCbAbLAN4Hg1jfMGjtLurd1vdjzHFg3Ggyd6D5Nulx4PtktYkcINgddM45QiOWSLDjs8c6i-l6QXbeeKBGuObuMlBAV1w4jTZ3iMk/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 116px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs46c5kCc_IyA8GcW3JClVi5RIUUwiPS0hs27LFywCbAbLAN4Hg1jfMGjtLurd1vdjzHFg3Ggyd6D5Nulx4PtktYkcINgddM45QiOWSLDjs8c6i-l6QXbeeKBGuObuMlBAV1w4jTZ3iMk/s200/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432067700440380754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">e knows the usual sports car marques such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus and of course the mor</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">e</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> familiar Volkswagon ("Vokk wagen"), Merz, Beemer, Nissan, Toyota, Buick (a very popular </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">MPV make in Chengdu), Honda ("HON da", in a low voice in the likes of a stiff Japanese man</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. Hmm, I wonder where he got that from), Seat, Citroen, Suzuki, Audi, Volvo, Skoda....</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7fy2Y9wEpr1paJedz1v29NRCpBjmCURD85RlUh8QuNkJryREIgR57T81cMJzyba4NWCUI6RBB0XD3pWRZzmnl8qtOnV-PoM3exg1UGdEJDribfwsTdSGavt-m1sqArdqITUo-aOz2Ss/s1600-h/images-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 88px; height: 78px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7fy2Y9wEpr1paJedz1v29NRCpBjmCURD85RlUh8QuNkJryREIgR57T81cMJzyba4NWCUI6RBB0XD3pWRZzmnl8qtOnV-PoM3exg1UGdEJDribfwsTdSGavt-m1sqArdqITUo-aOz2Ss/s200/images-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432067973257494866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A co</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">uple of days ago, it became apparent that my 2 and a half year son knew more ab</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">out cars than</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> me. When he asked, "this one", and pointed to a car on the road, I replied, "Seat". Whereupon he replied in a most confident tone, "no mummy, Seat. Suzuki-ni". I was surprised and a little insulted but made a me</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">ntal note to check up on their logos. Damn! I was wrong! </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> :D<br /><br />ps. just in case someone is as clueless as me, the silver logo on the right is Suzuki & the red one is Seat ;)<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 4 months, 3 weeks & 2 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler<br /></span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-47720018644194832932010-01-27T01:46:00.003+08:002010-01-27T01:51:37.430+08:00It's all in the name<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">EtonHouse has a practice of putting each student's picture followed by his name on the classroom's door. In the Chinese division class that's beside mini-b's, there are a couple of names that caught our attention. 3 boys named Sunny, Grace, ....and my favourite is, Leakey. I feel sorry for that kid.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 4 months & 3 weeks old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler</span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-53649360269576476772010-01-21T21:47:00.017+08:002010-01-22T10:31:24.498+08:00Thursday = pea soup + crepe<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There's a quaint tradition in Finland where pea soup (<span style="font-style: italic;">hernekeitto</span>) and crepes (<span style="font-style: italic;">lettu</span>) are traditionally eaten on Thursdays. I've no idea why Thursday. And for that matter, no other day of the week has such association. This soup isn't the usual starter; instead, it's a main course because it's so heavy that it goes thump in your stomach. It's one of those things I read about Finland many years in a list that went, "You know you're in Finland when..." along with "silence is golden" or something about whipping one's body with a bunch of birch twigs in a sauna. How cute, I thought. But it wasn't a few years later that I actually tried pea soup.<br /><br />I think if there's any dish that sums up the Finnish psyche, it's this. Hearty, down-to-earth, unpretentious.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCljk9XMhiNs2qnWqo1893XAfBG9yugiJ-nKOaqD8jGogTMj1-pxsWngeOr_GYrBJvIXx3Kngx1eo5xTQUb4Xkzw7reQEbtCjnFtNbhvDDghTrALHin9FZHmhyphenhyphenF7sp5KF6xvpJHDPYn0/s1600-h/IMG_6967.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCljk9XMhiNs2qnWqo1893XAfBG9yugiJ-nKOaqD8jGogTMj1-pxsWngeOr_GYrBJvIXx3Kngx1eo5xTQUb4Xkzw7reQEbtCjnFtNbhvDDghTrALHin9FZHmhyphenhyphenF7sp5KF6xvpJHDPYn0/s320/IMG_6967.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429224938906478466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hernekeitto</span><br />shelled peas, dried or fresh<br />potatoes, cubed (optional)<br />onions, minced<br />meat stock (I used chicken bones left over from a roast)<br />bay leaves<br />ham*, diced<br />butter<br />salt & black pepper<br />mustard<br /><br />1. Put the bay leaves, bones, peas & potatoes into a large stockpot. Add water until just covering the peas or potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until peas are soft or until a good stock is made from the bones.<br />2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the onions until a golden caramel colour. Add into the stockpot.<br />3. Remove the bay leaves & bones.<br />4. Use a potato masher to mash the peas and potatoes into a thick paste. (Alternatively, a blender could be used as well but I prefer a chunky touch to the soup)<br />5. Add the diced ham. Season to taste with salt & pepper.<br />6. Serve with a dollop of mustard mixed in.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">* I really don't recommend thin slices of 'picnic ham'. I'd go for a whole chunk of smoked ham then dice it to your liking. I had frozen portions of my Christmas ham and it was wonderful.</span><br /><br />And as for the crepes (<span style="font-style: italic;">lettu</span>), I whipped some cream and chopped up strawberries to go. Traditionally though, strawberry jam is eaten with the crepes along with cream. I love food traditions!<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG3s-hAfvp4IKun7i2p9X8wJAn4508jlShLzohVnQ4khCk6e1y2WxuwLzEHaqCxIf8AtEzBvL8sWt7BB9Vso2m6243nY_OolILgRKln_IG5LfMT1wEf9X8qpo4EcvrtnHTzvR-HWSMAk/s1600-h/IMG_6975.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJG3s-hAfvp4IKun7i2p9X8wJAn4508jlShLzohVnQ4khCk6e1y2WxuwLzEHaqCxIf8AtEzBvL8sWt7BB9Vso2m6243nY_OolILgRKln_IG5LfMT1wEf9X8qpo4EcvrtnHTzvR-HWSMAk/s200/IMG_6975.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429220430663294018" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 4 months, 2 weeks & 1 day old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler<br /></span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-33812710223306284572010-01-17T01:55:00.001+08:002010-01-17T01:57:28.333+08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky_a_UEMBQshaFqK_43Tl2hPk3vYE7hXJWAru7LKBP9lqB4TGZyTznN8ccpgQPctE1e9gRfqaXXd13QwWnOkUHDpSEbwN5Bq4be7yazSre1iX2-lPWrdK-7OOULnHsc0J9mB2dibA9Qc/s1600-h/IMG_6834a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhky_a_UEMBQshaFqK_43Tl2hPk3vYE7hXJWAru7LKBP9lqB4TGZyTznN8ccpgQPctE1e9gRfqaXXd13QwWnOkUHDpSEbwN5Bq4be7yazSre1iX2-lPWrdK-7OOULnHsc0J9mB2dibA9Qc/s400/IMG_6834a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427398051042381842" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-11373476533057618832010-01-13T12:49:00.002+08:002010-01-13T13:02:22.267+08:00Share and share alike<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"Share" is an alien concept among 2 year olds. When we have playdates, mini-b holds his car to his chest and proclaims, "mine". Nevermind that he hasn't touched that toy for ages. Same goes for the long forgotten rattle that micro-b plays with these days. While I'm anxious not to raise selfish brats, pediatric psychologists say this is pretty normal behaviour for 2-3 year olds.<br /><br />But there's one thing that mini-b has shared pretty well. He brought home from school a cold last week. Over the weekend till today, gooey stuff has been dripping from his nose followed by a rackish cough. Yesterday, it appeared that mini-b shared his germs with his little brother. micro-b now has a heart wrenching phlegm-y cough. Great, 2 sick cry-y kids on my hands :(<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 4 months & 1 week old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler</span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-78743139654399500572010-01-10T02:25:00.010+08:002010-01-12T00:35:45.621+08:00this past few weeks<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I can't believe how fast time flies... (yep yep, don't we hear that all the time?) micro-b is 4 months old and the elder one is 2.5 years old. Developmentally, mini-b is talking a lot more now. School has been great. The exposure he has been getting, the socializing with children his own age, drawing, running.... all the kind of stuff I wish I can do with him on a daily basis but can't because my hands are tied (almost literally ;) Last week, his class baked gingerbread cookies because the letter of the week is 'G' :) And the next week, there will be a school excursion to an organic farm! I wish school was half that fun during my time.<br /><br />And micro-b is a very jolly fella. He loves to squeal and laugh wholeheartedly when someone engages him - what a wonderful temperament... am I lucky. Last Monday, just 2 days before he turned 4 months, he flipped over from back to tummy and since then, he has been going round in circles on the playmat. Back-tummy-back-tummy.... I can probably get him to clean my floor if I attach scouring pads to his jumpsuit.<br /><br />Anyhow, here are the past few weeks in pictures.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04BXW3uEujKcyPO2LDw50EmnRYRVZvTkgAgP4oXkRKVb-QZX5RwYiy-Ci6CSe_tSUhJFYI2WP0SVh39NklBDP1L2DRgQWTzlac-JcyCsdU6-7_0eadkdjuz1VBwd1rrOKU8jedzJFyjs/s1600-h/IMG_6778.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04BXW3uEujKcyPO2LDw50EmnRYRVZvTkgAgP4oXkRKVb-QZX5RwYiy-Ci6CSe_tSUhJFYI2WP0SVh39NklBDP1L2DRgQWTzlac-JcyCsdU6-7_0eadkdjuz1VBwd1rrOKU8jedzJFyjs/s320/IMG_6778.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425380547253816674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Gingerbread - a family tradition by now and there's my elf</span>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgScrxKyAEF7kp-aYoWBkJwH6qT6UPSl1PCoSy6Uj1zPwZFNBMazR_47RvVyTBdj7fikrDRLm-Whuj92x_PggxdJBjbzq8S774qYe-Yc_WNjelnuxa19Orv8cXotfRQMRq70wf8vbGhE/s1600-h/IMG_6790.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgScrxKyAEF7kp-aYoWBkJwH6qT6UPSl1PCoSy6Uj1zPwZFNBMazR_47RvVyTBdj7fikrDRLm-Whuj92x_PggxdJBjbzq8S774qYe-Yc_WNjelnuxa19Orv8cXotfRQMRq70wf8vbGhE/s320/IMG_6790.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425380550403229874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The Gingerbread house from the 2005 template. This year's cookies were a disaster. I over-beat the butter & sugar resulting in cookies that s-p-r-e-a-d horribly in the oven but I managed to work around it by using very cold dough from the freezer.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMsjopNlpxTIawaA7_vHNXnRE5NJESAlOf0Vh-rVwyI8U1agNrZgpsOKXa5gnHx5-AV6ivDxScDdBdUYfR15zwW1WfuD0m38lekwjXpI96vFuZmf_kJbu2bgF1DOIvzLYTp_sgxg04uI/s1600-h/IMG_6821.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMsjopNlpxTIawaA7_vHNXnRE5NJESAlOf0Vh-rVwyI8U1agNrZgpsOKXa5gnHx5-AV6ivDxScDdBdUYfR15zwW1WfuD0m38lekwjXpI96vFuZmf_kJbu2bgF1DOIvzLYTp_sgxg04uI/s320/IMG_6821.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425380563567077650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Christmas Eve dinner. No, I didn't bake the ham. Thank God for a local butchery run by a Kiwi couple!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uN2xK0Nv-I2zaLo1bVDldA5sHfpMNaCv4CqAPnelMoyg_kQfnAFeXXUNAXnkLORHGw9asA_77-9r4N9tKPDgGINJ5iqFiu855SZg8cJjwkbaKUif_v7PzZx9GAup5RKgkAhP2msLgCQ/s1600-h/IMG_6847.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uN2xK0Nv-I2zaLo1bVDldA5sHfpMNaCv4CqAPnelMoyg_kQfnAFeXXUNAXnkLORHGw9asA_77-9r4N9tKPDgGINJ5iqFiu855SZg8cJjwkbaKUif_v7PzZx9GAup5RKgkAhP2msLgCQ/s320/IMG_6847.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425380569057019010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">micro-b's first Christmas!</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5ISC5xLZPwNbEas5AlBtbw-UeaRqEOZBAxU9I6d8SsFBPZfOmt4xLx40CLZt2s5tyqU07c4OoI0ctXCtEMm2hCayBgPa5gS7J_EhFfCvw4MgVNyd1x7cw8k4FWOV4nkJBEvkpTyMav0/s1600-h/IMG_6809.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_5ISC5xLZPwNbEas5AlBtbw-UeaRqEOZBAxU9I6d8SsFBPZfOmt4xLx40CLZt2s5tyqU07c4OoI0ctXCtEMm2hCayBgPa5gS7J_EhFfCvw4MgVNyd1x7cw8k4FWOV4nkJBEvkpTyMav0/s320/IMG_6809.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425380559033098386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KYbGwF2D41ZqgAWcnzE3TNpFz4T6STeTGhA5o1UuizwNnY23zjIcCoQEuApLjAAHOl_bSVjXJlvomaacZuvssP97SouXE8f4fAE_GWNeqJQtgjCMoFwsJDNqN9zKVXMl2uGkUDSXUp4/s1600-h/IMG_6917.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KYbGwF2D41ZqgAWcnzE3TNpFz4T6STeTGhA5o1UuizwNnY23zjIcCoQEuApLjAAHOl_bSVjXJlvomaacZuvssP97SouXE8f4fAE_GWNeqJQtgjCMoFwsJDNqN9zKVXMl2uGkUDSXUp4/s320/IMG_6917.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425418639230638002" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbRldTzbjyqTqasTPXfNOcVlnMqn_4DN6ScJI0V2BSzQieBRGGme02tTl-XsM4R6dEt25WpyPCD_PTou1hQTC4g_TyPRk4PDyDjVnudYP66gxpn-AH5kYZpuslSuJK6xDtrVoh2-6ARw/s1600-h/IMG_6928.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdbRldTzbjyqTqasTPXfNOcVlnMqn_4DN6ScJI0V2BSzQieBRGGme02tTl-XsM4R6dEt25WpyPCD_PTou1hQTC4g_TyPRk4PDyDjVnudYP66gxpn-AH5kYZpuslSuJK6xDtrVoh2-6ARw/s320/IMG_6928.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425418647710518050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Zzzzz</span>... (Chinese Ah Pek in the making)</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 4 months & 4 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler</span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-91988384214481398802009-12-16T23:56:00.004+08:002009-12-17T00:19:43.516+08:00Sleeping through the night ... at last!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last month, I was wondering if it was a <a href="http://minibeanie.blogspot.com/2009/11/through-night.html">fluke</a> that micro-b slept through the night. It turned out that <a href="http://minibeanie.blogspot.com/2009/11/yes-it-was-fluke-judging-by-mummys-red.html">it was</a> ;) Then, we were still in Finland and a week later, we returned to Chengdu. Miraculously, micro-b began to sleep through the night consistently upon our return. I wasn't about to celebrate prematurely in case it was jet lag but it has been 3 weeks now and I didn't have to wake up at 3am once in that period! ....[victory dance]<victory dance="">....<br /><br />In fact, micro-b's quite the perfect baby sleep-wise. The last feed usually ends at 10pm, we zip him up in his sleeping bag (he'll kick off his blanket otherwise) and he sleeps until 8 the next morning. Bliss!!<br /><br />Here's a series of pictures I took while in Finland in mid November.<br /><br /></victory></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7wzdOT86vu2bdZZFljawY6IGtq84ui3HxWuJ9WMNoOpxNDOXP6lb9Q4B6LRof74B2iqZfv81TSHP6ZsohEhoTjJEweh7bBKM5fBuY_8JkPLmWel6xaR_rC-M3tIobn41mxoVmZtGCY4/s1600-h/IMG_6666.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7wzdOT86vu2bdZZFljawY6IGtq84ui3HxWuJ9WMNoOpxNDOXP6lb9Q4B6LRof74B2iqZfv81TSHP6ZsohEhoTjJEweh7bBKM5fBuY_8JkPLmWel6xaR_rC-M3tIobn41mxoVmZtGCY4/s200/IMG_6666.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415868015907459138" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAppTlUuSxXma3KTmgBW930N5xb6hQS4_VXJAzHQHh6r8a3uFXeGjy3-ZK8vxTGZQ-0vrbsMIyjvcFVrv3hoexJ6UwBN4kAlsCnsAIvSUH6bGgwaNipcc0E_W70fcWwk-QpqTk7Odrps/s1600-h/IMG_6672.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkAppTlUuSxXma3KTmgBW930N5xb6hQS4_VXJAzHQHh6r8a3uFXeGjy3-ZK8vxTGZQ-0vrbsMIyjvcFVrv3hoexJ6UwBN4kAlsCnsAIvSUH6bGgwaNipcc0E_W70fcWwk-QpqTk7Odrps/s200/IMG_6672.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415868023156366018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvB-SM6-y2_d3HUA3L09Mek7e7h8JUCiuRYt-pZZKLKLpS0qO5TzV_mNFr_GijOvg8KcZJbysur0_AWQz8wNr-Bi8-awvMsnOOovEMtBM5w_YUA0dSdZb6KRGtMk-7Re393v8GZAftEw/s1600-h/IMG_6673.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvB-SM6-y2_d3HUA3L09Mek7e7h8JUCiuRYt-pZZKLKLpS0qO5TzV_mNFr_GijOvg8KcZJbysur0_AWQz8wNr-Bi8-awvMsnOOovEMtBM5w_YUA0dSdZb6KRGtMk-7Re393v8GZAftEw/s200/IMG_6673.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415868027208871186" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM-UZkuXXFwvIBfRDw0M3DXYna_sV5m7ERwCuKEHS_qG-k4q-VdG9oNQHBrREkEgA3niMJAhaA8RX5uGjtTz6iER9-hz7SHs0YglqWk-9HY1P_TMJTPKSyZUhSy_efZnkeCp5eTixfm4/s1600-h/IMG_6674.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM-UZkuXXFwvIBfRDw0M3DXYna_sV5m7ERwCuKEHS_qG-k4q-VdG9oNQHBrREkEgA3niMJAhaA8RX5uGjtTz6iER9-hz7SHs0YglqWk-9HY1P_TMJTPKSyZUhSy_efZnkeCp5eTixfm4/s200/IMG_6674.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415868029192175554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><victory dance=""><br /></victory></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 3 months, 1 week & 3 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year & 4 month old toddler</span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-35366664798879492022009-12-15T11:39:00.002+08:002009-12-15T11:50:55.114+08:00Potentially embarrassing moments<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I may be wrong but I think it may be a rite of passage for every parent to be embarrassed by her toddler. Since we had been eating a fair bit of pomelo, mini-b often gestures that he wants his share with, "anna (Finnish: give) porno". <br /><br />And because it is tricky for a 2 year-old tongue to wrap around the 'tr-' sound, it often sounds like he's saying, "f**k, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">f**k, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">f**k" when he was simply pointing to his 3 trucks.</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> We have some explaining to do in front of friends.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 3 months, 1 week & 2 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year & 4 months old toddler</span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-59011050535659747992009-11-18T21:05:00.005+08:002009-12-15T11:38:43.709+08:00Linguistic sponge<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For a few months, mini-b has referred to himself as "boy". It always brings a smile to our faces when he says, "mama, dada, baby, boy", "boy cwwhy" (cry) or "BOY!" when he wants to express that something belongs to him. On this trip to Finland though, he has finally learnt how to say his own name. Quite a feat considering how long his name is...we could have been nice and chosen a 1 or 2 syllabi name like John or Tomi. mini-b introduces himself as "Hasasan" or sometimes "Hassan" :D<br /><br />It also amazes me how fast he's picking up language now. Before we came 2 weeks ago, he said, "hands pois (<span style="font-style: italic;">Finnish</span>: away) please" and from his playschool teacher, he apparently said, "Everybody 洗手 (<span style="font-style: italic;">Chinese</span>: wash hands)". I suppose it's inevitable that he mixes the languages he's learning everyday.<br /><br />Thanks to his fav Ten Little Ladybugs book, mini-b can now count to 10 in English & Chinese. We also talked a lot about colours. M&Ms are great teaching tools ;)<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 5 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year 3 month old toddler</span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-60907274214870930802009-11-16T16:25:00.005+08:002009-12-17T00:34:21.945+08:00A fluke<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yes, it was a fluke! Judging by mummy's red eyes this morning at 7, and micro-b's wailing that woke up dada and minibeanie. It was time for the boys to get up anyway and go get flu-jabs for mb. Well, we can't expect micro-b's sleeping pattern to change in one go. The trend is for the better anyway<br /><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-dada<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 3 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler</span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a></div>DHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13503741731404287210noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-61986508502875800042009-11-15T06:56:00.002+08:002009-11-15T07:07:03.446+08:00Through the Night!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">micro-b slept through the night for the very first time last night! He had his last feed until 10pm and I thought, well, he'd be up 3 or 4am as usual. But no, I woke up at 10am. Yes, 10 o'clock, a sane hour to get up when it's considered day, not 4am when the only things up at that hour are drunks lumbering home and crickets. You see, I got to get up at 10 because dada took the 7am shift AND micro-b was a perfect baby.<br /><br />Was last night a fluke? We'll see...<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 2 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler</span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-92061259604645408062009-11-13T20:35:00.003+08:002009-11-13T20:49:53.842+08:00A Finn in the making<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There's always something that makes one distinctly Singaporean, Finnish, Chinese.... It could be eating certain strange foods or some ritual that's totally based on culture. Today, mini-b climbed onto the dining chair and started rummaging through its stuff. He came to me all sheepish and said, "eat". I thought he had found the bag of M&Ms on the table and helped himself to a chocolate buffet but when I went to the table, lo, it was the box of salmiakki.<br /><br />To non-Scandinavians, salmiakki is the black stuff that everyone else on this planet hates. It was once banned because it was made from ammonia. And this particular box was actually bought from the pharmacy :D Personally, despite my adventurous spirit towards exotic foods, I stop short at salmiakki (even if I crave for salmiakki ice-cream, go figure ;) mini-b is more Finnish than I thought.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7_r5por6c1xyZzE8FYF_lO-8C-U1sIkwPCIo6os5Vdg7Sj6x2W-S4njBodCZkLsqo_4JUYtL8ibirWMT5Xl3f3ABMFwxBAG5NxBvtBtMnjP1LtTHG6EJIFd59Pexv1IUoWf3nC7K6SY/s1600-h/13112009(001).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7_r5por6c1xyZzE8FYF_lO-8C-U1sIkwPCIo6os5Vdg7Sj6x2W-S4njBodCZkLsqo_4JUYtL8ibirWMT5Xl3f3ABMFwxBAG5NxBvtBtMnjP1LtTHG6EJIFd59Pexv1IUoWf3nC7K6SY/s320/13112009(001).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403568859788932754" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8i4GDfNW2iDjDqeUV_pjhuEX5_Y9pUdi4r7lL31U4sqlXsAHJk9n39Zh-vfRstDXddVZRzi8snMYsqCDJWKSzrgJ01YXUxiNULRbQ17B_H7l4q-WJ2J39t82C8xGbTfVIEzMx2lHAq8/s1600-h/13112009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8i4GDfNW2iDjDqeUV_pjhuEX5_Y9pUdi4r7lL31U4sqlXsAHJk9n39Zh-vfRstDXddVZRzi8snMYsqCDJWKSzrgJ01YXUxiNULRbQ17B_H7l4q-WJ2J39t82C8xGbTfVIEzMx2lHAq8/s320/13112009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403568852052802066" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 2 months & 1 week old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler - and up to no good</span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-87655279902088334152009-11-09T03:09:00.005+08:002009-11-09T03:49:50.722+08:00October 09<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It had been FOREVER since the last post :P I do know that some of you are following this blog so I'm sorry to disappoint. Besides the fact that I hardly have time for anything these days, it had proven impossible to log onto Blogger (& Facebook for that matter) recently. Either the proxy server I'd been using needed some new config or that China's Great Firewall had finally caught up with it, I don't know. My tech support guy had for some reason been quite busy as well ;)<br /><br />Well, tons had happened in the last month or so. In a nutshell, here's what happened in October 2009.<br /></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We took a whole week to 're-tune' mini-b's sleeping habit back to sleeping alone in his own room. A month of molly-coddlying by his paternal grandmother did some damage. The worst night was when mini-b came to our room crying for the 3rd or 4th time after being accosted back to his bed and I was ready to cave and let him climb into our bed at 6am. Thankfully, DH held his fort. </span></li></ul><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><ul><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">mini-b started half day playschool at Eton House! We're really proud of him for he didn't cry a single bit. All he needed was to be shown the train set and he would settle right in :D The main focus was on gaining independence such as eating by himself, washing his hands, putting on his shoes etc. He also learnt boundaries, respecting others' rights & group work such as there's a time for art class and Chinese class (<-- I was told by</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> the teacher,</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Miss Lauren, that he isn't so hot for Chinese class... fell asleep once! :D the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, I thought. I think school had done mini-b a world of good. Just 3.5 weeks into it, I noticed that he'd begun using a lot more words. The stimulation he received in that 3.5 hours everyday was certainly a lot more than what I could give at home even without a certain bundle.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Speaking of the bundle, micro-b had grown! He had started smiling and sleeping for longer stretches of time. Hallelujah! Right before we left Chengdu for Finland, the longest he slept at night would be 5 hours - waking up just once to feed in the night. It was a huge improvement over the last week when 2 night feeds actually meant at least an hour of sleep less.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I'd put up some pictures if I could. Here are a couple from the first week of micro-b's birth. Already feels like ancient history.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvaWhikfCyQ3XE0eZPUVMueO6o-vwFvTYyzvXvpnKiXDiZtJMiVkbQW3XVY1fWkwngXIg8BwWJdsq2pV7IHtOR1iglLKRVrXSzJGItDBx7F_sVzqWm_9_NjMOiF9UXYpiQL4AcgERiTb0/s1600-h/IMG_6097.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvaWhikfCyQ3XE0eZPUVMueO6o-vwFvTYyzvXvpnKiXDiZtJMiVkbQW3XVY1fWkwngXIg8BwWJdsq2pV7IHtOR1iglLKRVrXSzJGItDBx7F_sVzqWm_9_NjMOiF9UXYpiQL4AcgERiTb0/s320/IMG_6097.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401819681602674274" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTnMu6HLCCU6HYSg2hGE49TwgdWdx1L1eCpGuRp_zxFSgtdKvk746Up10uM3Ogvfl5Y6TF2BtPZK-3RDhACB1Kl8eUoQh4YNLC4GbKvq1GUmo7KWJsd5G-TwXIT4as6-4IlM-iCw-FF4/s1600-h/IMG_6225.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWTnMu6HLCCU6HYSg2hGE49TwgdWdx1L1eCpGuRp_zxFSgtdKvk746Up10uM3Ogvfl5Y6TF2BtPZK-3RDhACB1Kl8eUoQh4YNLC4GbKvq1GUmo7KWJsd5G-TwXIT4as6-4IlM-iCw-FF4/s320/IMG_6225.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401821814220147202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >19 days old</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIBVu7iCZCekpBIXcgD0B_JKjIoNDCoQoB8lqzRe3a05u6GlhohTEAj6UdRlTRuvXz_Udx1o98pHIv16Ix99B-5yPwyg3NoGmoajM9IvkQSCWBBpVNfTRJNovriqtgE9wmjfxeRvd6BY/s1600-h/IMG_6236.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIBVu7iCZCekpBIXcgD0B_JKjIoNDCoQoB8lqzRe3a05u6GlhohTEAj6UdRlTRuvXz_Udx1o98pHIv16Ix99B-5yPwyg3NoGmoajM9IvkQSCWBBpVNfTRJNovriqtgE9wmjfxeRvd6BY/s320/IMG_6236.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401819686437231650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Big brudder the tutti pusher</span><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 2 months & 3 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler</span></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-9690196824924882022009-09-23T19:34:00.004+08:002009-09-25T01:35:21.612+08:00Breastfeeding hell<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The first week of breastfeeding had been hellish. True to form, this little guy who had been doing gymnastics in my belly at 1am, was most restless at that hour from day 1. I recalled (just 17 days ago but it seemed like a lifetime already!) being kept up for most nights in the hospital soothing and breastfeeding him. It was especially frustrating when the milk hadn't 'come in'. I can't imagine why anyone would enjoy this thing called breastfeeding. The whole process would take me at least an hour and that was being optimistic. <br /><br />Unlike some lactating mums who are like cows, I never had an overflowing problem. And although I was assured by my lactation consultant that <span style="font-style: italic;">eventually</span> supply would increase with demand, the process of enduring 2 days of continuous sucking that result in sore & tender nipples, not to mention keeling over a baby perpetually tethered to my breast, the thought of bottle feeding became an increasingly attractive option.<br /><br />Bottle feeding also allowed DH to share in the load and bond with the baby. The shorter time taken to feed also meant more time could be spent with my elder bean whom I felt had been neglected by me of late. Such is the complexity of the decision! Parenting today is all about guilt management. Guilt from depriving a baby from the 'best' milk; guilt from not spending enough time with the child; guilt from choosing a career over the home... At the end of the day, there wasn't a one-size-fits-all solution for every issue. What mattered most was a judicious weighing of costs versus benefits. With that, I'm at peace with my decision to supplement with the bottle. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And just like that, I got out of my breastfeeding hell.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">microbeanie is 2 weeks & 3 days old<br />minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler</span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-77157235901368488572009-09-13T17:59:00.006+08:002009-09-14T00:25:37.603+08:00micro.b's Birth Story<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's now a week since Lucas was born last Sunday in the wee hours of the morning.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">1900 hrs, Saturday</span><br />After a day of being out and about, I was relieved to get a moment to sit down before dinner. While DH was in the gym, my water bag burst. There was no doubt about it. I wasn't about to make the same mistake as the <a href="http://minibeanie.blogspot.com/2007/08/birth-story.html">last time</a> when I mistook it for a show. In fact, I think I saw bits of the mucous plug in the trickle. No need to press the alarm button by summoning DH from the gym immediately as it'd still take awhile. On DH's return, </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">as I was blogging and logging onto Facebook </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I calmly told him that we had to go to the hospital. The look on his face was priceless :D<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">2000</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The hospital was a mere 5min ride away. We sauntered into the delivery ward as pre-admission was all done a week before. I was in a great mood. Everything felt right.<br /><br />I was given the hospital gown to change into which btw was the most undignified piece of garment ever designed because it exposed one's posterior in the most inglorious fashion. Told to pee into a cup which was a very difficult thing to do for preggies or 300lb folks because our bellies extend so much we just couldn't see down THERE much less pee into a tiny cup.<br /><br />The fetal monitoring device (CTG) was strapped on. Everything normal there - no signs of fetal distress, healthy heartrates and contractions 8-10 min apart. Only minor discomfort felt.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">2045</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 cm dilated.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">2130</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We got the ok from our gynecologist, Dr Kowa, to have our dinner. DH trooped down to Takashimaya's foodcourt for some takeaway. Excellent minced meat 'mee tai mak'! (despite having to pause occasionally for surges to pass). Contractions 7-8min apart.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">2330</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dr Kowa arrived for the preliminary assessment. 3-4cm dilated. Great that it's progressing without the need for oxytocin. Contractions felt stronger but nonetheless bearable. He estimated delivery to be at 0500-0600. Remembered kidding with Dr Kowa and midwives.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0000</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Surges coming on strong. As with minibeanie's birth, I reached for the laughing gas (50% nitrous oxide & 50% oxygen) though one had to be out of her mind to laugh at that point.<br /><br />DH had a coffee to stay awake. Moto GP was on the overhead tv. Surreal.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0100</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Strong contractions that reached the peak of the CTG scale. 5cm dilated.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0120</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Huge surges 3min apart. The air-condition which I had requested to be colder made DH don 2 shirts, wrapped a towel around and huddled beneath the baby heater. Meanwhile, I was perspiring buckets.<br /><br />DH requested a second cup of coffee. Hmm...<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0137</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dr Kowa was called back. 8cm dilated! Glad that the end was in sight.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0150</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thought I felt rectal pressure. A VE showed that baby had descended but he was still too high up. Guess it was a false alarm. Maybe an earlier prediction of delivering by 0230 would come true...<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0210</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Contractions on CTG started to 'merge' i.e. long & frequent. I recalled using the f-word at some point.<br /><br />The midwife started laying out the equipment on a trolley.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0300</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">10cm dilated at last! The stirrups were brought out. Time to push! DH said he was worried when Dr Kowa rolled out his arsenal - scalpels & what-nots of all sizes.<br /><br />No idea how many times I was told to push. All I remembered was being told by midwife to push for 10 counts 3 times with each wave. The contraction pain which had me grabbing the pillow were now secondary; instead, the main sensation now was the intense need to get the baby out. A stinging sensation was felt that only intensified with each push & surge. Finally, when the sting was at its most intense, the baby's head emerged. The rest was easy.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">0323</span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" > hrs</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Lucas was born! :)<br /><br />Relieved that there were no tears and no episiotomy needed .... and no painkillers of either pethidine or epidural used. We stayed in the delivery suite for an hour or so to breastfeed. At 0530, I was transferred to a gurney and wheeled to our room where we would all room in for the next 2 days.<br /><br />It was a great birth experience :)<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">minibeanie is 2 years, 1 months, 2 weeks old<br />microbeanie is 1 week 1 day old<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-77823097993285316362009-09-05T19:14:00.002+08:002009-09-05T19:26:18.555+08:00This is it<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've been having contractions on & off since this morning but they have been irregular. No need to push the panic button yet. After all, they last barely half a minute and they feel like mild menstrual cramps.<br /><br />Not just any day but any time now.<br /><br />10 minutes ago as I was putting 2 yoghurt bars into The Bag for the hospital, a sudden wetness was felt. It was the water that had been cocooning microbeanie for the last 38 weeks. It wasn't a gush but it wasn't just a little either. And from what I learnt the first time, this is it.<br /><br />Funnily enough, dada is still in the gym. No need to run to get him. I can wait and so can microbeanie :)<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month & 1 week old<br />microbeanie is 38 weeks 3 days in utero</span><br /></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-10270509530466802052009-08-27T23:22:00.003+08:002009-08-27T23:45:45.365+08:00Rant<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In my second trimester, I bought a support pillow that's filled with </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">styrofoam-beans (think beanbag) </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">in the hope for a good night sleep. Well, it worked. The support pillow moulded to my belly and gave the support needed. At last, I got some restful sleep. Not now, however. I've 'outgrown' the pillow and didn't bring it along with me to Singapore. Now, the belly just plonks itself on the bed like a huge boulder :D Turning on the bed was also akin to Obelix hoisting a boulder - with 2 hands on the belly!<br /><br />My hips are even more achy now. The baby's head is already engaged rather low down. This is in sharp contrast to the time I was carrying minibeanie. I think it's because since this is the 2nd pregnancy, my hips/pelvis have 'stretched' so microbeanie's head is able to descend earlier. Proof irrefutable that a woman is NEVER quite the same after childbirth! In fact, when i walk these days (or waddle, more like it), there's a slight pressure in my pelvis...quite uncomfortable and much worse than the first time when I pretty much didn't feel anything.<br /><br />As to being back in Singapore, the food is awesome. We've been drinking lots of local coffee <span style="font-style: italic;">(kopi)</span>, tea (<span style="font-style: italic;">teh)</span> etc. DH just discovered a very nice <span style="font-style: italic;">teh-cino</span> in the neighbourhood coffeeshop.. Hmm, I wonder if I should play my pregnant card and get him to go down to buy tehcino and prata for me sometimes :D<br /><br />Today was a busy day. Besides going for my weekly checkup, we did the hospital tour as well. I'm up to my head with all the forms I've to fill for the Baby Bonus and admission etc... And I'm kicking myself for forgetting to bring our marriage certicate!!! I set it aside a few weeks ago, made a note of it but OF COURSE I forgot to pack it when the time comes! and it's needed for birth registration :(( will have to call up ICA or ROM tomorrow........<br /><br />We did the Mt. Elizabeth tour today. Quite nice. It was the first time that DH saw a nursery because in Finland, it's 100% rooming in with the bb. I definitely prefer the option of having a nursery just so that I can get some rest *if* I want. But on the other hand, pain management techniques & birthing positions are still rather old school in SG. The traditional stirrups are still the default position. In Finland, birthing balls (for pain management), birthing tubs, birthing stools are on the cards... even though in reality, not every woman gets to use the tub.<br /><br />Tomorrow we're going to the zoo! I hope I won't be too tired :P With a 2 year old and a waddling preggie, I think it'll be a huge achievement just to go on the tram, take in 1 show and briefly visit the 'Kidzworld' before minibeanie or me call it quits!<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">minibeanie is 2 years, 1 month & 1 day old<br />microbeanie is 37 weeks 1 day in utero</span></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-71137237649205541632009-08-26T23:02:00.002+08:002009-08-26T23:22:03.288+08:00Full term<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">microbeanie is officially full term today :) With each passing day and with it the increasing likelihood of birth, I'm feeling nostalgic that these are probably the last few days where I can give my semi-independent toddler my undivided attention. But my love for him certainly won't diminish... Love's a strange thing, I realize. It isn't a finite resource, having one more claimant in fact increases the total pool and that's the wonderful thing about increasing the size of the brood.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">minibeanie is 2 years, 1 month old<br />microbeanie is 37 weeks in utero</span><br /></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-58184542160026753262009-08-25T01:36:00.003+08:002009-08-25T01:46:12.838+08:00Singapore at last<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We've been in Singapore for 6 days :) What a relief to be here... The first few days had been taken up by visits to doctors and attending to boring things like banking matters. Now, things have settled down a little and we're trying to take a little breather before the little one comes. There are </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">occasional Braxton Hicks episodes (like now) but at least I know I'll be in good hands just a brief taxi ride away :P </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;">minibeanie is 2 years & 4 weeks old<br />microbeanie is 36 weeks 6 days in utero</span><br /></span><a href="http://lilypie.com/"><br /></a>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-39381119246877719922009-08-17T11:44:00.001+08:002009-08-17T15:56:12.771+08:00False alarm<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Thank God it was Braxton last night!!! It was definitely contractions...I could feel it radiating from front to back and my belly actually felt hard and tense. I was lying in bed with my alarm clock, turning on its night light whenever a wave comes. At one point, it was every 10min even if each lasted only a couple of seconds. After 2 hours or so, it tapered off. By then, I'd been alternating between sleep and wide-awake heart-thumping anxiety for 3.5 hours until day broke.<br /><br />In the light of day, I'm just glad that it as a false alarm. But when it was actually happening, who could have assured me that?<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />microbeanie is 35weeks 5 days in utero</span><br /><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110455698498167725.post-41342654332222327832009-08-17T04:24:00.001+08:002009-08-17T04:43:01.609+08:00Let it be Braxton!<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">It is 4:21 in the morning and I've been woken up by what feels like a tummy ache. I remember rolling over and returning to sleep a few minutes ago but it came back again. Oh no, God, please don't let this be the real thing. I'll be going back to Singapore in just 2 days!<br /><br />I'm hoping that it's just a little upset tummy or Braxton Hicks :( The truth is, even after having gone through one before, it's hard to remember what it feels like. And it doesn't help that there's a bit of lower back pain (a <i>possible</i> sign of labour!) which is unusual but which may be caused by us being out in town today. ....Please don't let it come so soon!!<br /><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />microbeanie is 35weeks 4days in utero</span><br /><br /></span>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02194364673713957664noreply@blogger.com0