tum tum

"ooh look at that sexy girl over there! now it sure makes all this effort worthwhile!"
... ethan

couch potato

was at my mom's place earlier n she's got all these really comfy, plush sofas with high armrests. so what did we do? naturally, like all eager parents who cant wait for their newborns to be able to sit on their own, we propped ethan on 1 of them sofas n he managed to sit all by himself! of course, after like 30 sec he wasnt so much sitting as lying on the sofa cos he had already slid down the armrest ;)

and just for the record, we've started using the bibs cos the drool factory is working overtime... :P~~~~

up, up n away!

ethan is finally able to do his tummy time successfully! we always knew he could do it, but refused to simply cos he's a lazy boy :P so last nite i witnessed it for the 1st time as we flipped him on his tummy n he lifted his head up high to look ard :) of course it didnt last very long cos within 5 min he started pouting his lips n sstarted wailing hortly after. hee. but its a gd start, no?

anyway he got another x'mas gift fr aunty suz (who's got 2 adorable little boys of her own). it says "6mths & above" so i'm just keeping it under wraps for now till he's just a bit older...

we're now scouting around for a stroller cos ethan is getting a tad too heavy for us to carry all the time! he's like 7kg now n we think it's time to finally get that stroller, otherwise we gotta seriously consider going to the gym to workout so that we can continue carrying him in our arms :P

ethan also seems to be in between sizes now. the clothes he has are either too small or too big! and we only got a couple of tops that he can wear comfortably now n everyday its a mad rush to keep washing n drying them. so i think we hv no choice but to go out n buy him a few more pcs this wkend. aarghh. hope he doesnt outgrow them so soon.

ps: i've survived my 2nd wk at work! woohoo!

wishing one & all...

It's Christmas!

its christmas today and here we are all at home... daddy and ethan are both sleeping n i'm here blogging. wat a fun christmas huh? :P

anyway ethan got a few gifts this x'mas - fr his cousins and some of my colleagues at work. mommy thanks you all for the cute presents!!

attack of the diapers

so i told my hubby to go get nepia diapers from ntuc cos they're on offer right now. probably like 2 or 4 packs to stock up on since its cheap rite? yah right!!!

here's what you get when u send an"always-getting-carried-away" daddy to do the job.... *doh!*

survivor

cant believe i've survived the 1st wk at work! well ok... its the festive season n most pple are on leave (which means the workload's sort of on cruise speed as well) but there were still a couple of jobs that needed to be done and i still remembered how to do it ;)

anyway i'm proud to announce that i managed to maintain my milk supply (ethan, you dont have to drink formula milk!) as i express twice a day. luckily there's a rather nice looking and clean shower room/loo in the new office so i lock myself in there twice a day for about half an hour. i guess its also cos i hv really nice n supportive colleagues who are understanding :) thks guys! although initially when i started pumping i kept having this morbid fear tat someone would somehow accidentally be able to burst into that loo n catch me half naked with 2 funnels stuck on my boobs! man tat wd be so uncool... anyway that fear has passed and i'm more comfy now with the entire work/express daily schedule :)

hope i can continue like this for another 3 mths and then ethan will be on solids n we dont need so much milk anymore!

MIA

hi ethan
sorry mommy has been MIA since yesterday cos no time to blog as i've started work! miss you so much everyday n i keep thinking about wat u r doing every minute that i'm at the office. i keep harassing your daddy to ask wat u r doing hee hee. i think he must be getting irritated with me!

i will try to post more updates this wkend ok? right now i'm so tired n sleepy... i still need to take my bath, pump again at 1am before i can zzzz

good nite my darling... *muacks*

luv
mommy

in case he asks

Dearest ethan
just in case you should one day ask me about how you came into this world, i hope this photo will at least try to answer that question :)

luv
mommy

ps: at that time you were already living happily in your 'home' for 8 mths!

i cant believe it...

its officially 19 dec now... i cant believe i'm going to be at the office in another 9 hrs' time. sigh... anyway i'm still up at this hour cos i hv to get my last pump session in at 1am before i hit the sack. i sure hope i can sustain this crazy lifestyle for another 3 mths so ethan can continue to be on 100% breast milk. this is extremely tough for me... those of u who know me well enuf will know wat a marathon sleeper i used to be (sleeping 12 hrs straight is a piece of cake!)

i'd never in my life imagined i could sacrifice so much sleep for anything or anyone. i finally found a reason to - and that 'reason' is sleeping soundly in his cot now :)

the sequel

so we had a photo featuring ethan's foot earlier - here's the sequel ...

a series of very cute faces :)

sitting all alone

"Look everyone! I can sit all by myself n not topple over! Ha ha ha!"... ethan

ps: look closely n u'll see daddy's hand in the photo somewhere

Upgrading...

ethan has now officially upgraded to M size diapers. they're still a little large but not large enough to leak! who cares if it looks a little baggy :P (he ain't taking part in any beauty pageant anyways)

this is the nepia brand that we swear by - and not just because it gets delivered to our house FOC ;)

dylan

i guess dylan* will be ethan's first little friend? he's only 3 mths older than ethan so they'll probably get along just fine when they grow up :)

* aunty may's 2nd son. incidentally, dylan's older brother is also called ethan!

Punch!

he finally did it!

today is the 1st time we witnessed ethan punching the toy in his activity gym. he used to just lie there n stare at the toys dangling overhead.

we'd actually left him on his own lying on the gym mat, then suddenly, daddy came running to me yelling excitedly (i was in the loo, you see): "He is grabbing n punching the toy!"

i quickly finished up (i did wash my hands!!) and ran to the room.. n there he was... that little angel, punching away at the mirror toy dangling fr the bar of his activity gym. awwww......

i'm so glad this little milestone happened today - its like a surprise he planned for me cos he knows how depressed i am about having to go back to work tmr *sob sob*

well, ethan, thks for making this last day of mommy's maternity leave so meaningful :D

Finger Lickin' Good!

managed to capture the boy in action - "zoot zoot zoot..."

crank it up

lately its been proving more n more difficult to get ethan to sleep at nite. he used to be able to drift off to sleep on his own once we laid him down in his cot n stuck the pacifier into his mouth. the last few nites tho he keep whining n crying in his cot even tho the pacifier's already in his mouth. so we pick him up, cuddle him a little n rock him till he's in a slumber n put him back in his cot. then he sleeps for a while but suddenly will wake up again n whine! this continues for like 2-3 cycles b4 he really dozes off into deep sleep.

is he overstimulated or simply taking advantage of us n wants to be rocked to sleep? anyway watever it is, i sure hope this is just a passing phase...

Wriggling here n there

a gift for xmas

ethan's very first x'mas gift - fr my close friend at work :)

"thank you very much, aunty may!"... ethan

california baby

we finally got our california baby calendula cream in the mail yesterday. this product is simply amazing! not only does it smell great, it's really made a difference in his skin condition (he's got mild eczema). we applied it on his face last nite n today his face is as smooth as velvet plus he smells real heavenly - like a living, breathing aromatherapy gadget :) we just cant stop kissing n smelling him now

Out & About

today we finally managed to bring ethan out to compass point in sengkang for a bit of shopping :) this time, he managed to stay awake for half the trip before zzzzing in his ergo carrier. i guess it's gonna be a while more before i can bring him out again for shopping cos i'm gonna be starting work next week. geez.. i'm really gonna miss these outings :(

anyway, in addition to the bath tub which was a planned purchase, we also got him a rubber ducky for his bath time (it squeaks!) and a combi teether/pacifier which he'll be able to stuff into his mouth once he learns how to grab things with his hands ;)

the beer back

in preparation for my return to work next wk, we got ourselves a crumpler bag so that i can transport all the necessary equipment to express milk during office hours. see how ridiculously big the bag looks on me?!? i wont even complain to you about how much it weighs...

ladybugs n chimes

we wanted to bring ethan out today to buy a new bath tub (cos he's gonna have to be bathed at his grandparent's place when i go back to work next wk) but sadly, it's been raining non-stop. so we're stuck at home :(

anyway while we were out yesterday we bought 2 new toys for him... a squeaky ladybug n a windchimes kick toy. we tried them out today but think he still needs some time to learn how to play with them ;)

One Ninety

yup! tat's how much ethan drank last nite!! it shocked the hell out of us actually, cos yesterday he had been taking only 110-130ml every 3-4 hrs. then last nite he kept crying n refused to sleep so we thought we'd just give him 50ml to drink n he'd zzzzz.

who knows, after he took tat 50ml he cried for more so we gave another 60ml which would bring the total to 110ml n tat shd do the trick rite? wrong!!! he again cried for more, so we thought, wat the heck! let's just give him another 50ml more .. surely he CANNOT finish all of that? to our surprise (or shd i say horror!?!) he finished it n continued crying! so we prepped another 50ml n finally this time, he took only 30ml b4 drifting off to sleep. so in total the little boy drank 190ml during his 11pm feed last nite.

baby, you sure are amazing....

u gotta learn to sit!

everyone says we ought to let the little one try sitting up more often these days so as to strengthen his back n neck muscles, so tat's exactly wat we're doing. i guess he doesnt mind this position so long as he gets to suck on his fists. :P

anyway he still refuses to lie on his tummy n cries like mad when we do 'tummy time' with him. all he's capable of is sliming our bedsheets with his saliva :) he's also not showing any signs of wanting to flip over from his back onto his tummy yet. i think we'll just hv to be patient n wait till he's ready, and i sure hope i'm there when he decides to do his 'virgin' flip!

hip hop

we hardly wear caps for ethan but we did so today cos it was a rainy day :) guess u can tell fr his face that he aint too pleased abt it!

but hey, it makes him look like a hip hop gansta' rite!

Chilly Nites

"mommy n daddy went out n got me this grobag for sleeping time cos i have learned how to kick the blanket completely away from my body! with this 'gadget', there's NO WAY i will ever feel cold in the nites anymore..."

More gifts

my brother just got back fr hong kong with his family n they bought ethan some bibs from hong kong disneyland. i'm sure it's gonna come in real handy in just a few more weeks!

Tara Jade

"Hi everyone! My name is Tara Jade - TJ for short. I'm Ethan's very first girlfriend! His mommy n my mommy are friends from college and it's great that they are still in contact with each other, cos otherwise we wouldn't be able to get together rite?!"

he's entertained!

here's a video of ethan taken during his playtime. as u can guess, it was none other than his favourite toy, the squeaky bunny, that kept him so entertained!

battlescars

as soon as we took his mittens off, he had to go 'sculpt' one big hole on his nose - can u see it?!? sigh... but i guess this is part n parcel of growing up cos they gotta learn for themselves that it hurts to mutilate their own faces with their fingernails!

ethan, mommy sure hopes u are a fast learner ;)

it's getting hot!

our little boy is so afraid of the heat n breaks out easily in rashes once it gets too warm.

so we dressed him in his very 1st sleeveless top to keep him cool, and i think it makes him look real macho!! :D

bunny hop

Gym Rat!

we finally had a chance to put ethan in his new gym! at first he was a little disoriented n just lay there staring blankly at all the colourful toys surrounding him. but on the 2nd day, he did much better n actually had a great time in the gym, laughing n cooing away at his new 'friends'...

Gotta Wait

my college friend, irene, got this cute little pair of clarks for ethan. i think he'll have to wait another yr b4 he can put them on! meanwhile, i'll just put them in 'deep freeze' first ;)

oh my friend has got a really adorable 8-mth old girl name TJ (short for Tara Jade)! i'll try n get her pic so i can post it up here n u can see how sweet she really is!

yummy!

he's discovered his hands n is enjoying putting them into his mouth at every opportunity he gets :)

this morning in just 1 diaper changing session, he used up 3 diapers! cos before we could put on the new diaper, he peed. then after we wiped him clean n put on the 2nd diaper, he peed again! ethan!!! these diapers dun come cheap u know?!?

i had some blocked ducts today again n its so frustrating. in a desperate attempt, i picked ethan up n latched him on in the hope that he'd still remember how to suckle and help clear the blockage. to my amazement, he actually does still remember!! and like magic, in 20 min the lumps were all gone :) thk u my darling ethan for relieving mommy of the pain :D

healing

so the PD gave us some eye drops on mon to administer into ethan's eyes 3 times a day. today it finally seems better! we're so relieved now cos yesterday it didnt look any better and we tot we'd hv to make another trip down to the PD's again today. but fortunately not :)

we bought a tinylove activity gym for ethan while we were out on mon too. cant wait to let him play in it. but we just wanna make sure his eye is completely rested and healed first b4 we let him try out his new gym! we hvnt even taken it out fr its packaging yet ;)

anyway we just ordered another 4 packs of nepia diapers yesterday. we got the M size cos i think he's gonna outgrow his S size very soon. the rate at which his diapers are being used up still never ceases to amaze me!

i cant believe i'm gonna have to start work in less than 2 wk's time - officially 19 dec. i'm gonna miss ethan soooooo soooooo badly. i hope i dun cry on the 1st day when i hv to leave him for work :(

sigh.... i need to strike the lottery!!!

seeing red

my poor darling has got a sore right eye :( dont know how he got or where he got it from. but we're gonna bring him down to the PD this afternoon to have it checked out. hope its nothing serious and can be cured with some simple eye drops

bounce, rattle and roll

this is ethan's very own bouncer. it was a gift from the organisation that i am working in as part of the so-called benefits given to staff who give birth during their course of employment. how cheap can they get, right?!? i'd have thought at the very least we get some cash to offset our medical bills with :P

anyway i remember letting ethan sit in this very same bouncer when he was just over a mth old and he totally detested it! but when we tried it again a couple of weeks ago, he seemed perfectly contented to lie in it... for about half an hr only, of course. any longer than that and he'll start squirming n making unhappy faces. i look forward to the day when he can sit in it happily for a couple of hours straight ;)

swaddle free

last nite marks the 1st nite that ethan slept without being swaddled :)

he's also now started to take 150ml of milk (up from 140ml last wk). as for his weight, he's a healthy 6.1kg today.

BUT he still doesnt know how to keep his pacifier in his mouth! :P i guess some things juz never change huh ;)

we discovered he gets a real kick out of being in front of the mirror n looking at his own reflection. it seems he thinks there's another baby there playing with him and he'll squeal with joy n his arms n legs will be flailing all over the place!

here's a video of him being burped by daddy:

cool crib

i decided to take some photos of ethan's cot (where he sleeps for like 80% of the time now) and also some of his 'companions' :)

i doubt he'll remember any of these when he gets older so let's hope these photos do mommy n daddy some justice, ie we did buy u toys when u were just a baby!