Celebrating X'mas in Hong Kong

Chloe will be turning 4-month old on X'mas day. She will be celebrating her first X'mas in a foreign land. Chloe probably already knew what her X'mas present will be. Daddy and mommy brought her to the Toys R' Us store at Causeway Bay last night and searched high and low for the Kick and Play Piano by Fisher-Price.

In addition to that, mommy also bought Chloe a Hello Kitty romper from Zara.

Chloe is now sleeping soundly on the bed. She had just celebrated her first X'mas feast with daddy and mommy at the bay window of the hotel room on the 28th floor overlooking the Victoria harbour and the clock tower at Tsim Sha Tsui. She is wearing her new Hello Kitty romper while she sleeps. Mommy noticed that Chloe has already tried to rip apart the wrappers on her X'mas gift from daddy.

She can hardly wait but she has to learn to be patient! =)

Chloe is born in Singapore and raised in Hong Kong?

Ever since our little Chloe was born, she had spent her first 2 nights at the hospital, 65 nights at home, 1 night at the Amara Sanctuary on the island of Sentosa and 32 nights in Hong Kong island by the time she celebrates her 100 days of babyhood with a cocktail of 7 viruses (namely Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio, Hib disease, Pneumococcal and Rotavirus).



Chloe has been a good girl for the past few weeks. During her first week in Hong Kong, she was not her usual self. She cried more than she did when she was in Singapore. After the first week, we moved to Express by Holiday Inn at Causeway Bay and Chloe broke her own record of "Most-Continuous-Uninterrupted-Sleep". That night we moved in, she slept for 6 hours before waking up to demand for milk.

Boo and Chloe are accompanying me to Hong Kong because of a recent work assignment. This trip marks a number of "firsts" for the family:

1. It was the first time our family of 3 flew overseas together.


2. It was Chloe's first time on a plane at age 2 months and 1 week old.


3. Chloe pooped for the first time at high altitude and stained her new BabyGap romper!


4. Chloe took the subway for the first time. In Hong Kong, it's named the MTR.


5. Chloe took the Star Ferry from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui. (That completes her Air/Sea/Land mode of transportation!)


6. In all, other than being chauffeured around in a car in Singapore, Chloe has been on the plane, taxi, bus, subway, tram, cable car and ferry within one month.


7. The family dined at a 3-star Michelin restaurant for the first time at Lung King Heen.


8. We visited places like Ocean Park, Stanley, Disneyland Hong Kong as a family.


9. Our family's first hike was a leisure 40 minute hike to a pavilion lookout point on Lamma Island.

Chloe's Baby Showers

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary

Today marks our 1st anniversary together! Happy Anniversary to us.

Our 1st anniversary celebration at Amara Sanctuary Resort clad in Liverpool Jerseys

Chloe has arrived (The first days of Chloe Tan)

Hi everyone,

My name is Chloe Tan. My parents are Johnson and Nicole. I was born on the 26th August 2009 at Thomson Medical Centre. As I was 3 days overdue, Daddy and Mommy had chosen to induce me.

On the day of my birth, Mommy and Daddy checked themselves into the hospital. Mommy was ushered into the labour ward while Daddy was asked to go to the Admission counter to settle the paperwork.

From my Mommy's womb, I could hear the "Miss-y" telling my Mommy to clear her bowels. Then I heard Daddy's voice when he returned and could not find Mommy in the room. My silly Dad forgot to check the washroom. Mommy and I were in the washroom because she was still clearing her bowels after the nurse administered a very effective medicine into her. Finally, another "Miss-y" knocked on our washroom door and Daddy was reunited with us again.

Mommy was then asked to lie on the bed while the "Miss-y" attached a device to monitor my heart rate and Mommy's intensity of contractions of her uterus. Next, the "Miss-y" poked a thick needle into my Mommy's left hand and placed her on a drip. The drip contains Syntocinon, a synthetic version of the naturally-occurring hormone, oxytocin. Both chemicals were used to cause the muscle of the uterus to contract during labour so that I could be pushed out. Synthetic oxytocin was used because I was overdue. Poor Mommy had to endure the prick of the needle for my sake.

The effect of the Syntocinon was very strong. Every half-hour, the "Miss-y" came in to increase the drip dosage. They also noted my heart rate and Mommy's contraction for the past half-hour. Mommy's uterus, once my warm and cosy safe-haven for the past nine months, started shrinking! I had no more space left and was pushed through Mommy's birth canal. By now, Mommy was inhaling many puffs of "Laughing Gas" as the contractions increased. The air was meant to help Mommy to manage the pain from the contractions. Many a times, Mommy was not drawing the breaths correctly as she was taking them in smaller puffs. Daddy noticed it and kept saying "Breath... breath...breath..." many times to Mommy. Every time Daddy said breath, Mommy would hear Daddy's voice and she would take in the laughing gas longer with each breath. Later on, Mommy also told Daddy that his voice helped as there were many instructions from the "Miss-y" but all she could hear was Daddy's voice. Good thing Daddy knew about this because it was mentioned during Parent Craft training.

All this time, I'm still in my womb and Mommy started pushing with the help of Daddy and 2 "Miss-ies". It took the time of 3 intense contractions before Mommy's Gynaecologist arrived. It then took 2 more contractions before I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Poor mommy had to suffer an episiotomy because I was a heavy BB. Thanks to the large quantities of bird nest and the occasional durians that was bestowed upon to me by the placenta.

Air! I'm breathing air for the first time in my life outside of my Mommy's tummy. The feeling was very different when I was training for it with amniotic fluid. It did not help that some of the fluids were mixed with the fresh air in the delivery room 7. I choked and started to cry but only for a while as one of the "Miss-y" quickly inserted a tube into my mouth. The tube quickly sucked out the fluids from my throat and I started to feel better. Daddy was offered a pair of scissors so that he could cut my umbilical cord. Goodbye cordie, I remembered holding and kissing you time and again while we were playing in Mommy's womb. Thanks for supporting me throughout this nine months so that I can finally breathe the air with my own lungs. I will miss the times we spent together.

After the "Miss-y" cleaned my body, I was returned to Mommy's embrace and Daddy finally had a chance to take some pictures of my birth. The bonding between Mommy and me was momentarily brief but treasured. It was time for me to be wheeled away to be weighed and measured. Daddy's coming along because it was his job (he was not the one bleeding) and also because Mommy wanted Daddy to make sure that the "Miss-y" did not mix me up with another BB. Deep down, I know Daddy will come with me even if he was not told to because Daddy will always keep a watchful eye on me as I grow up.

I weighed 3.98Kg and measured 52 centimetres in length. In case you think I'm fat and chubby, think again. My BMI is 14.71893. After weighing me and measuring me, the "Miss-y" tagged me on my ankles and left me alone with Daddy to bond. Daddy said to me, "Hello Chloe, I'm your Daddy. Daddy's here and Daddy will protect you and make sure you grow up in a safe and healthy home." He then proceeded to introduce me to his Nikon N90 camera. Daddy also called Gong-Gong and Yeh-Yeh to inform them about my time of birth and weight. He was so proud of his wife, my Mommy, because she had given birth to me without any other forms of pain management.

The "Miss-y" returned a while later and wheeled me back to continue my bonding with Mommy. I was breast-fed by my happy and exhausted Mommy. Yippee! I am tasting something else other than my own amniotic fluids and I do not even want to tell you what amniotic fluid consists of.

I spent the next 2 days sleeping and demanding to be fed or to be held. Keeping Mommy and Daddy up all night with my wailing seems part of my job. So my Daddy thought he and Mommy were ready for the job at hand, they better be in for a reality check! Friday's the day the 3 of us leaves the hospital as a family. On my first night, they decided to let me stay in the nursery so that I can have a chance to stay under the warmer. I still have some fluids in my nasal canal. Mommy and Daddy were worried because I kept sniffing away. Every few hours, I was wheeled back to Room 506 so that Mommy can feed me and Daddy can take pictures of Mommy and me. By leaving me in the care of the "Miss-y" at the nursery, Mommy and Daddy also had a chance to rest from their exertions.

On the second day, Daddy requested for me to room-in with Mommy and Daddy. My constant wails were effective at keeping them awake. My lucky Daddy took the chance to sneak away for a while. Later, I realised that he had gone away to order my cot and bought me a thermometer.

The cot was in the colour Mommy had envisioned for me and because they had waited till the Takashimaya Baby Fair, the cot finally came at a discounted price and was sold separately. It was a good thing because Mommy also wanted me to use mattress from BabySafe. Daddy managed to get both and also decided on the mattress sheets, bumpers, pillows and bolsters. They will be delivered next Tuesday and I can hardly wait till they arrive. Meanwhile, I should be able to sleep between them on their King-sized bed and can wake them up every few hours in the middle of the night. This will be fun when we get home.

On Friday morning, I had slight Jaundice but the Paediatrician gave the green lights for me to be discharged. Mommy also received the same green lights from her Gynaecologist. Before we leave, there was one thing Mommy and Daddy needed, they needed to refresh on a couple of things from their teacher, Mrs Wong. Mrs Wong taught Daddy how to feed through a cup. A significant task because all this while, Daddy felt totally at a loss how he could help during my feeding, a task only Mommy could do. They also re-learned how to do a swaddle. Finally, they asked Mrs Wong to teach them how to burp me and I burped really loudly. Please excuse me and please excuse my smelly fart when Mrs Wong placed me back into the Maxi-Cosi car seat.

The drive home was uneventful as Daddy carefully navigated the mid-afternoon traffic along the PIE and BKE. Daddy tried very hard to stay awake when there was traffic congestion along the PIE. On hindsight, I should have let him sleep longer but it was a safe ride home.

My Out-of-Office auto-replies

I am parenting away with my newly first-born child and daughter who popped into my life on 26 August 2009. During my time away from the office, I will be swopping Technical White Papers, Infrastructure Diagrams and KBs for parenting books and magazines. (Hmmm, is there a reboot button on this miniature form of a human body that wails non-stop day and night?... and where is the operations manual?...)

I will be returning to office on 14 September 2009.

Thanks for your understanding.

Johnson

A Chip Off the Old Blocks

In typical family tradition, our dear daughter has decided, while still in her mother's womb, on her expected date of arrival. Just as how her parents had planned their lives systematically, from buying a house, getting a car and getting married, little Chloe is not leaving anything to chance, not even her date of birth.

In every sense, she had immediately taken to her mum. Exactly 29 years ago, Chloe's maternal grandparents were carrying Mama Boo and Mama Boo was also overdue. When they were prompted by the gynae to choose a date to induce the labour, they decided on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. 29 years later, in exactly the same fashion, Chloe is as overdue as her mum was back then. (Talk about being late!) We were asked to decide on the date for the inducement. The answer is obvious. Both mum and daughter will be sharing the same lunar birthday. (Talk about getting broke every year on the 7th lunar month!)

By sheer planning and coincidence, Chloe's parents' and grandparents' wedding anniversary also falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, or what is commonly known as the Mooncake Festivals.

So the date's set. Everyone's ready. Stay safe, warm and snuggly in your mum's womb. See you 2 days from now!

Chloe will be a Virgo!

Today marks the 40th week of the pregnancy. It is also Chloe's expected date-of-delivery as predicted by our gynae during our initial visit many months ago.

Then, Mama Boo reminded me that our daughter will be a Virgo if she does decides to say hello to the world today. I was thinking, "Oh no! Not Virgo, not another neat-freak in the house. I'm a Cancer man, a born collector of nostagia and sentiments. So yes, I hardly throw things away and this often riles up my Virgo wife and mum-to-be of our little Chloe. I hope when Chloe grows up, she will learn to accept her father's values and be patient with him.

On the subject of patience, while searching for the url links to the Virgo woman and the Cancer man, I could not help but notice that Cancer man makes "gentle, caring, sympathetic and understanding father, projecting exceptional patience, pride and protection toward his children."

It's funny because we are so eagerly anticipating your arrival. At the same time, I want to make sure that you only come out when you are ready. Take your time Chloe, come out safe, come out strong. No matter how you look like or who you will become in life, I'm your Dad and you are my daughter. You are the product of my love for your mum and you will always be Daddy's pride and joy.

Till then, have a safe journey.

An audience with the King

I finally have a chance to meet my boyhood hero in the flesh last night at the Marina Oriental Hotel. He is none other than the King Kenny Dalglish.

Article featuring my question to the King in The New Paper:
http://news.asiaone.com/News/The+New+Paper/Story/A1Story20090727-157248.html

Article from LFC TV:
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/mediawatch/2009/aug/MW14890090801-1125.htm

Article from Liverpool Banter:
http://www.liverpoolbanter.co.uk/2009/08/blood-red-race-against-time-fo.html

Japanese Dining Sun @ Chijmes

This is the third time hubby is celebrating his birthday this year. Why 3 times? Because his Chinese lunar birthday happens twice this year. So I cooked mee sua again this morning. We went to one of our favourite Japanese restaurant, Sun @ Chijmes for dinner as they offer 20% discount and complimentary tofu cheese cake for the birthday boy. We tried some new dishes and they were splendid!

Kurobuta - The black pork specialty this month was a tad too salty. It tasted better with the veggies on the side.

Miso Gindara - Quite expensive dish but not too oily. We'd prefer the gindara @ Raku, Holland Village though.

Tskune mentaiko - Unbelievable extremely tender chicken meatballs!

Hokkaido Ramen - soup was very flavourful, meat was tender and the egg almost reached Tokyo's standard. Overall this was the best ramen we had in Singapore and could certainly rival the ramen we tried in Hokkaido.

Honey mustard avocado chicken - This is the fresh chicken version of a similar prawn dish they offer on the usual menu. Chicken bits were again tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The cream did taste a bit like the honey mustard sauce we get from Marks & Spencer though. But this dish was very filling.

The tofu cheese cake is their best dessert. We thought they will be giving us the tiny piece that they usually sell but no, a palm sized cake was given! This is really a great offer for birthday celebration :)

Happy Birthday to Hubby!

Today is the first time I am celebrating my hubby's birthday with him after we got married and I was very excited. Thanks to the Internet, the pregnant mum-to-be was able to execute all plans for the birthday celebration:

I pre-ordered the latest iPhone 3GS through Singtel's website and we went to collect it yesterday at Comcentre. My geeky hubby "made used" of my pregnancy and managed to skip the 4 hrs queue. We were able to purchase the phone, choose a free phone cover with the $30 Singtel voucher, trade in the old N80 and get a free scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in an hr :P

Early this morning I cooked hubby's favourite wanton mee for breakfast before we went to the gynae to check up on the creation of our love. Chloe is now 2.5kg and we can see her hair floating in the amniotic fluid!

As it was still early, we went to hubby's favourite haunt, Sim Lim Square, to get a screen protector for the iPhone before we head to Purvis Street for set lunch @ Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar. We started with fresh fruit juice at the bar. Only honey and no sugar is added to their juices.

Appetizer was tomato soup with plenty of crab meat. Soup was a tad oily but went very well with the crunchy bread which the waiters kept on refilling.

My main course, Cod Fish stuffed Ravioli, was pretty ordinary. But the pork ribs Johnson had was very tender though.

Dessert was mixed berries smoothie with a subtle sourness that suited pregnant mum-to-be.


The Pistachio and Chocolate Gelato was splendid and very flavourful. We found out from the Italian waiter that these were made by Deste which is under the Garibaldi group too. The waiter even offered us their chocolates when we asked for the name card.

The best part of the meal was a surprise Tiramisu birthday cake! I'd made the reservation online through their website and commented that it was for my hubby's birthday. They actually prepared the cake autonomously. Good service!

Extra: We saw minister Yeo Cheow Tong when we were about to leave the restaurant. He came with a broken wrist. This goes to show how popular the restuarant is.

After lunch, we went to catch the Ice Age 3 movie at GV marina. It is the first time we saw a movie in 3D! Feels wierd wearing the 3D glasses for 90 mins though.

Dinner was a family celebration held at Johnson's godmother's place. I'd specially ordered a Thomas & Friends designed Double Chocolate Pralines cake from The Patissier for the childlike dad-to-be. It was yummy!

The Naming Game

Almost every mom and dad-to-be will surely have been through the phase of trying to pick a name for their unborn child. I knew right from the start it won't be easy. Always finding ways to make fun of people's name, it is now my turn to ensure that my offsprings will not be subjected to any form of ridicule. Singapore's multi-racial mix as well as education and millitary ministries did not help many parents who innocently named their child who ends up with bad sounding names in any possible language.

Boo and I agreed that we will consult the geomancer for the Chinese name. I hope he will be merciful and not give us a paltry list of suggestions that will allow her to be subjected to name-calling bullies much like her dad had been. So it was decided. We shall have fun in our pursuit for the one English name that will set her life in motion. Boo did not want a middle name when I suggested X for various reasons I shall not reveal now. Eventually, we liked Chloe the most. The name, Chloe, originates from Greek and it stands for "Verdant and Blooming". On the particular website where we found the name, it stands for "Young Shoot". We hoped that she will bloom like a pretty flower and be successful in life. I had thought a young shoot may mean that she will be playing as a striker when playing football. Considering that strikers command more pay playing in their position, it may be a good thing if she earns the kind of money footballers are getting these days.

So, a name was born and today (7th July 2009), we finally confirmed her name by buying a fridge magnet with her name boldly printed.

Singapore Polo Club

My chubby hubby brought me to the Singapore Polo Club for lunch today after we went for the monthly checkup at Dr Sim Lee Ngor's clinic where Chloe is estimated to be 2.1kg now and has turned head down. We had the set lunch at The Mountbatten Room which was awarded as one of Singapore's Best Restaurant in the Singapore Tatler 2009 Best Restaurant Guide.

I ordered soup of the day (Pumpkin soup) since the rest of the entrees were partially raw.

Johnson had Salmon Tartare which was the same entree he had the last time he came with his colleagues and found it so good that he had to have it again.

Main Course was Pan Seared Black King Fish and Oven Roasted Chicken Breast. I find the chicken a bit dry but the mashed potato that came with it was smooth and velvety.

The fish was decently pan fried and not too oily. It was also good that the fish did not come with any carbo as my gynae has reminded me to cut down on carbo intake least Chloe becomes too big.
Dessert was supposed to be several choices presented to us on a trolley (based on Johnson's previous dining experience here). But today they simply served us Tiramisu directly on the table. We made known to the waiter that I can't take alcohol and the chef suggested to replace with Strawberry Sorbet for me. Being a non-coffee drinker, Johnson thought that the Tiramisu contained too much coffee. I found the sorbet sweet with plenty of fresh strawberries and to my liking. The experience would have been more splendid if there were horses galloping on the polo field.

Shopping Spree

It's Great Singapore Sale (GSS)! Time to stock up on essential baby items in preparation of Chloe's arrival in 2 months time. What have we bought so far?


From Tangs sale,

• Maxi Cosi CabrioFix Car Seat
• Philips iQ24 Sterilizer
• Philips Bottle x 1 (FOC)
• Philips Washable Breast Pads (FOC)
• Medela Pump In Style Advanced Breast Pump
• Medela Nipple Cream (FOC)
• Medela Milk Storage Bottles x 3 (FOC)
• Medela Quick Clean Wipes (FOC)
• Elmo Puppet Book (FOC)
• I'm Toy Elephant Measurement Tape (FOC)

From Motherhood Exhibition 2009,

• Bumwear Cloth Diapers
• Philips Bottle and Food Warmer
• BabySafe Sleep Positioner
• SwaddleMe Organic Infant Wrap
• Huggies Diapers (Compliments from Cordlife - 24 New Born x 3 + 44 Small)

Others

• Philips Bath/Room Thermometer from their warehouse sale
• Some clothes from Melbourne, Mothercare, Gap & Liverpool Football Club
• Pupsik beansprout pillow & nursing cover
• Oobi bloomers from http://www.bebelove.com.sg/
• Mittens & booties from Spring Maternity
• Wash cloths, flannel wipe & bath towel from TMC
• Ikea changing mat, mosquito net, safety plugs & corners
• Drapolene cream, Johnson's Baby Powder & sterile cotton balls from Unity
• Bathtub & potty (part of dowry)

Took the car seat out for a test drive one Saturday. The teddy bear we bought from Korea Teddy Bear Museum act as a substitute for Chloe :P

Chloe's maternal grandma (外婆) gave us about S$200 worth of Isetan vouchers. We used them to get

• A Burberry dress
• Plenty of Pigeon products (baby wipes, nappy liners, cloth nappies, toothbrushes, bottle brushes, thong, cotton buds & detergents)

What are we still missing? Stroller and Cot are the major ones. What else do you think we need?

Pre-natal Class 5

Yesterday was our last class. It was supposed to be the first lesson actually because Mrs Wong had forgotten to inform us of the change in schedule 5 weeks ago, so we missed the first class and yesterday was the replacement class. We did pre-natal exercises like rocking of the pelvic area, yoga cat pose etc. and also learnt about pregnancy nutrition.

Daddies-to-be had a feel of how pregnancy's like:

We have graduated! Here's our graduation photo with Mrs Wong:

3D / 4D Scan

We went for the 3D / 4D scan on Monday. Before this optional scan, we were told that whether we can capture 4D images or not depends on the baby's position but we should be able to get at least a 3D image. Luckily after 2 to 3 trials and spending the entire morning at TMC, we were able to capture several 4D images of how Chloe looks like in the womb. There was once she was kissing the umbilical cord and smiling. Then rub her eyes and hide her face. So cute!

Chloe's 1st picture

Sundown Marathon 2009

In less than 3 hour's time, I'll be running the Sundown Marathon 2009. This run is dedicated to Nicole, my wife of 9 months and our soon-to-be-born little girl, Chloe. As I trudged along the paths of Changi, East Coast, Siglap, Bedok Reservoir, Tampines and Pasir Ris, wondering why I signed up for these self-inflicting tortures, I will have to dig deep to visualize the family whom I will embrace in 3 month's time.

Nicole and Chloe, this run is dedicated to the both of you. My lovely angels and even though both of you will not be present at the run, I know deep down that you both will be rooting for me, no better how badly I run. =p

Pre-natal Class 4

This week we learnt all about breast feeding and bottle feeding. Scary to see all those swollen breasts full of pus due to wrong breast feeding methods. Here are some tips for mums-to-be:

1. Recommended to breast feed baby for 15-20 mins on each side of the breast during each feed to avoid swollen breasts. Try cabbage treatment if swelling/engorgement occurs.
2. Start bottle feeding only after baby is at least 1 month old.
3. Straight teats are preferred.
4. It is only necessary to sterilize all the utensils before babies are 6 months old.
5. Using thongs, remove the screw cap from the sterilizer first. Followed by the teat, the cap and the bottle. There is no need to air dry the bottles after they have been sterilized as any water condensation in the bottle is sterile.
6. Turn the teats inside out to wash. As the interior is fragile, use a gentle scrub instead of the brush to wash the teats. Take note to wash the tip as well.
7. Milk bottles typically last for 1 year while teats last up till 6 weeks only.

Hill Top Japanese Restaurant

It was Boo's mum's 63th birthday on Monday. We wanted to bring her to Shangri-la to enjoy the huge discounts based on her age but it was fully booked by the time we called. Then we recalled that there is a nice Teppanyaki restaurant which a client brought us to 6 years ago. So we suggested to go to this Hill Top Japanese Restaurant located close to Jurong Bird Park for dinner on Sunday.

Before dinner, we went to Philips warehouse sale and bought Chloe a room/bath thermometer since we learnt at the Pre-natal class that she should be bathed in water temperature of 37 degree Celsius. Johnson then went for a haircut in preparation of the Sundown Marathon next Sunday. We went home to rest before heading for dinner with the yam cake we bought from Angie.

Dinner was great! Scallops and chicken were tender although it seemed like they were left on the stove for a long time. Garlic fried rice was a let down as the chef was frying the rice in bulk. But the udon was very tasty. We were busy marvelling at how fast the chef can deshell the prawns using the teppanyaki utensils that we forgot to eat. After dinner, we proceeded to a seperate area for complimentary desserts (choice of mango pudding, sago, chin chow, ice creams etc). After singing the birthday song, it was time to dig into the yummy yam cake. Even though the cake looked creamy, it was very light and fluffy. Boo's dad who doesn't take sweet stuff also had a bite!

Sashimi - Boo's Parents' All Time Favourite

It was awsome to watch the chef deshell these King Prawns.

Hilltop View

Pre-natal Class 3

We learnt how to bath, swaddle and put on cloth diapers for babies. Before the class, we thought we would not have a chance to practise cos the class is so big. To our pleasant surprise, each couple get to have a "baby" to "play" with. It was fun! Some tips for bathing:

1. Bath water temperature should be 37 degree Celsius.
2. A drop of non-bubbly baby body wash in the bath water is sufficient for new born.
3. No need to use additional shampoo for babies until they are 3 months old.
4. Sing to the baby while bathing. Teach her to count her toes!
5. Mittens only need to be wore till 6 months old.
6. Mums to be delivering at TMC can sign up for the free breastfeeding and bathing lesson during the hospital stay. For a meagre $10, you get to try out the different breast pumps at Thomson ParentCraft before deciding which pump is the most suitable one for you.

Tung Lok Classics @ Chinese Swimming Club

Johnson just bought a new Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 DX lens last Friday and was honing his photography skills when we went to Tung Lok Classics for late dim sum lunch on Sunday with Johnson's family. The restaurant is located in the newly rebuilt Chinese Swimming Club 2 blocks away from Johnson's cousin, Michael's place. Here are some snapshots of what he had taken with the new lens:

Egg tarts were nice and fluffy.

Can you believe this is tofu?

Complimentary special fruit juice concoction served as a good end to the meal.

Pre-natal Class 2

We got a shock when we stepped into the class yesterday. On the screen was a stream of videos on women giving birth in their Sunday suits using different techniques eg. water birth, c-section etc. Chloe's daddy thought we'd gone to a porn show hahahah.... Well, guess that is one of the added incentives for going to childbirth course :)

Vesak Day

It was a busy weekend for us. Last Saturday was Vesak Day. As a yearly regime, Johnson will go to Buddhist Union to chant on Friday night till midnight. On Vesak Day itself, we went to the temple together to pray and have vegetarian food. Johnson also helped with the distribution of the vegetarian food to the visitors just like previous years. Ah boy, Boo's younger brother, was nice enough to watch over our house while the part time house cleaner finished up her weekly chores. We packed him a huge packet of vegetarian food and let him play PS3 & the newly upgraded Wii as a token of appreciation.

Sunday was Mother's Day. So we bought Boo's mum and family to dim sum @ Red Star Restuarant. Johnson feels the standard of the food has dropped but it could have been attributed to the fact that we were there @ 8am and not all the staff were working yet. Dinner was @ Long Beach Main Seafood Restaurant with Johnson's large extended family and cost a whopping SGD500. Mama Boo thought the food was not that fantastic for the price esp since she could not have any of those crabs which everyone else was raving about :P.

We also installed a Biometric digital lock at half the usual price on Sunday afternoon. It was such a good bargain. No more worries about forgetting to lock the door and no need to bring keys out from now on. Just need to swipe with our fingers and we can get into our house! Those who are interested can get the contact from us.

Monday was the replacement holiday for Vesak Day. We went for the 6th checkup and baby Chloe has grown to 768g while Mama Boo has ballooned by almost 10kg since pregnancy. We had healthy yong tau foo @ Chinatown for lunch. It was already long queue when we reached there @ 11am.


After lunch we went to Julia Gabriel to find out how many months in advance do we need to enroll Chloe in their enrichment classes as Mike told us that his friend had to wait a year on the waiting list. Their classes are popular as they teach the kids to build up confidence to speak up (which is much lacking in Asian kids) through drama and play. We got their schedule and fees before heading back home for a much needed afternoon swim.

Mama Boo went clad in the Billabong bikini hubby gave as birthday present last year since she can no longer fit in her usual tankini. Swimming was Boo's favourite sport but it has been a long time since we last swam (during early pregnancy) as it was not advisable to engage in strenous physical activities after the amnio. It was very relaxing despite panting due to "additional weight load". We should swim again more often :)

Yesterday's dinner was Ichiban Sushi @ Bt Panjang Plaza (BPP for short). The reason why we went there was so that Papa Bear could get the Guitar Hero from the game shop there. The entire set includes a drum set, an electric guitar and a mic. We spent the entire night jamming music till wee hours in the morning. It was an enjoyable weekend and how Mama Boo wished she didn't have to go to work :P