A Solution Is Needed!

I've got to find a solution fast for this. Every Thursday night cell group meeting has become a problem now because there's no one who can help me take care of joey while i attend cg meeting. The 1st meeting I attended was OK because at least my mum in law was at home and she took care of Joey in her room. But for the 2 CGMs subsequently, she had to go out and all I could do was feed joey her milk and coax her to sleep in my bedroom before 8pm, and pray hard that she will sleep all the way to 10pm when CG ends.

But that of course is wishful thinking because since when do babies do what we wish for? I had to leave her room door open so that when she cries, I can hear her. So she could hear everyting that was going on and would cry now and then during the meeting. I had to shuffle in and out of the room to check on her and pacify her frequently.

Last night was even worse because she couldn't get to sleep throughout the whole CG meeting! And I kept walking and carrying her in the room, and praying hard she will quickly fall asleep so that I can join the meeting. In the end, I had to listen to the whole meeting sitting by the door inside my bedroom. Sigh..

It's really so disruptive for me and all my CG members. Please forgive me! It's not that I don't think CG meetings are not important. In fact, if some of you have not been that focused on God during worship, you would have seen me sneaking out from my bedroom with Joey in my arms, hoping that she will not cry and I can at least join the meeting carrying her throughout. But no, she started fidgeting the moment i sat down and I had to quickly retreat back into my room in order not to disrupt the meeting. But not without first giving a word during the free worship part. haha... thank God at least I did contribute to the atmosphere for that 5 minutes.

I guess the only way would be to make some arrangements with my mum in law to stay at home every thursday night so that I can join CG meeting in peace.

Is Anything Too Diffcult for Me?

I've had joey for close to 3 months now. Next Sat will mark her 3 months' birth. I was trying to coax her to sleep this morning and suddenly a thought came to my mind: Nothing is too difficult for me now.

It's not just the carrying to full term and giving birth part I am talking about. It's having joey in every single inch of my everyday schedule.

Today is Friday, which is supposed to be my off day. But I'll be going back to office later to settle some important stuffs. Will be leaving Joey in the hands of her father, so I will be able to make a quick trip to office and come back quickly. *baby, pls don't make things difficult for your daddy k.. be a good gal and just eat & sleep..*

It would be the first time I am going back to office without Joey in a long long time, counting in those 10 months she followed me to office in my tummy. And I suddenly felt that it's going to be so easy going to office. Not that it's been super hard with Joey, but the packing of her necessities, carrying that heavy bag and with a 6-kg baby who may decide to cry any time without warning can be quite a stressful daily affair. Today I will probably have a very relaxing MRT ride, reading my July issue of Home & Decor.

It then dawned upon me that God probably thought the same way after He created the heavens and the earth. After a massive creative project is completed in perfection, that was probably his thought: "Is anything too difficult for me now?"

I am not saying I am God. But I have also gone through a creation process and now I can truly understand the essence of that statement.

Towards my baby, I will always feel that there is nothing too difficult for me. At this young age, she probably believes that about me as well. Because at this stage in her life, she only has me in this whole world. To her, I can do anything and everything. I can find milk for her when she is hungry. I can change her diaper when it's wet. I can change her clothes and bathe her and make her comfortable. I can bring her to places. I can bring her a blanket when she is cold. To her, I am everything.

But as she grows older, she will start to question the validity of this statement. Especially when she asks a question that I cannot answer, but pretend that for her own good, insists that she go check out the encyclopedia herself.

Isn't this the same between us and God? Except that God points us to the bible because He spoke those words, and not because He doesn't know the answer Himself.

When we were just spiritual babes, we cling on to God like He is our everything. He is able to provide for us everything we need, materially, emotionally and spiritually. But as we grow older in our spiritual age, we start to rely on ourselves more and sometimes forget that our God is Almighty and He is El Shaddai.

The truth remains though. He created everyone of us and everything we see around us, and there is really nothing that is too difficult for Him.

"For with God, nothing will be impossible." Luke 1:37

Today this became rhema in my life.

Screaming Babies

Ever since I have known joey for 2 weeks, I already realised she is a 大 小 姐. Everyone who knows her can attest to the fact that her screams and cries are super loud. Everytime she wants to make a statement, she will let out a loud scream or shout, depending on the occasion & the purpose. And now, she knows exactly how to tell you she doesn't like or want something. She'll pout and knit her eyebrows and let out a sound that spells 'I-R-R-I-T-A-T-E-D'. Amazed that a 10-week-old baby can do that? I am not joking.

Just today, I finally understood how mothers feel when their kids make noise in the MRT. The moment we got on to the MRT & I sat down, Joey started to whine. And when after 3 seconds, she was still whining, I felt really embarrassed because she was really loud! In my mind, I was wondering if mothers sitting near me were criticising my bad mothering skills. So, I was all the more nervous and even more embarrassed. Thank God I managed to force a pacifier into her mouth and she settled into a deep sleep. *Really Thank God*

On my way home, I was in the MRT again and again, she started to whine. The same embarrassment. The same nervousness. And thank God it did not take more than 30 seconds to calm her down into a slumber.

During my confinement period, I used to wonder how I could handle her & make her calm down in public transport, knowing I would be very embarrassed if she cries non stop. But then, during then, I was still a greenhorn at taking care of babies and pacifying them. Now, I have become an expert, so I have the confidence to calm Joey down in any situation now. And because I have been her mummy for 10 weeks, I now can differentiate what each sound means although it may sound pretty much the same to every outsider. I'll be so proud of myself because I guessed it correct all the time.

Screaming is probably part & parcel of their growing up years.... ; )

Heads Up!

Heads Up, Joey! A milestone in her growing up..

Happy Day!

Today was a happy day for 3 reasons.

The first reason is that Isaiah, Joey and I went jalan jalan today. My dad's overseas, so he lent us his car. It's so convenient to have a car! Without having to pay for it of course.. hahaa.. Here's joey in her carseat as we set off... abit grouchy cos she got woken up from her sleep..

Anyway, we had brunch at Ah Kun at Suntec because I had to go back to office to settle some stuffs. Then, we went shopping at Plaza Singapura and Far East Plaza. I had wanted to buy a new bag to bring to office, but can't find what I wanted. At the same time, I was holding on to my handphone, anxiously waiting for a sms to arrive. Which was the 2nd reason why it's a happy day.

My ex core helper, Meiling had finally given birth to baby Jayden at 1.55pm today!!! After 10 long months, I am so happy for Gary & Meiling! Although I didn't get to see Jayden when I visited Meiling just now, from his photo, he sure looks like a smart-looking and charming guy. And looks alot like Meiling now!! Yey, Joey's going to have another friend to grow up with now.. : ) I shall upload his photos when I finally get to meet him face to face & take his photos.

And the 3rd reason for today to be a happy day is ..... I bought a new soft toy for joey! It's a super cute Mashi Maro.. Look!

I saw it in one of the shops in Plaza Singapura and immediately fell in love with it and bought it within 5 minutes. Reason? Because it reminds me of Joey when she was a newborn!

See the resemblance? =P

Tomboy Transformation?

Will every girl go through the tomboy phase somewhere in their lives? I remembered I did go through that phase myself when I was in Primary school. And it brought much nagging from my mummy and well-meaning relatives. I guess everyone still believes that girls must behave like girls.

It's hilarious how much societies believe in that too. My Secondary School motto was..... listen to this... DEMURE & RESOLUTE. (I shall not mention what school here in order to protect their image, but those of you who were from the same Sec school as me would know for sure.) Who in the right mind would put 'demure' as one of their mottos??? Shouldn't it be things like polite, upright, honest, etc etc? Goes to show that demure-ness has become a virtue instead of a natural trait.

So that day I was having a conversation with Shaun & Bruce in the car when Bruce kindly offered to give us a lift home. I was commenting on how boyish joey looks and how many people have mistaken her for a boy inspite of the pink overalls she's don in. And Shaun told me that babies who look boyish usually grow up to be very pretty ladies. He He.. don't know whether the theory is scientifically proven, but I have decided to believe in it. : ) Of course Shaun used herself as a real life example! hahaha... Then the conversation ended abruptly because Bruce also tried to convince me that he used to look very girly as a baby but look how handsome he is now. I had to tell him the theory only applies to girls. Hahaha..

I guess this is a constant worry in the minds of mothers. For boys, I still think it's not so bad because boys generally will start to display an affection for electronic stuffs, cars etc when they are growing up. For girls, they might like teddy bears & barbie dolls, but they still need to go through the discovery & adventurous stage where they will climb up & down and do many things out of the league of demure ladies.

I shall personally give joey etiquette classes starting from when she is 1 year old. Heee..

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Something really funny happened yesterday night. I brought Joey to see her own reflection in the mirror. Amazingly, she was very intrigued by the cute girl she saw in the mirror! She just stared and stared at herself and then started to 'talk' to herself. After some time, she thought she made a new friend and started to smile really widely at herself over & over again!

I tell you, it was so funny! I tried to stifle my giggles while watching her make conversations & smile at herself. And she probably was wondering how come the little girl also was carried by someone who looks like mummy. Haha..

Then she tried to reach out to touch the girl in the mirror and when she saw that the litte girl also reached out to touch her, she smiled again. Hahaha... There's something between mirrors and girls inborn within us, isn't it? We somehow know it would be our good friend all our lives. :)

Mummy Talk

Had an interesting MRT ride today. Seated next to me was a mother of 2: a seven-year-old & a five-year-old. She struck up a conversation with me by asking how old joey is. Then we started to chat about our kids and it was pretty entertaining hearing her share about what to expect when your kids hit 3 months, 2 years old, 5 years old and 7 years old.

I made a casual remark that girls tend to be more obedient & well-behaved. She exclaimed that it's not true all the time because her younger daughter is definitely naughtier than her son. She would climb anything she can mount on and there were many times when she would climb and sit on top of the dining table. There were times she would reach up & grab anything she can touch from the table. So all pots of hot water must be put right in the centre of the dining table to avoid any accidents.

When they start to talk, they would ask you a question back when you instruct them to do something.

"Don't run around the clinic. Sit down properly!"
"Why must I sit down? Why can't I run around?"
"It's late. Time for bed."
"Why must I go to bed? Why can't I watch TV?"
"Don't eat sweets before dinner."
"Why can't I eat sweets?"

And it goes on and on like that...

Kids go through different phases in their lives and they learn as they go along. It's amazing how every kid is unique, yet they all need to go through the same stages. They cannot learn to walk without first learning to crawl. They cannot learn to crawl without first flipping their bodies on the bed.

Went to visit Serene's son who's hospitalised for some viral attacks this afternoon at Gleneagles. I must say it brought back many memories of my check-ups, the day I was admitted for delivery, the day I was discharged. Haha..

And as I was walking towards the taxi stand after the visitation, I passed by a grandmother holding a really small newborn baby. And I thought to myself, my joey has grown up to be a 2-month-old now and is no longer a newborn. Big girl already. : ) *sentimental*

I've Reached A Decision

I've decided. From now onwards, I shall bring joey to office in the front carrier!

I had a good experience today carrying her in that carrier that auntie gave to me. She was snuggled comfortably in it and could look at the sceneries on her left & right. When she's tired, she will rest her head on my chest & fall asleep.

Me, on the other hand, could have both my hands free and practically do anything I want! I could take the bus, MRT, lift, staircases, rocky grounds, etc etc etc. It was good! And today's a good day because the MRT's not crowded, so I got a seat. All else I needed to carry was my own bag which contained my laptop. On days when I do not need to bring my laptop home, it would be a breeze to come to work! Yeh, I am so happy to finally find the best solution!

Frankly speaking, it's not that this idea did not surface earlier. Because of my vanity, I had refused to buy a front carrier because I had the impression that it belonged to the aunties era, which I obviously do not fit in (yet). So, I settled for a sarong sling which my friends bought for me, but if you've been following this blog, I still have not figured out how to put joey comfortably inside.

So, when auntie offered to give me this front carrier, I was like 'errmmm.. ok loh, just take first then see...' How would I know it would be a godsend?!! Oh man, God bless the man who invented front carriers. He or she deserves a Nobel award. And I shall personally thank him or her in heaven someday.

Anyway, so a happy mummy I am today because joey is a happy baby. No more bumpy rides in her stroller. No more unsteady rides up and down escalators. No more dangerous stunts up & down staircases. Goody goody good!

To end off this note, I just wanna say a big HELLOOOO!! to Dawn who professed to be a faithful reader of this blog! hahahaha..

A Resounding Success!

Don't ask me how i did it. I just did.

Today I overcame many obstacles. In total, 1 MRT ride (& I was standing throughout the ride but I can totally understand why because the pictures on the sign that reminds people to give up seats to the more needy DO NOT include a pretty lady with a baby sleeping inside a pram.), 10 escalator rides up & down included & 3 flights of stairs.

I seriously didn't know how I did it. But I guess I am just a very gungho mother. I just dragged the stroller step by step up the stairs and down the next. People stared at me, wondering whether to offer help, but I don't really care.

There is this kind young man in red who actually did help me carry the stroller down a flight of stairs. I am eternally grateful to him. So as he was walking away, I just stared at his backview and told myself I must remember his face. Haha.. having a baby makes one emotional.

And guess what's the greatest thing? I only took 1 hour & 15 minutes in total to reach office from home! And mind you, I walked all the way with the stroller from home to the MRT, which took me 15 mins and another 15 mins from City Hall MRT to Suntec Tower 3. It was amazing. I can only say God is really good & faithful. Throughout the journey, Joey did not cry or make a single sound. She just sat in her stroller, stared at the blue skies and people as she passed by them. It's her first trip through Citylink so I guess it must be quite entertaining for her. It might feel abit weird when her stroller is tilted as we were going up & down the escalators, but on the whole, I believe she enjoyed the ride.

Tomorrow I might try the front carrier that my auntie gave me. See how.

1st Trip to JB

Today we brought Joey over to JB to visit her great grandmother and grandaunts. It's a day of many 1sts for Joey!

1) 1st trip overseas (altho it's just the straits of johor)
2) 1st time she's using her passport
3) 1st time filling in a white card
4) 1st chop in her passport

Her adorable tut-tut photo in her passport..

My 1st time filling up this form for joey. Sure feels weird!

So memorable! First stamp in her passport! :)

It was quite funny because I kept thinking to myself since joey can't sign on her white card, does it mean that the customs officer will insist that she puts her thumbprint instead? Then wouldn't it be a super cute & small thumbprint? In the end, it's Isaiah who signed on her behalf. Haha.. i think too much..

Upon reaching JB, we went for our lunch. Some photos taken in the restaurant while waiting for our food..

Then we went over to auntie's house and they started taking photos with joey. Some of the snap shots..

Look at joey sitting comfortably in the arms of great grandmother:

A leisurely but tiring day. :)

ParentHood = No More Life?

Is there really no more life after one becomes a parent?

While it's true that movies and air travelling have become legends & myths in my life for the time being now, I still firmly believe that life has got to be more colourful and exciting after having a baby.

For one, I've heard so many self-confessions from mothers who said that they no longer bother to dress up or makeup because they have a baby and they spent all their time preparing the diaper bag and dressing up the baby. They will usually be shuttling back & forth in messy hairdo, half-ironed shirts and a hastily-put-on lipgloss. Why must be like that?

On the contrary, I feel very strongly that after becoming a parent, we must dress up even more and look more attractive than before. It does a whole lot of good to our self esteem for one. For C-section cases like mine, I now have a new scar across my used-to-be flat and smooth tummy. And mind you, the scar's huge & long OK? So, in order to ease back into normal life again, I've got to do something to gain back my confidence and inject more excitement and fun into my life other than detecting that my baby has just poo-ed just by the look on her face.

Get a life. Literally. Life is not all gone after parenthood has sunk in. In fact, it should take on a more fulfilling and fun dimension. A new level of confidence should fall into place. Because remember, you now have produced a new life and is totally capable of supporting it and nurturing it. What great accomplishments! And that alone should justify buying that new dress or that new pair of platform shoes from Aldo. :)

And if you have a friend who has just given birth and still looks great now, praise her! It does real good to her in gaining back her life (which by now is not much hers anymore). I thank God for having friends who will encourage me and praise me for getting back in shape quickly. Although I still have a distance to go, I now thrive on their encouragements, which is alot easier. :)

Hey, parenthood is not easy ok? We all deserve some pampering. :)

Awareness & Attention

Ever since I got pregnant and given birth, I have a greater awareness of pregnant ladies and mothers with small babies on the streets. That's expected of course, considering I myself had gone through those days of being stared at by dozens of women because of my swelling tummies, and endless days of wishing that incorrigible young man would get up from his seat to offer his seat to ME on the MRT, instead of pretending to sleep. During my pregnancy, this issue of manhood totally disillusioned me.

Now that Joey is out, whenever we bring her out, we will attract lots of stares and attention. People rush to open doors for us seeing that I am carrying a baby with no free hands. When I walk into a restaurant, strangers will smile at me and joey from the corner they are sitting at, as if congratulating me for owning such a darling. When I am strolling along Orchard Road, I would hear whispers of 'oh, so cute!' by giggling students walking past us. Even taxi drivers have become more patient with us. It's amazing what a little thing like joey can do to people.

And mothers & fathers with small babies will look us up & down and then probably think to themselves that their babies are way, way cuter. I know that cos at the same time, I was also thinking to myself that my joey's way, way cuter than their babies. Haha..

The common comments that Joey receive when people see her no matter for the first time or for the umpteenth time would be one of the following two:

a) Oh! She got so much hair!

or

b) Oh! She's so tall! Just like her papa!

Trust me, really no other comments. And each time, I would go.. ya ya..haha.. alot of hair.. very tall baby... haha..

Nowadays, due to her ever-flourishing and standing-tall hair, the hair comment has been modified to.. 'Oh.. look at her hair.. all standing up!'.. yeh yeh..

I am looking forward to newer comments... come on people, be creative.. :)

One of the items on my wish list now is for her hair to come down from their standing position so that I can tie some cute ribbon or clip on it. Better start thinking of more ways to dress her so that she can catch on more feminism.

Talking about that, I am full of frustration air inside of me! I know it's hard to tell the gender of a baby especially when they all look alike for the first few months. But come on! Shall we practise some discretion & discerning over here??!

When joey's dressed in pink cap, pink top, pink dress, pink socks and wrapped in pink blanket, why do you want to insist on asking me the same question I've heard 15,000 times, "Girl or boy ah?" Aiyoh! Colour-blind issit?? Or do I look like a sadist mother who will dress her son in pink overalls?? X@#*^&^#@! But of course, each time I would nicely reply, 'Girl.' and give my biggest smile possible.

That was not the worst. Last week I dressed Joey in an yellow Precious Moments overalls and brought her to church. Because there was no more pink on her, someone just asked me outrightly, 'How old is your son?' X@#*^&^#@ again! Please!! In situations like these, you should just ask politely, 'Oh.. is it a son or a daughter?' *faintz* God, send down your spirit of discerning.

So you see, this task of making her more feminine is very crucial. How about this? :)

T.G.I.F

I have finally finalised my 3rd month maternity leave arrangements and Pst Derek has given approval for me to go ahead. I will be taking every Friday off until i clear all of the 24 days. That means 24 Fridays, which is 6 months! Oh man, that's such a long time! This is one way to stretch my maternity leave rather than taking everything at one shot ah? hee...

This means I will only be working on Tue, Wed & Thurs every week, plus 3 more hours on sunday for bible study duty and zone meeting. This is really a good arrangement because I can spend more time with Joey during this crucial period when she is picking up things really fast. Don't want to miss out this golden period when she is starting to recognise faces and most importantly, mummy! hee..

Ice Ice Baby

Joey fell sick last night. I think she caught a chill in the office nursery inspite of wearing 3 layers of clothes and covered in 2 blankets! So she started sniffing last night when we reached home and I was so worried when I woke up in the middle of the night to find that her breathing was so noisy and she was tossing here & there. It's stuck and I think it's hard for her to breathe properly. Plus she must suck on her pacifier so she can't breathe through her mouth either. Sigh, so poor thing..

Then this morning, her nose started to flow alittle. But it seemed to have cleared a little. Thank God. I hope she will recover fully soon. Now, she's lying next to me on the couch, but not asleep yet. At least she's not making a fuss and just lying there quietly. She's finding it hard to fall deep asleep. Maybe because it's too warm compared to the office nursery where she has been sleeping really well cos of the cool aircon. But it gave her a cold. Ironic..

Anyway, Joey has been making progress in her movements. She can now lift up her head while lying head down and can turn to face the person calling her. Good strong neck! Got photos as proof:

Trying hard to keep her head lifted as long as she can..

Oh, succeeded to look at mummy!

oh.. very tired le....

Joey in Office Nursery

Sorry for this super wordy entry. No time to take photos the past 2 days.. will upload them when I am free...

I started work proper yesterday. The most tiring part was not the work, but rather bringing Joey to office. It was 2 days full of adventure.

Yesterday was still quite OK because I took a cab to work, having to bring a big new pack of diapers, her feeding bottles and many miscellaneous items to the office nursery to keep. The only thing was the cab fare was a steep $22~! Oh man.. with the ERP, peak hour surcharge, taxi drivers nowadays are really prospering..

And the very 1st saga that happened right after I alighted from the cab. I forgot how to open the stroller! So there I was trying desperately to find the knob to push to open the stroller and a super kindhearted taxi driver trying to help me. I think we must have looked so lost & desperate that one of the security guards even started walking towards us wanting to lend us a hand. Thank God the stroller suddenly clicked open! 1st miracle of the day.

Upon reaching the nursery, I realised that forgetful mama has forgotten to bring her cardigan! And the nursery was a freezing 17 degrees. (even the bigger kids like denise had to wear 3 layers everyday..) And Joey was wearing a short sleeved shirt! Woo.. Then suddenly Auntie Lee Eng told me she bought 2 bodysuits for joey. And they are made of wool! So so sweet & cute in pink & white.. I tell you, joey looks super adorable in them! But i've got no time to take photo of her yet. She was so cosy & warm in her new bodysuit inspite of my mistake! Miracle number 2.

Then it's a long day at work and then it's off to zone meeting at YMCA with joey. It's her first zone meeting! But she kept fidgeting throughout that dear dear got to carry her while I run through the admin work with my leaders. Still, I hope she enjoyed her first smell of YMCA main audi. No major tantrums from her even though by the time we finished, it was way past her bedtime. As long as daddy carried her. Miracle number 3.

Today was a more tiring day for me because I carried her in my arms all the way from home to office. And the fact that she's nearly 6kg and with a haversack on my back made it really tough. But at least I could take buses and take paths with staircases, so travelling is faster. With the stroller, I can't take bus all by myself or even think about climbing steps! The moment I got on the MRT, a kind lady offered me her seat and Joey fell asleep immediately. So there was peace throughout the journey (Miracle number 4 & 5).

She seems to be enjoying herself in the nursery. With the cool aircon and dark lighting in the babies room, she sleeps well and long hours, waking up for her milk every 3 hours. In the afternoon, there'll be a period when she'll be awake and Auntie Lee Eng will put her on a electric rocking chair and she'll play happily with the 3 hanging bears infront of her. When I popped in to see her today, Auntie told me she was smiling and talking to the 3 bears. haha..

And the big gor gor and jie jie in the nursery like Ethan and Denise would stroke her cheeks and keep saying 'baby, baby'.. hee.. so cute! When I asked Denise, 'do you know what is her name?' she quickly nodded her head and said with a very confident voice, 'Baby.' hahaha.. Ethan had another reaction though. When asked the same question, he only widened his eyes in disbelief and said softly, 'oh oh.. i don't know...' hahahaha.. kids ah kids...

Joey's 1st Invitation!

Joey has received her 1st birthday party invitation! :)

Whose birthday is it??? ............

Ohh... it's Nicole jie jie!!

Look! Nicole jie jie is so so cute! :)

!st BBQ

Joey attended her 1st BBQ last Sat when N252 had our CG BBQ. Many Aunties & Uncles kept offering her bbq chicken drumlets, satay and otah, but I bet she can't appreciate them. To her, milk is the most delicious thing on earth. haha.. sorrie to waste all your efforts, uncles and aunties...

There she is after having her milk before the start of the BBQ..

Maybe she's very bored cos she can't eat any of our delicious food, so she kept yawning the whole evening..

Discovered Incredible Nanny! Whai Lin is so good with kids! My Joey kept smiling at her.. Therefore, mummy kless had some time to eat some BBQ food.. hee..

1st Visit to Mama's Office

Yesterday I brought joey to office because I had some work to do. Oh man, it's really not easy taking care of baby and trying to work at the same time because she demands so much attention.

First of all, it was a big task trying to get her to office. The journey was tougher than I anticipated. With the stroller, her big bag of necessities and my own bag, it was really slow, especially when I had to walk from home to MRT, and from City Hall to Suntec. And I can't walk through City Link because there were steps near to the exit to Suntec and I couldn't possibly carry the whole stroller and baby and the things up the steps. In the end, got to go by the roads but there was so much construction work going on and air super polluted. Looks like I really got to think of a good way of going to work without having to turn up at office looking totally exhausted and drenched in sweat.

The moment I reached office, I made her milk (past her feeding time by half an hour. Thank God for a good baby who kept sleeping throughout the journey and only stirring upon reaching office, phew!), then tried to put her to sleep on the sofa inside one of the facilitation rooms. But the whole day she just slept a bit, woke up hungry just after 2 hours.. think office too cold, so got hungry faster.. so I went to office supposedly to work but spent most of my time feeding her, changing her and rocking her to sleep. haha..

On a separate note, it feels good being back in the office after 2 months. I haven't seen my desk for so long that I almost forgot how messy it was. Haha... and I am telling the truth, the messiness shocked me for a moment. Did I leave so many stacks of paper below my table?? Were there really so many carton boxes there?? haha.. but I do know the answers to those questions in my heart very well..

Even though it was an off week for the staff, many of them were back including many pastors and ZSes. Well, City Harvesters are hardworking people. :)

A New Jacket!

Keng Hoe & Lixia just came back from their honeymoon and they bought joey a very cute orange jacket! How timely, cos we just bought her a white knitted jacket but it's really not enough. When she goes to an aircon room, a jacket is just what she needs! And when she starts going to the office nursery, she will need it even more. Thanks uncle hoe & auntie xia! Hee..

A Gan Cheong Manicure

Yesterday we brought joey out in my dad's car with Isaiah and my brothers, David & Nigel and old friend ah-hao. First went for a good lunch at Sakura restaurant at Far East Plaza (good & spicy beef horfun & tom yam soup!), then went to Ya Kun for coffee before heading to Bugis to shop around. When we reached Bugis, I decided to go & do my manicure since I didn't manage to do it last week. So Isaiah, Nigel and Ah-Hao carried joey and shopped around while waiting for me.

Just before I was waiting to have my nail polish put on, they decided to come back & linger near the manicure shop (supposedly to put pressure on me & y manicurist as they were running out of places to shop). Suddenly, joey decided to cry! And although it's still half an hour away from her feeding time, I told Isaiah to quickly go & make her milk. So he left joey in her pram for Nigel & Ah-hao to take care of her while he went to the toilet to rinse her bottle.

I think I don't have to describe what happened, but obviousy it was a very funny sight to have 2 rather young looking men trying to pacify and make funny faces to a baby. Many of the bypassers all looked at them with weird expressions, especially when joey is crying so super loudly by now!

I was feeling so gan cheong inside the shop hearing her cries but I can't do anything! And my manicurist also got so gan cheong that i swear her hands were shivering. haha.. And I even changed my French manicure to a normal manicure so that I can finish faster! aiyo...

Finally Papa Isaiah came back with the milk and that ends the 2-men-and-a-baby funny episode. I think both of them were zonked out by then. wahaha..

O my poor baby.. and my gan cheong manicure.

The Greatest Joy

What is the greatest joy for a mummy?

For me personally, it's not knowing the technique in feeding my baby, or bathing her, or even calming her down. It's knowing that Joey can recognise that I am her mummy.

It's so heartwarming when joey can be just looking around one moment and the next moment, she caught sight of me and then broke into a grin. Of course she's now at the stage where she will smile at anyone who tries to smile or do funny actions at her. But when she's looking at me, she will make a sound that sounds vaguely like 'urrhh'.. then her eyes will smile and sparkle before she will grin. Don't believe me, you can ask Isaiah. He's pretty jealous of me, you know? haha..

And when she gets her eyes on me, her eyes follow me wherever I go... and you know that sometimes she's just staring at you trying to take in all your features, (maybe I am just a tad too sensitive) her eyes look like she's saying, 'you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.'.. wahahaha... ok, go ahead & puke in disbelief.

Recently, I have been playing this little game with joey. When she wants to be naughty and is fidgeting and about to cry, I will imitate her every expression and sound. She finds it very amusing. When she sees me doing that, she will make one sound and wait to see if I will follow her. Then she does it again. And again. Then she will smile as if she finds it so fun. And it's obvious she's faking her cries because she will make one sound, with her eyes wide open to observe me, then make proceed to make another sound and observe with amusement again. It's so funny, you know!

Sometimes I would pretend to be angry and scold her for not finishing her milk or refusing to sleep. But I think she finds me so amusing that she will smile back at me instead! Or maybe she just knows that mummy would not bear to scold her anymore if she smiles. sigh..

It's really amazing because at only 2 months' old, she already has such a realisation of what's going on around her. And before she even knows how to call mummy, she already knows how to get her way by pouting and crying. God's creation is just so so amazing.

Finally, after 2 months of endless cycles of milk-feeding and diaper-changing, joey now knows I am her mummy. *smiles sillily to myself*

ABC!

Auntie Shirley authored a new children's book on ABCs and Shaun bought it for joey!!! Look, so cute! Auntie Shirley even autographed the book for joey.. hee.. I will start reading it to her when she's 3 months old.. :) Thank you Shaun ah-yee! :P

Nanyen ah-yee just came back from her australia trip and she bought a pair of rabbit booties for joey! I think with her big feet, she can wear them le.. Thank you Nanyen ah-yee! :P

Baby Talk

Before we went out to Sakae Sushi 2 days ago.. baby joey all dressed up & waiting in the stroller that Godmother Meiting ah-yee bought her..

Joey's learning how to lift her head up while lying face-down. She can now lift it up and look up for 5 seconds before she'll be tired and got to put it down again..

The day I had an inspiration about who she resembles with her new headgear...

Crying Baby

Ok, here's the short video clip by popular demand. :)



See if anyone of you still thinks she's a sweet & demure baby after this.. haha..