Saturday, March 20, 2010
Daddy's home
It has been almost half a year since my work assignment took me to Hong Kong. Daddy's back and glad to be home!
Monday, March 1, 2010
發AH!
As the plane climbed towards 39,000 feet, the air stewardess onboard the flight SQ870 heading towards Hong Kong from Singapore started to distribute the menu to all passengers.
This Daddy of 6-month had to leave Mommy Boo and Baby Chloe for the second time in 2 weeks due to work commitments. It was another special day again today. It is the 15th lunar day of the Chinese New Year, or 元宵節.
Daddy started to browse the menu for the food selections available. SQ flights to Hong Kong would usually present a choice of oriental/western selection. Upon closer scrutiny, Daddy noticed that a special appertiser on the oriental selection. For once, the appertiser was named "Fa Cai Yu Sheng"
Noting that the captain had already announched that the plane will be flying at 39,000 feet today, Daddy knew that he has to request for the Oriental selection.
Most people will want to toss their 發財魚生 as high as possible. Today, Daddy will toss his 發財魚生 on 39,000 feet. Definitely 發-AH!
I will be buying Mark6 in Hong Kong this week! Good luck to me!
This Daddy of 6-month had to leave Mommy Boo and Baby Chloe for the second time in 2 weeks due to work commitments. It was another special day again today. It is the 15th lunar day of the Chinese New Year, or 元宵節.
Daddy started to browse the menu for the food selections available. SQ flights to Hong Kong would usually present a choice of oriental/western selection. Upon closer scrutiny, Daddy noticed that a special appertiser on the oriental selection. For once, the appertiser was named "Fa Cai Yu Sheng"
Noting that the captain had already announched that the plane will be flying at 39,000 feet today, Daddy knew that he has to request for the Oriental selection.
Most people will want to toss their 發財魚生 as high as possible. Today, Daddy will toss his 發財魚生 on 39,000 feet. Definitely 發-AH!
I will be buying Mark6 in Hong Kong this week! Good luck to me!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Chloe is 6 months old!
Chloe is 6 months old today! Mummy Boo is filled with joy and had been looking forward to this day since day 1. Chloe has been such a darling and has been hitting all the milestones way ahead. She is really very focus and goal oriented.
I would say I had a good start. I had a relatively easy pregnancy (no morning sickness nor cravings, only had cramps in the middle of the night possibly because I walked a lot or rather shopped a lot). Even though Chloe was a big baby, I managed to deliver her within 4 hours without using epidural. I attribute that to my high pain tolerance threshold and that sweet little Chloe did not want mummy to suffer.
With melamine milk powder contamination in the recent years and a family history of allergies coupled with the fact that breast milk provides the baby with tons of immunity and lowers the risk of allergies, I made the decision to breastfeed her exclusively for 6 months because I wanted to give her the best I can. My beloved hubby and mummy were very supportive too. To ensure I had the determination to persevere, I did not even buy a tin of milk powder. As soon as she was born, I let her attempt to suckle in the delivery room. She did it like a pro!
During my 3D2N stay in the hospital, the nurses brought Chloe into my room to be fed every 3 hours. It went well on the first day. But on the second day, we had Chloe rooming in with us. She was not satisfied after the feeds and kept crying. Not realising I was already engorged, I continued to feed her till nipples became sore and bled! We seeked the help of the senior lactation consultant Mrs Wong Boh Bui. She was good! She helped me to massage to relieve the engorgement and the milk started flowing! (Seriously the other nurses didn't know what was wrong and thought I was simply holding the baby in wrong position). Luckily we attended Mrs Wong's pre-natal class so she was willing to help us. She also taught daddy to cup feed (rather than bottle feed) Chloe expressed breast milk so the baby will not suffer nipple confusion and daddy can help mummy out with the night time feeding. Chloe sipped milk from the cup like a kitten. It seemed like she was born knowing how to drink from a cup already.
It was toughest during her first month. She is a very active baby who sleeps very little in the day and reserves all her sleep for night time (exactly how she was during pregnancy). She demanded to be held all the time, not in the cradle position but in the upright position (possibly due to stuffy nose or because she wanted to behave like older toddlers). She always fell asleep during breastfeeding. Then if we put her down in her cot, she would jump right out from dreamland and literally "swim backstroke" in the cot protesting vigorously. When she was upset, she could even bear her weight on her elephant legs (standing) since a few days old. She literally toilet trained herself as she need to sit upright on our laps to poo. Her favourite past time then was to creep up on daddy's chest and sleep (just like her mummy :P). She smiled on video on day 4 but I believe that was just muscle twitching. She would cry during bath time, she would cry when her nappy was wet and would cry throughout the nappy changing process (which made it more difficult for the first time parents to change her). Her jaundice worsened and we had to keep her in the ultralight box 24 hrs for 3 days. Other than feeding and changing her, we should not take her out no matter how badly she cried. So by the end of the first month, she barely gained weight.
All that took a turn for the better right after her first month celebration. I took care of her alone (my mum and hubby were helping out during the confinement period when I needed rest and had lotsa sesame oil and ginger laded confinement dishes prepared by my mum). Chloe settled into a routine making it much easier to predict her needs. Once her needs are satisfied, she became a happy baby. She stopped fussing when we change her diapers. Bath time became play time for her and daddy (Chloe's daddy has been bathing her since day 1 until recently).
By the time she was 2 months old, she was able to sleep through the night (that is equivalent to 6 hrs of uninterrupted sleep for newborns). I put my foot down and stopped carrying her to sleep even during naps no matter how hard she cries. We had a standard bedtime routine (which involves only singing Rock a bye baby twice and a goodnight kiss, it was that easy) and put her down at the same time every night. She still protest during nap times but night time sleep was a breeze.
At 3 months old, she took her first 5 in 1 jab with pneumoccocal and rotavirus vaccine with only slight fever that went off with 1 dose of 1.5 ml paracetamol. I am glad she is such a strong girl and that my efforts to breastfeed her were worth it. She chuckled whenever I held her high in the air. A sign that her parents' sense of humour had rubbed off on her. She started blowing bubbles (a sign that speech is developing). Her favourite past time now is smiling and wowing passersby or simply keep staring at them till they play or smile back at her. She is so sociable :) I guess bringing her to Hong Kong helped her in the social aspect as HongKongers are very vocal and love to interact with babies a lot.
At 4 months old, her second dose of immunizations went well with no fever. She was able to sit on her own (supporting herself with her hands on her feet or the ground). A week later, she was able to roll over 1 way from back to front (when both me and hubby were down with food poisoning in HK). Another week later, she was able to roll over both ways. This was when she started practicing very enthusiastically even when she sleeps (she is sleeping facing down as I am penning my thoughts).
By 5 months old, Chloe has started saying "Boo" (while splattering excessive saliva) or maybe "Poo" when she needs to poo poo (or so we thought). After direct feeding Chloe for the past 3 months in HK, she does not want to drink from milk bottles! Luckily she is willing to drink from the training mug given by Auntie Wendy and Phyllis. She even like to hold it on her own after her mummy taught her :) She can also drink from a cup just like us but we need to make sure she doesn't spill them all. On hindsight, it was a good move we cup feed her ever since she was a newborn as she is now able to drink from a cup without a need to wean her off milk bottles.
Now that she is 6 months old, she has started crawling! Her motivational factor is our laptops and iPhones (I guess she must be wondering why her parents spend so much time staring at these 2 items). Tomorrow we shall start her on her first solid food - rice cereal. So excited!
I am so proud of my little girl and I look forward to spending each day with her and her daddy for the rest of my life :)
I would say I had a good start. I had a relatively easy pregnancy (no morning sickness nor cravings, only had cramps in the middle of the night possibly because I walked a lot or rather shopped a lot). Even though Chloe was a big baby, I managed to deliver her within 4 hours without using epidural. I attribute that to my high pain tolerance threshold and that sweet little Chloe did not want mummy to suffer.
With melamine milk powder contamination in the recent years and a family history of allergies coupled with the fact that breast milk provides the baby with tons of immunity and lowers the risk of allergies, I made the decision to breastfeed her exclusively for 6 months because I wanted to give her the best I can. My beloved hubby and mummy were very supportive too. To ensure I had the determination to persevere, I did not even buy a tin of milk powder. As soon as she was born, I let her attempt to suckle in the delivery room. She did it like a pro!
During my 3D2N stay in the hospital, the nurses brought Chloe into my room to be fed every 3 hours. It went well on the first day. But on the second day, we had Chloe rooming in with us. She was not satisfied after the feeds and kept crying. Not realising I was already engorged, I continued to feed her till nipples became sore and bled! We seeked the help of the senior lactation consultant Mrs Wong Boh Bui. She was good! She helped me to massage to relieve the engorgement and the milk started flowing! (Seriously the other nurses didn't know what was wrong and thought I was simply holding the baby in wrong position). Luckily we attended Mrs Wong's pre-natal class so she was willing to help us. She also taught daddy to cup feed (rather than bottle feed) Chloe expressed breast milk so the baby will not suffer nipple confusion and daddy can help mummy out with the night time feeding. Chloe sipped milk from the cup like a kitten. It seemed like she was born knowing how to drink from a cup already.
It was toughest during her first month. She is a very active baby who sleeps very little in the day and reserves all her sleep for night time (exactly how she was during pregnancy). She demanded to be held all the time, not in the cradle position but in the upright position (possibly due to stuffy nose or because she wanted to behave like older toddlers). She always fell asleep during breastfeeding. Then if we put her down in her cot, she would jump right out from dreamland and literally "swim backstroke" in the cot protesting vigorously. When she was upset, she could even bear her weight on her elephant legs (standing) since a few days old. She literally toilet trained herself as she need to sit upright on our laps to poo. Her favourite past time then was to creep up on daddy's chest and sleep (just like her mummy :P). She smiled on video on day 4 but I believe that was just muscle twitching. She would cry during bath time, she would cry when her nappy was wet and would cry throughout the nappy changing process (which made it more difficult for the first time parents to change her). Her jaundice worsened and we had to keep her in the ultralight box 24 hrs for 3 days. Other than feeding and changing her, we should not take her out no matter how badly she cried. So by the end of the first month, she barely gained weight.
All that took a turn for the better right after her first month celebration. I took care of her alone (my mum and hubby were helping out during the confinement period when I needed rest and had lotsa sesame oil and ginger laded confinement dishes prepared by my mum). Chloe settled into a routine making it much easier to predict her needs. Once her needs are satisfied, she became a happy baby. She stopped fussing when we change her diapers. Bath time became play time for her and daddy (Chloe's daddy has been bathing her since day 1 until recently).
By the time she was 2 months old, she was able to sleep through the night (that is equivalent to 6 hrs of uninterrupted sleep for newborns). I put my foot down and stopped carrying her to sleep even during naps no matter how hard she cries. We had a standard bedtime routine (which involves only singing Rock a bye baby twice and a goodnight kiss, it was that easy) and put her down at the same time every night. She still protest during nap times but night time sleep was a breeze.
At 3 months old, she took her first 5 in 1 jab with pneumoccocal and rotavirus vaccine with only slight fever that went off with 1 dose of 1.5 ml paracetamol. I am glad she is such a strong girl and that my efforts to breastfeed her were worth it. She chuckled whenever I held her high in the air. A sign that her parents' sense of humour had rubbed off on her. She started blowing bubbles (a sign that speech is developing). Her favourite past time now is smiling and wowing passersby or simply keep staring at them till they play or smile back at her. She is so sociable :) I guess bringing her to Hong Kong helped her in the social aspect as HongKongers are very vocal and love to interact with babies a lot.
At 4 months old, her second dose of immunizations went well with no fever. She was able to sit on her own (supporting herself with her hands on her feet or the ground). A week later, she was able to roll over 1 way from back to front (when both me and hubby were down with food poisoning in HK). Another week later, she was able to roll over both ways. This was when she started practicing very enthusiastically even when she sleeps (she is sleeping facing down as I am penning my thoughts).
By 5 months old, Chloe has started saying "Boo" (while splattering excessive saliva) or maybe "Poo" when she needs to poo poo (or so we thought). After direct feeding Chloe for the past 3 months in HK, she does not want to drink from milk bottles! Luckily she is willing to drink from the training mug given by Auntie Wendy and Phyllis. She even like to hold it on her own after her mummy taught her :) She can also drink from a cup just like us but we need to make sure she doesn't spill them all. On hindsight, it was a good move we cup feed her ever since she was a newborn as she is now able to drink from a cup without a need to wean her off milk bottles.
Now that she is 6 months old, she has started crawling! Her motivational factor is our laptops and iPhones (I guess she must be wondering why her parents spend so much time staring at these 2 items). Tomorrow we shall start her on her first solid food - rice cereal. So excited!
I am so proud of my little girl and I look forward to spending each day with her and her daddy for the rest of my life :)
Monday, February 8, 2010
A "Chicken Soup for the Soul" - Song for Thoughts
Daddy could not wait to return to Singapore last month. He had received an SMS from SingTel informing him that songs can be downloaded from SingTel AMPed for free. When Daddy had some time over the weekend in Singapore, he activated the iPhone application which he had downloaded many weeks ago but was unable to use because he was not within SingTel Mobile's network coverage.
The songs selection were not plenty and disappointed Daddy. Daddy randomly downloaded a few songs and one of them was Eason Chan's 床頭燈 from his recent album, 上五樓的快活. Daddy did not paid much attention to it because it was a relatively new song and Daddy had not heard about it before.
Last night Daddy listened to the song carefully on his earphones with the iPhone, paying special attention to the music and Eason's vocals. Eason's voice on 床頭燈 was his usual relaxed, soft-speaking yet powerful and almost perfect control over his pitch. Daddy liked the melody of the song. In particular, Daddy loved how the song easily added layers (扑层) to Eason's feelings. Being more of an English-speaking person that Daddy is, the lyrics to the songs were not that clearly understood.
Daddy tried to hear the song again and again as he would when he's infatuated with a song. This time round, he wants to learn the lyrics so he can sing along instead of just mumbling out its pronunciation. Daddy searched the internet for videos of the MTV and was surprised to find that none existed. "Could this song be a non-seller (冷門)?
Disheartened, Daddy tried to search for the lyrics and found it easily. As expected, the degree of difficulty stumped Daddy initially. Copying the lyrics wholesale and translating it with Google' language tools did not yield a correct result. Daddy decided to use his limited understanding of Mandarin and Google's search and language translation tool to translate the lyrics as it should be. After its translation, Daddy finally interpreted the deep meaning of the song and the powerful message its trying to bring across.
Instead of trying to translate the song line by line, Daddy will try to pen down his interpretation of the lyrics:
Lyrics are in reproduced from http://www.easonmusic.com/wiki/%E5%BA%8A%E9%A0%AD%E7%87%88 in its traditional Chinese format.
作曲:李雨寰
填詞:葛大為
編曲:李守信/金木義則/黃冠豪/石博元
監製:林暐哲
搖上車窗 轉鑰匙孔 等引擎熄火 世界難得安靜幾秒鐘
心裡面的鏡頭 突然特寫我 已經習慣多久 得過且過
I wind up the windows to the car and turned off its engine. In that instance, a rare moment of silence engulfed my senses.
Always used to being contented to drift along in life, I felt a sudden sensation of focus upon myself:
曾經夢想 拯救宇宙 許多年以後 在電影院看 天災人禍
快毀滅的地球 總會出現英雄
不知不覺也欣然接受 那並不是我
I used to dream of saving the universe. Many years later, I watched about natural and man-made disasters from the movies. As planet Earth constantly spins towards it ultimate destruction, a hero will surely emerge. Slowly but surely, I have come to terms with my unattainable ambitions. I am not that hero but I am pleased with it.
我慶幸我走在一條 不完美的道路
認清我們 多渺小 多麼脆弱
刺眼的青春宣告沉默 換床頭燈一座
卻照亮了 眼前的 所有
I'm thankful that I'm walking along this imperfect path. It helps me to recognize life's fragilities and all its insignificance. Faced with the glaring truth about my rescinding youth, I finally changed my perspective of my world, akin to the replacement of a faulty light bulb for my bedside lamp. The light from the lamp now illuminates all that lies in front of my eyes.
當生命中 最大成就 不再是掠奪 而是她們 仰望的笑容
情願婉拒應酬 趕回家喊開動
不知不覺也欣然接受 最踏實的我
My biggest achievement in life is this: I can and I will choose to decline invitations from colleagues to hang out after work. So I can rush home in time to start dinner with the longing, smiling faces. Slowly but surely, I have come to terms with my practical self but I am pleased with it.
我慶幸我走在一條 不完美的道路
認清我們 多渺小 多麼脆弱
刺眼的青春宣告沉默 換床頭燈一座
卻燙貼了 我蹉跎的 沿路旅程的顛簸
I'm thankful that I'm walking along this imperfect path. It helps me to recognize life's fragilities and all its insignificance. Faced with the glaring truth about my rescinding youth, I finally changed my perspective of my world, akin to the replacement of a faulty light bulb for my bedside lamp. The warmth from the lamp accompanies the delays along my bumpy life's journey.
我慶幸我身在這場 沒腳本的演出
領悟這個姓名 該起的作用
車窗外 時間無聲流動 我也曾任性過
終於學會了 不再辯駁
I'm thankful that I'm living this life like it was an unscripted performance. I'm awaken to the use of my family name. The world outside the car passes by quietly. I was once willful about this change but now I finally learned the importance of acceptance without refuting.
作過的夢還倒背如流 只是有了不同的感受
不奢想去外太空 躲在被窩 等賴床的周末
The list of ambitions I've made are still vivid in my mind. As I list them now this time, the feeling's different. I no longer need to feel that I'm that astronaut (who saves the world). I look forward to the lazy weekend mornings on my bed.
我慶幸我走在一條 不完美的道路
認清我們 多渺小 多麼脆弱
刺眼的青春宣告沉默 換床頭燈一座
卻燙貼了 我蹉跎的 沿路旅程的顛簸
I'm thankful that I'm walking along this imperfect path. It helps me to recognize life's fragilities and all its insignificance. Faced with the glaring truth about my rescinding youth, I finally changed my perspective of my world, akin to the replacement of a faulty light bulb for my bedside lamp. The warmth from the lamp accompanies across my delay along this bumpy journey.
我慶幸我身在這場 沒腳本的演出
領悟這個姓名 該起的作用
車窗外 時間無聲流動 我也曾任性過
終於學會了 不再辯駁
I'm thankful that I'm living this life like it was an unscripted performance. I'm awaken to the use of my family name. The world outside the car passes by quietly. I was once willful about this change but now I finally learned the importance of acceptance without refuting.
© The English interpretations, not to be confused with the literal translation of the lyrics to the song are copyrighted by Daddy and meant for his two most favorite girls, Nicole and Chloe.
The songs selection were not plenty and disappointed Daddy. Daddy randomly downloaded a few songs and one of them was Eason Chan's 床頭燈 from his recent album, 上五樓的快活. Daddy did not paid much attention to it because it was a relatively new song and Daddy had not heard about it before.
Last night Daddy listened to the song carefully on his earphones with the iPhone, paying special attention to the music and Eason's vocals. Eason's voice on 床頭燈 was his usual relaxed, soft-speaking yet powerful and almost perfect control over his pitch. Daddy liked the melody of the song. In particular, Daddy loved how the song easily added layers (扑层) to Eason's feelings. Being more of an English-speaking person that Daddy is, the lyrics to the songs were not that clearly understood.
Daddy tried to hear the song again and again as he would when he's infatuated with a song. This time round, he wants to learn the lyrics so he can sing along instead of just mumbling out its pronunciation. Daddy searched the internet for videos of the MTV and was surprised to find that none existed. "Could this song be a non-seller (冷門)?
Disheartened, Daddy tried to search for the lyrics and found it easily. As expected, the degree of difficulty stumped Daddy initially. Copying the lyrics wholesale and translating it with Google' language tools did not yield a correct result. Daddy decided to use his limited understanding of Mandarin and Google's search and language translation tool to translate the lyrics as it should be. After its translation, Daddy finally interpreted the deep meaning of the song and the powerful message its trying to bring across.
Instead of trying to translate the song line by line, Daddy will try to pen down his interpretation of the lyrics:
Lyrics are in reproduced from http://www.easonmusic.com/wiki/%E5%BA%8A%E9%A0%AD%E7%87%88 in its traditional Chinese format.
作曲:李雨寰
填詞:葛大為
編曲:李守信/金木義則/黃冠豪/石博元
監製:林暐哲
搖上車窗 轉鑰匙孔 等引擎熄火 世界難得安靜幾秒鐘
心裡面的鏡頭 突然特寫我 已經習慣多久 得過且過
I wind up the windows to the car and turned off its engine. In that instance, a rare moment of silence engulfed my senses.
Always used to being contented to drift along in life, I felt a sudden sensation of focus upon myself:
曾經夢想 拯救宇宙 許多年以後 在電影院看 天災人禍
快毀滅的地球 總會出現英雄
不知不覺也欣然接受 那並不是我
I used to dream of saving the universe. Many years later, I watched about natural and man-made disasters from the movies. As planet Earth constantly spins towards it ultimate destruction, a hero will surely emerge. Slowly but surely, I have come to terms with my unattainable ambitions. I am not that hero but I am pleased with it.
我慶幸我走在一條 不完美的道路
認清我們 多渺小 多麼脆弱
刺眼的青春宣告沉默 換床頭燈一座
卻照亮了 眼前的 所有
I'm thankful that I'm walking along this imperfect path. It helps me to recognize life's fragilities and all its insignificance. Faced with the glaring truth about my rescinding youth, I finally changed my perspective of my world, akin to the replacement of a faulty light bulb for my bedside lamp. The light from the lamp now illuminates all that lies in front of my eyes.
當生命中 最大成就 不再是掠奪 而是她們 仰望的笑容
情願婉拒應酬 趕回家喊開動
不知不覺也欣然接受 最踏實的我
My biggest achievement in life is this: I can and I will choose to decline invitations from colleagues to hang out after work. So I can rush home in time to start dinner with the longing, smiling faces. Slowly but surely, I have come to terms with my practical self but I am pleased with it.
我慶幸我走在一條 不完美的道路
認清我們 多渺小 多麼脆弱
刺眼的青春宣告沉默 換床頭燈一座
卻燙貼了 我蹉跎的 沿路旅程的顛簸
I'm thankful that I'm walking along this imperfect path. It helps me to recognize life's fragilities and all its insignificance. Faced with the glaring truth about my rescinding youth, I finally changed my perspective of my world, akin to the replacement of a faulty light bulb for my bedside lamp. The warmth from the lamp accompanies the delays along my bumpy life's journey.
我慶幸我身在這場 沒腳本的演出
領悟這個姓名 該起的作用
車窗外 時間無聲流動 我也曾任性過
終於學會了 不再辯駁
I'm thankful that I'm living this life like it was an unscripted performance. I'm awaken to the use of my family name. The world outside the car passes by quietly. I was once willful about this change but now I finally learned the importance of acceptance without refuting.
作過的夢還倒背如流 只是有了不同的感受
不奢想去外太空 躲在被窩 等賴床的周末
The list of ambitions I've made are still vivid in my mind. As I list them now this time, the feeling's different. I no longer need to feel that I'm that astronaut (who saves the world). I look forward to the lazy weekend mornings on my bed.
我慶幸我走在一條 不完美的道路
認清我們 多渺小 多麼脆弱
刺眼的青春宣告沉默 換床頭燈一座
卻燙貼了 我蹉跎的 沿路旅程的顛簸
I'm thankful that I'm walking along this imperfect path. It helps me to recognize life's fragilities and all its insignificance. Faced with the glaring truth about my rescinding youth, I finally changed my perspective of my world, akin to the replacement of a faulty light bulb for my bedside lamp. The warmth from the lamp accompanies across my delay along this bumpy journey.
我慶幸我身在這場 沒腳本的演出
領悟這個姓名 該起的作用
車窗外 時間無聲流動 我也曾任性過
終於學會了 不再辯駁
I'm thankful that I'm living this life like it was an unscripted performance. I'm awaken to the use of my family name. The world outside the car passes by quietly. I was once willful about this change but now I finally learned the importance of acceptance without refuting.
© The English interpretations, not to be confused with the literal translation of the lyrics to the song are copyrighted by Daddy and meant for his two most favorite girls, Nicole and Chloe.
Friday, January 8, 2010
An Explosive Start to 2010: It's always better to throw up expensive chocolate
"I need a warm drink." Mommy Boo cried out in agony. She had threw up her lunch several times already. Daddy had threw up once but he was having a huge stomach cramps and diarrhea.
"The Starbucks joint is down the street. It's cold and I'm not sure if we can make it to the coffee place and back to the hotel without throwing up or poo-ing into my pants. Chloe's diaper is too small for me too. Let's go down together to Times Square instead and look for a coffee place." Daddy replied.
Both Mommy and Daddy readied themselves by having more throwing up at the wash basin and poo-ing into the toilet bowl. It was the only the 3rd day of the year to 2010. The Tan family were having an explosive start to the new year.
2 days ago, the Tan family flew back to Singapore for Chloe to follow up with her inoculation and to catch up with Chloe's grandparents. With their cable TV subscription, the Tan family was able to catch the fireworks from different countries through different TV channels. When the clock struck 12 midnight, Daddy was channel surfing between Hong Kong, Taipei, Kao Shiong and Singapore.
The next day, the Tans went for a Yum Cha session with Chloe's maternal grandparents, grand-auntie, uncles and future auntie-in-law who also took the time to send us off at the airport. Grand auntie had to work so she did not see Chloe off. Chloe had a couple of photos taken with her doting relatives while at the airport. When it was time, Chloe bid farewell to everyone and followed Mommy and Daddy through the immigration counters.
"It feels good to have checked in early, isn't it?" remarked Daddy. "Now we can shop to our hearts' content before boarding."
Mommy and Daddy spent a considerable time shopping in T3 until it was time for Chloe to be nursed. Everything went well. Chloe was happy and so were her parents. The Tan's decided that they should rest their weary legs on the sofas around the TV lounge area. Minutes after sitting down, disaster struck. Chloe had been attached to Daddy with the Baby Bjorn Synergy, her legs dangling out of the Bjorn carrier, kicking away. Daddy gently squeezed her calf and ended up with a wet and sticky palm. Chloe had pooped and spilled into her clothes.
"Never fear!" Thought Daddy. "We're well prepared this time because we've brought along additional clothes for Chloe to change." Daddy removed Chloe from the baby carrier and discovered something bad. Chloe had stained her newly washed carrier with her poo!
After a change of clothes, the Tans made their way to the boarding gate and boarded the SQ866 flight. Chloe was not her usual self. She chose to sleep instead of being nursed by Mommy when the plane was taking-off on the runway. When the plane climbed to its designated cruising altitude, the air stewardess began to assemble Chloe's bassinet. When she was done with the assembly, Chloe managed to stay asleep while she was placed inside the bassinet.
Daddy and Mommy started to watch the movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", on their personal displays. In the middle of the show, Chloe woke up as she normally would if it was close to her nursing time. Mommy had already prepared her nursing cover and Daddy carried Chloe out from the bassinet and onto Mommy's lap. Chloe then "merlioned" ("Merlioned" is an action verb. It can be used to describe a person in the act of excessive vomiting.) all over herself and also on Mommy. Luckily, Chloe did not had much vomit on her clothes but unfortunately for Mommy, she cannot wear her newly washed jacket because it was starting to stink with Chloe's vomit.
The kind air stewards offered to serve Daddy first while Mommy nursed Chloe. Daddy was about three quarters through his meal when Chloe decided to set off more explosions in mid-air while she was being nursed.
Daddy quickly polished his in-flight meals and checked little Chloe's back once she was done with her feed. The fears were confirmed in the form of a big patch of greenish-yellow stains. Chloe soiled her clothes again with her poo. This time, there will be no fresh clothes for Chloe to change into. Daddy grabbed the baby wipes and a fresh new diaper before he carried Chloe and walked along the aisle towards the back of the plane where the lavatories were located. Mommy followed shortly with Chloe's last piece of decent clothing, her fluffy white Zara jacket for the winter. Chloe will have to wear only her jacket for the rest of the flight until we arrive at Hong Kong International Airport.
Chloe did not seem to be sick for she was still feeding well and cheerful. The colour of her poo reveals otherwise. It was green in colour. Breast-fed babies are supposed to have yellow coloured poo. When they are unwell, the colour changes to green. Chloe's poo was greener than yellow. Daddy quickly changed Chloe and gave her a thorough wipe-down with Mommy's help. After helping Chloe to put on a fresh diaper and her winter jacket, Mommy carried Chloe back to the seat while Daddy cleared up the mess in the lavatory. It was less than a minute when Mommy returned with Chloe to the lavatory. Chloe had "merlioned" again while she was making her way back to the seat. This time, she threw up on her jacket.
It was a good thing that the jacket was water-resistant to a certain degree. With some water and wet tissues, the visible vomit was wiped away from the jacket. The smell, however, did not go away. Mommy, Daddy and Chloe finally returned to their seats after clearing the mess. Mommy was finally going to have her meals in peace. In Mommy and Daddy's mind, both of them were concerned whether their little Chloe was fine. After all, this time, Chloe had very little time to recover from jet-lag and her inoculation jabs before being subjected to another flight.
The movie ended shortly thereafter which signalled that the flight was about to reach Hong Kong. Thankfully, nothing eventful happened and the Tan's arrived at the hotel feeling very exhausted.
The Tan's decided that they shall not venture too far out for dinner since Chloe doesn't seem to be in her usual self. There was an eatery around the corner. Mommy had ate there once. Uncle Victor, Daddy's colleague from his company, had bought take-aways many times from this eatery. Tired and exhausted, the Tan's decided that they will have their dinner from this eatery and have an early night's rest.
Daddy resumed work on Monday morning while Chloe stayed with Mommy in the hotel room. Mommy too, was resuming her work after 4 month's of maternity leave. She was officially a SAHM, which stands for "Stay at Hotel Mom".
Lunch time couldn't come soon enough. It was a cold winter day in Hong Kong. The Tan's decided that it may be hard to head out for lunch. Daddy rang Mommy while he was making his way back to the hotel and Mommy told Daddy she had no preference for food. "Anything is good." Daddy decided to buy takeaway from the same eatery where they had their dinner. Daddy ordered the "Tak Kee Special Fried Rice" and a packet of Soya Chicken and Roasted Char Siew with rice and returned to the hotel room with lunch.
Daddy had a meeting at between 4-6pm and it was during this meeting when Daddy started feeling nausea and was having stomach cramps.These were symptoms that Daddy was having a stomach upset. "I'm feeling nausea. Are you ok?" The SMS read as Daddy sent the message across to Mom.
"I feel a little nausea too." Came the reply from Mommy.
At that instant, Daddy knew there was something wrong with lunch.
The meeting was tortuously long and ended at 5:55pm, it was time for Daddy to pack up and leave for home. Daddy dashed out of the office building and walked back towards the hotel. The cramps intensify in pain and another pain was creeping into Daddy's body. Stomach churning out of control, Daddy knew he had to make his way back to the hotel room as quickly as he can. Whizzing through the ever so crowded streets of Causeway Bay, Daddy finally reached the hotel room.
With a sign of relief, Daddy turned the door handle and opened the door to the hotel room and saw Mommy greeting him on the other side of the door.
"I'm having a major tummy-ache!" Daddy greeted Mommy. "I'll need to use the bathroom."
Mommy looked at Daddy with her doe eyes and muttered, "I need to use the bathroom too."
Most hotels rooms usually caters one water closet/toilet bowl in each room. Therein lies the problem. When more than one person is down with food poisoning, there is not enough water closet to pass around.
Daddy made room for Mommy so she can clear her bowels first. After wincing around the room for a couple of minutes, Daddy could not take it anymore and asked Mommy if she was finishing up. To his dismay, he heard the sound of Mommy flipping the newspaper. "Are you done?" Daddy asked impatiently. "No and I think I need to vomit but I can't." Mommy reply. "Can I use the toilet first then? I'm ready to burst out!" Daddy exclaimed.
Mommy vacated the toilet seat just in time for Daddy to fire off an explosive bio-hazardous concoction of bio-waste. The stench was so horrible it soon filled the entire hotel room.
"It's so smelly, I can't take it anymore, it makes me feel like vomiting!" Mommy sounded exasperated as she dashed into the bathroom and made her way to the wash basin. "Arrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!.... Arrrggghhh...! Mommy was vomiting into the wash basin while Daddy sat on the water closet feeling guilty.
Daddy soon was done with his poo-ing. After cleaning up, Daddy went outside to look after Chloe and Chloe had taken her cue to poo as well. It was only a day since Chloe was under the weather. Her poo was still greenish colour. Whenever her poo was greenish in colour, it gives off a really sour smell.
Mommy was still hugging the wash basin so Daddy took it upon himself to help Chloe with the diaper change.
"Eeeewwww!" Daddy protested vehemently! "Your poo is so stinky today!" He tried to tell Chloe cheekily. The stench was unbearable for Daddy. Mommy had just stepped out from the bathroom. "Dear!!!" cried Daddy, I want to help to change Chloe but I can't. The smell of her poo is so bad today I FEEL like vomiting too!" remarked Daddy.
Mommy replaced Daddy for Chloe's diaper change so Daddy could go hug the wash basin for a while.
In total, Daddy vomited once but poo-ed at least 5 times while Mommy did not managed to poo but had to vomit 4 times in the next one hour.
"I need a warm drink." Mommy Boo cried out in agony. She had threw up her lunch several times already. Daddy had threw up once but he was having a huge stomach cramps and diarrhea.
"The Starbucks joint is down the street. It's cold and I'm not sure if we can make it to the coffee place and back to the hotel without throwing up or poo-ing into my pants. Chloe's diaper is too small for me too. Let's go down together to Times Square instead and look for a coffee place." Daddy replied.
Although the Tan's had visited Times Square on many occasions, they could not recall if there was a place where they can get warm beverages for takeaway. In their search, Mommy had to visit the restroom for another "merlion" session. They walked aimlessly and chanced upon the Agnes B cafe.
"How about a cuppa of hot chocolate?" Daddy asked Mommy and she nodded in acknowledgement.
The Tan's ordered 2 cups of hot chocolate for take-away. Sipping the hot chocolate in the cold wind provided some relief to their burning throats and growling stomach as they made their way back to the hotel room. The relief was temporary.
"I think I need to vomit again!" Mommy sounded a warning to Daddy as they waited for the lift.
"No kidding! You're not going to throw out very expensive chocolate, or are you?" asked Daddy.
"Yes I will have to if I have to!" Mommy retorted in objection.
Mommy did throw up very expensive chocolate after returning to the room. Daddy sipped his hot chocolate in the hotel room while waiting for Mommy to finish her "chocolaty merlion" session.
"It definitely feels better to throw up sweet chocolate than just regular, pungent vomit." Daddy could not have agreed more.
"The Starbucks joint is down the street. It's cold and I'm not sure if we can make it to the coffee place and back to the hotel without throwing up or poo-ing into my pants. Chloe's diaper is too small for me too. Let's go down together to Times Square instead and look for a coffee place." Daddy replied.
Both Mommy and Daddy readied themselves by having more throwing up at the wash basin and poo-ing into the toilet bowl. It was the only the 3rd day of the year to 2010. The Tan family were having an explosive start to the new year.
2 days ago, the Tan family flew back to Singapore for Chloe to follow up with her inoculation and to catch up with Chloe's grandparents. With their cable TV subscription, the Tan family was able to catch the fireworks from different countries through different TV channels. When the clock struck 12 midnight, Daddy was channel surfing between Hong Kong, Taipei, Kao Shiong and Singapore.
The next day, the Tans went for a Yum Cha session with Chloe's maternal grandparents, grand-auntie, uncles and future auntie-in-law who also took the time to send us off at the airport. Grand auntie had to work so she did not see Chloe off. Chloe had a couple of photos taken with her doting relatives while at the airport. When it was time, Chloe bid farewell to everyone and followed Mommy and Daddy through the immigration counters.
"It feels good to have checked in early, isn't it?" remarked Daddy. "Now we can shop to our hearts' content before boarding."
Mommy and Daddy spent a considerable time shopping in T3 until it was time for Chloe to be nursed. Everything went well. Chloe was happy and so were her parents. The Tan's decided that they should rest their weary legs on the sofas around the TV lounge area. Minutes after sitting down, disaster struck. Chloe had been attached to Daddy with the Baby Bjorn Synergy, her legs dangling out of the Bjorn carrier, kicking away. Daddy gently squeezed her calf and ended up with a wet and sticky palm. Chloe had pooped and spilled into her clothes.
"Never fear!" Thought Daddy. "We're well prepared this time because we've brought along additional clothes for Chloe to change." Daddy removed Chloe from the baby carrier and discovered something bad. Chloe had stained her newly washed carrier with her poo!
After a change of clothes, the Tans made their way to the boarding gate and boarded the SQ866 flight. Chloe was not her usual self. She chose to sleep instead of being nursed by Mommy when the plane was taking-off on the runway. When the plane climbed to its designated cruising altitude, the air stewardess began to assemble Chloe's bassinet. When she was done with the assembly, Chloe managed to stay asleep while she was placed inside the bassinet.
Daddy and Mommy started to watch the movie, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", on their personal displays. In the middle of the show, Chloe woke up as she normally would if it was close to her nursing time. Mommy had already prepared her nursing cover and Daddy carried Chloe out from the bassinet and onto Mommy's lap. Chloe then "merlioned" ("Merlioned" is an action verb. It can be used to describe a person in the act of excessive vomiting.) all over herself and also on Mommy. Luckily, Chloe did not had much vomit on her clothes but unfortunately for Mommy, she cannot wear her newly washed jacket because it was starting to stink with Chloe's vomit.
The kind air stewards offered to serve Daddy first while Mommy nursed Chloe. Daddy was about three quarters through his meal when Chloe decided to set off more explosions in mid-air while she was being nursed.
Daddy quickly polished his in-flight meals and checked little Chloe's back once she was done with her feed. The fears were confirmed in the form of a big patch of greenish-yellow stains. Chloe soiled her clothes again with her poo. This time, there will be no fresh clothes for Chloe to change into. Daddy grabbed the baby wipes and a fresh new diaper before he carried Chloe and walked along the aisle towards the back of the plane where the lavatories were located. Mommy followed shortly with Chloe's last piece of decent clothing, her fluffy white Zara jacket for the winter. Chloe will have to wear only her jacket for the rest of the flight until we arrive at Hong Kong International Airport.
Chloe did not seem to be sick for she was still feeding well and cheerful. The colour of her poo reveals otherwise. It was green in colour. Breast-fed babies are supposed to have yellow coloured poo. When they are unwell, the colour changes to green. Chloe's poo was greener than yellow. Daddy quickly changed Chloe and gave her a thorough wipe-down with Mommy's help. After helping Chloe to put on a fresh diaper and her winter jacket, Mommy carried Chloe back to the seat while Daddy cleared up the mess in the lavatory. It was less than a minute when Mommy returned with Chloe to the lavatory. Chloe had "merlioned" again while she was making her way back to the seat. This time, she threw up on her jacket.
It was a good thing that the jacket was water-resistant to a certain degree. With some water and wet tissues, the visible vomit was wiped away from the jacket. The smell, however, did not go away. Mommy, Daddy and Chloe finally returned to their seats after clearing the mess. Mommy was finally going to have her meals in peace. In Mommy and Daddy's mind, both of them were concerned whether their little Chloe was fine. After all, this time, Chloe had very little time to recover from jet-lag and her inoculation jabs before being subjected to another flight.
The movie ended shortly thereafter which signalled that the flight was about to reach Hong Kong. Thankfully, nothing eventful happened and the Tan's arrived at the hotel feeling very exhausted.
The Tan's decided that they shall not venture too far out for dinner since Chloe doesn't seem to be in her usual self. There was an eatery around the corner. Mommy had ate there once. Uncle Victor, Daddy's colleague from his company, had bought take-aways many times from this eatery. Tired and exhausted, the Tan's decided that they will have their dinner from this eatery and have an early night's rest.
Daddy resumed work on Monday morning while Chloe stayed with Mommy in the hotel room. Mommy too, was resuming her work after 4 month's of maternity leave. She was officially a SAHM, which stands for "Stay at Hotel Mom".
Lunch time couldn't come soon enough. It was a cold winter day in Hong Kong. The Tan's decided that it may be hard to head out for lunch. Daddy rang Mommy while he was making his way back to the hotel and Mommy told Daddy she had no preference for food. "Anything is good." Daddy decided to buy takeaway from the same eatery where they had their dinner. Daddy ordered the "Tak Kee Special Fried Rice" and a packet of Soya Chicken and Roasted Char Siew with rice and returned to the hotel room with lunch.
Daddy had a meeting at between 4-6pm and it was during this meeting when Daddy started feeling nausea and was having stomach cramps.These were symptoms that Daddy was having a stomach upset. "I'm feeling nausea. Are you ok?" The SMS read as Daddy sent the message across to Mom.
"I feel a little nausea too." Came the reply from Mommy.
At that instant, Daddy knew there was something wrong with lunch.
The meeting was tortuously long and ended at 5:55pm, it was time for Daddy to pack up and leave for home. Daddy dashed out of the office building and walked back towards the hotel. The cramps intensify in pain and another pain was creeping into Daddy's body. Stomach churning out of control, Daddy knew he had to make his way back to the hotel room as quickly as he can. Whizzing through the ever so crowded streets of Causeway Bay, Daddy finally reached the hotel room.
With a sign of relief, Daddy turned the door handle and opened the door to the hotel room and saw Mommy greeting him on the other side of the door.
"I'm having a major tummy-ache!" Daddy greeted Mommy. "I'll need to use the bathroom."
Mommy looked at Daddy with her doe eyes and muttered, "I need to use the bathroom too."
Most hotels rooms usually caters one water closet/toilet bowl in each room. Therein lies the problem. When more than one person is down with food poisoning, there is not enough water closet to pass around.
Daddy made room for Mommy so she can clear her bowels first. After wincing around the room for a couple of minutes, Daddy could not take it anymore and asked Mommy if she was finishing up. To his dismay, he heard the sound of Mommy flipping the newspaper. "Are you done?" Daddy asked impatiently. "No and I think I need to vomit but I can't." Mommy reply. "Can I use the toilet first then? I'm ready to burst out!" Daddy exclaimed.
Mommy vacated the toilet seat just in time for Daddy to fire off an explosive bio-hazardous concoction of bio-waste. The stench was so horrible it soon filled the entire hotel room.
"It's so smelly, I can't take it anymore, it makes me feel like vomiting!" Mommy sounded exasperated as she dashed into the bathroom and made her way to the wash basin. "Arrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!.... Arrrggghhh...! Mommy was vomiting into the wash basin while Daddy sat on the water closet feeling guilty.
Daddy soon was done with his poo-ing. After cleaning up, Daddy went outside to look after Chloe and Chloe had taken her cue to poo as well. It was only a day since Chloe was under the weather. Her poo was still greenish colour. Whenever her poo was greenish in colour, it gives off a really sour smell.
Mommy was still hugging the wash basin so Daddy took it upon himself to help Chloe with the diaper change.
"Eeeewwww!" Daddy protested vehemently! "Your poo is so stinky today!" He tried to tell Chloe cheekily. The stench was unbearable for Daddy. Mommy had just stepped out from the bathroom. "Dear!!!" cried Daddy, I want to help to change Chloe but I can't. The smell of her poo is so bad today I FEEL like vomiting too!" remarked Daddy.
Mommy replaced Daddy for Chloe's diaper change so Daddy could go hug the wash basin for a while.
In total, Daddy vomited once but poo-ed at least 5 times while Mommy did not managed to poo but had to vomit 4 times in the next one hour.
"I need a warm drink." Mommy Boo cried out in agony. She had threw up her lunch several times already. Daddy had threw up once but he was having a huge stomach cramps and diarrhea.
"The Starbucks joint is down the street. It's cold and I'm not sure if we can make it to the coffee place and back to the hotel without throwing up or poo-ing into my pants. Chloe's diaper is too small for me too. Let's go down together to Times Square instead and look for a coffee place." Daddy replied.
Although the Tan's had visited Times Square on many occasions, they could not recall if there was a place where they can get warm beverages for takeaway. In their search, Mommy had to visit the restroom for another "merlion" session. They walked aimlessly and chanced upon the Agnes B cafe.
"How about a cuppa of hot chocolate?" Daddy asked Mommy and she nodded in acknowledgement.
The Tan's ordered 2 cups of hot chocolate for take-away. Sipping the hot chocolate in the cold wind provided some relief to their burning throats and growling stomach as they made their way back to the hotel room. The relief was temporary.
"I think I need to vomit again!" Mommy sounded a warning to Daddy as they waited for the lift.
"No kidding! You're not going to throw out very expensive chocolate, or are you?" asked Daddy.
"Yes I will have to if I have to!" Mommy retorted in objection.
Mommy did throw up very expensive chocolate after returning to the room. Daddy sipped his hot chocolate in the hotel room while waiting for Mommy to finish her "chocolaty merlion" session.
"It definitely feels better to throw up sweet chocolate than just regular, pungent vomit." Daddy could not have agreed more.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
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! =)
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! =)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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:
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:
- It was the first time our family of 3 flew overseas together.
- It was Chloe's first time on a plane at age 2 months and 1 week old.
- Chloe pooped for the first time at high altitude and stained her new BabyGap romper!
- Chloe took the subway for the first time. In Hong Kong, it's named the MTR.
- Chloe took the Star Ferry from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui. (That completes her Air/Sea/Land mode of transportation!)
- 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.
- The family dined at a 3-star Michelin restaurant for the first time at Lung King Heen.
- We visited places like Ocean Park, Stanley, Disneyland Hong Kong as a family.
- Our family's first hike was a leisure 40 minute hike to a pavilion lookout point on Lamma Island.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
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
Sunday, August 30, 2009
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.
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