Yesterday I was ranting on Dayre about my stupid maid agent.  Now not so angry anymore but die die must tell the world the catastrophe that is Renz Resources.

When I was pregnant with Fighter we applied for a Filipino domestic helper via this agent, Renz Resources.  The reason why we chose this agent was because the helper we had identified we wanted was actually the niece of a helper belonging to Fatty’s uncle and Renz was their agent.

We applied in January last year I think.  And the helper, AM, was supposed to arrive in Malaysia in June or July.  I thought it was a bit early since Fighter was only due in October but it didn’t really matter.

Then with all the havoc that was Fighter’s premature birth in July/August, the helper kind of slipped my mind.  By then she should have arrived already!

To put it shortly, the stupid agency delayed the arrival of the helper for FIVE months after July.  They had all sorts of excuses.

Oh we thought you didn’t want her to come so early. Then they admitted they hadn’t started applying for her WTF.

Then got typhoon in Manila.

Still got typhoon in Manila, everything is closed.

Oh need to wait for my boss (who is also her husband wtf) to come back from Vietnam to sign something.

Oh we are having problems with our counterpart in Manila, we are changing partners there.  The girl needs to resubmit her documents and forms to the new agency in Manila.

Oh the helper needs to redo her medical test because it expired (because it took so long).

Meanwhile the poor girl was just put on hold at her relative’s house in Manila for months.  And that wasn’t all. Tons of unanswered calls and messages replied late. A lot of empty promises concerning deadlines that were broken repeatedly. A lot of lies – there was a new delay every day, she was always in a meeting and couldn’t answer her phone, etc.

We suspected they’d taken our payment and used it for something else which is why they delayed so long in procuring the helper, because they were scrambling to get back the money to pay for it.  In the end we played good cop bad cop and Fatty came in to threaten media exposure and police reports before we finally got the helper.

By that time, Fatty’s uncle had lent us his helper while we coped with the arrival of new baby and we had gotten used to her.  So she stayed with us, while AM went to work at the uncle’s place.

A few months later, a bit before CNY this year, Fatty’s uncle told us he didn’t have a copy of the signed contract.  So again I had to contact Gina of Renz Resources.

Thus followed another nightmarish month of me chasing her for the contract and her giving multiple creative excuses.

Not with us, in our office in Klang.

Oh they haven’t sent to you yet? I told them to do it.

What’s your husband’s full name again?

I’m at the embassy now, will send you later.

I’m in a meeting now, will send you later.  And so forth.

Dragged on for weeks up till yesterday! I was close to exploding and I said if I don’t get the contract emailed to me by tonight, I am going to the media with this.  Actually I meant I would blog about it wtf but I’m not sure she knows what a blog is hahahaha.  She said yes ok will send to you.

Next morning, still no email.  So I texted her and said “Still no email from you. I’m making a report on this.  If your boss asks you why your company image is so bad, you can tell him it’s your fault.”

She said, “why always police report? We also never complain that AM is not working with you. I’ll send you by this afternoon.”

*internal combustion*

Me: “AM is not working with us because you delayed her for so long when we desperately needed help. I’ve been patient with you for so long. This is your job I don’t understand how you do your work. I don’t want to chase you anymore. Safe to say I will never use you again.”

After that, she really did send me the contract wtf.

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE. I am still gonna write about Gina and her husband Rene and her company Renz Resources Sdn Bhd because they are a complete disaster!!! At first I thought the first time maybe they really had unavoidably bad luck with a shitty Filipino partner, then the typhoon.

But something as simple as sending over ONE contract also they’re incapable of doing. I refuse to let anyone experience what I did with them, so I want to warn everyone: if you are planning to engage a helper through Renz Resources, PLEASE DON’T.  You will regret it and everyday you’ll be angry and hate yourself for engaging them wtf. Not just the delays, but the lies and false promises and unaccountability. They are a total mess and I’m surprised they’re even still in operation.

*
On to happier things! These are photos and events recently.

I’ve decided that since you know, I have delved into the world of professional blogging, I must be hardworking a bit and go to events and act pretty and elegant all.

This is me being elegant wtf.

Steal the shop’s display sunglasses to wear and take photo wtf. Elegant people always wear big sunnies okay.

Me, Bobo and Hui Wen at Furla’s launch recently.

Audfit: off shoulder eyelet top from Twenty3, pleather leggings from Egoist, yellow wedges from Murua (ok fine Taobao wtf but if I could buy the real one I would!), bag is Furla Candy range of course!

With Bella Kuan.

All the bloggers to the left!

Furla Candy display.

With my two favorite people to go to events with!

Eh Hui Wen you inject collagen into your lips ah wtf.

Me! Photobombed by a very serious Bobo.

Not sure why I so happy here.

Then after that aunties must go to supermarket and stock up on groceries wtf.

First bag, now shoes! Stopped by Melissa in Gardens last night because Melissa generously wanted to give me, Fatty and Fighter a pair of shoes each. ^^

Fighter being amazed by the kids collection.

Mostly girls shoes but they do have some unisex sneakers too.

In the end we chose the red one in the middle.  So what if there’s pink! Real men wear pink!

Here’s Jammie babysitting Fighter while I try on shoes hehehe.

Taken with my Xperia z1

Fatty chose this pair for himself super smart looking!  I’m wearing my own pair of Melissas here.

Mine! Finally settled on Melissa x Karl Lagerfeld ice cream shoes.  Actually I didn’t really see anything I wanted until at the last minute I spied these.  It was love at first sight hehehe.

Thank you Melissa!  Their anniversary sale starts today, outlets are in 1U and Gardens.  They’re my favorite shoe brand cos they’re sooo comfy!  And the designs are so varied and I love their different collaborations with designers.  Besides the Lagerfeld, I also have a pair by Jason Wu.  Next time do a Jeremy Scott please hahaha.

Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Fighter spam!

Taken with my Sony Xperia z1

Sitting up with minimal support from my fist wtf.  Yay Fighter!

Taken with my Sony Xperia z1

“Check me out Daddy!”

Taken with my Sony Xperia z1

Watch out ladies these eyes will steal your heart wtf.

Taken with my Sony Xperia z1

He’s learning so many new things so quickly! He’s no longer scared of his baby gym and knows to bat the hanging toys already.

Taken with my Sony Xperia z1

Managed to propel himself off the mat by pushing against the arches with his foot.  So technically he flipped himself over and out of the mat.

Taken with my Sony Xperia z1

No doubt very happy with his achievement hahahaha.

Taken with my Sony Xperia z1

Smiling as usual heheheh.

Bobo came over yesterday and took all these pictures!  Sorry a bit blurry ah *turns up nose at camera wtf

He’s like asking her “Auntie Bobo am I cute?”

“How about now?” Hahahaha these are her captions from Dayre.

*gnaw gnaw

Reaching for his toes again.  I wonder why babies do that!

Speaking of growing, Fighter may be ready for solids now!  I noticed that recently he’s been drinking his milk super fast without pausing, and he gets hungry after 2 hours plus instead of 3.  I thought it was a growth spurt but some mommies on Dayre said he could just be ready for solids!

He’s 7 months actual age now, 5 months adjusted.

I am so not ready! I sometimes get confused with the whole actual vs adjusted age thing and thought I had a few months to go! I was so comfortable in his milk feeding schedule some more.

Don’t know the first thing about feeding baby solids man.  Went out yesterday and hurriedly bought a can of baby rice cereal but what next? How often to feed? When to feed? How much? Which foods are good? What’s a good brand of baby food (the glass jar kind)? Must cook porridge or just steam some fruit or potato can already? Do I need a high chair?

Taking him for his next pediatrician checkup on Tuesday and see what doctor says about starting solids.  Cross fingers!

Today was Fighter’s third set of immunization jabs.

Are you ready for the heart wrenching pictures?

Yea neither am I. Every time it gets worse and worse.  It’s as if he’s older and smarter so the betrayal gets bigger each time. T_______T

Thankfully this is the last of his jabs for a while. Next one is at 15 months so yay 8 months of reprieve!

Fatty wasn’t supposed to come with us this time but changed his mind at the last minute.  He said he didn’t want us to suffer alone hehehe.

Excuse me Fighter the needle hasn’t even touched you yet.  Dr Ananda was just listening to his heartbeat and squeezing his limbs to check the muscles I guess, and already he cry like this wtf.

Here comes the needle.

At this point I notice I’m usually hopping up and down next to the doctor and not daring to look at the needle myself wtf waiting for the moment I can get past the doctor and pick him up. T__________T

Then the doctor sat him up to check his back strength.  Quite funny la cos he’s still crying at this point but still obligingly let doctor sit him up and keep crying hahahaha.

wuwuwuw

He cried all the time we stayed in the doctor’s office.  Then when we went out to the waiting area, he stopped instantly WTF.  But then he’d be all calm but occasionally burst into tears again, as if he suddenly remembered his horrible fate wtf.

For record’s sake, Fighter is now 5 months adjusted age, 7 months actual age.  He’s 61 cm, 6.6 kg and his head is 43 cm in circumference wtf.  Apparently his weight gain slowed a bit but doctor said it’s completely normal cos he’s more active now and probably lost some energy that way.  Also more distracted, so he may not focus so much on drinking now.  Which is true! Now he damn annoying if I’m feeding him and Fatty talks to me, he stops, pulls away from the nipple and stares at Fatty. Hahahaha. It’s like there must be TOTAL silence when he drinks.  Dictator wtf.

His length grew quite a bit though! End of January he was 55 cm and now he’s 61!  Thank Buddha for Fatty’s genes wtf. I’m so relieved hahahaha.

Anyway the biggest news of all!  Doctor said he’s ready for semi-solids now!

If you read my Dayre, lately I’ve been fretting over getting him started on solids. I never considered it actually (*shamefaced wtf) only I wrote about Fighter waking up at all times of the night now to feed when he used to sleep through 5-6 hours at night before this.

I thought it was a growth spurt he was going through but it’s been going on a month or more. Wiser and more experienced mommies said he could be ready for solids and they were right!

So I’ve been reading up on all sorts of baby solids literature – websites and blogs and even weaning sites for preemies.  All say quite contrasting things at times leh!  So I wrote down all my questions and cornered Dr Ananda with my checklist wtf.

To cut it short, Dr Ananda told me that usually pediatricians recommend starting solids from 4 months onwards but the WHO set the minimum at 6 months to ensure that parents would continue to give babies breast milk for longer.  Therefore at this point, solids should not be a replacement for milk (which is still their key nutritional source) but rather an introduction to adult food.

He told me Fighter was all ready but I strongly suggest you ask your own doctors hor if you’re not sure.

In terms of menu, he said:

Start with rice cereal for a week, once a day, earlier in the day

He said rice cereal tastes the most similar to milk so it would be less of a surprise to baby.  At this point Fighter’s swallow reflex is automatic after he sucks so he needs to learn how to actively swallow first.  So the rice cereal is to get him accustomed to maneuvering his tongue then swallowing.  Then try to feed earlier in the day in case he got allergy, can fasterly go get help (as opposed to allergy in the middle of the night and all clinics are closed)

After a week, move to fruits and vegetables

Try only one type of food at a time, and for three days.  This is so he doesn’t get confused, and I’ll know if he’s allergic to anything. Soft fruits like papaya and banana just mash up and feed, harder ones like apples and pears, stew and mash up.  Vegetables go for soft ones like potato, sweet potato, squash, pumpkin etc.  I asked how about spinach wtf cos I hate all of the above except potato.  He said uhh maybe later wtf.

I wasn’t really looking forward to solids cos uhhh it sounds like a lot of work wtf. But I’m quite excited now! So many things to buy and try!

Starting with this booster seat. There, happy photo of Fighter to make up for the above.

I was wondering if I should get a high chair but then I remembered my aunt got us this when Fighter was born.  Can’t believe we can put it to use already.  This one’s from Fisher-Price.

Actually doctor said he cannot support himself yet so don’t put him in an upright seat like this. >_> These pictures were taken before we saw the doctor la aih.

“What? Time to start solids already?” *suspicious*

“Well no time like the present!”

*gnaw gnaw* “Hmm… kind of bland.  Can’t say I like solids much.”

Hi Trouble.

Okay the truth is I was super impatient so an hour before we went to the doctor I already tried to give Fighter rice cereal!

No pictures cos I was holding the bowl wtf.  But I think it was quite decent for a first attempt!  I slowly fed him two teaspoons and he’d stick out his tongue and lick at the spoon a bit.  That way I think  he managed to swallow about a third of everything!

Randomly bought this for him from Parkson the other day.

If anyone has any recommendations of good storebought baby food please share!
Also does anyone know where to get the Little Bean food processor wtf.

That’s about it.  Can’t wait to bring on the food experiments.

So last week we took Fighter on a little trip – his first ever, in fact! – to Singapore for my mother in law’s birthday.

Last week when we met Vivy and Fadza we asked them how was their experience taking Baby D to Bali.  They said “Never again!” wtf.

Never say never but our trip was…. challenging.

Fatty thinks it’s because we had to take care of Fighter 24/7 (in this case, 24/4 wtf) ourselves but I don’t think so. I don’t really mind the night wakings and midnight feeds but I think it was the being in a new environment surrounded by new people that threw Fighter off.  As much as we tried to keep to his schedule, we also had to work around dinners and lunches… and it wasn’t pretty wtf.

He’s generally quite a happy baby but he has a terrible temper. FOL. Obviously he got it from his daddy wtf *sniffs* So whenever he got angry or upset he’d yell the whole house down.  If I was carrying him I worried for my eardrums.

Photobomb!! One of his happy moments.

Obviously all the photos here are when he’s happy la wtf.  Don’t exactly have time or the presence of mind (or the intention) to take photos when we’s shrieking.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

The night before the trip.  Fatty thought it would be funny if we took a picture of Fighter at the airport wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses like a celebrity.  Sadly, his only baseball cap (a present from Rina, Mimi, Lilian, Angie and personalized with his name on the side) is now too small for him even before he got to wear it even once wtf.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

A bear hat just doesn’t have the same effect wtf.

One afternoon we took him to see Auntie Qiu and Josh and Pearl Ang, Qiu’s sister who Fatty refers to as Pear Lang WTF.

Babyzilla at work.

He super loves Qiu la cos she played with him for more than an hour straight.  I swear he thought he died and went to heaven wtf.  

Qiu introducing a new stuffed animal to him. 

A Rabbit Friend? For me?

His favorite hobby – chilling on the bed while people hover over him and entertain him wtf.

Adeline (sister in law) aka experienced mommy of 3 kids got him hanging toys to put on his stroller/carrier! Best idea ever because he was totally entranced and gave me about ten minutes to eat my dinner in peace wtf.

Also went to visit Aunty Wendy.

This picture also quite funny cos Fighter looks enraptured by Wendy (yea, he normally likes young pretty girls wtf ಠ_ಠ) and Dash is playing oblivious behind hahahaha.

Now it’s Mike behind wtf.

Here’s BB Dash!  His expressions really damn funny la so complex like that!  Wendy told us he’s very independent normally and not attached to anyone, but at one point when Wendy was carrying Fighter, Dash did a pretend cry so I guess he is attached to her!

He’s so tall now omg. Granted I only saw him once when he was a few days old la wtf but still! He’s half my size wtf.  I’m quite worried that when Fighter gets bigger I won’t be able to carry him but if I can pick Dash up then okay la!

After a few minutes he got tired of me carrying him and put his hand on my chest and shoved me hard wtf hahahahaha. Okok I get the message loud and clear lolol.

Note to self: Buy Fighter more toys that light up and make noises wtf.  He loves Dash’s thingamajig.  I have no clue what to get kids as toys one. :X Because before this not interested in kids one lol.

“Who are you? Where’s my Daddy!?”

“Get away from me you strange man!”

Hahahahahaha hilarious. I was hiding Fighter away in a room so I didn’t see this but Wendy said he’s not used to seeing non-white men WTF really ornot!?

Yea and I was hiding Fighter away for him to take his nap.  I thought all would be well cos we’re sticking to his schedule right?

WRONG!

Fighter woke up from his nap and I brought him out to the living room, where he proceeded to wail unceasingly for absolutely no reason at all. FML.

No amount of coaxing and distraction would do! Sing songs, give him ipad, turn on TV, run around galloping like a horse with horsey sounds, toys, all also cannot.  EVEN MY BOOBS FAILED ME. Felt quite bad about bringing this mini hurricane into Mike and Wendy’s house tbh.

Changed his diaper and couldn’t even get him back into his pants cos he was crying so much.

Therefore this was the best photo we could take of Dash and Fighter together wtf. Luckily Dash was totally unfazed by Fighter’s screaming! He just continued to sit there and chill with his iPad (and the toy in his mouth lolol).

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

Brought him back to the hotel and he was happy again. ಠ_ಠ

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

Came home and stopped by my grandma’s place since it was on the way back from the airport. Here he is looking happy again but earlier he started his terrifying screaming again. T____T

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

On the way home. Probably tired himself out with all the crying. -_-

I concluded that he was probably overstimulated la. New environments day after day, new people meeting and carrying him. When he woke up from his nap at Wendy’s house it was in a strange room which probably disconcerted him.

Then maybe he thought we were going home already but we made one last stop at my grandma’s wtf. If I were him maybe I’d throw a fit too.

Anyway so that was our first ever trip as a family. I will resist saying never again because….yes again! I really need to go somewhere I’ve been cooped up for nearly a year already with no trips anywhere except the occasional one back to Penang (which doesn’t count because it’s always hectic and filled with familial obligations).

Ok that’s all yo.  Trying to catch up with all my due drafts and work, all from one exhausting weekend in Singapore. T___T

P/S: Categorizing this as AudSlave because I sure felt like it this weekend wtf.

Time for another AudEveryday post which just means a random collection of pictures from everywhere that have been taken recently.  I have so much to blog about actually! I wanna write about Fighter’s sleeping and solids eating but Imma leave those for another day cos they deserve blog posts to themselves.

So where was I? *rubs hands

Oh ya pictures from recently! Lemme try to categorize them into events.

1. Fighter says hi.

“Ohai.”

HAHAHAHHAA SO DAMN CUTE I CANNOT DEAL. Backstory: Fatty came home from work one day and I decided to greet him by waiting on top of the stairs holding Fighter in a standing pose, like Fighter was waiting for his daddy to come home.

It was so cute when Fatty’s sister Fayth came home, I asked Fatty to do the same thing to her. These pictures were taken when Aunty Fayth came home hahahaha.

2. Fighter gets a haircut

No barbershops for Fighter. It’s go big or go home wtf. We did a mommy-baby photoshoot for ViVi magazine (coming out in May issue!) so I asked 76style to help me trim Fighter’s sideburns which were getting out of hand (and in Fighter’s case, out of face wtf). Apparently Hikky and Sato san were fighting over who gets to give Fighter his first haircut hahahahaha. Hikky said she always does my hair right from the beginning but Sato…apparently Sato is Fighter’s biggest fan wtf.

How we did it was I held him like this and Hikky would hold him steady and hold a towel around him. Then Sato would deftly grab the hair on the side of his head and snip.

Fighter would feel something so he’d whip his head around. And Sato would quickly grab the hair on the other side of the head and snip again. And Fighter would turn his head again. And the cycle continues. HAHAHAHA. His hair is super neat now which I love cos he’s even more handsome now! Totally unbiased mother here wtf.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

Sato san sitting and playing with Fighter while I got my makeup done. Told you he’s a fan.

I said, “Sato san, teach Fighter some Japanese!”

Sato: “Japanese? Okay.”

Then can hear him mumbling at the back to Fighter, “おはようございます。こんにちは。僕の名前はファイターです。”

HAHAHAHA HE ALSO DAMN CUTE.

3. Pictures that don’t fit in a category

Just Fighter chilling in his high chair. I got him a proper chair cos he hates his booster seat. He seems to like this a lot better luckily. Cos this chair is quite expensive wtf. *clutches money. It’s Stokke’s Tripp Trapp and Wendy and my sister in law both swear by it so okay I follow!

Not sure why his face like this.  Maybe just got a scolding hahaha.

He’s learning to understand when he’s in trouble already!  The other day he went completely berserk I dunno why.  He was just screaming and yelling and flailing his limbs.  No amount of coaxing and soothing and carrying would appease him.  I knew he was just throwing a tantrum cos there was no tears and he was just being angry.

He yanked my hair hard until I had tears in my eyes wtf and I’m not the one crying ok.  So I got fed up and put him into his cot and told him sternly to stop crying because I know he’s just throwing a tantrum.

He immediately quietened down and looked at me wide eyed.  Like very wary like that cos he’s never seen me not smile at him.  I refused to smile and continued to talk to him sternly.

After a while I also softened and stroked his hair and spoke gently.  He see me like that he also smile and wriggled his body in happiness hahahaha.  Tantrum totally forgotten.

Last weekend while we were having dinner he again throw tantrum and couldn’t be pacified.  So Fatty spoke to him sternly and he understood again!

He sat quietly in Fatty’s lap and looked down meekly and played with his fingers, his cheeks jutting out cos he had his head down hahahahaha. My heart was melting at this point but Fatty and I promised ourselves we would always be united in front of our kids so I didn’t say anything.

Sorta like this.

Just me and Fatty. We take so many pictures of Fighter we forget to take ourselves already.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

Roly poly is obsessed with eating his toes recently. I like his sheer faith and optimism here. So confident he can reach his toes that he already opened his mouth in anticipation hahahaha.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

What did I tell you wtf.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

He and his new Ram Friend. It’s round and fluffy and therefore very attractive to him.

4. Bought new bras wtf

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

Went for a much needed bra fitting the other day at Triumph! Since you know my bra size has been catapulting around ever since pregnancy wtf. Anyway I have tons of lingerie but I always end up buying lacy colorful stuff which cannot be worn with 95% of my clothes. -_- I always end up wearing the same one black and one nude bra only wtf. So I desperately needed new ones and promised myself I’d be sensible.

Found the perfect lingerie for my needs from Triumph Body Makeup line! Comes in all pastel colors (also got nude and black la) and its key points are its invisibility under clothing and 360 degree smooth fit.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z1

I’m always suffering from obvious bras and visible underwear line wtf so I got like 5 sets!

5. Random outings with Bobo

Taken with Bobo’s awesome Sony camera. I love her camera and she loves mine wtf grass is always greener.

She’s like my event buddy TM.

6. I did fillers at DRx!

On my way there.

My left eye has always had an eyebag issue but lately it’s going from bad to worse.

WTF is this shit!? This was taken with my magic camera ok. Also known as the camera  who will not let any flaw or blemish through. And even the magic camera cannot handle the monstrosity that is my eyebag. Worse still I am not even smiling here wtf.  Imagine if I smiled!

Eyebags occur when the fat under your eyes sags downwards creating a hollow there and making dark circles even more obvious. I hate that I look older and haggard cos of this so I went to DRx for help.

Most permanent way to erase eyebags is surgery but I didn’t want anything so drastic plus I’m still quite young la ok (you. College student. Not talking to you wtf) if I do surgery now, in 20 years what am I gonna do!? A safer less drastic option is fillers which I chose.

This filler brand was just released in Malaysia and I think DRx is like the earliest clinic to have it. Apparently super good and the filler is of course hyaluronic acid (which occurs naturally in our bodies and thus isn’t harmful at all. Moisturizing in fact)

Prepping.

My left eye (which is the eye on the right) is done! The eyebag there has always been worse but now you see when I smile the eye pouch there is already higher than the other eye’s!

All done! Picture no filter/makeup mode/editing. It’s very subtle cos I don’t want those tear bags to be gone but I love it! My eyebags aren’t visible anymore and it still looks natural! I don’t think you can tell I did something if I didn’t say.

If you’re looking for a consultation on skin or face, check out DRx. Their doctor DR J

Okay dying of narcolepsy. Setakat ini sahaja kali ini.

Hello!

I’m back from Tokyo! I’ve been since Thursday but I decided to take a break from all most screens and spend time with Fighter. ^^

Will blog about my trip soon! It was sooooo good to be able to get away to my favorite place in the world and just relax without having to worry about Fighter and eat and shop to our hearts’ content.  Of course we missed him like crazy and luckily our trip was pretty short.  Went home after four days to see him (who thankfully still remembers us wtf).

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that my milk supply dropped like crazy. T__________T

A lot of mommies have been asking me on Dayre about what I did when I was away so I thought I’d answer here. Maybe you guys can learn from my mistakes wtf.

(this post is more for the mommas among us, sorry single ladies!)

The premise

At home I normally pump 2-3 times a day only.  Once in the morning about 10 am, maybe another time at about 6-7 pm and the last one at midnight.  In between if I’m at home I nurse Fighter every other feed and bottle feed the rest.  Usually my pumping is enough to yield about 2 full bottles to refrigerate for the day’s demand, and 1.5-2 bottles to freeze for a rainy dry day.

The plane

Truth be told, the plane ride was pretty hellish. I normally don’t mind a seven hour flight – in fact I think seven hours is the perfect length for a plane ride.  Anything more is a chore and anything less means you cannot watch movies AND sleep on the plane you must only choose one thing wtf.

But I’m digressing.  This plane ride was terrible cos I thought I could take it and packed my pump into my check in luggage. T_________T Of course I couldn’t because instead of my usual 10 am pump, I had pumped at 7 am, giving me three additional hours to last through.  Plus I had no Fighter with me so I wasn’t nursing either, obviously.

The minute we got our baggage, I ran for the nearest restroom and pumped. I yielded 10 oz within the first seven minutes WTF.

(in true FML fashion, my bottles were so full by 10 minutes that I spilled it over my cardigan and pants wtf.  Only brought one cardigan and one pair of pants so…. totally legit excuse to shop.  Not so FML after all la wtf.)

The pain

Obviously super engorged and painful la.  I worried about blocked ducts but luckily didn’t get any.  So the lesson I learned and you guys can benefit by is, pack your pump.  Even if you don’t think you need it, pack it anyway and bring it on board with you.  Bring a nursing cover and bottles as well. Which brings me to….

The prep

Before you go, decide what you plan to do with your expressed breast milk if you’re not planning on weaning yet.  You can either pump and dump, or pump and pack to bring home.  I’ll die before letting my EBM go to waste so I brought along with me besides my pump and bottles, a supply of milk storage bags, an ice box…

…and a bottle brush and washing liquid.

When I went to Singapore, I ended up having to call housekeeping twice a day to come and collect my dirty bottles to wash for me which I felt very pai seh doing.  Also I didn’t like that I had to wait for them to come back with the clean stuff before I could pack them and go out.  I’d rather do it myself faster and easier.  So quite a lot of time was spent in the bathroom washing equipment wtf.

If you’re thinking about sterilization, I didn’t sterilize.  It’s not necessary to sterilize every day anyway, I sterilize my equipment once a week so I waited till I went home to do it.

Oh ya I forgot to bring ice packs which are necessary to make sure the milk stays fresh.  Bring your own in case the hotel doesn’t have!  The Singapore hotel provided reusable big ice packs which were perfect.  The Tokyo one only had mini dry ice packs so I took like sixteen.

The packing

Storage would be a better word but I wanted to make everything start with P wtf. The minibar fridges in hotel rooms are not cold enough to store EBM properly so after pumping, I’d seal the EBM in storage bags, label them with my name, room number and date and time, and send it down to the hotel for freezing.

Then right before we left for the airport I put all the milk into the ice box with the ice packs.  I secured it with tape and checked it in.  Cannot hand carry.

The panic

Milk storing and transporting methods aside, my supply dropped horrifyingly.  I’ve stated how much I used to express/nurse and the yield but overseas and out and about, I found it hard to pump more than twice a day – once in the morning, once at night.

The first day on the plane, my boobs hurt like sai.  On the second day, they ached but was bearable.  The third day, I found I was going twelve hours with no discomfort.

On the first night, I yielded about 10 oz of milk, and this was 5 hours after I pumped at about 7 pm (7 pm one also yielded 10 oz).  Means 20 oz at night in total.  By the fourth and last day, I was getting slightly less than 10 oz.

The speed at which it drops is horrifying!!! I wasn’t aware this could happen so fast – in fact I thought that just 4 days wouldn’t really hurt.  But it doesssssss.

I’m pumping and direct latching as often as I can now to try to bring my supply back up again.  But I spoke to two mommy friends who also took trips away from their babies and both confirmed that their supply reduced dramatically.

Both their supplies never recovered wtf.  This is despite taking fenugreek and other tried and tested foods, midnight pumping, etc.

So if you’re a mommy and are planning to go away for a bit, thought you should know wtf.  This shouldn’t deter you from going honestly cos you need that little bit of rest and sanity.  But if you want to prevent this, you could be more diligent than I was in expressing la.  Although that sounds super difficult when you’re on holiday, I understand.

As for me, I guess Imma start scouting for formula soon if my supply doesn’t go back up. It’s a little depressing cos I’ve gotten used to the pumping routine and I like breastfeeding Fighter (cos he always smiles at me when he’s feeding! Also it shuts him up and calms him down wtf).  And I will miss the license it gives me to eat everything without fear of gaining weight wtf.

But I gotta do what I gotta do.  So what’s a good formula brand?

P/S: Breastfeeding advocates, don’t even go there wtf.

These babies. They’re all smarter than you give them credit for.

So a few days ago we brought Fighter out for dinner with us. I packed him some pureed peas so he could eat dinner with us too.

That’s Fighter being very aware of the camera.

And that’s me making my usual helicopter motor noises to get him to open mouth.  Should totally patent it wtf.  How it goes is: “TODTODTODTODTOD” (in manly growl) then “OPEN THE GATE FIGHTER! LET US IN LET US IN!” (high pitched squealing) then when mouth opens, “yay we’re safely home!”

It always works. Oh all right it only works the first bite of every meal wtf.  After that he wisens up to it.

Only realizing got camera pointing at us mid-helicopter roar.

He did eat his peas that night though! ^^

When he wasn’t too busy staring at the camera that is.

Anyway after I finished feeding him, I passed him to Fatty while I ate.

Fighter started whining and struggling in Fatty’s arms and I can’t remember why but Fatty shifted Fighter on his lap so he was closer to me. Fighter started flailing his arms…

Then suddenly I felt a koala clinging on to my arm.

T___________T

We’ve known for about a month that when Fighter wants someone to carry him, he turns his torso towards them and lifts up his arms but relatively half heartedly.

Most of the time he doesn’t do this cos he’s not very particular who carries him… as long as he’s carried wtf.

So this is the first time I’ve seen him actively reach out and cling to someone like this.  And that someone is me!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still putting his hand on my shoulder trying to move over to me hehehe.

Ahhh Fighter you totally have my heartstrings wrapped around your chubby little knuckles.

We compromised by Fatty putting him as close to me as possible.  Then we thought oooh perfect opportunity for family photo!

Still clinging. Hahahaha.

These babies. I swear right before they leave heaven for a nice warm womb, the angels probably gave them a piece of advice:

“Whatever you do, the one who gives you milk? That’s the one you need to please. Capture her heart and you’re set for life.”

So how was it?

By the time we got to Vegas I was dying wtf.  I asked Fatty if we could cancel the Vegas leg of the trip but we already paid wtf so we’d be burning flights and hotel and have to book a new flight back some more.  So okay……… I tahan. *meditational pose

By the time we went home I was going nuts.  The sucky thing was our flight arriving back in KL only arrived at 12 am!  Which meant that Fighter would be asleep already and we wouldn’t be able to see him until the next morning. But what to do!

Anyway we got home and checked on a sleeping Fighter.  To our surprise he woke up there and then for his midnight feed though it was 1am.  (guess he slept through midnight for once)

I happily took him into our room to breastfeed him, all eager to renew our breastfeeding bond wtf.

He wriggled.  The entire time.

Totally didn’t wanna suckle at all! D: He kept twisting out of my grasp and looking blearily around the room.  Fatty was standing around the room and he kept looking at Fatty but without recognition.

I said, “Fighter! Fighter! It’s me! Mommy!”  and he totally ignored me T________________T

At that point I was like, is this my karma for leaving him for two weeks. T________T

I gave up trying to nurse him and just got him a bottle of formula.  He started drinking but in a very sien manner, as though very sleepy wtf.

I whipped away the bottle and fasterly put him on my boobs again.  Maybe the formula whetted his appetite.  It worked!  He automatically started sucking again.  I was worried he’d forgotten how to nurse but looks like he was just lazy. >.>

The next day, everything was back to normal and he was happy as usual to see us.  Happier than normal?  Not really.  I doubt he even noticed we were gone. -_-

I guess it was only me going through withdrawal symptoms then… *shreds paper

Even then, he’s grown a lot in just two weeks! Less than that actually, we were gone twelve days including traveling time.  Whatever it is, we came home to a nearly brand new baby. Lol.

For posterity’s sake, here’s Fighter’s accomplishments for now.  He’s 11.5 months old, 9.5 months adjusted.

1. He can hold his own bottle!

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z2

Before we departed, he could already tentatively do it.  But because I guess our Tommee Tippee bottle (which he loves) is a little big and awkward for tiny hands, he never did it consistently or stable-y.  Maybe he’d bossily attempt to hold my hand while I held his bottle, or grasp the bottle for a few seconds before dropping it.

But when we came home, I noticed our nanny giving him the bottle…and literally giving him the bottle.

And Fighter proceeded to hold it and drink from it steadily until he was all done.

Even more impressive, the next time I gave him the bottle, he held it and drank himself unconscious.  Then when he was done, he just let it slip out of his grasp, flipped over, and went to sleep.

(And that’s how he goes to sleep now.  No patting or rocking necessary.)

WHEN DID MY BABY TURN INTO A BIG BOTTLE HOLDING EXPERT?

Oh. Right. Sometime within the last two weeks.

2. He can hold his own finger foods!

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z2

Found this out totally by chance.In the same motor skills department, I was super surprised to find that not only can he hold his own bottle, he can also hold his own snacks and eat by himself!

We were having a family dinner and I was talking to my grandma with Fighter in my arms.  Grandma was holding a piece of mantou (a Chinese bun) and Fighter suddenly made a grab for it!

Ah Ma handed him the mantou and to my surprise, he grasped it in his fist and held it up to his mouth.  Then he took a great big bite out of it.

Dude you don’t even have teeth???

I saw he was clamping down on the bread with his gums and ripping pieces off into his mouth. Hahahahah how clever is that?? I actually gave up giving him finger foods weeks ago cos he’d just either drop them without taking a bite, or just hold it in his fist forever.  I guess in that time his motor skills had improved enough, and he now knows what is food and what is to be eaten.

I’m also very thankful that I started giving him solids/semi solids very early on because he just doesn’t like puree.  In the beginning he’d chew/mash the food up with his gums but end up spitting food out but he quickly learned to bite and chew and then swallow food.  If I didn’t he might not have learned so quickly what to do with food pieces.

3. He’s been eating really really well!  

He was on a food strike for four horrendous months and I was starting to resign myself to having a terrible eater.  Every day I fretted over what to feed him and mostly resorted to avocado wtf.  Also attempted baby led weaning which was a hit and miss since he didn’t know how to feed himself.

But four weeks ago he started eating a bit more.  I introduced baby pasta or rice in chicken or vege soup of which he’d eat less than a baby bowl.  Also noticed he likes egg tofu so I prepared egg tofu with minced pork and he’d also eat less than an ounce.  But he was eating!

And then right before we left, out of nowhere, he started to eat a whole baby dish of food.  Then sometimes two.

And by the time we came home, he was up to eating three quarters of an adult sized rice bowl!!!!  And he’s eating 3 solid meals a day now.

I don’t know what I did to deserve such good luck but I wish I did so I can do more of that!!!!

Feeding him is now a joy and it’s so fun thinking up new dishes to feed  him!  (Besides the usual boring porridge and baby pasta.)

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z2

4. He knows to call people with a yell/gruntDinner menu – shepherd’s pie, chicken version

This one’s a tad bossy but he now knows to go NGHGHGHGH and smile at whoever to get their attention. Hahaha.

5. He can stand! (well, sort of)

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z2

His legs have gotten strong enough to support himself for maybe like a minute?  This is totally new too; a few days after we got back I got the idea to get him to try standing up by himself.  And he did it!

He’s even picking out his next OOTD here wtf.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z2

Yes? May I hepchu?

 6. He knows how to kiss!

Well, when he’s in the mood for love, that is.  I’m not sure if it’s the nanny who taught him or one of our parents.  But when he feels like it and you say “kiss kiss Fighter” he leans in and plants an open mouth kiss on your cheek.

It’s the best feeling in the world.

The other day he kissed me and then he moved his mouth like a fish and it was super geli hahahahaha.

7. He still can’t crawl forward

Sadly he’s still on a backward trajectory with this hahaha but everyone says it’s a matter of time before he learns to do it properly.

8. He still has no teeth wtf.

Taken with my Sony Xperia Z2

TOOTH FAIRY, Y U NO VISIT FIGHTER?

I can’t believe how quickly he’s progressing lately!  It feels like he learns something new every day.  Him as a newborn was adorable and lovely but this stage is just… FUN. Can’t wait to see what he does next.

Whew Fighter’s first birthday party is finally over and done with.

I wasn’t really thinking seriously of throwing a big bash, but it’s my first baby’s first birthday!  Momentous occasion!  My first anniversary as a mommy! (But to be fair hor looks like I need to do something equally nice for my secondborn wtf)

Anyway I was still thinking vaguely about it and wouldn’t have done anything if Fit For 2 hadn’t approached me and asked if I’d considered where to do Fighter’s birthday!

Fit for 2 is a mommy+baby friendly place located in Bangsar Village 2!  They have a cafe (complete with kids’ toy corner and breastfeeding nook) serving healthy food suitable for both adults and babies – the children’s menu is extensive!  They even have special baby food for babies who have just started on solids.

There’s also an attached studio providing exercise classes for pregnant moms and moms with babies/toddlers.  You can bring your kids into the classes with you cos everyone there is a mom and therefore understanding. ^^

I’ve been going to Fit for 2 since I got pregnant for exercise and after I had Fighter, we’d both go there for lunch or class and I’d always felt very at ease there.  So it was a no brainer to have Fighter’s birthday there.

So I have Fit for 2 to thank!  For mommies who are looking for an easy place to hang out with their babies, meet other mommies and just generally relax, you can check them out at Bangsar Village.  Facebook page which is updated with their weekly activities HERE.

The signage outside Fit for 2 for Fighter!  Yep, his real name is Jude in case anyone forgot hahaha.

I went with a Beatles theme for his birthday because…he’s too young to have any real preferences yet la wtf.  Because I actually named him after  the song and his favorite song really is Hey Jude (from me singing it to him all the time in the NICU), it only made sense.

The people who did the decor and everything for the party is Think Party Thoughts, by Angeline and Jessica.  Angeline was my ex colleague and I didn’t know she (and Jessica) was so talented!

Here’s us setting up before the party.  Hui Wen and Tze came early to help out. <3

Let me show you around the place first!

In keeping with the theme, placemats were made to look like vinyl records.

Wording on the record.  Background is chevron in the four theme colors – yellow, light blue, orange, and deep pink.

Detail on the photo corner.  Angeline and Jessica thoughtfully prepared a baby chair so babies could sit and take photos too hahaha.

Dessert table!

Background colorful squares also done by TPT.  Food was provided by Fit for 2 while I prepared the snacks and candy and goodie bag contents.

Another look at the dessert table.

From the top.

Beatles goodie bags hahaha.  If anyone’s curious, the treats inside were a Mamee Monster pack, a chocolate bar, box of raisins, a jelly cup, and a box of hard candy.

And here’s the spread that Fit for 2 laid out for us!  I went with the Luxe Tea Pot package which is high tea style – finger foods and hors d’oeuvres.

Fruit tarts!

Tuna and egg sandwiches.

Food toppers by TPT.  It’s still a first birthday party after all, so the Beatles motifs I picked were all cute – octopus (for Octopus’s Garden), strawberry (Strawberry Fields), submarine (Yellow Submarine) and Sun (Here Comes the Sun).

Scones!  With clotted cream and jam.  Food names were thought up between me and TPT to gel with more Beatles’ songs hehehe. Spot the Beatles references in the names!

Hold Me Tight Vietnamese rolls.

Mango pudding in shooter glasses.

Moonlight Bay’s Salmon Bites.

More Marmalade Skies Fruit Tartlets.

Blackbird Meatballs.

I also got bottles of water and wrapped them in customized wrappers.

Did the same with two finger chocolate bars.

More photos of the awesome spread by FF2!  Oh ya on the far right got Ribena juice boxes.  I named them Hey Juice. HAHAHA.

Fairy Cakes cupcakes by FF2 who have a working relationship with Bisou.

Oh ya also got curry samosas which we named Happiness is a warm samosa. HAHAHA.

Very very pleased with how things turned out!  The food from FF2 was a very nice variety and yummy to boot!  Food toppers and decor by TPT gelled so well too.

My little family at the photo corner.

TPT also printed out appropriate Beatles props. Which everyone forgot to use. T3T

Now for random party and guest pictures!

With my grandma, Fighter’s great grandma.

“You mean I am one year old???”

With Fatty’s HELP gang.  AKA the uncles who are going to buy Fighter a Ferrari for his 18th birthday cos he’s the firstborn son of the group.  

With Fat Her! Fat Her was the only grandparent who could make it unfortunately. Mummy Ooi is in Penang caring for my grandparents who aren’t doing too well.

And my in laws were actually in Singapore because my sister in law just had a new baby!  I think actual birth date trumps 1st birthday hahaha.  Never mind, hopefully we get to celebrate with all the grandparents soon.

Mummy Ooi was present via Skype wtf.

Family!  Everybody looks nice… except Fighter. ಠ_ಠ

With Cheesie!  Who is dressed the most in theme possible lol.

With Sin Thean and Hui Yuan!  Also relatively sixties vibe hahaha.  Look at Fighter going for people’s spectacles.

Laksa moms!! From L-R: Twentylittletoes, Jigglypuff, Notaitailife, Tinkitalks, Yuetchitan, Awendyy, Omamee and their respective babies.  Especially funny are Lil E and B look at them!

Fighter and his grandpa.  The minute he saw Fat Her, he wriggled to get out of my clutches into Fat Her’s arms lol.

In ecstasy with Grandpa hahaha.

Nice or not Fighter’s birthday outfit? Shirt and blazer are from Poney (bought in haste cos I didn’t have anything prepared for him to wear), pants are Baby Gap.  Shoes are Ralph Lauren from Tze!

With Zhon Wei, our most enthusiastic guy friend when it comes to Fighter hahaha.  He’s good husband material confirm wtf.

What’s with the puppy dog eyes Fighter?

Aunty Hui Wen who die also must pose with her present.  It’s awesome btw!!! A baby drum set, so in theme!

Auntie Bobo and Auntie Hui Wen.

Auntie Tze and a predatory looking Auntie Hui Wen hahaha.

Auntie Ally!

With my ex boss Joanne (who is one of the nicest people I know <3), her husband Wai Sun and boys Jared and Jake.  Fighter ruining the photo again. -_-

With Lay See and Javier!  (Kay running around somewhere wtf) Lay See’s outfit also so sixties and adorable!

With his second mom hahaha.

He doesn’t do it anymore la wtf but when he was younger I think he used to get confused between me and Bobo, like which one is mommy? Hahahah.

Can’t believe we’re all married/engaged/with kids now! Look at this Junya sleeping like a log next to his mom hahaha.

Fighter was very engrossed in Baby Junya’s carrier lol damn disturbing ah.

Our favorite photo!  So happy with the balloon and his second mom haahah.

Then it was cake cutting time!

Of course the cake had to be a yellow submarine.  Did you expect anything less?

Scrabbling to get a hold of the candy.

Hahaha this photo because his pose is too cute!

Here’s Fighter giving his thank you speech: “Aaaaack! Dadadada gruuuu”

Okay tank you everyone.

Happy birthday darling!  It’s been an amazing year with you and you’ve grown so much from a fragile skinny little preemie to a boisterous cheeky almost-toddler with a huge personality.  Nothing but the best for your future and you. We can’t wait to go through every step of life with you!

Love, Mommy and Daddy.

So. This is Fighter.

About 50% of the time now.

That’s right, his toddler tantrums have started.

I know, right?  Barely a year old, in fact just ten and a half months adjusted.  First tooth just cut the gum, and just mastered crawling…. and now his temper tantrums have started. O_O

Didn’t expect this to start this early!!! I thought it was Terrible TWOS, not ‘Orrible Ones wtf.  But they’re definitely here.  Take away something he was playing with (usually one of our cell phones / TV/aircon remote control / laptop) and he tantrums.  Try to change his diaper (-_-) and he’ll tantrum and try to flip over so it’s nearly impossible to get a diaper on.  For some reason he hates being made to lie down on the changing table. :X

Here he’s wailing cos I took my phone away (and used it to snap this picture).  You’d think I tortured him with…. food deprivation.  Or Brown deprivation lol (his favorite teddy bear).

FUNNIEST AND UGLIEST PHOTO EVER HAHAHAAHAHA.  This is him having a temper tantrum in his car seat.

The story is, Fighter’s turned out to be a very greedy critter and recently whenever he sees me eating something (fruit or some other small snack) he’ll shout at me and look outraged that I never offer him some. Lolol damn no manners.

So last night Fatty was having a Magnum and Fighter saw and wanted some.  I figured he’s already a year old, can be introduced to chocolate and ice cream so I told Fatty to go ahead and give it to him.

Wah! He loved it.  No doubt he’s the son of a Fatty wtf.  After every bite he’d smack his lips and wave at Fatty, beckoning for more hahaha.  But I guess he doesn’t yet understand the concept of food finishing cos when the ice cream was all eaten up, he got pissed that THERE WAS NO MORE ICE CREAM. The horror!

He started throwing a tantrum in his car seat BECAUSE THERE IS NO MORE ICE CREAM! We didn’t want to take him out of his car seat when the car was still in motion so I could only pat him and tell him there’s no more  But he wasn’t having any of it!  He kept screaming all the way home. -_-

We tried speaking firmly, then scolding, then ignoring, then patting him but nothing worked.  Only when we got home and I picked him up did his cries taper down.

Parents, what do you do with your kid when he tantrums?  Do you ignore him?  Hug him? If you hug him will that spoil him further?  Advice appreciated!

I’ve decided to do a weekly segment called BabyBloomer (yaya real creative) to update on what Fighter has been up to lately and what he’s achieved.

(not that anybody really cares la wtf cos it’s only interesting if it’s your own baby from your own uterus but more for my own remembrance’s sake)

Fighter is now 13 1/2 months!  11 1/2 months adjusted.

Attended B’s birthday party

This baby more happening than me.  I haven’t attended anybody’s birthday in my own capacity for like…. this whole year. >.>

Here’s Fighter and B (exhausted from all that partying) dressed in matching colors!  Serendipity or what?

Actually LC told me the theme is garden floral so I gung ho dig out my only floral dress and wear.  Nobody else wore!!! So I basically looked like the most hiao mother thanks guys hahaha.

Anyway Fighter obviously has no floral clothes so I made do with a pale yellow shirt with a bee embroidered on it.  And turned out LC and B also wearing pale yellow!  Theme colors were yellow, peach and white which I didn’t know about.

Anyway Fighter’s OOTD:-

Shirt from Platinum Mall, Bangkok
Jeans from Baby Gap
Shoes also Baby Gap

Two teeth!

Fighter recently (finally!) grew a tooth.  Then like 1-2 weeks later the other bottom incisor surfaced.  Now they’re both half grown and about equal size.

First McNugget

This is not a McDonald’s ad wtf.  But I was eating some nuggets in the car for lunch and he rudely grabbed a nugget and started chomping (with one tooth).  Did pretty well too and demolished the nugget!

But… there you go, fast food virginity taken hahaha.  I’m not super anal about everything being organic and sterilized for my child cos I believe they should be exposed to just normal stuff to build their immunities.  Plus everything in moderation ma not like I always feed him fast food.  He ownself grab one hahaha.

Taking the stairs like a boss

Just two days ago, Fighter was crawling around on the floor when he arrived at the foot of our stairs.  Then suddenly like Sir Edmund Hillary, he started scaling Mount Everest.

I was so worried he’d topple over backwards but he didn’t!  He just kept putting his hands out, then knee by knee forward. *beaming pride

It’s his new hobby now.  Put him on the floor and he’ll clamber over to the stairs right away.  Never mind if he’s panting by the time he reaches the landing hahaha.

Knows what to do with his drum set (sort of)

Hui Wen got him this drum set for his birthday and the most he did before was gingerly touch the base or something.

But recently he’s learned to pick up the drum sticks!  And beat the drum, although not with the drumstick wtf.

Picked up his first chick

Actually technically his first chick could be LC’s grandma WTF.

At B’s party, Fighter kept making eyes at LC’s grandma sitting at the next table so of course grandma swooned.  Apparently she’s still talking about him now LOLOL.

Then today he upped his game.

We took him to his first day of baby class and he instantly clambered over to this little girl sitting near him.  (face blocked for privacy)

And then he put his hand on her leg…

Little girl was unfazed.  She waved hello at Fighter who stared blankly back.  Then she put her hand on his hand!

Is this… could I be witnessing Fighter’s first romance?

And then… the little girl leaned forward and tried to kiss Fighter.

I burst out laughing at this.  Too cute!!! But the both of them got surprised and stopped what they were doing hahahaha.

So I guess you could also say this was…

Fighter’s first cock block

Sorry darling.  Mommy will be more discreet next time.

So….. This I was definitely not expecting. Pun not intended lolol.

This is the blog post that I wanted so badly to write two months ago but had to put off until now.

Truthfully, it’s not that easy to write because we did not plan for this.  And honestly it’s been a horrifically tough time for me.  We had no thought of another child anytime yet so this was a huge adjustment in thinking that we (okay fine, I) had to get used to.

Surprise!

Yup, like I mentioned, it wasn’t planned. -_-

Skip this part if you’re squeamish wtf.  I was still breastfeeding, my period hadn’t returned since I got pregnant, and we did use protection….. and it still happened. O_O

Wah lau Fighter number 2 la this one.

So when we found out, it was a huge shock to me.  So much so that I cried LOLOL.  And not out of joy, I’m sorry to say.

Here’s how we found out

Over the most shallow thing ever!!! I was going to make an appointment for Botox and fillers with DRx wtf.  It was something I’d been putting off for two years cos of the pregnancy and then breastfeeding so I was raring to go for a smaller face wtf.

But right before I booked the appointment, I thought hmmm okay just to be sure, let me just make sure I’m not pregnant (HAHAHA that’s a good one Aud wtf) first before I get my Botox.  I had one spare pregnancy test (some more Clearblue, the expensive one) left from before so I thought okay la use it in case it expires.

So went to the bathroom, sat down and peed.  When I was testing for Fighter I stared so hard at the test I thought I’d develop Xray vision wtf but with this one I just peed, then started cleaning up before remembering I was still holding the test.

JENG JENG JENG.

Couldn’t believe my eyes.  I remember blinking hard to make sure I’m not hallucinating.  But in fact, I was so pregnant that the positive vertical line appeared way before the lighter horizontal line (and the line in the diamond window that shows the test is working).  I stared at that line wondering if I somehow misunderstood it.

My first words were, “ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?” *guilt

Fatty came running into the bathroom, I showed him the test and I burst into tears.

Fatty hugged me and asked, “why are you crying? You used to worry that you’d never have kids because of your PCOS so this is good news!”

At that moment I didn’t know why I was crying. But I was thinking, “I cannot do my Botox!!!” :X :X

When I finally managed to pull myself together I realized it’s not about the Botox.  I was crying because I thought I could finally claim my body back as my own after two whole years.  I wasn’t sustaining another human being with my uterus or my milk anymore; I was free! If I wanted to get Botox, I could without fearing it would harm my baby.  My body was my own again!  But not anymore.

Then I thought of having to start all over again – the whole pregnancy shebang, the sleepless nights, the non-stop pumping and being permanently hooked up to a fucking breast pump, the fear of colic, worrying the baby won’t latch, the spit-ups…. The near future looked as dark as the Dark Ages.

And then worst of all, the preeclampsia.  If it happens the first pregnancy, it’s likely to happen again.  And the worse and earlier you get it, the higher the chances of it recurring.  I thought of the weeks of hospitalization, the bills, the emergency C sect, and then the month of visiting a fighting infant in the NICU, and I cried more.  And I had a toddler now!  How could I easily spend weeks in the hospital away from him?  Would I be as lucky this time? If my future seemed dark earlier, now it seemed non-existent wtf.

The aftermath

My first trimester was bad.  With Fighter I had some mild nausea but no real vomiting.  With this Bump, I was throwing up every day.  After breakfast within the hour confirm vomit.  Sometimes in the evening.  Usually after a bumpy car ride.  Often at night after dinner too, or if I drank too much water (which was bad cos I was probably dehydrated).

I developed abs from all that puking.  A couple times what came up was tinged with blood probably cos I scratched my esophagus.  I puked so hard the blood vessels on my face broke fml.  And I started googling how much can I puke before my teeth start to rot wtf.

Because of all the puking (plus I was exhausted) I couldn’t carry Fighter for a while.  His weight pressing on my tummy made me feel sick and even playing peekaboo with him made me dizzy.  I asked nanny to take over the feeding cos I couldn’t even be in the same room as his porridge cos I found it damn smelly and puke-inducing.

As a result, Fighter suddenly lost attachment to me and started preferring Fatty and the nanny. T__________T

I was feeling like shit and so hormonal (and still grieving the loss of my freedom for another two years) so I cried buckets over this!  Every time he struggled to get out of my arms to Fatty or nanny, I cried.  Until Fatty even got scared of wanting to carry Fighter.

There were crazy times when I thought fine fine Fighter doesn’t want me I still have Bump *caresses bump

But I gotta say, the last three months were one of the worst of my life.  Perpetually feeling sick and vomiting daily, the stress thinking of how I was going to care for two babies, the guilt at not being happy, the fear of preeclampsia striking again, the jealousy and resentment whenever Fighter showed he preferred someone else over me… Those were harsh times wtf.

Eventually I got over it and somehow Fighter started loving me back again wtf.  My energy came back and my vomiting petered out significantly the last week!  I vomited this morning but I didn’t puke for almost a week before already.

As for the preeclampsia, my doctor put me on a daily regime of low dose aspirin which may help, although it’s not 100% fool proof.

When I visited the doctor two weeks ago and she scanned me, I saw Bump doing what looked like situps in my uterus. Lolol.  Training up your physique to meet Mommy hor, Bump?

I fell in love.

Taken at 14 weeks

Bump,

If you ever read this, don’t think that mommy didn’t love you just because she wasn’t expecting you.  I already love you more than you’ll know (and probably more than you love me wtf).  If I cried before, it was the hormones (that are ironically keeping you well).  Blame the hormones!

While we can’t wait to see you, stay in there as long as you can ok? Don’t be like your kor kor who itchy backside wanted to see the world ASAP.

Momsy.

Actual age: 14 months 11 days
Adjusted age: 12 months 11 days

Ok time to update Fighter’s growth again!

First time wearing a dress (and probably last)

Not too happy about it if you can see hahahaha.

A friend had an animal themed birthday party for her son and I remembered Fighter received this Kumamon onesie from Cheesie for his birthday.  It came with a black hat with bear ears on it and I thought it’d be totally appropriate!

Then when I put it on him… hmmm why the bottom although shorts look so poofy one.  And the sleeves a bit frilly hor…

But I asked Cheesie and she said it’s unisex! So okay la let him wear this once.  I figure if there’s any time in his life he can wear something approximating a dress without getting too much flack, it’s now.

Super cute in it though!!! And he suddenly looks exactly like me as a baby. O.O

My mom asked me if I dressed him like this on purpose I think she was wondering if I did that hoping the girliness would rub off on the next baby. :X

Getting pretty good at emulating what we do

He saw me lifting the beads on the curvy wire and dropping them and immediately followed to see if the same thing would happen. Hehehe.

Also learned recently to do the blinking stars gesture with his hands when I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  Funny thing is he’s always surprised by this ability and stares at his hands as though they’re not connected to his body hahahaha.

Learned cause and effect

Learned how to switch on and off lights and is always insisting we carry him over to light switches so he can turn the lights on and off over and over again. -_-

Also learning the consequence of falling over and hitting his head hahahaha.  Unfortunately not much help cos he’s still as clumsy as ever and continues falling over.  But the good thing is he doesn’t cry as much anymore when he does!

Getting better at standing

He’s been standing holding on to furniture for some time but now getting better at it!  Very action-ly stands with one hand clutching a toy/remote, the other holding table/shelf/whatever.

I think he’s also beginning to be able to stand without any assistance just that he’s too scared to do it wtf.  Yesterday he was standing holding on to the playpen side and I was standing behind him.  He turned to look for me and let go of the playpen!  Stood like that for a few seconds before he realized and hurriedly held back the playpen hahahaha.

Celebrated his first Deepavali

Hahahahaha happy belated Deepavali! His PlayNest had a mini party for the occasion and asked the kids to dress in Indian outfits.  One of the moms brought a whole pack of bindis so we got one too hehehe.

Eating monster only concerned about food. >.>  He must be in heaven cos all the parents brought different snacks so he had loads to pick from.

Some romance going on hahahahah.  Coincidentally he and his uhh girlfriend wtf wore the same color.  She’s so damn cute in her outfit I cannot!!! Got necklace, bangles and the little hair accessories.  She even had a jewel sticker on her nose hahahaha.

Learned to be a disruption wtf

Fighter’s great weakness is electronics. I know most babies love remotes all la but Fighter especially loves this sort of thing (including light switches and doorbells wtf) so imagine his great delight with the keyboard in school.

All the kids are fascinated by it but Fighter is the only baby when teacher is playing, goes over and presses some button so the piano sounds change into synthesizer or drums WTF.  *covers face with hands

Music portion is usually spent dragging him away and apologizing to everyone wtf.

Started baby self feeding

During the Deepavali party, I saw Fighter’s friend Kimberly (who’s only two months older) scooping and eating yogurt without dropping any!  I was so impressed I thought it could be time for him to learn how to self feed.  Imagine the free time I’d have! *stretches toes

Did some googling on how to start so here’s what I did.

1. Bought suction bowls (so he won’t tip them over) and easy grip baby silverware.  The suction bowls are from Munchkin.

2. Started by giving him a spoon to hold and play with while I still fed him with another spoon

3. After a few days, I put a bit of food into a small bowl for him with the rest in a separate bowl I held.  If he spills any food, at least I can make sure he still gets most of his nutrition from my bowl.

4. Held the spoon but also made him hold or at least touch the handle of the spoon while I manuevered it into his mouth.  This one he was pretty willing to do!

When he gets better at holding the spoon himself can let him gooooooooooooo

So far so good….

BOOHOOHOO T_________T

For the first few spoons he’s fine ‘feeding’ himself.  After that it’s more fun to dip his hands into his bowl and spread the food on the table. T______________T

I’m not even OCD and I get super tense watching the food get smeared around.  And I already have a helper to help clean up!

Never mind only for a few months…. right?

Oh and here’s a Fatty update…

Fatty is one of the top nominees for EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014!

Congratulations Fats!  I had no doubt he would be nominated and didn’t get why he was so pessimistic about it… until I realized past winners were people like Tony Fernandez wtf and it’s apparently a big deal! Then I was all like oh yeaa…. cannot even be nominated… *chugs water

But he did! So proud of him.

Oh ya and a Bump update…

Detected a gender today at my 16 week appointment!  But it’s not the same sex as what we saw last month wtf so still not sure which it is.  Argh cannot wait for next month to know for sure!!!!!

Wow who knew I’d have enough pregnancies to write this blog post!

So I’ve had four months plus experience of being pregnant the second round so I feel pretty qualified writing about this.  Here’s what I noticed has been different this second pregnancy.

Baby bump showing

First pregnancy: I think it took me a good five months before I started to show really obviously.

Second pregnancy:

Tadah!  16 weeks yo.

Until some people on Instagram started asking if it was twins WTF.

The risk of Down Syndrome

First pregnancy: A Down Syndrome test in utero although highly accurate is not 100% definitive (like most things).  But the test can tell you your chances of having a DS baby.  The lower the chances the less likely it is to happen.  For my last pregnancy, my chances was something like 1 in 8000+ which was very unlikely.

Second pregnancy: Just two years later at 29, my odds had dropped to 1 to 1000 or 2000 I forgot.  Still very unlikely but it was pretty shocking. Why so fast one my body become inhospitable! In a way it’s good that I’m getting the babies out of the way earlier before the risks pile up… *comforts self

Nobody cares… sad but true!

First pregnancy: The slightest hunger pang, the teeniest wave of nausea and family members will fawn over you.  Trust me.  Everything will be handed to you… on a silver platter.  You will be treated like a precious jewel (or the casing of a precious jewel HAHAHA). Kidding!  It will be a wonderful time.

Second pregnancy: You can be vomiting with your head in the toilet for maybe half an hour then only your husband will remember to call from the next room (far away from the puke), “Eh are you okay?”  You will then have to quickly finish puking, wipe your mouth and run over to a wailing toddler to see what he wants.  If toddler bounces on your stomach, HOLD YOUR PUKE IN.  Or else you’re gonna be wiping vomit off and changing your kid for the bazillionth time that day.

And if porridge makes you nauseous, you just gotta suck it up (ok not literally, by suck it up I mean hold your breath for half hour or however long it takes) cos that’s what you need to sit there and feed your first baby with.

Carrying heavy weights

First pregnancy: Life is a breeze!  It’s literally weightless.  People open doors for you and give you their seat lest you exert your uterus.  If you’re buying groceries, people run out and help you carry shopping bags!

Second pregnancy: Oh bag of rice?  That’s lighter than your 7 kg baby right? OK see you later!

Feeling tired

First pregnancy: It’s totally normal to feel tired or drained when you’re pregnant – your body is making a new human being after all!  Take as much rest as you can and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Second pregnancy: Rest? Okay I’ll try to get some in the car in between trying to entertain my first child and fishing out different snacks to keep his mouth busy enough so he’ll stop screaming/trying to get out of his car seat.

Dressing the Bump

First pregnancy: In anticipation for the growing belly, go out and buy tons of stretchy leggings, baggy tops and empire waist dresses.  Fret because nothing is flattering and resign yourself to a year of looking frumpy.

Second pregnancy: Good news! After nine months of looking frumpy, you don’t care anymore how you look. HAHAHA.

While I’d always loved dressing up, my outfits were never super elaborate to begin with and now they’re even simpler.  I dress down all the way to Chinatown yo wtf.  I used to take really good care of my hair, curling and styling it.  Now it’s lucky it gets to see a comb wtf.  Luckily it’s always bobbed and I don’t have much hair anyway so not much daily maintenance required.

It’s only recently (i.e. last week) that I felt comfortable enough with my schedule and juggling Fighter to decide to grow my hair out and start styling it properly again.

But the real good news is (and this is my personal experience only of course) is that while the first pregnancy I struggled with trying to dress in my usual style, this time I’m more confident in what flatters the Bump and me.  It’s like pregnancy #1 was a trial run so pregnancy #2 runs a lot smoother in terms of fashion.  Plus I’ve got a bunch of leftover maternity wear from before so I don’t need to shop for more.

Being chill

First pregnancy: We were paranoid about everything.  Every new food item on my plate we’d be Googling to see if this was safe for pregnancy.  Can go for manicures?  Dye jobs? Can paint the house while pregnant? Doctor appointments were forever seared in my brain and up to a week before I’d be hopping up and down in excitement over getting to see our baby again.  I even rushed to the hospital once to have an emergency ultrasound because I “didn’t feel pregnant” anymore.

Second pregnancy: I forgot my last doctor’s appointment. -_-  Got a call from the doctor’s office asking if I was coming in and drove like a madwoman to the hospital.  Then the doctor was surprised because this was the second time in a row Fatty didn’t come with me, whereas he came every single appointment the last time. :X :X

The anticipation

First pregnancy: We couldn’t wait to find out the baby’s gender so we could start shopping.  So much excitement over furnishing the nursery and getting the cot and stroller and other baby essentials.  The pregnancy was a countdown to meeting our new baby and falling in love!

Second pregnancy: I still can’t wait to find out the baby’s gender, although more out of curiosity’s sake because Bump is gonna be using most of Fighter’s things.  Unless she’s a girl hehehe then in that case let the shopping begin wtf.  Nevertheless, this pregnancy is still a countdown to meeting Bump and falling in love.

Continuing off my blog post last week on Friso Gold about introducing your child to new things, I’ve been trying to ask myself, what has Fighter learned today?

Ok today!  Got something new! Today I took him to the supermarket.  Usually if I go buy groceries I leave him at home with nanny cos it’s just much easier for me to run out myself, grab the groceries and rush home.  But I thought, aiya poor Fighter has been home all day and what’s a little extra time and baggage (carrying him lol) for him to go out and see things?

So okay! Packed up the nanny and him and off we went to the mall.

He loved it!!! I felt a bit bad for not doing this earlier.

I put him in the trolley and immediately he started turning his head left and right, wide-eyed.  He absorbed everything!

He gripped the trolley handles and scrutinized the metal bars.

He kept swiveling around to look at the colorful packages on the shelves as we rolled past.

I pointed out signs and labels to him and he looked intently at them.  Then drooled a bit. Lolol.

I gave him two packets of cheese with different packaging and he stared at them with super interest hahaha.  And then he tried to chew on one of them. >_>

But the point is!  I brought him somewhere new and he was so enthralled! I really wish I did it earlier but at the same time I’m glad I did it now.  All the mundane boring things that we adults take for granted, kids absorb in wonder and it was actually very fun for me to look at the supermarket through a toddler’s eyes.  All those shiny bottles and bright lights!  The sudden cold coming from the meat freezers!

Unfortunately I forgot to take any photos this time cos my hands were busy pushing the shopping cart.  Also very scared to take my hands off it in case somebody snatches him away. >.> (normally when we take him out he’s in the stroller and strapped in securely)

A video posted by Audrey (@fourfeetnine) on Oct 10, 2014 at 12:46am PDT

But I do have this video!  Playing tickle monster with Fighter hehehe.

When I did this to Fighter for the first time he shrieked with laughter, probably out of reflex and also astonishment. He started laughing like crazy for a brief moment at the new yet foreign sensation. After that, he tried so hard to flip over so his stomach is out of reach hahahahaha.

So what has your child experienced today?

You can also visit Friso Gold’s FB page for more info and check out what other moms are up to!

It’s Fighter milestones time!

Actual age: 14.5 months
Adjusted age: 12.5 months

Now that Fighter’s hit a year I realize he’s picking up a little bit more everyday. It’s quite amazing the things I realize he knows now! D

Last week we had water play in school!  The last time there was water play Fighter refused to even stand by the side of the tub and just whined to be picked up. D: Much to my annoyance cos he normally loves bath time at home.

But this time he totally got into it! Splashed water like a hero while his friend Kimberly continuously scooped and poured water out hahaha.  End up by end of class their tub was only half full of water. *shifty eyed

But I was talking to Kimberly’s mom Jean and she said Fighter has shown improvement since he started school!  His favorite time used to be snack time only wtf but now he’s much more participative!  He still got love-hate relationship with the puppets used in class wtf but he also interacts with the other babies a lot more and joins in most of the activities with gusto.

Also seems a lot more sure of himself now and navigates the classroom and playground confidently enough.

Started doing this thing where he lifts his butt high up in the air!  Means what ah! Is he going to start walking soon? My arms rejoice!

Hasn’t started walking yet but finally coasting along furniture!  Quite mobile now which means nothing is safe from those chubby hands. T______T

He can stand by himself for a few seconds but then he gets scared and fasterly grips the nearest furniture or lets himself sit down quickly.

Learned how to climb stairs sometime back and now he knows how to move backwards and go down stairs too!  But balance still not very balanced wtf, if he goes down more than one or two steps at a time he’s bound to lose his balance and fall backwards lolol.

Photo unrelated but his smile damn cute here. :3

He’s also starting to show he understands not just words (“NO!” equals tantrum fml) but full sentences!

Last night he took my phone so I went “Fighter, where’s mommy’s phone?”

He turned around, fumbled for a bit and lifted up my phone with both hands to show me.

!!!

Sorry ah new mom excuse me while I marvel. But then he show me only don’t wanna return it to me. .___.

Also starting to understand the concept of right/wrong and scoldings now.

(this is his face after getting scolding)

Last night we put him in his car seat as usual which he hates so he started shouting and being a brat the whole trip home.

I was sitting in the front so Fatty who was in the back with him started ignoring him.  And he kept on wailing. *covers ears

Reached home, Fighter, still crying, reached for me and stopped when he got to me.  So I thought he had calmed down and passed him back to Fatty to talk to him.  I thought it was important that Fatty explain why we ignored him and tell him what he did (tantrum-ing) was wrong.

Lo, he started screaming in Fatty’s arms again and trying to reach for me or the nanny.  Fatty said in a loud stern voice, “Fighter! Stop crying!” And he screamed even louder.

End up I told Fatty to bring him into the room (away from us and other outlets for sympathy) and I could hear Fatty talking to him seriously.  And Fighter sniffling and finally being quiet.  Then Fatty gave him a drink of water and Fighter emerged very quiet and well behaved the whole night. :3

I always worried he wouldn’t understand what was happening but I guess now he does!  I gave him his milk bottle after that, and normally he shouts and thrashes around when he sees me holding the bottle (scared I won’t give to him like that WTF) but this time he just patiently waited for it and took it like a good boy hahahaha.

Parents 1, Fighter 0.

Short mention

Speaking of development and progress, here’s more from the Friso Gold’s Facebook page.

Hehe the little girl with the bunneh now going wild with a water sprinkler.  Enjoy!

Next week is my 20 week appointment with the obgyn!

That means we get to confirm what gender Bump is. :3 :3

Last month, we already detected a gender, but the month before that, it looked like it was a different gender wtf.  Doctor asked us not to announce or start shopping yet and for us to only confirm on our 20 week appointment.

Gan cheong max I half wanted to schedule an earlier appointment so we can find out sooner, but also scared to find out cos ignorance is bliss wtf.

Obviously this time I want a girl.

With Fighter, I actually wanted a boy.  Straight off the bat, the minute we found out I was pregnant, I envisioned a baby boy inside me, and the doctor just confirmed Fighter was a boy in the third month.  Not sure why I felt so strongly about it either.  I rationalized that I liked the idea of an older brother taking care of a younger sibling but that wasn’t it exactly.  And none of our family members are particularly conservative must have a son type so it wasn’t that either.

Dunno, I just imagined having a baby boy!  Call it gut feel or what, but that was that, and I didn’t even mind not getting to buy pink baby stuff hahaha.

But with Bump, I really cannot tell.  All I know is now I want a girllllllllllllllllllllllllllll.

Is it cos my own family has one boy and one girl and to me that’s the perfect combo? Maybe but not totally also.

Some people asked why I wanted a girl and I said, “WHO ELSE CAN I PASS MY MAKEUP AND FASHION SKILLZ TO?”

They all went hahaha and chalked it up to my shallowness. -_-

It’s true ah!!! I didn’t hone my makeup skills for nothing wtf.

But not the full picture either.  It’s always mommy’s boys and daddy’s little girls but I would totally have such a great bond with my daughter!

I looooove Fighter and would die for him but there’s only so much I can teach him about being a man, because I’m not one.  However I have had 20+ years experience being a girl and there’s so many things I would like to tell my future daughter.

Take care of her appearance

Mummy Ooi taught me how to cleanse and care for my skin as a teen when I started breaking out.  Thanks to her I still have a strict skincare regime twice daily which I never skip no matter how tired I am.  Mummy Ooi never wore much makeup though besides the usual lipstick, maybe BB cream and mascara, so the rest of what I know I learned myself.

I’d teach her how to care for her appearance.  How to take care of her skin and hair, how to make herself presentable, how to dress to suit her body shape, how to give the world a good impression.  Because let’s face it, the world can be a harsh, judgmental place.

But also…

Despite all this, when it comes down to it, looks don’t matter

I’d teach her that even if the world defines you by your looks, you must never judge someone else based on their appearance.  Even more, you must never judge YOURSELF based on your appearance.

Wipe your makeup away and what you’ll have is the same person underneath.  You are the same person, with or without makeup on (for that matter, with or without money), not better, not worse. Looking better than someone doesn’t mean you’re better than them, kinder or smarter.  While it’s important to take care of your appearance, it’s even more crucial you take care of your heart and character.  Being a good person matters more than having a good face/body/hair.

Whether you choose to put on a makeup face every morning or not is entirely up to you.  Mommy will teach you if you’re interested but if you’re not, it doesn’t matter either way. When you remove that makeup, or if you choose to not put on any, remember you are still that same person.  Don’t lose your confidence over yourself or your achievements.  However you look, you are still you.

As a woman, there is nothing she can’t do

Courtesy of Mount Holyoke yo wtf. She wants to be an astronaut, can. She wants to be a housewife, sure.  Never think that because you’re a woman, there will be things off-limits to you.  If there’s never been a woman in that field, you can always be the first.  The world is yours.

Also, I would like you to attend Mount Holyoke but we can discuss this in fifteen years wtf.

Marry your best friend

Romance will fade and the butterflies in your tummy will eventually die down.  When picking a life partner, marry your best friend.  Marry the person whom you can genuinely talk to, laugh with, and the person you can do nothing with every day and still have fun.  Choose him based on his mind and his heart, not his looks or money cos god knows these won’t be yours forever.

Friends will come and go

If mean girls don’t want to be friends with you in school, TELL ME. I WILL ANNIHILATE THEM.

Remember that friends will come and go but that’s okay.  Have a cry and move on.  You will always meet new, sweeter, funnier, more awesome ones along the journey of your life. And there will always be that special few who will stick around for you.

For that matter, boys will come and go too

Again, cry and move on.  Your heart will heal itself faster than you think.  And there will be a better man.

(Don’t tell your dad, he might drive out with his golf club.)

Men will respect you as much as you respect yourself

Hold yourself in the highest respect, men will follow suit.  If you do not value yourself, nobody else will either.  Don’t let your self worth and happiness ever depend on someone else.  If he doesn’t appreciate you, sucks to be him wtf. There will be smarter, wiser men out there who will appreciate you for who you are, and not what you have to give them.

Education is numero uno

For the first 20 years of your life at least.  I don’t want you to be a tuition/extra class going child with no time for fun, but you will learn, and learn well.  We will give you the best educational opportunities we can afford because education is your stepping stone to the future.

Also, I hope you will love reading because that will be one of your most enriching experiences.  Never stop learning, no matter how old you are. It will make you a better person I promise.

(OMG I am such a kiasu Tiger mom already.)

You can always come home

No matter where you are, what you’ve done or what has happened, you will always have a place with us.  Never be afraid to come back cos you will always be loved.

So………………

We found out Bump’s gender!!!!!!!!!

Hahaha ok let me story you. Very kan cheong one wtf.

My 3rd month visit, I casually asked my doctor, can we check the gender yet?

Doc said we can try using the genital tubercle angle.

Basically it involves taking a sideway shot of the baby, and measuring the angle of the genital tubercle (which is what the genitals are before they develop into male or female genitals). It’s a method used to discern the gender at about 12-14 weeks.

So if the angle of the tubercle is more than 30 degrees, it’s a male.  If it’s less than 30 degrees or parallel to the fetus’s body, it’s a girl.

Photo source here.

I didn’t take a picture but…. when we scanned for the angle, it looked like it was 45 degrees wtf.

And I cursed Fatty’s sperm WTF.

But Fatty’s mom once took his birth date and time for a bazi reading (fortune teller reading) and Fatty told me he was supposed to have two sons.  And we believed it cos everything else that the bazi predicted about Fatty’s life came true.

So I accepted that we would be having another boy and we even decided on a name for him!  We planned on calling him Noah hehe.

Then came the fourth month’s check.  Doctor did the usual methodical measurements and checking and then said, “Do you want to confirm the gender?”

Me: “Oh ok sure go ahead.”

Doc: “What did I tell you it was before?”

Me: “Um a boy…”

Doc: “Well actually it looks like a girl now.”

Then she showed me the ultrasound.

Basically you’re looking at Bump from under her butt wtf.  On the right is her butt, the long thing protruding to the right is one of her legs, and the other leg is below it, not as obvious but there.

And in between the legs, no penis!

Either that or a very poorly hung boy?

Doctor said not to announce it or start shopping yet though and to wait for the fifth month check to confirm.

Suspense killing or not I ask you!?? First say boy, then say girl.  Which one then!!!!

I’d already started thinking of Bump as a boy and picked his name and everything suddenly this throws me into turmoil again wtf.  Maybe some new age hippie parents prefer not to know the gender but not me!!! I wanna know as much as I can about my baby please.

Anyway we waited an excruciating four more weeks.  Actually more like I waited an excruciating time, Fatty just sailed along cos he doesn’t really mind either way.

But I damn kan cheong ok.  The morning before my fifth month checkup which was two days ago, I was cuddling Fighter to sleep for his nap and my heart beat very fast at meeting Bump Girl or Bump Boy that I think Fighter could hear it and he couldn’t fall asleep hahaahaha.

Went for the checkup…

Yep no penis again!

Doctor some more very confident, she said can see the ‘hamburger’ which apparently confirms it’s a girl cos the three bulges are the labia and clitoris.  Her exact words, “You can start shopping now.”

Hear that Fatty? Doctor’s orders.

So Bump is a girl!

Still in a bit of shock but very happy!  Feel a bit unprepared for a girl now though cos I’d totally anticipated a boy – I made plans to touch up the nursery a bit and I was still opting for more boyish colors cos I felt that Bump wouldn’t be a girl hahaha.

I played it cool all the way out of the doctor’s office though.  Then the second we stepped out I punched Fatty out of joy WTF.

Having a son and a daughter is my idea of a perfect family! Maybe cos my own family is like that hahaaha.

After the appointment, I headed straight to the mall WTF.

But I exercised considerable self restraint ok.  I headed for all the girly stores I’d never had a reason to enter before but didn’t buy anything.  Only got some pink pajamas which were from the discount bin anyway and totally necessary as her first outfits in hospital and back. ^^

(Actually it was cos I was so overwhelmed by the vast array of choices I immediately backed out of the store and thought I’d try again later wtf.)

Now to think of a name!

edit: Wrote this while Fighter was sick. He’s all good now!

Super quick post cos Fighter is still sick.

He was down with diarrhea and a fever which turned out to be roseola so the fever has broken but now he has a rash. *takes deep breath

Already updated about it on my Dayre here so not gonna do it again.

But today Imma talk about… baby decisions!

First up, transport systems.

We have a Bugaboo Bee and a Maxi Cosi baby carrier (that doubles as a car seat) so when Bump comes, the Maxi Cosi will go to her and we’ll get a new front facing car seat for Fighter.  Decided on a Britax Safe n Sound already…

But stroller leh?!

God I swear to god buying a stroller is more stressful than getting a new car.  Why unlimited options one!?!?  We have 4-5 months to go (if preeclampsia doesn’t hit) and Fighter hasn’t started even standing on his own.  He’ll probably be walking when Bump comes but there will definitely be times I’d want a double stroller to pop them both in when we’re out.

So I’m looking at a double stroller, and then possibly getting a skateboard to attach to the Bee for when he’s older and would prefer to stand.

But wah so many options!  Plus more expensive than normal strollers some more wtf.

(We also have a Ergo baby carrier but Fighter hates it and I’m not really a baby carrying person either  - cannot withstand weight for a long time wtf so I prefer to dump everyone in the stroller and push.)

Here’s my shortlist.  Please feel free to share if you have experience with any of these, and if you know where to get them in Malaysia!

Phil and Ted’s Promenade.  Can seat a newborn and a toddler in 28 different ways wtf.  Can choose to fix a baby carrier or use the bassinet/seats that come with it.  Can’t find what colors the hood comes in though wtf hahahaha I’m hoping there’s pink and not just yucky black.

Not sure where to get it in Malaysia though haih.

Orbit Baby Double Helix Stroller.

Looks too cool!  Some more got white which is pretty and elegant yet not too girly. *refuses to think how to keep it clean

Unfortunately this looks crazy expensive la (USD559 for just the stroller base, haven’t add the seat or sunshade yet -_-).  Also no idea if it’s available in Malaysia.

Bugaboo Donkey!  Can sit one baby, one newborn + toddler, or twins.

Also mad expensive although I know its readily available in Mothercare.  Also dunno if I wanna get another Bugaboo since we already have the Bee.

Mima Kobi Tandem.

Wah this one nice until I wanna punch something wtf.  Seriously why don’t pram makers make prams in more colors rather than black/grey/red/silver/dark purple/duck shit green???

I know Mamours has the Mima but Michiekins (who has a Mima) said they only have the Xari (which is a single stroller) so not sure if the Kobi is available.  Does anyone know where to get!! Or how much it is!!! *big shiny eyes

Contours Tandem.  Definitely available in Malaysia (they have a MY website), price less than RM2K so it’s quite affordable.  Design-wise…. okaayyy la hahaha but just not as exciting as the Mima. T_T

A lot of people have been recommending the Joovy so I guess it is available in MY.  Above is the Joovy Ergo Caboose – good for a baby and a toddler can sit or stand in the back.  Again, the price is probably reasonable but god it’s so ugly wtf.  All the photos on Google Images show it only comes in black yegads.  The babies will look like they’re riding in a hearse please.

But then again, maybe I shouldn’t even get a stroller and just change the canopy of my Bugaboo to pink. T_T Cos this stupid Fighter absolutely refuses to sit in his stroller now and screams the place down whenever we even lower him to it.  I bought a detachable snack tray to hopefully distract him enough to sit in it but haven’t tried it out yet. T_T

If Fighter still doesn’t wanna sit in a stroller by the time Bump comes, he’ll just have to make sure he learns to walk before that.  Either that or he’ll just be dragged along on a leash WTF ok jokes.

Ok that’s all for strollers.

Next big decision – baby names!

OK so I really wanted to name Fighter Jude so I reserved rights to name him and told Fatty he could name the second baby.  He wasn’t coming up with any and even suggested a name like ‘Betty’ at one point to my horror.

Anyway to preempt any naming disasters I came up with a whole list of baby girl names.

Trawled name websites for this but most of them is just cos I like the sound of them la wtf.

• Sloane – Fatty likes this and Quinn cos they’re both hot TV characters -_- (from Entourage and Glee) but I worry they’re too… unheard of for Malaysia
• Quinn
• Clover – I think Clover is adorable but it’s a weed. -_- Also Wendy said it’s a cow’s name wtf :X
• Chloe – used to want to name my future daughter Chloe but it’s getting increasingly common nowadays so no
• Clementine – I really like this! But Fatty doesn’t
• Cecilia – Like this too but Fatty says he knew an unpleasant Cecilia wtf
• Penelope
• Pixie – cute but too outlandish, will probably have no friends in school
• Lux – loved this name from the Virgin Suicides but later everybody call her “Soap” wtf
• Ayla
• Lola – like the rabbit in Space Jam lolol. Fatty rejected it on account of it being part of a Barry Manilow song
• Sage – probably unacceptable in Malaysia too
• Clea – I thought this was special but on second thought what if kids call her “Clit” FHL
• Cecily
• Cleo
• Cosette – from Les Miserables! I actually thought it had a nice meaning cos Cosette is so beloved in the story
• Lilou – Er I just like names starting with L but later everyone call her “Stitch”
• Leonie
• Axelle – Very prosperous sounding right? Like she’d excel at life lolol.  But then people might call her Microsoft Excel. -_-
• Ariadne – super love this name! Can call Ari for short which sounds cute.  But Malaysians will probably mangle this name
• Alva – can call Alfie for short.  You can tell I like short boyish nicknames
• Athena
• Alix – still rooting for this but Fatty finds it weird
• Aria – nah. Too many Game of Thrones fans around
• Lacey – like this too but too similar to a friend’s name
• Primrose – ya from Hunger Games hahaha
• Alisa – I loved the name Alyssa but my aunt took it for my cousin hahaha. So Alisa is a variation but the spelling doesn’t look as nice

What would you name your daughter?

Someone else in the family fell sick which means no time to blog again. D:

This time it was Fatty who came down with a high grade fever that lasted a whole day and night. D:  He’s better now but we were worried it was dengue (bad cos he already got it once and getting it subsequent times is more dangerous) or influenza (bad if transmit to Fighter or me cos I’m pregnant).

Anyway this is a Fighter milestones post!

Age: 16 months
Adjusted age: 14 months

When Wendy visited maybe a month or two back she said Fighter could speak already! Cos when she said “Mama” he’d go “Mama” after her.

I said I know this! When we say Dada, he says Dada too but not all the time.  So I don’t consider it speaking la cos not all the time ma.  Then everyone was like wah then you expect him to speak in perfect sentences only counts as talking isit wtf #tigermom

But I thought because he didn’t repeat words after us every time, it was a coincidence when he did.  Cos he goes mamamama at random times unprompted too.

But the other day, I was feeding him yogurt bites (which are sweet and therefore he will eat until kingdom comes wtf) and he was asking for more with his usual grunts.

I said, “Fighter, can you say please?

Fighter: “Nghhh!” *points at yogurt bag

Me: “Say please Fighter.  Then you can have more.”

Fighter: “Pwee! Pwee!”

And then on another day, he wanted to be let out of his playpen so he went, “Pwee!” and lifted his arms hahahaha.

Ok pronunciation not spot on but I can believe he’s finally starting to talk!

Figures his first word is something to do with food. >_> Figures he’d take after the father ee au lo kui wtf.

When Fatty was sick and couldn’t go anywhere near Fighter for fear of passing the bug to him, Fighter would gesture to our bedroom where Fatty was sleeping and say “Deh-deh! Deh-deh!”

He still refuses to call me though FML.

Oh and his third word is this.

I was carrying him and he kept pointing towards our dresser.

I thought he wanted to get down so I lowered him to the floor but he struggled and clung to me, saying “Nhghghghgh” wtf.

So I said, “what do you want? You want me to take you there? Can you say there?”

Fighter: “Dere! Dere!”

Ohai vampire baby.

Back from Bangkok!

Most of the small things that happened is on my Dayre already but basically Fighter had a ball of a time!

1. I think he was just happy to be out and about with us and that we didn’t leave him at home lolol sounds so pitiful

2. He enjoyed the new scenery and new things to look at, hold, smell, chew on wtf.  The entire time his eyes were darting everywhere and he was super interested in everything going on.

(us in BKK. Both sweaty cos was walking outdoors)

3. We found Thais to generally love babies!  And tourists too.  And Bangkok is full of them wtf.  So everywhere we went, we had people smiling or making faces at Fighter who lapped it all up wtf.  He’s crazy attention seeking one la hahaha so he was in his element wtf.  Every stranger was a great new opportunity to have fun and I think he did have a lot of fun playing around. ^^

Anyway it was our first proper trip with him (short trips to Singapore don’t really count) and I feel like we got to know him even more.  It’s weird cos I see him at home every day and night anyway so why wouldn’t I know him wtf.

But maybe at home we’re in the same controlled environment, and when we go out for meals or school (whoops speaking of which he missed the first week of school on account of being in Bangkok :X #laksamom) it’s also routines and environments he’s used to so his behavior is more or less configured to those routines.

So when we were out in a new place I felt like it was very obvious what Fighter’s personality is!  Here’s what he’s really like.  I don’t know if these are typical baby traits or it’s really his character so you tell me!

1. Super attention seeking and overly friendly to strangers

This was never more obvious while we were in Bangkok!  He’s hardly ever shy — sorry if he turns away from you means you too forward or he doesn’t like how you look WTF.  He does need time to warm up before allowing people to carry him, but he doesn’t mind people smiling or playing with him even if they’re strangers. >_> Recipe for easy kidnapping hou mou wtf.

Sometimes if people aren’t even looking at him he’ll still look at them anyway and try to catch their attention.  A lot of times I’d be carrying him and he’d be carrying on some flirtation with someone behind my back hahaha.  Like smiling at them and turning away as though shy hahahah please Fighter you don’t fool me wtf.

Also when he was in Bangkok surrounded by all Fatty’s colleagues he was damn happy being the center of attention and everyone cooing over how cute he is.

Anyway I really like this aspect of him cos with no stranger danger issues, it’s easy to bring him to new places and to meet new people. ^^ Also looks like a good omen for his future — sociable and good with people can only be a good thing right? (wah I used the word ‘good’ three times in a sentence)

2. Strong willed, wants what he wants, when he wants

I suspect this is probably true of all babies la. =_= I think he’s hit the terrible twos so the minute we say no (even if it’s in a calm, non-scolding tone) he’ll yell bloody murder. >_>  Then he’ll wait until he thinks my back is turned and try to reach or eat whatever it was that was off-limits.

Or if I tell him No eating!, he might just pretend to put the thing near his mouth like, “oh nothing just hanging out with this near my mouth” and then look at me out of the corner of his eye.  The minute he sees me look away, that thing goes right into his mouth. Hahahaha can’t decide if this is annoying or funny.

Conclusion: Very strong willed, and a bit sneaky also to get what he wants.  Also quite bad tempered for him to shout like that the minute I say no *frowns

Here he is, looking guilty cos he stuck his hand in my glass of ice.  Bet he thought he was going to get into trouble hahaha.

3. Curious

Thank goodness curiosity doesn’t kill babies cos I think all babies are like this? But everything also want to touch or see.  And taste. -_-  See case in point above where he die also must put his hand into glasses of liquids.

Coins, money, knives, dirty tissue paper… he also has a special affinity for dustbins wtf.  Once I caught him trying to put his hand into toilet bowl water too. O_O

Since he’s so kepoh about everything I’ve been trying to come up with new sensory experiences for him. Like today I filled up a suction bowl with uncooked rice and let him play.  As usual he tried to eat. >_>

Anyone got any other ideas!?

4. Drama king

Look at this face. >_>

All because he was rubbing his pacifier on the wall of the cabin and I told him to stop doing that.  I said very reasonably, “Fighter, don’t do that. You’re going to pick up germs and you don’t want to fall sick right?”

No scolding tone whatsoever.

And this is his reaction. Lolol.  Haih terrible twos are really here to stay.  Obviously fake because (1) no tears and (2) stopped after five seconds cos he realized I wasn’t actually yelling at him

Very good at acting this fella.

Here’s another example.

He hates getting wiped down and changing into pajamas. Think if he had his way he’d join a nudist camp already wtf.

So last night we were wiping him down and while naked, he struggled to escape my clutches and managed to crawl quickly over to his toy shelf.

(may I add dragging his kukuciao all over the floor while at it wtf)

Then he pulled out a book and pretended to read it, hoping I would leave him be cos I encourage reading. Hahahahahah annoying or what!?

Anddddd just cos it’s my blog here’s a bunch of photos of him at dinner being cute. :3
Oh he has six teeth now! #fightermilestones

Looking at his personality now I wonder what Bump will be like.  Maybe she’d be the total opposite of him since me and Ooib are pretty dissimilar too.  So that means she’d be… shy, patient, well behaved, tall…. LOLOL.

But in all honesty, I really would love Bump to have the same sociability and friendliness that Fighter has.  But cannot be this lucky!?

I know I know. Everyone says it will never happen but I still worry that I won’t love Bump the same as Fighter. :X What if I’m used to loving a baby that behaves like Fighter? And Bump will be a different baby with a different personality – will I react to her the same way?

I know what I’m saying sounds horribly narrow minded and neurotic but I still think about stuff like this. And people will reassure me but I won’t really know until Bump shows up…

Here’s a family picture of us though! Bump is 27 weeks her and I’m feeling absolutely ungainly and unattractive already. See you in.. (I’m okay with her coming out at 34 weeks lolol so…) seven weeks darling!