Dear Uncles & Aunties:

I am moving over to Multiply to continue with documenting my life from 6 months onwards. See You There! :)

www.babyjoeybaby.multiply.com

Her First Tooth

Did I tell you that Joey's first tooth is finally coming out??! Indeed, it is!

Yesterday in church I checked her gums and found that there's a white tooth on the surface of her lower gum! I touched it and found that it's indeed a tooth! I've always tried to guess which tooth will come out first. And so, it's the one of the bottom left! :) When it's totally out, i'll take a photo to show U!

The Joy of Sitting

Joey is getting more & more steady in sitting. It's a joy to see her sit and smile happily because she knows she is getting better at her sitting skills. =)

She is now learning to crawl. So far, she's only succeeded in shaking her butt and crawling backwards. haha.. but it's a good sign. All these are mini milestones that will lead to the actual crawling. Now, at best, she can lurch forward using her sheer strength. But before long, she would discover that if she bends her knees, she would find the strength to move forward!

Dear Dear & I would likely be making a trip to Ikea soon because we need to get some baskets to store her toys (because they're growing!) and also things to child-proof my house. Just one glance at my living room and you would see all the potential dangers - all the sharp edges of my tables, cabinets, doors etc. So, better prepare ourselves before Joey can crawl around freely. It is getting more & more interesting now.. :)

Her New Ferrari

God is truly good. Just yesterday afternoon, Isaiah was telling me that the back wheels of Joey's stroller seemed to be bending sideways due to the heavy weight. Besides Joey, it usually needs to support my ton-heavy bag with my laptop and Joey's neccessities bag. Then yesterday night, I received a phone call from Sis Ting asking me if Joey has outgrown her stroller and if she needs a new one, since my usage of the stroller is super high. This is so timely! The best part is the stroller is Dayan's, and he has only used it twice or thrice, so it's almost a brand new one. And it's red! Joey's favorite colour!

So, excitedly, this morning when I reached church, I went to retrieve the stroller. Oh man, it's a super good stroller, can?! American brand and probably can't be found in Singapore. Everything about it is huge - from the sunshield to the seat to the wheels! It's a real steady stroller and one that can last Joey till at least 2 years old. God is so so good! What a great blessing! Thank you Pastor Kong & Sun! =)

In stroller category, this must be a Ferrari.

Look how comfortable Joey is in her new Ferrari. :)

When we took her out in her new stroller after service today, we got quite alot of stares. Most likely because the stroller is very stylo and sturdy and one look will tell you it's quite hard to buy it in singapore.

We were also in the photo taking mood today!

With Uncle Nick a.k.a Uncle Teddy

With Auntie Xia

With Uncle Hoe & Auntie Xia! Nice photo!

Papa, Wake Up!

Papa, wake up!

PAPA!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!

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She failed. Papa turned to the other side to continue sleeping.

Her New Things

I just bought 2 new pyjamas for Joey! One is a yellow duckie PJ, the other one a blue striped PJ. Look at how comfortable she is in the yellow duckie PJ last night. :)

Look at it closer. I love the prints!

Estee bought some cute gifts for Joey from Australia! Look, new colourful hair clips!!

Red Nike socks! So cool..

And this book which is so very meaningful for a baby! A baby's 1st year Chronicles!

This is a book that allows you to keep record of your baby's first year's life.

There're also lots of pages for me to paste her very first photo, photos of outings, photos with family & friends etc. So interesting! =) Thanks Estee!

A 2nd One?

You know how it is. Before you got attached, your parents ask you when you will find a boyfriend. When you find a boyfriend, your relatives ask you when you are finally settling down & getting married. When you are finally married, people bombard you with the same question every time they see you, ‘So, when are you going to have kids?’ Even after your first kid is born, they ask you, ‘When is the 2nd one coming?’

Barely one month after Joey was borned, I had people asking me when will the 2nd one come. HELLO? You try asking someone who has just gone through 10 months with a big balloon infront of them and probably over 10 hours of giving birth, you get a big, ‘NOT SO SOON!’ right in your face.

That day I was chatting with Pastor Audrey and I told her before I had Joey, I used to think that I would want to have 3 kids. But after giving birth to Joey, I think 1 is enough. Haha.. Not because Joey is a difficult kid or anything like that. But I've come to realise what it means to have a kid. The load of responsibility, money & time commitment is great. Emotionally, mentally and physically, one must be very prepared for it.

Then Pastor shared with me that it's only normal for me to think that way now, especially when Joey is only 6 months old. But there will come a time when I will feel like having a 2nd child and that you are ready to go through it all over again. I asked Pastor if the intention to have a second kid is for the sake of her first kid, to let her have a companion? She said, "No, it's because I really want it myself."

Coming from a mother of 2, I think her words are highly believable. Otherwise, why would people give birth to so many children? There will come a point when you feel like you want to have more children. No matter how tough or tiring it was taking care of the previous one. Well, my time will come, I guess. But I know for now, one Joey is enough. haha..

Passion Rediscovered

Ever since I’ve had Joey, I rediscovered my passion for kids. I knew since young that I like children, and even when I was 7 or 8 years old, I would hold ‘mini classroom sessions’ for my neighbours’ kids, teaching them how to spell, how to draw and even how to sing. In the midst of growing up, however, I seemed to have forgotten this part of me.

Taking care of babies is definitely not easy. You can ask any one who has given birth before. It’s VERY HARD WORK. Apart from not having enough sleep & rest, you sacrifice a whole lot of freedom, personal time and private space. It requires crucifying your flesh when the need calls for it, like waking up at 3am just to feed the baby, or bathing the kid upon reaching home late and you feel like you could fall asleep walking.

Yet, in the midst of all the tiredness and the ‘I-feel-like-dying’ emotions, there is a deep satisfaction & happiness in taking care of my own baby. Not only my own baby, but now when I see other babies & kids, a smile will spring up on my face immediately. They’re just so cute & adorable!

Maybe I might consider becoming a nanny when I retire. Haha.. definitely not now though, cos I don’t believe anyone will have confidence in such a young babysitter. Won’t want parents to freak out! But it’s indeed a happy thought if I could be surrounded by cute kids everyday. =)

Joey & People

Joey has been taking photos with different people recently. :)

~ With Auntie Na-Na ~

~ With Denise Jie-Jie ~

~ With Auntie Sharon ~

~ With Auntie Esther ~

~ With Auntie Cynthia ~

~ And of course, with Papa ~

The Fall

It’s funny how the same things can happen to different people all at the same time.

Those of you who read Isaiah’s blog knows that Joey fell down from our bed the other day. It was the first time it happened, so you can guess how nerve-wreaking it was for us. At the same time, I read from 2 other friends’ blogs that their babies also fell. I can really understand how it feels. Especially when my baby fell because I left her unattended.
But of course, we all know that almost every baby has her fair share of falls. I like what Rachel says - Falling down just makes us grow up. The fall may be painful, but it also teaches us something and makes us stronger.

When the fall happened, my heart nearly stopped beating. I left Joey right in the middle of my king-size bed.to go to the toilet to wet her towel. She was whining when I left her. The next thing I knew, I heard a loud wailing from Joey and I even thought that she was just very angry that I left her all alone. Isaiah walked in slowly to pacify her (I think he also thought she was just very angry) and then all of a sudden, he shouted very loudly, “DEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

He must have gotten a rude shock when he went in and saw Joey lying on the floor face-up!

My poor gal. I don’t know how it happened because she has yet to learn how to crawl yet and even if she did flip over & started to crawl, she should be crawling forward and not backwards. Anyhow, she should have crawled backwards and slipped down the bed.

She is such a poor thing because on the same day earlier on in the afternoon, she hit her forehead against a rounded but pointed toy in the office nursery when she was learning how to crawl. Apparently, she lurched forward and the toy flew a great distance away after hitting her. Imagine the impact. I was working in the office when I heard her sudden loud & fierce cries. Not only I, but almost everyone around me turned & asked, “Oh man, what happened? Whose baby is crying like that??”

2 hits in 1 day.

Anyway, she recovered fast from all the hit & fall. She still eats normally with a good appetite and is as playful as ever. So, at least we can put our hearts at ease. I pray that there’ll not be any bad after effects..

Happy Saturday!

Joey at service on Saturday this week..

Friday

Fridays was my favourite day of the week ever since I gave birth to Joey, because I get to claim my 3rd month maternity off on every Friday and stay at home to work instead of having to travel all the way to suntec. Officially, I used up all my maternity leave last week, so this week's Friday, I was back in office.

In the morning, Francis walked past me, purposely 'gostan' and asked me, "Today is Friday right? Then what are u doing here?" And I had to say, 'Used up all le'. with a silent sigh

Then i got a missed call from Sis Lillian and i called her back using my office phone. She went, 'Eh Kless, u are in office??' And I had to reply, 'Yes.. used my last Friday last week..' with another sigh

Then Careen walked by and asked, 'You're not on maternity leave today?' You can guess my answer. And yes, with a sigh again.

The last one came from Pst Audrey, "Eh Klessis, you're here today?" Yep! Sigh!

Ok lah, actually it's not as bad lah. I was able to accomplish more work in the office cos if i am at home, i got to take care of joey myself. So it's still quite good. Furthermore, i've already enjoyed so many months of a 3-day week in the office. More than enough. Thank you Jesus!

I decided to give Joey a sporty look yesterday when we went to the office. :)

Compared to this one I took a few days earlier.. what a big difference right?!

If you don't know Joey, you might think the 2 photos are a pair of boy & girl twins! wahaha.. so you see how important dressing up is. Even for a baby.

This was taken yesterday. Auntie Lee Eng is Joey's favorite person in the office nursery!

Chubby Is the Word

My baby has grown even chubbier recently, it seems. Even my mother in law who saw her through the webcam commented so, so I think it's true. When I carry her now, i can really feel her chunky 'meat'. Very nice to carry & hug.

Check this out, man!

I did wonder for 1 second whether my Joey will be angry with me for putting up such a distasteful photo of her on her blog. But it was just a fleeting thought! I still uploaded it anyways! Afterall, for women, this may seem like a devastating photo, but for a baby girl, ok lah hor?? In any case, in my eyes, she is always beautiful. With or without fats. :)

When I tried to take a photo of her with the towel wrapping her hair, she was so angry with me! hahaha.. aiyo, all girls do that after shower, dun we?? Oh well...

I cooked a new porridge for her today. First time trying pumpkin. It turned out really good because of the rich orange colour and it softens so well that Joey could eat all the pumpkin flesh. Along with it, I put in some veggies and cooked it with pork for sweetness. She ate a real big bowl of it! I also tried feeding her apple sauce again, and it turned out that she liked it now! As compared to the previous time when she frowned and turned her face away, this time round, if i didn't stop her, she would finish the whole bottle! I decided to keep half a bottle for tomorrow or Saturday though. :) Good appetite. Grow chubbier!

Wig?

Today Sis Ting made a comment which made me laugh. She said that Joey has got so much hair that it looks like a wig!!

Haha... no, I am not offended in any way.. Infact i found it really amusing. When I went over to see her in the nursery later, I realised that her hair looks really weird today! Really looks like a wig! Hahaha..

Aiya.. if it's really a wig, you can be sure I will choose one with plaits so that she looks even more girly. hehe..

Her 1st Win

It is Joey's 1st win... err.. sort of..

Remember the online baby contest that I asked you guys to go help me vote for joey? Well, today I received an email from the organiser that JOEY WON THE THIRD PRIZE for the 'Most Cheeky Baby' category!!!



The email stated that I have to furnish important details of Joey and even send them photocopy of Joey's birth cert etc, and to send them more photos and a writeup to thank the supporters. They will be putting Joey in the Hall of Fame with one webpage dedicated to her!

Just when I was so excited about the part that says that the win comes with a prize voucher, I suddenly realised that ONLY 1ST & 2ND GOT PRIZES!! 3rd? Nothing. (!!!) And 3rd position winners are allowed to participate again, whereas the 1st & 2nd are barred for 1 year from the competition. Frankly speaking, when I went to see the 1st & 2nd prize winners, I was thinking to myself, "aiyah! Not that cute wat! So-so only.. My joey cuter.. these people don't know how to see..." wahahaha

Oh well, so it's just the fame, I guess.. :) In any case, BIG THANKS to all who casted your votes! =0)

Gleeful

I like Joey's smiles nowadays. They are always so gleeful. :) And makes me want to smile too.

This morning when we were about to leave the house to the office, I snapped a shot of her looking really gleeful in her stroller. Do you think she looks like an ah-go-go girl? :)

This is what greets me every morning when I reach the office nursery. I simply love to see the cute little shoes on the shoe racks! Especially the baby Crocs! I must admit that while Crocs shoes are possibly the ugliest and hardest-to-understand-why-it-became-popular item in the world, baby Crocs are really cute! I wanna get a bright pink pair for Joey when she can walk! If it is still selling then, that is. :)

My dad came to fetch me & Joey from office because my mum bought some ingredients for me to cook porridge for Joey. Guess who Joey saw that made her smile so gleefully?? :) Daddy & Mummy!

Baby Joey = Kangaroo??!

Today I got a revelation from Auntie Shirley in the office nursery.

Joey is the name of a baby kangaroo.

No wonder she likes to jump so much.

Haha! Didn't dawn upon me until auntie mentions it! Bet U didn't realise too, right? Daddy isaiah?? wahaha...

New Bop Bag!

Dear Dear bought a Winnie the Pooh bop bag for Joey to play! It's a real cute 91cm 'unfallible' which joey can kick & box and it will still bounce back to stand upright! For such a big toy, I thought it was really cheap.. only $6.90! We can even use it as a destresser after a hard day's work! wahaha

A Busy Day

Brought Joey out to Causeway in the afternoon today. I suddenly had this craving for Ya Kun, so decided to go there just to eat the kaya toast. haha.. Oh yes, before I forgot, Joey & I wore mother-daughter outfit today! We both wore shocking pink jeans!

Look at Joey's..

If you had been following this blog since the beginning, you would remember that this was the first pair of jeans that I bought for Joey. When I saw it at Fox Baby, I immediately wanted to get it although it's for 6 - 9 months, cos I have a similar pair of jeans too! And I told myself that I would wear it together with her one day. :)

Look at us.. can tell which thigh is whose? :) Hee. so easy..

Joey was behaving well MOST of the time, except when I was halfway eating my Ya Kun toast. At first she was pretty captured by the bak kuah shop's bright yellow lights.

Then she got impatient and I had to put her in the highchair... Then, she was happy. :)

After my delicious kopi-O and kaya toast, I decided that tonight I shall do one of my long lost hobby & so that dear dear would have a nice warm dinner waiting for him when he comes home! I decided to whip up a feast! So, off we went to the Cold Storage.

I must say, it was really hard to go marketing with a stroller because I could only take the basket and in the end, could not really buy that much food. Besides buying some broccoli and pork for Joey's porridge, I only bought ingredients for 3 dishes. But, already the basket was full and I almost died carrying it and pushing the stroller at the same time.

It turned out that Isaiah's brother, David, also thought of whipping up a nice dinner tonight, so we decided that I cook some, and he cooks some. I would procrastinate my deep fried tofu balls to another day cos really too many dishes. The ending result was fascinating. :)

Presenting....... *drum roll* ......... DINNER!

I made watercress soup with pork ribs. My first attempt, and it turned out alright except alittle bitter. =P. Soups are almost the simplest dish anyone can cook. Just dump in all the ingredients & cook for a long time. hehe. I only used red dates, soup pork ribs, watercress.. and a nice & healthy soup emerged!

David made curry chicken! He used some ready mixture package, but the result really smelled very good! Yum Yum!

David also cooked eggs with ham and dou miao with mushrooms, while I stir-fried prawns with celery! My first time using celery in my cooking too, but it smelled good, and is cancer-fighting! =)

Finally, dinner ended with my self-made mango salad! Dear Dear has been telling me he wants to eat mango salad and asked me if I knew how to make. Based on my own imagination, I came out with the following Thai-style recipe. Hehe.. Eat-able lah, don't worry.

Thai-style Mango Salad

3 large Thai mangoes (best are those with green skins)

10 small limes

3 small chilies

5 slices of Pomelo

3 stalks of mint leaves

Small portion of sugar syrup

* * * * * *

1. Slice mangoes into small strips. Put into mixture bowl.

2. Squeeze the limes into the mixture bowl. Use a sifter to remove seeds.

3. Finely chop the chilies, remove the seeds & put into bowl.

4. Pour in sugar syrup. (just a little will do)

5. Shred the pomelo and put into bowl.

6. Shred the mint leaves & put into bowl.

7. Mix well and put into fridge.

8. Serve chilled.

This salad is very spicy & sour. A sure perk-up if you are having a bad appetite. :)

* * * * * *

Busy but fulfilling day. :)