The Chewys

Faith is 6 months old!

2011-04-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Chubby cheeks has reached 6 months!

Faith: at 6 months
Weight: 8.2kg
Height: 66 cm
Head circumference: 45cm

She has/can:
1. Sit up and play toys
2. Spoutted first canine tooth on lower gums.
3. Take solid food well
4. Trying to stand
5. Eaten biscuits n loves them
6. Wave "hi " n " bye"
7. Indicate "no" to thgs she doesn't want by shaking her hands furiously with " ee ee ee" sounds
8. Loves songs n hates opera!!
9. has eaten spinach, carrots, apples, pears, rice cereal, papaya.

10. pull herself from sitting position to tummy position.

Small man big talk

2011-03-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

Many times Elliot has really funny conversations with us. It will be a pity not to pen them down as my peanut brain has much to store. Hence, I remind myself to record these beautiful moments...

Elliot refers himself to Pooh bear after Winnie the Pooh movies was introduced to him. And he named Daddy - Tigger, Mummy - Christopher Robin / Darby, Little Sister Faith - Buster, Grandpa - Rabbit, Grandma - Piglet, Wai Po (maternal grandma) - Eeyore, Yi Po (maternal grand aunty) - Owl.

Talk 1# Elliot @ 35 months

Daddy Chewy: Elliot, you must be tired. It's time for a nap...
Elliot boy: Daddy, Pooh bear doesn't sleep... (Daddy chuckled)

Talk 2# Elliot @ 35 months

Elliot boy: Mummy... arrgh...

Mummy Chewy: What happened darling?

Elliot boy: Mummy... my tummy pain pain. I think... I think I ate too much gummy bears, right?

Mumy Chewy: Right...(Grinned and nodded)

Elliot has learnt to evaluate cause and effect now. Interestingly, he would actually figure out something he likes so much can eventually be a bad thing.

Sweet & sour Pork

2011-03-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

I have been craving for this in March! Can't get the right ones for me from the stalls, hence I consulted my "SHI FU" aka mummy for a tasty recipe! Mum's the best!

Elliot's school diary -# 1 baking times

2011-03-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

Elliot's school has baking times for little tots! What a great idea for little ones to get interested in the food they not only eat but to know how to prepare and cook them! And I love this idea so my little son can be a good kitchen helper and grow up to be little more of the sensitive new age guy.. kekekeke. Here's to share some of his menu:

Faith turns 5 months!

2011-03-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

Chubby cheeks (this is how we nicked name Faith) has reached 5 months! Little gal is ain't little and she weighs 7.96kg!

Weighs: 7.9kg

Height: 65.5cm

She can:
1. Flip both sides
2. Wiggle around
3. Sleep and rotate 360 degrees
4. Identify her name when being called and smile
5. Likes red, orange colours
6. Hold her toes especially when changing diapers
7. Hold a ball
8. Has started growing hair!!!!!!
9. Able to sit up and play

Elliot's school diary -# 1 baking times: papaya salad

2011-03-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Home learning fun! Dot a dot activities!

2011-02-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

Elliot's loves doing the dot a dot activities! It's not as messy as painting and my tot can start practicing writing too. I love sourcing for cute and attractive pictures for him too! A project for both of us! Who says staying at home mum is bored at home?!

Elliot 4th & Faith's 1st CNY

2011-02-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

Home learning fun! It's jungle theme!

2011-02-21T21:08:00.000-08:00

Chewymama is so inspired by Aunt Serene on home learning that I have finally started Elliot on our own projects!

#1 month: Jungle Theme

I have prepared writing, painting, learning and playing items related to jungle. Daily 1-2 types of different learning is incorporated to let Elliot have more "structured" routine, hence he is able to enjoy more at home rather then sticking his face up onto the big screen. I have the projects to include:

1. A book/s related to theme:

-- a) Jungle Book, a collection of stories by British Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling.
   The tales in this book illustrates stories of morals using relationships between the animals and a man-cub, Mowgli.

   b) Animals I spy, by Kate Sheppard
   An interesting book that introduces fun by locating the right animal in a jungle of animals.

2. A DVD movie related to theme:

-- Jungle Book

3. Picking out key characters from books/DVDs to feature in writing, painting and learning materials

-- Tiger, monkey, bear, bird, elephant, lion

4. A nursery rhythm/song related to jungle:
1. Animal Crackers by Wee Hairy Beasties presented by Putumayo
2. No more monkeys! Asheba presented by Putumayo

I enjoy doing the research for his projects and this process is so much fun!

Below:
1. Duplo zoo animal set
2. Library books:

How To Let Your Kid Vent His Anger

2011-01-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

Chewys found this " hit and pok " game at Lot 1! It's a great alternative for little boys to vent their angry or even boundless energy.. hahahahaha! And it's good for the kid's motor skills too! Let's hope to see more of this!

2011-01-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Faith turns 4th Month.

Weigh: 7.3kg

Height: 65 cm

She can

1. Turn fully without help

2. Make Ahhhhh sounds for a full minute

3. Hold her own milk bottle

4. Grab thing and pull into her mouth

5. Track an item placed in front of her

6. Chuckle

7. Sleep on her own at times without rocking or giving a pacifier

8. Wearing Mamy poko "M" size

9. Poo every Saturday and one of the weekday

10. Attempt to crawl forward and stand up with support

11. Show interests in food by smacking lips and salivating when seeing us eating

1, 2, 3, 4... Chewys Chewys Having FUN!

2010-12-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

A) It was Faith's first Christmas with us and she has been such a lovely baby. Always so cool and calm and all smiles. We are very blessed to have her with us. She's such a "deer"!

B) We missed X'mas in 2009 as we spent our X'mas with our dear friends in China. It was really memorable with oversea friends from all over the world to come to meet and share the joy and love. Elliot too remembers this day, he said "Felix Navidad!"

Mummy Chewy Bakes!

2010-12-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

It's Mummy Chewy's first X'mas Passionfruit Banania Logcake! Checkout the little mushrooms! Yum Yum Yummy!

Great X'mas Reads for Elliot! Ho ho ho!

2010-12-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Mummy Chewy got me a couple of interesting books on x'mas! They are FFFULLY AAAWESSSSSOME !!

1. Santa's Stuck by Rhonda Gowler Greene

2. Happy holidogs by Ed Heck

Elliot loves Daddy Chewy singing the happy holidays with the tune of " On the 1st day of X'mas, Santa gave to me..." And Daddy's merry singing gets all of us sing too! Thanks Daddy for the lovely singing :) May sure Faith enjoys all the happy sounds at home.

Faith Holds Her Bottle!

2010-12-16T17:15:00.000-08:00

At week 12, Baby Faith learns how to hold her milk bottle. Such a cutie! How fast little ones grow and I am cherishing all baby moments now. It is at this tiny age when every wink and gesture can make my day. Loving it!

Why Dumb Toys Make Kids Smarter

2010-12-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

Why Dumb Toys Make Kids Smarter

This is an interesting read on how parents should observe their children and let motivation take the lead in learning, not just by reading and following books and teaching kits for the educating young children in the market.

Now, it makes me wonder if allowing Elliot to watch his favourite DVDs so much daily is fine as he picks up new phrases very quickly and uses them correctly by reading the subtitles, and learning to sing the songs featured well.... hmmmm....

Faith's 1st month celebration 10/10/10

2010-12-10T01:57:00.000-08:00

Time flies with #2 and it was time to celebrate baby Faith's 1st month. This time we decided to not have it at home as we have yet to unpack totally since our return. Having to pack the house with a basketball in front and a 2 year old was a nightmare. So Daddy Chewy and Mama Chewy totally agreed to have it away from home!! Besides, with Elliot's experience, having 80 relatives at home was a BIG deal. Gladly, we held a HELLO KITTY 1st month party at Temasek Club!! We didn't have to pack and turned the house into a huge can of sardines!!! Awesome......

We simply love the lovely cupcakes which Weliana made for us! They were so charming and too nice to be eaten. We had to prevent "non-kids" to take more than 1 :P!! I love the huge Kitty.

Welcome Faith! It's abcdeF now!

2010-12-09T06:52:00.000-08:00

We are so blessed to have a baby girl for #2 and oh my, must be my mum's good food and China's fresh products that this little girl is a chub! I put on 16kg for this "little" one!

Baby Faith

Arrived on 15th Sep 2010

Weight: 3.78kg (!!)

Height: 49cm

Tried again for natural birth... as you can see this was not at all easy for mama Chewy... after 8 hours of labour, stubborn cervix was only 2cm. With 3 hours of intense contractions; with so called "laughing gas" which made me cried buckets instead; with epidural that stopped my tears for good, this gal was pounding her big head so hard that I had to give up the idea of having the feeling of PUSHing the baby and having the baby to "swim out" and see light at the end of the tunnel. My gynae advised me to go for c-sec since she felt baby's head kaput already. Not to put Baby F in danger and risk her little brain to be effected... it was "Okay, let's CUT again...." Sigh, somehow my children have a set of their own minds before we see them.

We are BACK!!! And MORE in 2010!

2010-12-09T06:38:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I last updated.... as we were happily "out stationed" as a family since my last post. This time the Chewys are back and oh boy, we have an addition of "F" now in 2010!

Here's our new cutie pie Chewy! Welcome baby F on 15th Sep!

Catching up with little man

2009-06-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Elliot boy, Elliot boy, what do you see? Little Chewy has always love Eric Carle's books since a small baby. It started with "Panda bear..", then " Brown Bear.."... it's amazing how this little baby is making sense of the bedtime stories and recognising the animals now. Eric Carle's simple and colourful illustrations of the animals attract infants' attention. The catchy phrases never fail to intrigue Little Chewy :)

Elliot is walking and turning our house upside down!

2009-05-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

Elliot can walk! Good news AND bad news.

Good news as our little boy reached another milestone and he's so cute when he's walking! He thinks he can run sometimes, hence moving like an ostrich as he has yet to coordinate his movements well. These days, don't need to carry all day long and it feels so good to hold that little hand and guide him along. The little hand that reaches out to me and feel safe in my hand.

Bad news? He goes to all corners of the house and move the things in the living room to the bedroom and vice versa. Hence, do be surprised to see his clean diapers on the sofa, my disposable breast pads on the coffee table, my wardrobe emptied and yes, you know the "batman-masks" are all over the floor; the toys can be found on the bathroom floor, coasters on my bed, tissue boxes emptied... arrrrgh! The unthinkable actions are all do-able...Hence, you now know why I seldom blog....

Check out the video :D

DUCKS, TRUCKS & OH!

2009-05-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

Vocab 1-2-3

"Truck"-Hahaha Little fella now loves to say "TRUCK!" He loves looking at vehicles, and I mean really love. He directs us with his little fist, pointing to the direction he wants to go and in this case, it's where the keys are stored. Then he points to his shoes, then to the door and if you don't open the door, he rocks his body with protest, and gives a short and fierce "AHHH!" His favourite was motorbike till one day, some silly loud motorbike's "Paaaaahhhh!!" woke him up in the middle of the night. From then onwards, he signals "scare-scare" (beating his chest with his hands wide)... Hence, Rubbish Truck took over the No.1 place in his heart now. God.. everyday whenever he hears any loud moving vehicle he says " Truck!" Mind you, he has to go out of house to see his moving vehicles at least 3x a day.... Nope, showing him books on vehicles and moving cars on TV are not good enough.

"Duck"-Actually, Lil' Chewy started with "Duck" in the bathroom a couple of weeks ago. It was funny when he once said it. He placed his tongue on top of his mouth and it only went.. "Dah..." for the first few times then strangely within a day, he got it right! See, never underestimate babies :P Poor daddy, Lil' Chewy forgot about calling him ever since... guess he got bored with "Da-da"

"ZeGe ZeGe ZeGe ZeGe.."-Funny boy has always been good with funny sounds. He was able to say "Uh oh", "Oh..." when things drop on the floor or things got spoilt by him, which usually were thown onto the floor by him. For weeks, he has this strange quick and repetitive of "Zege zege zege zege.. " which sounds like "this this this" in mandarin! Haha, guess he takes after Mummy Chewy who can speak a sentence in a second.

Jungle Party at Hort Park!

2009-04-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

2. Birthday Celebration at HortPark

We celebrated Lil' Chewy's 1st birthday at Hortpark with relatives and friends! It was stressful planning a baby's birthday man! But all efforts were paid off when we saw his little face lit up with the balloon decor and the beautiful cake we ordered. It wasa a great jungle party!

Happy Birthday Little Chewy!

2009-04-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

Gosh, he's a little man now!!! Now I understand what people always say when kids grow up fast. Real fast! We celebrated Lil' Chewy's birthday with a couple of activities!

1. Pre-celebration: Sentosa

Siloso Beach Resort

We checked into Siloso Beach Resort and imagined we were tourists. Not too hard surprisingly, as it was weekdays and we saw more tourists then locals there. We were among the Indians, Japanese, Koreans, Americans, Chinese Natonals and Europeans there, except for a handful of local teens playing beach sports. The resort was really quiet which we like. It has an interesting concept - having the resort built around trees there. Ahhh... the dark grey and brown colour scheme used with lots of wood and glass allow us to forget the concrete jungle we live in!

11 months & quite a terror!

2009-03-19T02:36:00.000-07:00

Ahh.. it's already 11months and lil'Chewy is getting really mobile! He's like a tamogatchi who constantly needs my attention. Besides the pooing, cleaning, feeding, now he needs a playmate. A playmate who can crawl with him on all fours to catch, roll and throw the balls; sing-along sessions with his nursery and reading his favourite books. This little fella loves the book on vehicles so much that I have to go through it at least 5 times daily. Gosh, babies are like Energizer Bunny....

He's EVERYWHERE!

2009-02-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

Dilemma is many SAHM's middle name. When Lil' Chewy was flipping, I was hoping when he would crawl. Was worried that he was lagging behind the monthly milestones, etc and voila! He suddenly skipped leopard crawl and was on all fours at 8th month! I was overjoyed! Crawling was a whole new dimension for him and I secretly wished him to walk soon.... rrrite....

Then at 9th month, just knowing how to balance on fours, he decided to cruise around our furniture! What I was hoping seemed to be fulfilling too soon! I hardly can catch my breathe these days as Lil' Chewy is ALL over the house. He crawls so fast from corner to corner and bulldozing anything and everything in this way. This is no good! At times, he can lose his balance or miss a step as this young man thinks he can speed now. So a few times he's been kissing the floor.*Heart pain* He loves to climb up and bear walk, crab walk at our low shelves, coffee table, TV console, sofa.. yes.. you name it, he does it.

Now at 10th month, he likes to stand on his own and do the "Titanic" pose with me, the dashing Rose, into his arms. Adventure is his middle name now. He loves to hangon to his support singlehandedly, with a toy ball in his hand, shaking it proudly. Babies at this age seem to think the world is made of tofu or cotton candy.

Lil' Chewy's best friends... for now :P

2009-02-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Since 6 months old.. Lil' Chewy is always intrigued by the Tigger. Maybe it's the catchy orange colour, or maybe it's because he likes to hear us saying "Tigger likes to bounce, bounce, bounce!" and making the figurine jumping for joy in front of him. Our happy baby simply loves happy stuff :D This Christmas, he gets a huge Tigger from grandparents and a Tele.. I mean TEDDY-phone! We just have enough of him playing with my handphone ( You see, it has a picture of him and Daddy Chewy) so we decided to get him a toy phone in his favourite colour! It enables us to have a recorded message too! Cool!

Looking back 2008...

2009-01-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

2008 past by in a blink of an eye ... which I needed a couple more forty winks! It's already in the first week of Jan 2009.... gosh, I need to catch up with time.

2008 is an incredible year, in all senses. Personally, it's the best as Lil' Chewy is born! I got my figure back and family life can't be better. Even though many would disagree with me especially as it's not so cheery looking world-widely. With Lil' Chewy's addition to the Chewys, life is really never gonna be the same. Really.

Flash back:

April - Lil' Chewy greeted us with a poo and that's when all the shits begin... I am not kidding!

I just realised today that being a SAHM, I have been dealing, literally, shit, for nine months. Everyday since he was born, imagine a poo job daily ( mind you, first few months I got more than 3 times a day.) so up till date it's at least 270 days of "clearing shit" or "keo sai"... eek! I can still remember the first poo he had.... in my tummy, tsk tsk tsk. For Daddy Chewy, besides the smile on Lil' Chewy's face, the next most memorable thing was his SHITY experiences, hahaha!

2009-01-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas has never been as meaningful as this year as it marks my first Christmas with our new entry in our lives!

Last Christmas, I was happily enjoying my log cakes, champagne, chocolates and turkey with a bump. It is jolly good fun when you are preggies and the whole world spins around you without you lifting a single finger! But this year, don't even think about whipping a christmas meal out while I have to struggle to have my Christmas meals.... Although not having to cook a sumptous dinner, having baby Elliot to spend Christmas with us this year beats having anything else, even if we are having congee for Christmas! The joy of x'mas is having a cute little one banging his rattle on his high chair and beaming away innocently at us. How time files when we were holding him in our arms and all he knows is boobies, milk and sleep. Now he loves to see the decorated X'mas tree and swinging his arms fanatically when he hears chipmunks singing.

"All I want for X'mas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth, oh my two front teeth!" This song used to sound kiddy before. But listening to this christmas song now always makes my family smile as baby Elliot has literally be wishing for his two front teeth! Now, it's not only two but three almost at one shot! The tooth fairy has been generous or I guess she simply waved her wand alittle too fast in her holiday rush.

Silent night? Silent night for me as I no longer have the same mad rush every year to buy X'mas pressies for colleagues but merely spending time at home decorating the tree, and making x'mas plans now with my little precious. Not such a silent night as we have a screaming baby who sleeps at 8pm and hence, we have to skip all late night parties! Many states parenthood means making sacrifices. I feel it's a responsibility more than a sacrifice. It's a bit hard at first, especially when your neighbours are, merrily feasting away, or your friends are posting invites or picures on facebook about partying. But I know I can't complain now as there's only this once first moment in our lifetime with him.

Merry X'mas to all & wish all new parents, a happy and enjoyable season!

Baby 1st months * deja vu *

2008-11-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Today's been a busy day for the Chewys with two 1st month celebrations to attend. There's Lil' Chewy's new buddies: Baby Julian (Papa Kevin & Mama Georgina) and Baby Cayden (Papa Max & Mama Xiuli)! Welcome buddies! *Hi5 (Burp. Fart. Smile)*

#Buddy No. 1: Baby Julian!

Yo, check this dude out man! Such nice angel! Has Hot Mama Georgina's complexion and eyes, and Papa Kevin's cheeks. I sense competition.....

#Buddy No. 2: Baby Cayden!

Another charmer! Has nice dimples like me :P Great hair, buddy!

Wow Lil' Chewy is already a party goer at 7.5mths! Oh man, I miss the times when he was so little..SOOOoo INNOCENT! Hahaha! Those were the days when he could nap for 3 hours and just wake up for milk feed. The routine was simple: Drink, sleep, up for attention and repeat! I miss the little fingers grabbing on my fingers. Ah... the little burps and how we always needed to hear the ultimate BllllurP! Putting him on the lap with his sleepy look. Carrying was such GREAT joy instead. Now Elliot weighs like a sack of potatoes. Mama Chewy actually upgraded and is giving advice now....heeheehee. What a difference 6 months ago. Struggling, scratching head and cracking baby codes.

6mths before & after

1. (Before) Lil' Chewy sleeping in this cot

( Now ) Lil' Chewy sleeping BETWEEN Daddy & Mama (#$%^&!!)

2. (Before) Mama Chewy can bathe, read 5-10 pgs of a book, eat a meal regularly, watch Tv, Surf net while Lil' Chewy napped for at least 2hrs.

( Now ) None of the above, except bathing is back to "recruit" time= 3min.

Reason: Lil' Chewy is rolling EVERYWHERE, attempting to stand up whenever he can grab things to hold. Parental TIGHT observation is needed.

3. ( Before ) Meal times = Boobie times! Pop, pop everywhere!

( Now ) Meal times = A) Preps: Freeze 5 kinds of fruits 1 week before ( Steam, blend and puree = 1 hr ) B) Boil water to sterilise plate and spoon. C) Mix cereals & fruit/veg puree D) Put on bib and feed PATIENTLY

All I want for X'mas ...

2008-11-29T08:49:00.000-08:00

is my 2 front teeth! Yay! 2 pearly whites are spouting! Gosh, I was wondering what's happening to me! So it was all these 2 tiny bits that have been causing me so much pain! My gums are itchy and they hurt... * suck suck fingers * Now I can enjoy more food! Chewy Mama has been feeding me with little man tous heeheehee... There's long biscuits too! I love chewy on them and crushing them with my fingers. Oh.. what a challenge to pick up the man tous!

What do babies dream of?

2008-11-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

Since day 1, Lil' Chewy has been smiling in his dreams. Such sweet smile...we have always been wondering what did he dream of then? Was it the times in the "dark" or the Discovery of "Light"?

Lil' Chewy, are you dreaming of you swimming in Mummy's womb? All the strange sounds that you can hear but not sure what they are?

Are you seeing imageries of shapes which you build in your little head, a castle or even what mummy is?

Dr Pollard, thinks baby "dreams about nipples, gigantic pink nipples atop rapturous breast, their sweet taste trapped like tea on her tongue", which sounds pretty impolite to me.

Elliot's 7mths old!

2008-11-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

Gosh, time zooms by and it's nearly December! And Lil' Chewy is 7mths old! Woohoo! The reason I have been MIA-ing for a while is obvious. Chewy Mama is overruled by Lil' Chewy!

Quick update:

1. Lil' Chewy surprised me this morning by climbing onto me! Hahaha... finally some signs of exploration from this bummer.

2. He was amused by my "surfing" song and kept laughing as we rolled in bed this morning. Strangely he loves the ending with 2 syllabus "Deng deng" without me doing ANYTHING.

3. He hates broccoli.... totally had his mouth shut after first taste on Saturday.

4. Loves tofu & banana puree!!

5. He hates to be on tummy and only roll towards things.

Lotsa fun @ 6mths! WOoHOoo!

2008-10-20T00:38:00.000-07:00

Muahahaha I am 6mths now! Visited Dr Ong last week but didn't get to hear him sing. I love it when Dr Ong sings Humpty Dumpty. He always dances with a syringe, but last week I was woken up by him. Humph! I wonder why I was so sleepy then. Mama Chewy said to Dr Ong I had fever... fever? Is that food? Oh mum tried using the syringe to feed me something that really tasted good! They really think I am that stupid? Hey, I know how to drink from the little round plastic stuck on a stick.

Ahh... at 6mths old I love the new perspective. No more boring ceilings and pipings besides lightings which are the only interesting things. And I get to taste new food!

My first foods:

1. Nestle white & brown rice

2. Apple puree

Subsequently, my menu becomes extensive with orange, green and whites. Sometimes even brown:

1. Orange=carrot

2. Green= avocado

3. White= pear

4. Brown=apple, banana

Oh Chewy Mama's been spending more time in the kitchen lately to make me small meals. She's been using this noisy blender which looks fun! Sometimes she even have to steam the food first.... oh man, that goes my play time with Mama....

I enjoying watching Your Baby Can Read Volume 2 where they teach us "Old MacDonald have a farm"! Never know the animals look so adorable! E-I-E-I-O!

Tales of 5 Mths

2008-10-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

In my 5th month, it's certainly filled with great fun and new things!

Mama Chewy has been showing me 'Baby, You Can Read' CDs and I am picking up catching tunes like " Twinkle, twinkle little stars", " Head, and shoulders, knees and toes"! Those big people are so weird... they look so clumsy doing the "Head and shoulders, knees and toes".. tsk tsk. Think this song is solely for baby size only... no one can reach their toes as fast as us, muahahaha!

Kekeke... I love it when Daddy Chewy plays PEEK-A-BOO with me! His eyes are always bulgingly huge and that smile just goes from ear to ear. Oh yes, those bushy eyebrows never fail to make me laugh when they go up and down so fast. For Mama Chewy, it's PICK-A-BOOB time that I love! Heeheehee these days I find out there are so many different kinds of texture around! Hence I love to scratch everything and everywhere. My favourite is scratching Mama Chewy and pinching her till she goes shrieking in a high pitch "OUch ouch ouch ouch ouch" in one continuous breath!

First Clubbing! WOohoo!

2008-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Venue: Camp Bar

Event: Surprise Party for an old friend, Wassup mate! Lub you long time :D

Woohoo.. it was mummy chewy's first time out to a HIP joint!! Finally.. after so long, I got my grooves back wahahahaha! Elliot was amazingly cooperative while we were sipping our drinks outdoor , catching up with old friends! He's just enjoying the wind, the moonlight, watching the colourful lights spinning behind the glass panels. This is one young clubber for sure.. heeheehee

Flip Flip Flip!

2008-09-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

I finally made my 1st flip! Wow! The view is quite different I must say! Kinda sick looking at ceilings and lights, aircon and trunking, tiny crawling skinny green creatures... Mama Chewy kept wondering why I liked to look at the aircon unit. Hey mama, do I have many choices? Besides the fan, it's the other thing that moves and has some sound.

Definitions of SAHM

2008-09-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

The definitions of SAHM(Stay-At-Home-Mum) are certainly very interesting through the years; through the eyes of husbands and daddies; through the yet-to-be-married.

1st definition (through eyes of older generation): SAHM = Waste of at least 15 years of education and income to family. As time changes and society progresses, quitting one's job to stay home in this every-money-counts society in which inflation rates soaring, seems insane and totally out-of-this-world. Yes, I repeat, out-of-this-world. My parents felt it's a total waste to give up my bright future and salary, when I should be climbing up the corporate ladder whilst youth is the biggest asset besides relevant working experience and qualifications. I don't disagree as women have come a long way to earn our worth in the corporate world. In the past, women were not as well-educated and accepted in corporate world, hence less employment opportunities. To older generations, women who are now able to have an income plays a more vital role to the family. The role of a mother now is no longer just someone who gives birth, looking after and raising a child. Our role as mothers has evolved and we have even more responsibilities.

2nd definition(through eyes of daddies): SAHM=looking after babies ONLY at home. Very often people see things on the surface or not putting themselves in other people's shoes enough which is not at all uncommon in this society now. The word HOME suggests to people, comfort zone, relax, rest, taking your own time to do things or even not doing things at all. Daddies, just try to stay home a week to look after a baby yourselves and see what happens. Oh these are the things you have to do daily:

Morning: wake up as early as 4am to feed babies, wash and hang whole family's laundry, bathe and change baby. Play with baby and don't forget to take breakfast and oh... prepare for lunch while the baby needs another feed already. Oh yes, sterilize milk bottles and breast pumps. Haha, one thing less to do is to pump milk out for storage for daddies.

Noon: Put baby to sleep otherwise no time to cook lunch. Damn only 15 minutes, the baby is up. Play with baby and read to them to make them sleep. Cook lunch, eat and wash. Mop the house and clean all baby's toys as they drool all over. Baby's up again for feed. Prepare milk ( if only men can breastfeed, just pop the boob). Walk around the house and try to make baby cry less, feed baby. Baby sleeps. Start preparing dinner. Oh forgot to go loo. GO!

Evening: Baby's up again after half a poo... carry baby and play for awhile as it's late to cook diner already! Baby refuses to sleep!!! Puts on playgym.. phew, seems to work. Rush to cook.Wait! Take the clothes in. Baby's hungry again. While food is being cooked, milk is being fed, been sweating like a pig. Ok baby's dozing off, put in cot, make sure baby's safe with cot gate up and nothing covering their face in case of SIDS. Bathe. Don't forget the soup is still boiling. Finally, spouse's back. Take dinner. Wash dishes. Relax...but baby's crying again. Nevermind, spouse takes over and clothes need to be folded. Night time, sponge baby and change to pyjamas. Feed again. Read storybook. Rock baby to sleep which takes quite awhile as baby always excited to see spouse back. Baby sleeps finally! REST. (time: 10pm....)

*For all the above, everyday's almost the same except for play-rotate the toys as baby's get bored easily. Besides reading different books, let baby watch BABY, YOU CAN READ/BABY EINSTEIN. Flash flashcards and plays different baby inspiring CDs like baby mozart, nursery rhymes. Oh don't forget to interact with spouse too.

3rd definition(yet-to-be-married): SAHM=tai tais/housewife. Need to say more? Sounds familiar right... "Not to work is the best thing that can happen! Lots of time man! What's so hard to look after a baby.... they just drink milk and sleep". Very often, we hear these comments which we often try our best to reply politely. By the way, not all SAHM has a domestic helper. Please... we no longer just sit at home and watch television. These days we have to look after kids and run the household like we women have always been doing, and keep ourselves updated online, reading on books to plan our babies' growing and learning development. 24 hours a day is not enough :) !

Elliot's 5mths old!

2008-09-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

Haha.. finally got my throne! All thanks to Aunty Georgina & Aunty Chrissandra! Enjoying my book while Daddy and Mummy munching away $#$%^&*!

Nursery Rhymes

2008-09-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to pen this down ever since I have been singing nursery rhymes to Lil' Chewy. When we were young, we just sang along and little did we question the lyrics. Till I become a mum, I realise how strange some lyrics are.

1. Rock-a-bye baby aka hush-a-bye baby

Rock a bye baby on the tree top,

when the wind blows the cradle will rock. (Up till this point, I can still accept...)

When the bough breaks the cradle will fall, (Aiyo... Choy!!!! Touchwood, how can the cradle fall!)

And down will come baby, cradle and all. (Call the Pediatrician!!)

Reading this to Lil' Chewy is unacceptable to me. If I were a baby, I won't feel secure hearing this to sleep regardless how nice and sweet this tune is. Luckily I found another version which I sing with the same tune:

Rock a bye baby, thy cradle's green.

Father's a nobleman, mother's a queen. (Yeah, I was a shopping queen.. hahaha)

Betty's(sister's) a lady and wears a gold ring,

and Johnny's(brother's) a drummer who drums for the king.

Well, this is more like it! Definitely sounds safer.. hahaha. And this version teaches the concept of a family... well, at least I guess so. Check out the origin of this rhyme: www.rhymes.org.uk/rock_a_bye_baby.htm

2. Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross

Already this title sounds weird to me. A cock horse?? I can imagine what goes on in Lil' Chewy's mind: picture of a horse with head of a rooster.

3. Jack & Jill

Amazingly, this classic rhyme does not sound as simple as it seems. First interpretation already warns little kids about danger of falling down the hill can break your neck(crown). Quite a violent rhyme I must say to say to little kids. Not all things are sweet and soft as depicted in little kids' world. It's interesting how they use breaking of crown in this rhyme. From an adult's perspective, I actually wonder if Jack and Jill went "up the hill" referred to what our society now means, "climbing up the corporate ladder". Think I read too much into it? Wikipedia in fact made a reference that in 18th century Louis XVI of France was deposed and beheaded(hence losing his crown) and his Queen came "tumbling down" from her throne. Ref: Jack&Jill

The Cuts, the tears and the milk.

2008-09-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

2nd July, another day to remember in 2008. It was another horrifying experience... yes, I was to be cut up again.

1st July, I was sad. Upset. Nervous. I tried to hide my fears but Lil' Chewy knows me best. The little being who has been so close to my heart felt my fears. I couldn't help but shed tears of fear. Ironically, the more I fear about having being cut up since preggies, the more I have to face it. I was worried, without my confinement lady as extra help, how was I going to cope with Lil' Chewy and my new CUTS. This time it was 4 holes. I carried Lil' Chewy in my arms and shed tears....

Strangely he seemed to know and stared at me with such gentle eyes as if they were telling me, dun worry mummy, I be fine. He gave a gentle smile and behaved extremely well that day. Then I hugged him closely and he squeezed my neck tight as if to comfort me. I am so lucky that he's so understanding. Mrs Wong is right, respect babies. They understand what you are saying. For the next two days while I was hospitalised, my little precious one stayed with my in laws. He's such a good boy and cooperative. He had listened to me and really didn't make me worry.

Strangely after I returned from hospital, Lil' Chewy refused bottle feed. He started to like to be latched on! Probably he thought I abandoned him for 2 days. Or maybe it's his way of expressing his love for me. Maybe he wanted to be closed to me always. Since then he refused to be bottle-fed. I was annoyed with him at first! With the keyhole wounds still fresh, latching him on was such a pain & a chore. Later, he made me realised, it brought us closer. I simply love to breastfeed him after that week. Hahaha.. no more sterilising bottles, buying of milk powder and bringing a handful of bottles and hot water for preparing his milk. Be able to breastfeed him direct is a really wonderful thing to do.

I love you Elliot. Thanks for teaching me. :)

I am 12 weeks old!

2008-07-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

What I love to do now:
• Put 4 fingers into my mouth and still hoping I can fit my fist in...
• Track where's Pitchy and Bassy are going... heh heh heh, once away from my radar I will sound my Sirens.
• Hit DUckie in my playmat... continuously!
• Watching TV....love Sylvester & Tweety Bird!
• Saying Ah, AH brrr, Ya-Kun (???), Tuuurrrr, Eeek
• Babytalk after a satisfied meal
• Watching my jungle friends on my cot

• I can flip from tummy to back! Heh heh heh...

Elliot's 1st Month

2008-07-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

•A beautiful smile on Day 1

•Umbilical cord dropped on Day 4!

•Blinked his eyes when he heard Mama Chewy's voice

Since the day Elliot is born, he has showed us how happy this cute little one is to come to our world.

C is for Cranky Chewys

2008-06-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

Today, Lil' Chewy was driving me nuts! And worse, I was alone today. No parents-in-law to buy lunch nor Aunt Irene to cook lunch. Lil' Chewy, you bully Mummy Chewy!!!!!

He had this fierce, intense wailing after lunch feed and I went through the checklist-Milk, need to be burped, poo/pee, boredom, sleepy....none of it. I carried Lil' Chewy with his favourite upright position and it worked for awhile as we danced around the house. 5 minutes later, same thing happened again. So it went on for half an hour-cried, burped, quiet. Cried, danced around the house, cried even louder. Changed carrying position to cradle, offered pacifier, quiet, cried again...Then I realised this might help: THE COMFORT ZONE.

Ok, it's boobie time. Quickly dashed it out and flashed my ace card. Lil' Chewy heaved a sigh of relief. Not joking, babies can do that. It feels like they are telling us, 'Hey, you idiot, you finally get it!'. Gosh, the whole day he refused to drink from bottle but only from the "moomoo cow". Georgie said I must have felt very wanted. :( Such strange little creatures, their moods change so drastically and worse, for no reason.

Today, my whole schedule was messed up. Dared not pump milk as I feared he wanted fresh milk again. Then after the big fuss, he slept for 3.5 hours which I was worried if he's unwell. His hands and feet were bit cold and he seemed tired. Panic, panic, panic. Luckily, he was back to old self, the smiley and talkative Lil' Chewy when he woke up and saw Daddy Chewy. Phew.... What a day! Ok, can pump milk now. Goodness, engorged already... life as Mama Chewy...mOoooOoo

I am 8 weeks old!

2008-06-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I am 8 weeks old and things finally get abit more clearer. Now I see better and farther with more colours! So Pitchy is the one who feeds me and Bassy is the burper. I must say Bassy is pretty good at burping me. Gosh, I feel damn good whenever I burp.

My favourite activity now is to explore.. I love Monkey, Mousie and Crabbies! Every morning I greet them with ang-ger and they response with " Good morning, Elliot!" Strangely, they only seem to talk to me when Pitchy is around... hmmm.. thinks they are under Pitchy's command. I remember hearing Mousie was created by Bassy... & so is Monkey! Oh I love to see Daddy Crabby & Baby Crabby, such cute things!

Oh yes, did I mention what I can do now in these 8 weeks?!
I smile on the first day of meeting Bassy & Pitchy.
I wiggle my tummy as I am finally "disconnected" by the cord on my 4th day.
I lift my head and see the world around me since week 3.
I flip on my tummy since my 5th week.
I babytalk and make my first vowel "eh" on my 5th week 4th day.
I suck my fist on my 6th week.
I chuckle since 6th week 2 days.

Hmmm.... what else can I do next?

SAHM

2008-06-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

SAHM (Stay-At-Home-Mum), which I prefer what Daddy Chewy calls it-She's-A-Hot-Mama, is not easy. Recently, a Straits Times article claims a mum's pay can be up to $23k a month! Who on Earth will pay us that much!!! In the first place, staff who turn mummies aren't popular with bosses. And many people still call us, housewives. *Faint*

SAHM's life = Army's life.

• Take commands from Lil' Chewy.

In fact, in army it's easier 'coz you UNDERSTAND the commands! It takes time to decipher the different tones of cries. The high pitch, intensed wailing for milk; the low, long Ehs for comfort; the short Ehs for attention....

• Bathing time = As fast as you can

Sometimes, I spend half an hour patting Lil' Chewy to sleep. Finally, I think I can relax and have a good shower, switch on the tap and.... "Waaaah!". Advice: train to bathe thoroughly in minutes. You don't want to sweat it out again as you see and hear your baby crying his lungs out and therefore "work' has to be redone.

• Meal times = Swallow time

I hardly have time to enjoy my food. Now I eat to live!!! Gosh... We need to do shifts for having our meals. Sighz... there goes my romantic candlelight dinner ....

• Cooking time = "Fast" food

Anything recipe which allows you to cook within minutes & minimal washing. Trust me, you don't want to cook up a storm.

*Confinement Lady

2008-05-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

It's very important to get help during confinement, and even more crucial to get good helpers. It was money well spent!

Confinement Lady |Mei-jie| Noun

• The professional baby caretaker who made sure I didn't get the shit, literally, during confinement period.

• SUPERnanny-Besides attending to Lil' Chewy & making sure Mama Chewy had enough rest, food & breastmilk, she did the following: washed all clothings belonging to the Chewys (washing Lil' Chewy's cloth diapers was already a major operation....) mopped floor, emptied rubbish bins, woke up around 6.30am and 3 times a night to let me breastfeed....

• Being politically "right & relevant" when being with our parents. Brand new parents or even parents-to-be, please take note: be VERY mentally prepared to be challenged by parents' or relatives' comments and opinions on how to take better care of your baby. My advise is, OHMmmmm.........

• My Aunt Agony! Without her being so patient and understanding, and with her sound advice, I be seeing the blues already.....

Meijie had done a terrific job in showing us the "techniques" in handling Lil' Chewy! Wish I had hired her for 2 months instead.. hmmm.. in fact getting her as a domestic helper would be great! I miss you already Meijie!!!!!!

Elliot's Baby Shower Party :)

2008-05-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Preparation for the big day.

Little tokens for my side of relatives & friends.

Cakes for Daddy Chewy's relatives.

"Hmm... catch my TV shows before the guests arrive!"

"Who says pressies are found under the X'mas tree in Dec only??? "

Time doesn't FLY but zoom past when you have a baby :P

2008-05-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

2 months ago...

Daddy Chewy and I had great fun buzzing around to complete our lists of preparation for a newborn and baby items. This was how we spent time ....romancing. Washed the 4 dozens cloth diapers. Washed the tiny clothings according to colours in 3 batches(red, blue and yellow). Packed the wardrobe to make way for Lil' Chewy, of course, Daddy Chewy's side was easier to clear, so where the space for Lil' Chewy's wardrobe was immediately decided. Hehehehe...

Both of us watched soccer with Lil' Chewy enjoying his KICKS. It was amazing to see and feel my bump's little movements. We were so excited to meet this little one who seemed to be very active and cheeky. We wondered how he looked like, who he would take after....

1 month ago...

Daddy Chewy and I had great fun looking and understanding our creation. The smile on the first day melt our hearts. It's kinda of strange, strange to see and realise someone has your nose, or your eyes, or even your temper. We were amazed how Daddy Chewy and my features were selected to create Lil' Chewy's looks! Hahaha.. not too bad eh! So intrigued by our little one's facial expressions. 1 minute he's the MGM lion, another he's a crooner with a little slanted smile to his left cheek revealing a slight dimple; meal times, he's a screamer with Daddy Chewy hopping he has Dumbo's ears so that the ears can flip and cover themselves.

I must say it was such an enjoyable time... all thanks to confinement lady, meijie*!!!

This month...

Daddy Chewy and I had little fun, little time for ourselves, little sleep, little EVERYTHING! Our mealtimes are delayed, I yet to surf much net, let alone sit down to watch TV. Trying to understanding our son better is the top priority. I have changed. Daddy Chewy and I went to watch a movie ( all thanks to meijie!!! Kudos to her!!!) which we rushed to get there and rushed to get home as moomoo cow's supply can be "exposed" and leaked out. We wore slippers and I went out without make-up and with my hair styled. In the ladies, I noticed the girls around my age were dressed to party ( wednesday night and we were near St. James PowerHouse). I used to scan women's clothings and accessories to guess where they are from and which season. I was good at it but that night, I realised I couldn't tell.... The girls were staring into the mirror for minutes to touch-up and look pretty, while I don't even dare to look into the mirror. Less then a couple of minutes, my mind was thinking of Lil' Chewy already. I have changed. Even Daddy Chewy realised all the men were wearing shoes in the gents and only he wore sandals... We have changed.

My Fear...

2008-04-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

Was admitted to hospital AGAIN in this month for what I thought was a mild heartburn but turned out to be acute pancreatitis. Gosh, the pain,was worse than labour pain! No kidding! The night I got the symptoms, the only thing that went through my mind was: no milk for my dear son! I panicked. Big time. The fear was not the kind I experienced when I didn't study well for a test, a project that I screwed up, I offended my ex-boss... it was the helplessness of a mother not being able to provide for her son is far more fearful for me then. The whole night, I vomited and had dulling pain in the chest. Till the next morn, I knew I had to forget about total breastfeeding. I remembered a friend's words: formulae milk is not poison.

Next morning, I barely could walk to the washroom to vomit. I felt something's not right... usually after I vomited a few times, the pain be gone. But this time it lasted whole night and pain only got worse. Luckily I called Daddy to get formulae milk as my milk supply dipped, probably due to stress, and I was afraid the pain could last till the whole day. It was more painful to hear Elliot cry and I couldn't attend to him. No milk, no cuddle, only chest pain. Thank god, Daddy came back and brought me to my specialist at the hospital. It was within an hour, the attack of the inflamed pancreas hit and I suffered great pain.

Pain was both physically and emotionally. I am a new mother; I have to leave my baby at home for 4 days and have a stranger to provide him with love and care. I am a young mother; I have gallstones which has to be removed soon as my chances of relapse is high. My greatest fear was having c-sec=being cut up, now doc says I need another op soon. Great...

Hope to recover soon. Not much of confinement as now I am on soft diet. Being a mother is truly not easy. And health is indeed true wealth.

Oh my darling, oh my darling, oh my darling Elliot boy :)

2008-04-30T08:30:00.001-07:00

Lil' Chewy has been amusing Daddy & Mummy with all his different expressions. It's such a joy to see my little one smiling while he poos, trying to focus as he's listening to his corny daddy, falling asleep on his "food source",etc... Seeing Lil' Chewy, I know every pain I go through during C sec is nothing. Now in Chewy's residence, it's a whole new fun, entertaining experience... hahahaha!

ha! = Bathing/water splashing time, morning playtime

haha! = Elliot's guilty look and total silence when he did a poop job, doing a wee job on daddy, doing a "MGM lion" on his "food source" (Ouch!)

hahaha! = Burbing him as he gives out his satisfied "Eeeaahhhhsss..." while he shows all sorts of facial expressions. How he poses while he sleeps is amazing.

hahahaha! = He smiles after a big poo!!! Not forgetting how sometimes he can test your agility: he firsts aims his poo at whoever is changing him, then to the cot, then the floor, for now...record stays at the fan a metre away from cot... oh my god!

Lil' Chewy made his move

2008-04-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

Lil' Chewy arrived, with a wonderful poop job. A GRAND entrance with my waterbag burst to reveal "green bean soup" after 8 hours of painful, leg/back-numbing labour contractions. Poor Daddy Chewy would probably not be having green bean soup for a pretty long time. Wished for a all natural delivery, but it's all god's will. Like mama like son, we both were full of shit once we arrived into this world. SHIT happens....

The PLAN...

2008-04-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

Before Daddy Chewy spreads this baby blues, let me introduce you the culprit-Lil' Chewy

"For 39 weeks, I have been in the dark, it's getting bOooring. Gosh, it's getting crampy here!! No matter how I kick and punch, it doesn't help. Allo?!! What's with the constant squeezing??!! Pitchy actually wanted to have her mango cake for her birthday. And asked me to meet her and Bassy later. Hmmm... I need a plan SOON... muahahaha!

New Lexiconography - Neonatal Paternity Blues

2008-04-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

Did someone forget to highlight to the world that there was a kind of post natal blues for fathers?
Seriously, in this day and age of information whizzing at light speed, surely someone would have remembered fathers in the equation of wailing babies and blue mothers...?

But, of course, seeing that the fathers spent the past nine months continuing to enjoy soccer, chips, beer and doing whatever in the world they wanted, they probably can't earn the term "post natal paternity blues". Maybe a new concept needs to be introduced.

If you're a "new" father, coping with a wailing/pooing/peeing thing affectionately termed "your baby", sleeping less than 7 continuous hours, feeling as hungry as the breast-feeding mom, thinking that your home has been taken over by some mad wailing being, feeling frustrated because you never seem to understand or be able to get right what that being is wailing about, then congratulations; you're likely to be another statistic in the sufferers of Neonatal Paternity Blues fraternity.

Many books say that baby boys cry more than baby girls. My goodness, is this to make up in advance for the future stoic "real men don't cry" man that he's supposed to be? A man who's stoic in the face of everything unhappy so much so that he has to let everything out NOW, as a baby boy? It's most probably my poorly conditioned brain and testosterone driven male psyche that limits my powers of comprehension in trying to establish what the wailing baby wants after he's been fed, changed, patted, swayed, walked, cuddled, sung to and talked to.

Talk about existential angst; a discomforted, wailing baby is probably the personification of the existential angst that simmers in us all - "I must yell my lungs off and communicate! Since crying/wailing is my only form of communication, I'll make sure I come into this world kicking and screaming to tell you that your life, as you know it, will never be the same again! Muahahaha! (pinkie to your lips anyone?)"

So now I ponder: am I inadequate as a father? (I can't even begin to understand what the little guy wants) or am I to console myself and think that things probably will get better, the baby will calm down gradually in the weeks to come and I'll know how to better handle situations. The optimist in me hopes for the latter, but the realist in me knows that both are the same thing - it all depends on my definition of "adequate/inadequate".

Ok, I think this ranting saved my sanity somewhat. In hindsight, it would probably have been easier to yell "Silence!! I keeeel you!" to the baby, but I suppose the little one wouldn't understand the musings of Achmed or the genius of Jeff Dunham.

So I think coining new lexicons would probably save me the trouble of explaining the nuances of a ventriloquist dummy's religious fanatical inclinations to a wailing baby.

Perils of Parenthood

2008-04-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

The ride has been an exhilarating one so far.
From the past 72 hours, if one were to look up the definition of Elliot Chew in a dictionary, one would likely find a description close to that of "a bundle of joy that squeals, burbles and barbles when fed, satiated, clean and contented. A handful of terror in the moments of imminent poo-ing and pee-ing". It has been rather perplexing; a baby's behaviour is really one of those mysteries that no moon-walking/ atom-splitting/ apple plonking can explain.

It's amazing that there's even some time in between the nappy changing, feeding and doctor visits to write this. One of the few realisations I've made to date includes the fascinating discovery that babies don't cry...well, at least my baby doesn't...he yells. And short of holding a meter to measure that ear piercing shriek of existence, I would unabashedly swear that he yells at decibels close to having an entire airforce flying past. When it comes to lung power, I think any hungry baby would beat American (and whatever other countries') Idols flat.

Seriously, having a new life in our lives appears to have changed the equation by a small measure (yeah, right). In between doctor runs, grocery runs and baby supply runs, I was trying to imagine a time when the missus and myself could sit down at Starbucks and while away an hour or two. If building castles in the air seems impossible, this Starbucks notion of mine would appear to demand building an entire metropolis in outer space...at least for the next 3 or 4 months.

Seeing our child reminds me about the realities of life. The difference in seeing/watching him through an ultrasound scan and holding/feeling/touching/singing to/talking to him in real flesh is mind-bogglingly vast. Having a child of our own reminds me of our mortality. It fuels my desire to continue to live life to the fullest. It is in living life to the fullest that regrets are minimised and dreams are pursued. I dream of teaching my child what it means to be honest, fair, considerate and loving. I think I will pursue this dream and goodness help whoever or whatever that stands in my way.

Even as everyone gushes about the new life that entered our world, most have missed out the importance of the person who breathed life to the baby in the first place. My wife remains the most important person in my life. Life partners are unique; there will never be another who will accept us for the way we are in the way our life partners do. Having a child together doesn't change this, in fact, I think it further strengthens our bond and cements our connection. Children are the product and reflection of ourselves and my wife and I will continue to live life as authentically as we can to plant the yardstick for our offspring.

This is all the time I have, for now, raving about Elliot and ranting about parenthood.
Undoubtedly, there will be more reasons to write about our lives in the next few days/weeks/months/years. Till then, it's back to nappy changing, poo-poo cleaning and feeding time frenzy with the little bundle of joy/terror (whichever he fancies to be at that point in time).

Recall: 1st Trimester

2008-04-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hmm... 1st Trimester

1. Night sickness (wat morning sickness??!! Preggy books need to re-look at the term!)

2. Fish = pukes

3. Cravings = Beef and more beef (Hint for gender :P)

4. Best friend: MoomooCow (Cannot stop having yoghurt, milk & cheese...)

5. Nickname: Panda ( Due to puking at night, I got a new "make-over")

All of the above made 1st trimester a slight torture. However, feeling the tiny love growing inside, all pain and aches seem to disappear. Daddy chewy's love for us strengthens my and Lil' Chewy's journey, together the Chewys learn and make new discoveries everyday.

Lil' Chewy

2008-04-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Lil' Chewy, Lil' Chewy, that's what we call. From a little dot to a little pea, and even a little chick, though you are not.

For months mummy chewy has been nourishing this tiny love with songs, little dances and FOOD. For first 3 months, Lil' Chewy already expressed his love for red meat and fish is a "puke"! Poor mummy chewy shrunk while Lil' Chewy's enjoying his feast... Luckily, on the 4th month, mummy chewy was able to enjoy her own feast as well. And there's where all the fun began!

Looking back 9 months ago...

2008-04-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

In August 2007, when Singapore flags flapped in the air of Marina, where thousands gathered to celebrate and filled the air with joy, a tiny little love blossoms... Unbelievable it is as life begins with a little dot. A dot so little and yet so miraculous ... blossoming by love and with love.