26.10.2008 - Baby Yongzhi is a toddler!

it doesn't feel like yesterday that i've just gave birth to the little one at thomson medical centre. but it also doesnt feel like one year ago either! time passes really fast.
i can still remember vividly the moment when i felt my huge-ass tummy deflates and out came this wailing being with the flatest nose and roundest cheeks. :)
i looked at ah long and kept on muttering, "he is so beautiful" as i teared.

fast forward in time, this little baby is the same angel and terror who brings me much joy, laughter as well as countless sleepless nights and frustrations.
from a tiny (actually not very tiny by newborn standards) baby weighing at 3.515kg and 50cm long to the little toddler now at 1 year old, weighing 10.5kg and standing 80cm tall, yongzhi has definitely grows up alot.

and he does so in an blinking of an eye. to capture the memories, ive busied myself with doing up a photobook which follows his growth from a newborn to the 1 year-old toddler he is now.
and im really glad the output is a gorgeous piece that captures the different stages of him.
100% done by me and 30% reviewed by hb nia. heh.
really, im the hardworking one between us when it comes to such stuff.

let's take a look at it! took some shots of the 40 pages photobook:

the cover page of the hard-cover photobook

1st page

when he was a newborn (1-2 days old)

7-8mths, swimming time!

last page of the photobook

again, anyone interested in doing a similar photobook can let me know. its relatively easy to do so. just download the software from the website, choose appropriate layout, upload ur photos. when done, transfer online to them, they print it out and it'll get couriered to your hse in 3-5 working days! and if i referred you, you'll get 10% off and i'll get 10% off for subsequent photobook. *cool*

and the photobook makes a great coffeetable album during his bday party this sunday (his exact birthday). :)

relatives and friends alike can see once and for all baby yz's transformation over the past year. hee.

hb and me decided to hold a small party for him and invites only relatives and some close friends for a mini celebration. about 30-odd people turned up, mostly my relatives and friends. keke.

we managed to keep expenses low as we held it at our house and didnt engage a professional photographer (not that this is ever an option to ah long! :P).

so wat's the damage?

food from neo garden: $400+ (got 15% discount for 1st year bday and we ordered 30 persons portion for 30+ guests. worked out just nice as their portion is really just right so minimal food wastage. )

cake from pine garden: $130 (considered really cheap for the good taste and decor! we ordered lychee martini for the top layer and blackforest for the bottom layer. ha not baby friendly cos the whole cake contains liquor!)

bday decorations: $50 (sesame street theme cos mammy loves it!)

photobook: $80+ (value-for-money)

agar agar: $45 (mrs chan's agar agar is really delicious. even my mum, who's an agar agar queen, approves of it!)

around $700+. what a modest amount. :)

really well spent cos i can see yongzhi, my relatives and friends all having a good time.

elmo agar agar, sesame street themed 2-tier cake, 10 red hard-boiled eggs from my mum. heh. that's my pretty thighs in the background. *ahem*

baby yz so happy to be in the limelight.

family photo. again, the baby refused to look at the camera. totally fixated on the cake.

and he boxed papa! look at hb's pained expression. LOL.

for mammy, i will look at the camera. plue a flying kick as bonus.

my AHS kakis!

really must mentioned here that im very touched at the 100% turnout of my gang! as my mum said, our friendships really come a long way!! 15 years hor, dun play play.

im really looking forward to candice's wedding next year! sure very fun.

but before that, we are going to let our hair down @ dragonfly for jx's bday soon! :)

blowing the candle by me. he doesnt know how to yet.

ooh, he loves cake-cutting part. when he saw the knife slice in, got this huge grin on his face.

welcome to the sesame street! *high pitched voice* by the way, the cupcake really tasted so-so compared to the main cake. oh well.

and so the party went well and lasted all but 4 hrs nia. guests started streaming in at 12 noon. ate their lunch. baby got passed around alot. cake-cutting at 130pm. guests ate cake+agar agar. guests started to leave in staggered format from 3pm onwards. hb and me cleaned up the place and the ng family were outta the hse by 4pm! heh.

we went to my gramps hse for her to see baby yz and then rest and relaxed the rest of the evening back at my mum's place. wanted to drop by parkway parade but the father and son duo were both tired out by noon events and knocked out for a good part of the evening at my mum's place. tsk tsk.

good turnout after weeks of planning. :)

but think for his subsequent birthdays i prefer to spend it quietly just between us.

perhaps hotel stay will be nice. :) let's see if 26.10.2009 will be as fun as 26.10.2008!

intoxicated by the blue eyes

"tropic thunder" is finally here! went to catch it with the husband first timing last evening. :)
been waiting till my neck very long!
a true blue comedy from ben stiller! *yippee*
fallen in love with his brand of comedy ever since i caugh the "zoolander" 6 years ago. since then, i tried my best to catch all his shows.
but none matches that of his model character in zoolander.
while zoolander makes fun of the model industry, tropic thunder does so for hollywood.
i think it matches and may well surpasses "zoolander".

if you are into rude comedy (the show is R-rated, by the way), pls go and catch it.
it has hilarious in-your-face comedy as well as some very intelligent lines.
a really good mix.

and why the title? cos when *spoilers ahead* robert downey jr's character pulls out his contact lenses, his clear clear blue eyes filled up the damn screen.
SWEET!

yongzhi's photoshoot photos!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/awbabies/sets/72157608233258640/

for those interested in engaging this photographer for her services, can contact me!
she is a SAHM who has 3 lovely boys so her passion for babies is the same as for photography! :)

can see that baby yz got the most hilarious expressions in some of the photos! lovely!
its really tough to have a photoshoot for babies for they have their moods and they get tired so easily. (though the adults even more tired.. heh).
still, i think all the shots are lovely for they have my precious little bub in them!

i love weekends!

now that baby is well again, its back to action for the ng family!
aka go out jalan jalan. heh.

went to redhill hawker for yummy brekkie with baby and to get his food for the coming week.

gangsta' baby with mildly surprised look.

after that, we busied ourselves with doing housework and baby napped away.
then we made our way to marina square to look for shoes for the little one!

seems not very happy with the idea of going out

spent a relaxed afternoon and early evening there.
baby got his shoes + new sock! :)
mammy got a new top from topshop!
pappy got some gadget that holds his phone in an upright position in the car....

everyone is happy at the end of the day!
taking kiddy ride outside kiddy palace

yoyoyo!

baby 1st photoshoot

we brought baby yz to his 1st photoshoot yesterday! :))
it was done by a fellow mummy who just started this home-based job!
so glad that he recovered in time for this for we've postponed it once when he was down with his fever...
stole some un-edited raw photos from her yesterday to complete his photobook (look out for updates on this! its a beauty!).

here are some copies!
i cant wait for the final edited photos! :)
money well-spent if you asked me!

southeast asia, here we come!

yippee, dear dear and me are going travelling once again.
short trips they may be, but more than enough to sooth my travel urges for the rest of this year. :)

we popped down to chinatown to source for good deals for our year-end travelling.
it was between HK/macau and cambodia though hubbi and me are more or less quite fixated on cambodia.
for its somewhere we've never been to before!
in the end, we booked a 4D3N cambodia trip in dec with CTC!
happy happy. though the price is not as cheap as i expected. but yay, still happy.

and as i reached there earlier, i went browsing on other travel deals (my fav. past-time).
and i got soooo attracted to the genting pamphlets!
and so when the husband came, i whined and whined about going to genting. LOL.
and he does love me! hiaks.
for we booked a 3D2N mini trip to genting as well! setting off mid next mth! *wee*
this time we are taking the 草原快车 and staying at the resort hotel.
no more cramming in a small bus and small room at first world hotel! :)
dear dear and me gonna shop, eat, watch movie, relax and of cos GAMBLE.
i think i look forward to his trip more than the cambodia one. tsk tsk.

thanks baby for agreeing to go with me for i know how much u hate taking the plane and travelling per se. ha.
thanks for subsidising my trips too! i can gamble more now. LOVL.

in the mood for blabberings

the house bunny
went to catch this show with the husband last thursday. a good light-hearted show that let us had a grin plastered to our faces for almost the whole time.
anna faris (the female lead) is just so likeable! and it sure doesnt hurt that she has killer legs too.
i'll give it 3.5 popcorns for a movie per se. but 4 popcorns for its genre!

travel travel
i think its time that hubbi and me started planning for yet another retreat on our own. heh.
all the mundane daily operations sometimes left me thinking we could have spend more quality time together.
the last recharge we had was the 2D1N thingy @ rasa sentosa. but that is too short if u ask me, though we did enjoyed ourselves tremendously.
so im thinking if it's possible to slot in a short trip in nov/dec. will hunt around for good deals middle of this week with the husband.
my heart says HK/macau. but my head says cambodia. my pocket says nowhere.
my hubbi says anything.
will it be too greedy to sneakily add a 2D2N genting trip somewhere next mth?

the financial meltdown
everyday flip the papers can see this market crashing, that bank going bankrupt etc.
i think i really have no 危机感. totally irritated with such onslaught of news.
ah long, on the other hand, is like totally immensed in them. every single related article on the stock market cant escape him.
for someone who hates reading, his committment to read up all these is shocking.

im a risk-averse being who holds my assets like LIQUID. so the dumb dumb who has all her limited cash in bank is totally not affected by this financial crisis.
luckily the other dumb dumb, sells most of his shares just before this meltdown.
nowadays, everything also not safe. investments can go to nought in a day. banks can go bankrupt. so i say, just save reasonably and spend the rest.
life is really too short to get caught up with beating the inflation, growing your wealth etc.
but again, this is me talking. and who is me?
no one you should be too concerned with. :P

mm...mah mah

dun know since when, baby has totally forgotten how to say papa (this used to be one of his 1st words). after much coaching, he now will call out mm...mah mah at me when prompted.
or when he wants me to get him something.
he will go :"mm...mah mah." then point relentlessly at things. heh.

yesterday night at ard 4am, he started coughing abit. must be due to the irritation from phlegm in throat.
me quickly went to sleep beside him on his mattress.
he opened his eyes, saw me and say:"mm...mah mah." then promptly slept back again.
aww... utterly sweet!

now the husband has been trying to no avail to get the little one to say papa.
hiaks.

popped down to browhaus at raffles city for eyebrow trimming last friday.
though the price is kinda steep compared to the usual hollywood secrets, im deeply satisfied with the results.
so much so that i went on to sign a mini package of 5 sessions with them! :)
im a sucker for nicely shaped brows.
everyone should housekeep their brows, really!

weekend with the little tot

thanks to all mummies who left their well-wishes comments (excluding auntie ayu, LOL).
baby yz's fever has gone down. the photo in last post was taken last weekend.
his runny nose has cleared up abit. no more sneezing but the occasional mucus will still snake its way out of his tiny nostrils. not a pretty sight.
now got to monitor the cough abit. good thing is its not as phlegmy as his previous cough.

bought him to cut his hair today! his last haircut was back when he's 4 mths old!
not that his hair grows out alot but those lalang needs a trim badly!

giving me a suspicious look. new leg warmers! :)

blurry shot no thanks to pappy.

having hair cut!

baby was surprisingly 乖 during the haircut session. the funny part was when he tried to point at the tv screen infront of him but cant see his own hand beneath the green cloak! ha.
any difference? he really got very little hair, hor?

i wonder when his next haircut will be... hmm.

hello auntie dewi, no bubbly photos yet.

still under the weather.. :(

here's a grouchy one for you first. heh.

viral fever sucks

just when baby yz is recovering from his long cough, he kena viral fever last wednesday!
of cough, cold & fever, i hate fever most.
his encounter with fever when he was barely 1 mth old left me shaken.
fever makes a baby lose weight in the shortest time, lose their appetite and if at too high a temperature, there maybe complications.
no parents like a fever, trust me.
so imagine how my heart took a lurch when i felt that his head is a tad hotter than normal last wednesday (yup, on a public holiday somemore!).
we self-fed him some paracetamol left behind from his last jab and the fever came down in late noon. thinking everything is ok, we left it at that since most GPs are closed on PH anyway.
but at night, the fever soars to 38.5! so we rushed him to KK chilren clinic and it was diagnosed at viral fever so prescribed paracetamol but no antibiotics. the dosage is much higher at 5ml.
and so the next few days the fever went up n down and by friday night the fever went up to 39.5 again! and we made another trip down to KK again. this time blood and urine tests were performed.
poor baby was crying the most pitifully when the nurse squeezed his tiny middle finger to get big droplets of blood. :(
luckily the tests came back normal. the doc said its normal viral fever and asked us to continue on the meds and she took a look at his throat and commented that its abit reddish.
again, we didnt think much of it (we really should have!!).

and so we went back more confident since the tests are fine. assumed that the fever will be gone soon but we were wrong!
over the weekend, the fever soars over 39 no less than 2 times and each time we sponged the baby down, he cried like mad. *heartpain*
and on mon, he started rejected all kind of food, be it milk/rice cereal and even water!!
so my mum took him to visit the GP downstairs and he said baby throat is all red- he is suffering from sore throat and runny nose as well!
poor poor baby. and his body broke out in rashes (fake measles - a condition common to babies with high fever.) but that is the least of our concern as we were told that these will fade in good time. and all this while the fever still comes n go!!

and finally by tuesday this week, the fever was finally gone. took a good 6 days for it to subside!
i suspect baby yz immune system is not very strong. perhaps due to him taking few courses of antibiotics for his fever+sore throat when he was less than 1 mth old then.
in any case, i hope he started building some immunity from this illness.
and his appetite for milk/solids finally come back after 2 days of strike. *relieved*
we literally has to hold him down to spoon/syringe feed him milk 60ml by 60ml, all the time he will cry like mad. really a nightmare.
now his feeding is slowly back to normal but still rejects water. *headache*

and he still nursing a slight runny nose + phlegm cough now. really hope he'll recover in time for his birthday celebration end of this month.
if not, we may have to cancel it.
maybe as my pantang mum said, he is a low profile baby. he didnt celebrate full mth cos he was hospitalised then. then now this illness just before his 1 year old bday. :(

hope he'll recover soon. i miss bringing my baby out and doing all kinda activities with him.

some photos i dug out from hubbi's hp

a baby with bad fashion sense on kiddy ride

i (we) love honda cars!