Happy 11 months!

Chubs is 11 months old today!

Was at my in-laws' and going through chubs' photos when we hit upon an idea:

HAHAHAHA... that was us trying very hard to include chubs in our family portrait! The portrait was taken at least 4 years ago, even before Hubs and I got married. I look veryyy different right!

Due to the fact that my MIL is suffering from her recurring back problem after her HKG trip, we brought chubs home for the night. Lovely Youjin, Lynette and Mad decided to pop by for a visit because they haven't seen us for the longest time (Ok I know we last met for XY's dinner but to me that seemed such a long time back compared to our meeting frequency last time).

Upon seeing new faces (not new NEW but faces other than family's), chubs was very excited and active and refuse to go to bed until we had to "force" her to. She was crawling all over the kitchen and living room, playing with all the random items found in the house and refusing to stay still for a picture. As we were tired from chasing her around we did not want chubs to stay way beyond her bedtime, we tried to coax her to sleep in our bedroom at 9ish while the guests entertained themselves outside with the TV and whatnots.

poor girls have to scramble around my house (for a decent picture) with the active chubs who kept crawling speedily around the house

things adults do to amuse babies ... that hairband on Mad's head was given to chubs by my Uncle

At 11 months old, my chubs:

• is able to say "Mamii", "Dada", "DaaaDi", "Nai nai", "Hello"
• can stand up without support
• is cruising steadily and speedily along tabletops and sofas
• can manage 2-3 steps unassisted in her cot/playpen/our beds
• has increased her milk intake to 210ml per feed
• is hungry ever so often probably due to the fact she's becoming very active
• can self-feed herself Gerber's using "pincer grip"
• poos 1-2 times daily

HAPPY 11 MONTHS OLD, CHUBS!

footsteps of her 1st birthday getting louder ... ...

A playdate + Kysha's 1st month + Aunty Pat's birthday today!

Edit: More photos and information added

WY smsed couple of days ago, asking if it's OK for them to drop by our place for a visit today as they also planned on visiting Baby Jamie at my mum's. Original plan was for them to come by our place first for a little while before hopping over to my parents' (our houses are just across the road from each other) but since I wanted to bring chubs over to my parents' too, I thought we might as well all meet at my parents' place.

That made chubs' schedules just about packed for the day. 11ish - my parents' place for the usual Sunday bonding. 1ish - Kysha's 1st month celebration at Changi. 3ish - High tea for Aunty Pat's birthday celebration. Busy Beeeee!

Both kiddos slowly warming up to each other

Max happily munching away on apple

chubs munching on apples too

 Kids really do grow up at an amazing speed, don't they?! Max has grown so much taller and speaks so much more now compared to the last time I saw him (which was at chubs' 1st month's celebration). Very soft-spoken boy (WY might beg to differ, kids usually exhibit different personalities at home and outside) and seems to like babies much. He looked excited and happy upon seeing the tiny Jamie and chubs. He knew how to sayang Jamie but didn't quite know what to do with chubs except to hang around her and pass her toys. Hahaha ... Cute Max. Chubs even gave the shy boy a scare when she chased him for his apple! I weren't around to witness the funny scene but according to my parents, chubs chased Max (who was holding an apple, which coincidentally is chubs' favourite fruit) by crawling speedily towards him and poor Max reacted by running away and jumping onto the sofa to "escape"! I looked at the gentle, soft-spoken Max and at my squealing, excitable, rough chubs and sighed good-naturedly at the vast difference. Hopefully chubs' personality will be tamer when she grows older, she's too rough for a little girl!

Lovely Kysha sleeping sweetly, oblivious to the crowd and noise - she looks healthily big for a 1st month

After the playdate at my parents', it's off to Andrew's place for Kysha's 1st month celebration. Princess Kysha looked really lovely that day but too bad she was sleeping all the while when we were there so I didn't get a chance to carry her. Had to leave after a short while as we were pressed for time and didn't manage to catch up with the many friends who were there. One funny episode though (heard it from XY and Hubs because I didn't witness it) - Jean actually mistook chubs for Princess Kysha! Chubs was sleeping in her pram beside Kysha's bassinet and when Jean arrived, she looked at chubs and commented, "wah, quite big huh!" Everyone was silent for a moment before realising what Jean is talking about. XY corrected her by telling her that Kysha is the one in the bassinet and the one in the pram is Ashley and said something along the line of "Seriously, Jean! 1 month old where got so big!" HAHAHA ... mistaking a 10+ months old baby for a 1 month-old? Seriously, Jean!

It's today, your special day~ It's your birthday! It's someone's birthday today! (Sing to the tune of the Birthday song shown on BabyTV) Yes, it's someone's birthday again. Not that I'm complaining! I love birthday celebrations <3 This time it's Aunty Pat's (her birthday's 3 Dec) and we are having high tea buffet at Equinox, courtesy of the birthday girl.

Lotsa pictures were taken so I'll just let them do the talking: 

the view

my little precious enjoying her high tea session

regardless of whose birthday it is, i think it's the norm for any baby/toddler under the age of 3 to share the cake-cutting and candles-blowing session with the birthday person (at least that's the case on my end!).
And yes, Alvin does look very much like Aunty Pat.

 

Urm... ok. Gentle reminder: it is NOT Ashley's birthday. But yes, the limelight is all on her.

Btw, Equinox high tea is nothing to shout about and I think we paid more for the view than anything else. So nope, don't think will consider that place for future high tea sessions.

Happy Birthday, Aunty Pat!

Happy Friday mornings are made of this

Had chubs with us although it's a weekday because we wanted to let our in-laws have a proper rest for night. Nothing beats waking up to this: 

Totally made my TGIF day diabetically sweetttt.

First trip to the airport!

It's now the 3rd day. Our dear little precious has not poo-ed at all for the past 2 days! Whenever that happens, we are always a little worried because she will then have a really tough time doing it. But good thing that her constipation this time round is shorter.

As Hubs was still on leave today, the 3 of us just spent time together at home since the weather was rainy ... again. We were just relaxing, with chubs crawling around in the living room when suddenly she started crying. Really badly. I knew instantly it must be it! She must be trying to poo, finally! But what I didn't expect was how bad and long she would cry for. She just froze in mid-crawl and started bawling with all her might - red face and all. It was such a heartbreaking sight! But I just let her do "her thing" and threw words of encouragement at her without hugging her because I was afraid that she might relax in my arms and refuse to use her might to push anymore. After what seemed like eternity, I finally caved and carried her with her in standing position so as not to cause any "obstruction". Finally when she stopped crying, I pulled her pants down and was shocked to see her diapers protuding way out! The stool was really hard and big, no wonder she bawled so badly! Poor chubs. Sorry if I have been too detailed or graphic in my description above :P couldn't help noting this down!

one of the few photos I took of her bawling - can you feel her pain??

After the painful episode at home, we got ready to go to the airport to fetch my in-laws. Their flight was supposed to be landing at 7ish and we decided to bring chubs along for her first trip to the airport! Too bad we got there rather late (due to the rain) so we did not managed to walk around much. Just stopped at TCC for a cuppa coffee and desserts while we waited at the belt. Chubs was sleeping when we got there and woke up at a "perfect" timing! She woke up just when our drinks and desserts arrived. So we had to take turns to entertain her. 

she was so zonked out by the time we left the airport - slept all the way home! This photo was taken in the lift at our place

Hubs with chubs!

Hubs took off from work today and tomorrow as I told him I hope the 3 of us can spend some time together either at home or just go out for a walk and I really appreciate some help from him too. Woke up early and decided to bring chubs out for breakfast. As we both love LJS' breakfast, we decided to pop by J8 again. Upon reaching there, we were distracted by Subway's signage and decided to try that out instead.

chubs having her biscuit while we have our breakfast

was so tired she dozed off within an hour - love this shot of them

Although it was rare for just the 3 of us to hang out together on a weekday, we didn't manage to go anywhere as it was pouring the whole afternoon. At the insistence of my mum, we decided to spend the rest of the day at her place, doing nothing much and just lazed the day away. Wasted!

Pretty in black

Time really flies when you are juggling a baby with household chores. Routine for the past few days were:

- Wake up 7ish to begin cooking porridge in slow cooker

- Morning feed for chubs and diaper change

- Nap 1 hr+ or BabyTV for Ashley for 1/2 hr max.
- Shower chubs

- MagicKleen and mop the house

- Laundry

- Feed chubs porridge

- Bring chubs over to my parents

- Hang out till Hubs gets back from work

Not much time to rest and the hours were much longer than my office hours! But the hard work is all worth it whenever I see/hear chubs' smiles and chuckles. I also like how she held on to me whenever she felt clingy. But I do miss work. Not that I dislike being with chubs, but I realised I do miss working away from home (note: I only feel this way after landing the new temporary job, definitely didn't feel this way about the last one!). I do miss the interaction I have with other people (i.e. my colleagues) besides my family members during the day. It makes me feel ... connected in a way. Anyways! I digress.

Got a pleasant surprise visit from XY - she came armed with a 20pc Nuggets meal just for me. So sweet of her! Well, of course her main aim for the visit is our dear little chubs! She missed chubs so much she decided to pop by for a visit. Chubs has recently learnt a new command - "tang tang" (which means 'lie down' in Mandarin) and we managed to capture a shot of her doing that on me.

Pictures of the day to follow:

Top left picture is hilarious! Chubs with her out-of-bed hair barely able to open her eyes



Munching Gerber's at my parents'

Changed chubs after XY left and brought her over to my parents'. Changed her into this black tee-shirt my sis gave - the same design as the white tee-shirt in the first collage. What's special about this is, this is the very first time that my chubs is dressed in black! My MIL mentioned she doesn't like babies to wear black because it doesn't flatter them or something along that line and has not let her wear any black tops or bottoms till now. Saw this tee-shirt lying at the bottom of chubs' drawer and I thought, "Heck, why not??" I think she looked super cute, fair and pretty in black! Note to self: incorporate more black into her wardrobe :)

What Monday Blues?

As my in-laws are away for holidays from 20th Nov to 25th Nov, I get to have chubs all to myself during these days and spend quality time with her! I took unpaid leave to hang around with chubs because (1) Hubs couldn't take so many days off work, (2) the helper hasn't arrived as promised, (3) my parents' side are busy with Baby Jamie and I don't think they can handle 2 babies at one time and also because (4) I missed spending time with chubs!

Waking up to chubs smiling at me and yakking away is something money cannot buy. No matter how tired I am, I'm always instantly cheered up by my darling!

having fun around the house and making me forget it's Monday!

Another trip to TMC and Ohaiyo!

The stork is extra busy this Oct/Nov period and so am I! Been running to Gleneagles and TMC either alone or with Hubs and chubs. First, my cousin Alice gave birth to baby Davis on 23 Oct (oh that reminds me, I haven't blogged about him yet!), then Gladys gave birth to baby Kysha on 29 Oct, my SIL gave birth to baby Jamie on 11 Nov and now, Ginny has given birth to baby Chloe on 19 Nov!

having lunch at the coffeeshop opposite before walking over to TMC

In the afternoon, Hubs and I decided to bring chubs along to visit Ginny and baby Chloe since we can squeeze some time out. As Ginny enjoys childbirth benefits from her company, she stayed in the Premier Suite. When we reached her floor and was directed to her ward by signages, we were in for a surprise! Once we reached her area, there's this sign saying the area is restricted to only the guests and patients of that 5 premier wards and nobody else is allowed access. Beyond the sign, there was a lamp stand outside each walk creating a very warm and cosy ambience. We were wowed by the pathway because it seems like a different world from the normal wards. When we pushed over Ginny's door, we collectively let out a gasp and were awed at the spacious area and decor of the ward. *sheepish* We are very suaku (ignorant) like that. Baby Chloe was "suntanning" on her UV bed and I was unable to carry her. We just sat down, chitchatting with Raymond and Ginny (Nicole, Ginny's firstborn wasn't around). Hubs carried chubs and showed her the little meimei and chubs seemed eager to sayang her and kept wanting to look at her. Left after 1/2 hour later because it was chubs' porridge time and we didn't want to impose on them further.

While climbing the stairs to the overhead bridge outside TMC, Hubs lost his balance and nearly fell down with chubs in his arms (GASP!) but he broke the fall with his mighty big toe and got a nasty cut as a result. It bled immediately and Hubs grimaced in pain but still managed to carry chubs over to the other side where we parked our car. Poor Hubs!

Went over to my parents' for the usual Sunday interaction time for chubs and my parents. Dressed chubs up in a Japanese outfit my Aunty Theresa got from Hongkong and she looked so cute!

she recently found an interest in doors and today, she tried to shut the door!

playtime with the Japanese wannabe!

While playing with chubs, we found her to be rather greedy! Gave her 3 items to choose which she wanted to play with and she chose all 3 without wanting to let any item out of her sight! How did she manage that? See the collage of pictures above. She even propped her leg up to prevent the Tupperware from "getting away"! And even when she's crawling, she made sure to grab the bread or roll the Tupperware together. How greedy is that?? *Sigh* This is not the first time. She attempted a similar feat when my dad fed her slices of guava some time back. Although she couldn't eat the slices on her own, she held one in each hand and when my dad presented her with the 3rd slice, she tried to hold it too and when she realised she couldn't, she let out a cry of frustration! My dad then proceeded to leave the 3rd on a clean cloth in front of her, within her sight. *chants* "my chubs is not greedy, my chubs is not greedy..."

Just hangin'

Popped over my mum's and few photos were taken because we were too busy chasing after playing with chubs and Baby Jamie.

chubs sitting on a balloon armchair my mum got from AMKhub

my little precious sleeping soundly

Amanda's Birthday

I think the photo's caption is self-explanatory rightttt. As per the usual practice for birthdays nowadays, the birthday girl, XiaoGu Amanda, sat chubs down on her lap when we were singing the birthday song and when she was cutting the cake. Bet you can see from the photos chubs' eagerness to lurch towards the cake either to eat it or to blow the candles. Patience darling, patience. Your birthday coming soooooooon. You can have the cake and eat it then! :)

Happy Birthday, Amanda!

You know your nom nom love you laaaaaaaaa.

Happy Hari Raya Haji! and more on Baby Jamie...

Yes, this is another Baby Jamie-related post. You can't run away from it just like how I can't run away from Baby Jamie! (not that I'd want to though)

Since Baby Jamie came home on 14th Nov, I have been coming over almost everyday to help out with a little of cleaning up here, a little of feeding there. As my mum (Yes, MY mum, not Jamie's mum) was not in favor of getting a confinement nanny due to various reasons, my bro had to turn to me for some advice on how to deal with a baby. I went over to clean Baby Jamie's body as well as provide a little bit of advice on breastfeeding and the proper storage of breastmilk. 

reaching out to us

does this give you a clue what the date is today?? my sis managed to capture this cute photo after I left

another of Jamie's cute expressions


After hanging out at my parents', we decided to bring my in-laws and chubs to Vivocity for some shopping (to utilise the vouchers courtesy of Aunty Pat) and headed home after a short while.

couldn't help taking pictures of the Xmas tree at Vivocity - chubs lovesss Xmas decor! She shrieks and squeals whenever she sees Xmas decor especially at the sight the glittery balls.

Kiddy ride-hopping - her Ye ye carried and let her "test ride" 4 rides on a mini carousel while we were settling stuffs at the Customer Service counter

chubs half-crying and half doing her cutecute face to make me carry her



after seeing me put the TV remote on my head (haii ... things you do to attract a child's attraction), this little imp parrot my actions!

Sunday with Great-grandma

Dropped by my parents' place to see Baby Jamie and knowing that both babies are at my parents', my grandma decided to pop by as well to hang out.





 

While we were there, we introduced Jamie to chubs telling her that Jamie is meimei. She was rather curious about Jamie and kept wanting to touch her and babytalk to her. We were left wondering if she's just being chatty or she's asking Jamie to get out of the baby cot since chubs "owned" the cot 2 for 2 weekends before Baby Jamie came along. Let's keep our fingers crossed for zero jealousy.

New pattern

Recently, I have noticed a new pattern in chubs when she's in her walker. Her right hand will inevitably go through the hole where her right leg is and start scratching it or just to leave her hand on her leg. It has been like that for at least a week. Funny girl.

on this particular Saturday, she started lying/lazing on the floor, avoiding the mattress I've laid for her

even brought her bolster along wherever she laid

she likes to "examine" her walker more than she likes sitting in them

Visiting Baby Jamie

sweet photo of father and daughter



one of her Gerber's was left sticking on her chin without her knowing - found this a funny sight and took a picture (while still laughing) before I removed it for her. by then my sis, whose lap chubs is sitting on here, was shaking her head disapprovingly at me for being such a "bad" mum 

  

tired hubs who napped while we waited for the rain to ease

 

whipped out my phone for a photo on the way back

Hello Jamie!

Edit: more photos added

Baby Jamie arrived in this world on 11 Nov at 1.00pm! After much anticipation, my little niece has finally arrived and she looks amazingly like my brother.

with the proud daddy and 2 Gu-gus (aunties!)

the happy family :)

my bro showing his fatherly side while my sis and Hubs looked on

not preparing to slap her ok! just comparing her tiny head to my brother's palm

a proud Ye ye

happy Nai nai

Hello Jamie, Welcome to Our Family!