Cleared

Today Mom brought me to see doctor again for review. The doctor examined me and said that my breathing has got much much better now. She put me off the medication, but asked Mom not to bring me to go swimming yet at least for another week.

And oh, somehow, my weight also got better. I am now 8.75kg (hmm that probably includes my half-full diaper).

Achievement

Well, officially today, I can hold my bottle by myself. Mom and Dad are so happy with my progress on this one. Mom has started training me holding my own bottle since a few months ago, but I was not able to hold it for long maybe because I am not ready yet to do so.

But now I am ready, and the weaning process becomes even more pleasant for both Mom and I.

And oh, I can also do it with one hand too :-)

Smiles

Dad and I have the same smile. Don't you agree? :-)

(err...but he's got more hair when he was my age)

41 Weeks Old

I am 41 weeks old today. I am now into 'dancing' a lot. When Mom starts to sing something, I will start to move my body and shake my both hands. Sometimes, I'd sing along too :-D

Occasionally, I'd wake up very late in the morning. That's usually because I did not have a good sleep at night or I did not have enough nap time during the day before. And usually, if Mom is still asleep, I'd also continue sleeping he he he...

Back to See Doctor

Today Mom brought me to see the doctor again for my cough. Since the appointment was during midday, Dad met us there during lunch time. I lost a bit of weight, mainly due to my poor appetite. But I got taller. My height is now 75cm.

The doctor examined me and said that I still have some phlegm. So she ordered the nurse to administer the nebulizer on me. It is like an oxygen mask with a vapourizer, whereby the medicine was actually vapourized and I get to inhale the mist using the mask. I sat on Mom's lap while she held my arms. The nurse put the mask on my face. And the minute she did that, I cried instantly. I was so scared of the sound (it does sound like a chopping machine!) and I don't like to be held down. Dad was trying to entertain and calm me. Good thing it only lasted for about 10 minutes. Once it was done, I stopped crying. The doctor checked on me again and she said that my breathing sounded much much better now.

I was prescribed with antibiotics this time and some other medicine (5 in total). It's a tough job for Mom, coz she needs to give most of the medicine to me 3 times a day. Mom tried to feed me the medicine one at a time using syringe, but most of them ended up on my chin, my clothes or on the floor. The best way that she tried is to mix them on a small bottle, then add some warm water or fruit juice. This way I can take the medicine very well.

Mom really hopes that I get well and my appetite returns to normal soon.

Going Home

Finally, it's time to go back to our home in Singapore. In the afternoon, Akyu Tawa and family picked Mom and I at Sunter. They brought us to lunch, then to the airport. Opa, Oma, Aunt Sisi, Aunt Riri and Uncle Leo went to meet us at the airport soonafter. They went to Uncle Leo's family event in the morning.

I was not in a good mood at the airport. Mom thinks maybe because I was not well (still coughing), hungry (did not eat much during lunch time), and sleepy (only slept for a while earlier). So I cried and refused to be put on my stroller. Mom had to carry me while entering the custom gate.

Inside the boarding gate, I met Uncle Bram, Koko Ezra and Uncle Angky. They are also in the same choir as Mom and they were on their way back to Singapore too. Mom fed me my dinner while at the boarding gate. During take-off, again she gave me formula milk. This time I slept during most of the journey.

Dad and Aunt Cindy picked us up at Changi Airport. Ahh...it always feels good to be back home.

Moments with Opa

Me with Opa at Sunter home earlier today.

The Concert

Praise the Lord, the concert went successfully despite a few glitches here and there. Mom was not very well either on that day, but God granted extra strength. Not just to her, but to all of the participants.

During the event, I was waiting at home. When the concert was over, I was picked up from home and brought to see Mom at the restaurant. Ohhh, how I missed her! I haven't seen her since she left the house from 2 PM, for almost 9 hours! I just clinged on to her and never wanted to let go. Whenever she put me to sit, I cried and asked to be carried again.

Mom is so glad that the concert is finally over and that we are returning back home tomorrow.

Out With Popo & Akyu Ta Ming

Po Po called Mom this morning and said that she missed seeing me so much. And so does Akyu Ta Ming (Akyu Ta Ming is Mom's elder brother). So the two of them picked us up at Sunter and brought us to lunch at Kelapa Gading. After lunch we went to Carrefour to buy some stuffs to bring back to Singapore.

Mom had rehearsals on Thursday and Friday night. So while she was on rehearsal, I stayed with Aunt Riri, Aunt Sisi or Oma. After only a few hours, I successfully gave Aunt Sisi a sore arm and Aunt Riri a back pain huehehehe.....

My cough got worse on the day I came to Jakarta. Therefore I lost a bit of appetite. Mom said she will bring me back to see the doctor again once we go back to Singapore.

Jakarta, Here We Come

Yay, finally the day has come. Mom and I are going to Jakarta. Alone. Everyone has been telling me to behave and be a good boy during the flight so Mom won't be so exhausted.

Dad took a half day off to take us to the airport. Aunt Cindy came along too. We had lunch at Burger King. And as you can see in the photo, I fell asleep again while eating my lunch.

After lunch, Mom, Dad and Aunt Cindy went to have tea and snacks while I slept in my stroller. About half an hour before boarding time, Mom and I finally went inside the custom gate.

On the plane, I was quite a good boy. Really! During take-off, Mom prepared formula milk for me to drink. Then during the rests of the journey, I was just playing around, standing on Mom's lap, watching the other passengers. When the food came, Mom was able to eat, with me. Yes, with me. She gave me a small slice of kiwi fruit that was meant to be the pudding garnish. Then she took small pieces of baguette and cheese from her sandwich, and fed me. I was sitting quietly on her lap while eating those :-D

When we arrived at Soekarno-Hatta, I was also being very good. I did not cry asking for Mom to carry me (unlike on the last trip) while she was waiting for our luggage. Again, there was no porter to help us. So Mom did the same thing, took all the luggage and put them on the trolley. Then she carried me on the sling, folded the stroller and put it on the trolley. Outside the gate, all our family were already waiting anxiously for us. We went for a nice dinner, then Mom and I went home to Opa's house at Sunter.

Mom is soooo pleased. She keeps saying: "Good Boy, Nate!" :-)

40 Weeks Old

I am 40 weeks old today. Still having 2 teeth on my lower ground. No new tooth emerging yet.

Mom said I really like to explore the house now. My favourite places are the shoe rack, kitchen, Dad's bedside table and the coffee table in the living room.

I got bored easily with my toys. I am more attracted to 'real stuffs', like handphones, remote controls, my stroller wheels, my bicycle wheels, and so on. Mom thinks maybe if I grow up I will become a machinist or a technician or something like that he he.

I am still having coughs and some phlegms. My appetite has not really returned to normal but I can still eat my solid food.

And oh, I am going back to Jakarta in 2 days! *yippee* Mom is joining the choir to do a concert in Jakarta 'tis Saturday, and she is bringing me back with her :)

High-Chair-Bed

Mom is scratching her head. She is wondering why I don't want to nap after she feeds me breakfast, puts me to sleep on her bed, followed by breastfeeding, and then rocks me in her arms. But I sleep easily on my high chair. Just give me my snack, and I will doze off instantly.

What is My Occupation?

Name my occupation based on my appearance.

Anyone?

Camera Shy

Look who's camera shy :-P
Mom secretly caught me on tape while I was dancing in front of the mirror.

Secrets to Smooth Skin

Feeling Better

Phew! After just one dose of the prescribed medicine, I already feel better. Still having a little bit of cough and runny nose, but at least my appetite has increased.

Mom and Dad are very relieved.

9 Months Old

I turned 9 months old today! Mom and Dad often could not believe how fast I have grown. It feels like only yesterday they brought home the newborn me from the hospital. And now I am only 3 months away from being a year old.

I started to understand when Mom told me something. For instance, when I am playing on her bed and starting to go near the edge of the bed, Mom will warn me: "Be careful. You don't want to fall down from the bed. It is painful." Then, I will start to be very cautious, move slowly and crawl away from there. Yes, I understand what pain is, because I have fallen down from that bed a few times :-P

My weaning process has gone very smoothly. Too smooth indeed. I take my bottle (with formula milk) very very well. I don't really like taking Mom's breastmilk from the bottle now, but I still like to take them directly.

However, today I am not well. I am having a little cough and runny nose. My appetite dropped a lot coz I only ate less than half of what I used to eat. I only want to drink juice/water/milk. So today Mom brought me to see the paediatrician. She prescribed me some medicine and asked Mom to let me sleep with no air-con on for a few days. I hope I can get well very soon so I can enjoy my play time again.

Out of Stock

Only one available in store. Sold to Papa Tim & Mama Andrea :-)

Playground

Mom brought me to play at the playground for the first time last week (4th August). Yes, it took Mom some time before she brought me there, but finally we went for it. She brought me down with me on my bicycle. Although I was hesitant at first when we reached there, after a while, I really enjoyed my time.

So yesterday, Dad came back earlier from work, and this time the three of us went to the playground just near our block. We had a few playgrounds nearby our block, but I mostly go to 3 of them. Yesterday is the first time Dad joined us.

There are staircases there for me to practise my stair climbing skill. There are also different types of slide. There is a set of swing too, but this is for older children, so I had to wait a few more years before I can use it.

After a few trips to the playground, the word "playground" can really bring smile to my face :-)

Combo Milk

After much much consideration, Mom decided to wean me off from breastfeeding starting from today. It is sort of earlier than what she has scheduled. Well, Mom is not intending to stop breastfeeding me entirely but she is going to do 'Combo Feeding", i.e. feeding me breastmilk and formula milk.

The reasons why Mom thinks I am ready for this are because of the following signs:

- I can now sleep throughout the night. If I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night I can go back to sleep without having to breastfeed.

- I can take milk from the bottle quite well now.

- I can go to sleep without the breast or bottle, both naptime and night time.

What she plans to do is to breastfeed me in the morning, feed me formula milk in the afternoon, and expressed breast milk for my last feeding of the day. She will also breastfeed me as and when I need to during the day.

So today, she tried to give me formula milk just before my breakfast (after breastfeeding in the early morning). At first, she was quite worried that I would reject it coz she has heard many similar stories from other moms. So she prepared only 60ml in a small bottle and gave to me. To her surprise, I finished it in no-time! She fed me my cereals, and then gave me another 60ml of formula milk. And again, I finished it to the last drop :-)

Well, now she is much more assured that I am 'ready' for combo feeding.

National Day 2007

It's my first National Day in Singapore!

Since it is super duper packed in the city, Dad wanted to try to catch the fireworks from Marina Square foodcourt. Well, it was also very packed over there, so we went to Suntec City instead to have dinner and just walked around. We saw the long chain of students dressed in colourful costumes, coming down from Suntec Convention Centre to go to the stadium. Their costumes were so beautiful and colourful, they immediately catched my eyes.

I was asleep when the fireworks started. Mom and Dad managed to catch a glimpse of them from Suntec Tower Four, level 2 (outside Carrefour).

Going back home was a tough challenge as all the escalators were shut down and everyone had to climb up/down the stairs. So Dad had to carry my stroller and Mom had to carry me all the way to the MRT station. Good exercise for the both of them, but they had a great time together with me :-)

Prison Break

38 Weeks Old and Swimming With Friends

Today I went for swimming at Caden's place with Mom, Auntie Cindy, Noah and Auntie Astrid.

I was not in a very good mood when I have just arrived. But, after one good 'dip' into the pool, I started to lighten up and enjoy my swimming moments.

Auntie Astrid was my swimming coach for the day. With her around, who needs swimming lessons elsewhere? :-D

Meal Time Updates

Actually, I am quite an OK baby when it comes to mealtimes. I like most of my food and can eat quite a big serve most of the time. And yet, I am still at the average (50 percentile) of national baby boys' body weight.

Mom has been trying to experiment with different types of veggies/meat, and combinations of them. She sometimes read baby food recipe books or browse the Net to source for recipes. But she never followed them closely. She just read to get inspiration of what to put inside my porridge, and most of the time she just use her own imagination :-D

According to what she read, age 8 months is a good time to introduce babies to stronger tastes veggies/herbs. So, sometimes, she would put garlic and/or chopped onions (raw or sauteed with olive oil/unsalted butter) into my porridge. She once include spring onions or cheese as well. But not too much cheese though, coz Mom said it can be too salty for me. Red pepper is also a recommended one, but she has not really tried it. Well, if you ask me how I take it, hmm actually I take them pretty well. Maybe because I am used to strong taste since I was still in her womb (she ate mostly spicy food while whe was pregnant with me).

Mom has also introduced me to baby fruit juice. At first, I didn't take it very well. But after second and subsequent feedings, I kinda like it :-) My favourite so far is apple juice or apple with blackcurrant juice (Heinz).

The latest meal that Mom has prepared for me is: Potato with Brocolli, Peas and Cheese. First, Mom chopped the potatoes and steamed them until they are quite tender. In a separate pot, she sauteed some chopped garlic with unsalted butter, then added in the chopped brocollis and peas. She added the potatoes in, stirred them, and lastly added a little grated cheese (she used cheddar cheese).

Hope you like the recipe just as I do ^-~

Insomniap?

Hmm is that what you call a condition whereby a baby is lack of nap time?

That's what is recently happening to me. Usually I will have at least 3 naps a day (at 11AM, 3PM and 7PM). But since yesterday, my nap schedule has been going haywire.

After my breakfast and morning bath, I played for 1-2 hours, and then had a nap at about 12-1PM before my lunch. After lunch, I also had some 'activities'. I was already starting to feel sleepy since 4PM. But I stayed awake until 7PM! As the result, I got very cranky during my dinner time and didn't eat much. I was not able to fall asleep well that night either.

So today, at around 5PM, Mom put me on the bed and really restrain me from moving around. I was not happy and I cried. But after fussing and crying for almost half an hour, I finally fell asleep and I slept for almost 2 hours! Wow, what a long nap!

I Love Swing!

It's even more fun when you have two assistants to help you :-)