Maneki Neko (招き猫)

This is my 招牌动作!!

Mummy is going to buy me a bell and hang it around my neck :P

Happy Mother's Day

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby..
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Look Alike

Mummy has finally admit that Gorgeous looks like daddy.. Daddy is so PROUD!!



* Gorgeous 7 weeks old vs. Daddy 8 months old *

Gorgeous Feet & Hand

Mummy is so in love with Gorgeous feet especially my toe and she always molest it.. She find it very cute and round..

Parenthood

Parenthood brings joy and laughter to our life. However, bringing up a child is a challenging voyage. We have to weather the storms as gorgeous grows. I’ve learn that it is a skill of patient and perseverance in nurturing and taking care of gorgeous. Both parents play an equally important role in each day. It can be stressful taking care of gorgeous all day without daddy’s support. I’m grateful that daddy shares the responsibility by feeding, wipe and cuddle gorgeous in the unearthy hours. Sharing the burden, finding possible ways and strategic to deal with different challenge and understanding the needs and wants of gorgeous. I’m confident that we’ll enjoy the journey of bringing up gorgeous.

Thank You Gorgeous Daddy!

by Gorgeous Mummy

All About Me!

Daddy brought a new lens which is good for taking portrait photograph..

Of course, naturally I'm the BEST model.. I tried to co-operate with daddy and work very hard to give different facial expression and posture..

It is such a tiring job.. I was rewarded with milk milk after the photo session and I slept for the next 5 hours *snore* *snore*..



Baby gorgeous in ACTION!

Koala Bear & Tree

I've turn myself into a koala bear and mummy into a tree so I can climb and sleep on it..

I even know how to grab on to my tree so I won't fall :).. but am not sure why.. Whenever I'm awake, I'm no longer hanging on my tree.. I appear to be on my bed.. Am I dreaming?

Burp!!

Daddy and mummy are very persistence that I burp after milk milk..

Daddy even come up with a new style to burp me..

My enjoying face!! :) Do you think I will burp in this style??

Full Month Celebration

We make a trip to gong gong's house, visit to my great grandma and relatives on 09-11Apr.. We spent 4D/3N with gong gong and celebrate my full month.. My 3 cousins also make a trip back to see me.. I'm so happy and everyone so nice to me.. they carry and hug me.. Even gong gong carry me (he never carry infant cos he is scare)..



Grandma ordered roast pork, kueh... and make red eggs for relatives and friends.. Grandma also cook wine chicken and great grandma cook glutinous rice.. At night, we went to the restaurant for dinner..

2nd Hepatitis B Jab

Had my 2nd Hepatitis B jab today.. I am so brave that I only "uh" and never cry..

But mummy says I'm fake.. cos I'll allow Dr Ong to do anything to me without resisting.. hehe!! :)



I now weight 3.8kg, length 52cm and head circumference 37cm..

Next visit would be on my 3 month old for Polio & DTPa /HiB vaccine, Pneumococcus and Rotavirus..

Gorgeous is 1m old

I'm 1m old today and mummy sing me birthday song..

Mummy, where is my birthday cake??

I'm Cranky

I'm suffering from colic.. I was very cranky and throw out milk after feed cause my intestine got gas and is so painful.. Mummy has to cruddle me.. Daddy went to several pharmacy to get Infacol but it is out of stock.. so he got a similar product to help reduce the intestinal gas.. I finally was able to sleep well last night and only wake up every 4 hours for milk..

Feeding Time

Today I'm 11 days old and I try to hold my feeding bottles :)

Bath

I bath with guinness stout today.. Daddy believe that it can help to prevent milk rash..



Do I look drunk? :)

My Umbilical Cord

Daddy and mummy were chatting last night about my umbilical cord.. where they should place it when it drop off?? Daddy's family have an old folk belief that it should be wrap in an ang bao and either be place at a high high place or in some important places (e.g. president house, police station etc.. it depend on what they want me to be)..

Some thoughts were.. Dr Ong's clinic, Istana, Airport, Banks.. Daddy, if you throw it in Istana.. you will be in jail.. haha!! It makes mummy laugh so hard that her wound hurt.. Although my daddy do not believe in this.. but he is going to do it just for gorgeous..

At midnight, while mummy changing my diaper.. daddy realised that my umbilical cord has drop off.. Mummy was busy trying to find it..


My umbilical cord.. look like a dried oyster..

It was in my diaper with my pool of POO.. so mummy has to take it out and wash it.. as you can see some of my gold sticking on the tissue :P

Mummy, lucky you check my diaper.. otherwise I will end up as a toilet cleaner :(

Gorgeous's Input & Out-POO

My supply of milk..



Ha! Ha! This is my poo poo.. and Daddy says it is SMELLY!



Daddy, is a pot of GOLD!!

My 1st Outing

Mummy wake up at 7am today.. She clean herself first before waking daddy and me.. We have an appointment with Dr Ong at 9.15am.. as today is a weekday, we decide to drive off from home at 8.15am..

I behave myself through out the journey so daddy will being me out more frequent.. I didn't sleep in the car as I find the outside world, moving greenery, car, sky.. very interesting.



We see Dr Ong at 5th level.. then we proceed to 4th level for blood test.. Daddy and mummy decided to put me on the metabolic screen test since they were going to draw blood from my foot..

I think I'm well behaved as I only CRY for 3 times.. There were reasons why I cry.. 1) Poo on my diaper, 2) I'm hungry and 3) they draw blood from my foot..

I quickly fall asleep after the blood test.. My jaundice was well under control at 11.9 level.. so we were given the green light to go home :)

Next appointment is 18 April 2009 and they are going to jab me!!

My Car Seat

Daddy put me on the car seat for test drive.. as I'll be going out for the 1st time tomorrow.. We have an appointment with Dr Ong Eng Keow (Consultant Paediatrician and Neonatologist)of Singapore Baby & Child Clinic located at TMC.



Ermm.. so comfortable :)

Sunbath

Daddy put me to sunbath as I've mild jaundice (approx. 8.7 level)



See.. I'm enjoying.. Do I look like sky walker? :P

In Hospital

Our 4D/3N at TMC.. Daddy & Mummy check-in to TMC on 13.03.2009 at 12am. Operation is at 8am.. We were on the premium floor of TMC and our super deluxe room is newly renovated.. Mummy couldn't sleep that night as she was nervous..



At around 6am, the nurse came to our room to dress mummy up and prepare her for the operation.. Mummy was pushed to the operating theatre at 7:30am.. Dr Paul Tseng came by to chat with mummy and reassure her that everything is fine.. Dr Kong/GA was also very nice and he keep chatting with mummy to ease her nerve. At 7.55am, mummy knocked off.. and she only hear Dr Kong's voice at 9.00am to wake her up..



The first thing mummy asked when she awake was.. How is baby? Daddy says they are bathing me and will bring her over once it is done.. The moment when mummy see me.. she was so delighted that I'm a healthy little princess..







Mummy was on drip for the day after the c-section.. the drip has got morphine which keep her away from pain.. the nurses take good care of mummy.. changing the drip every 6 hours and measuring her blood pressure and temperature every 2 hours through out the day and night..

Daddy was having a good time.. enjoying the 5 stars facilities (6 meals per day and wireless Internet).. He even went over to the nursery room several times per day just to peep at me..



Mummy has her drip remove a day after the operation and she was given lunch and pain killer.. then mummy tried to stand up and walk around the room.. Surprisingly, mummy did very well..



We have many visitors and gifts from our friends.. Baby Mia was also busy entertaining daddy & mummy's friends..

Daddy & mummy are thankful to everyone at the hospital.. who are so patient, kind and helpful.. and our friends and relatives who call, sms and visited us at the hospital..

Arrival of Baby Gorgeous

Baby Gorgeous has arrived

13 March 2009 (Friday)

二月十七日

Weight: 2.465 kg or 5.7 lbs

Length: 45 cm

Head circumference: 32cm

Blood Group: O+

Final Count Down!

Final Count Down... for the arrival of Gorgeous!!

Dr Paul's clinic call and remind us on the operation for tomorrow.. The nurse ask if the ops can be at 7.45am cause Dr Paul got another ops at 7:15am.. so once he complete that one, he can operate on us.. Mummy says cannot as the auspicious timing is between 8am-10am according to grandma and great grandma..

Mummy is going to wash all my bots and sterilize them today :) Daddy will try and knock off early today.. go pick grandma up at the train station.. we will wait for daddy patiently at home and will admit to TMC at 11pm tonight..

Mummy at Home

Mummy has a sharp pain on her tummy on Monday 4am.. She groan very softly but my daddy is so alert that it wake him up.. he was worry and think that mummy should stop going to office.. From today till Thursday, mummy will work from home.. she is grounded and daddy will buy dinner for her every night.. She is not allow to go out or run around :)

My dear mummy haven't even apply for maternity leave and daddy has already got his leave approved from 13 - 20 Mar..

Housekeeping

We did housekeeping today.. In preparation for gorgeous's arrival, daddy set up my playpen.. Mummy made daddy clean up his rubbish and give up one drawer for her.. and Mummy give me 3 more shelf to store gorgeous's stuff.. Mummy also packed her hospital bag and daddy clothes.. Mummy want daddy to stay with her through out the 3 days.. haha!!

Mummy was so pleased and excited that there will be FREE wireless internet access from her room.. She will bring her S10 ideapad.. and even considering if she should bring the Korean DVD so she can watch it..

From next weekend onward, daddy and mummy cannot enjoy 2 people world anymore.. haha!! cause everywhere they go.. they must bring gorgeous along :P

My 10th Appoinment

I'm into my 37 weeks and still breech.. Dr Paul want to try and turn me but it scare daddy & mummy.. Daddy & mummy scream so loud in the room that they are not prepare and was all ready for c-section.. Daddy & mummy didn't want to try as the placenta block my way so there is no point taking that risk..

The date is confirmed 13 March 2009 at 8am.. I'll be 38 weeks+ by then.. We have to admit to TMC between 12am - 5am (at least 3 hours before the operation).. and no food & drink 6 hours before operation.. We will discharge on 16 March, noon..

Daddy & mummy have finally signed up stem cord for me.. Daddy must remember to bring this to hospital.. :)

Baby Fair @ Singapore Expo

Today, we went to take some pictures follow by a visit to baby fair at Singapore Expo..

Daddy and mummy brought more stuffs for gorgeous..

Combi brib.. can be roll up and keep it at S$12.50
Babysafe Disney playpen cover at S$21 and infant pillow case at S$7
Avent magic mug at S$12.90 and 2 X 6 months old treat at S$4.80 each.
Potty at S$5



See... I've 3 sets of playpen cover and pillow case.. Mummy just washed it :)

Shopping with Grandma

This morning, mummy had birdnest before going to TMC for regular check up.. After the visit at around 9:20am, daddy and mummy went home to eat the lo mi fan prepared by grandma..

Grandma is here with us from Thur (26/2) to Mon (2/3).. She cooked birdnest, pao sheng, red Korean ginseng and lo mi fan for us.. She also helped to stock up the stuff that will be use for mummy's confinement.. Grandma says many of the stuff that she want cannot be found near our place so we drove to Sheng Song for a tour today..

Grandma got the dry herbs, white rice wine and also doggy brand vinegars..



After lunch at Long House, we went to Robinson and OG in centre point.. Daddy got me a Foogo foods thermo ($46), Pigeon cooling plaster ($4.90) and Pigeon scissor ($11.90) less 25% from Robinson.. Combi fork and spoon ($6.90) less 7% and Pigeon nose cleaner ($4.90) less 15% + 7% from OG..

My 9th Appointment

Sigh...

I'm still in breech position.. according to Dr Paul, the placenta is blocking me from turning.. I'm now in a breech with extended legs (a.k.a frank breech)..



He can do an ECV for mummy at week 37 but he is not going to force it.. It is because of the placenta and I'm mummy's first pregnancy.. the successful rate of ECV might be higher if it is mummy's 3rd pregancy..

Daddy and mummy were given homework to consider about the ECV and vaginal breech delivery over the next 1 week.. He does not want to affect our decision as he will do either the vaginal breech delivery or c-section..

Dr Paul is going on vacation from 20-29March and my EDD is 25Mar so we need to figure out a date for c-section.. It is advisable to do it within the 10days of EDD which is from 15-25Mar.. with Dr Paul's away from 20Mar.. we are left with 15-20Mar.. and grandma has given us the following choice.. 13/3 (Friday 13th?), 15/3 (Sun - probably extra charge?), 19/3 (Dr Paul will perform the operation but will not be able to visit us), 21/3 and 25/3 (too close to EDD and Dr won't be around).. Mummy love to have it on 21Mar as both daddy and mummy are borned on 21st.. The only worry is.. too near to delivery and might get into labour..

The caesarean section cost..

Delivery: S$2,000
Dr Visit: S$300
GA: S$550
Baby Dr: S$450
Hosp: S$3,283
Companion charge: S$75 X 3 days
Estimated cost: S$6,808
inclusive of 7% GST = S$7284.56
Less Medisave = S$3,250
Cash = S$4,034.56

Durain

Daddy brought durain for goregous.. Mummy never like to eat durain but for my seek she is taking it.. Mummy wanted to buy the S$5 per packet durain but daddy feel that it is better to get good quality one.. so Mummy will not be scare by the experience.. The D24, Super D24 and Sultan King is selling at S$10 per packet and buy 2 get 1 free.. the XO is at S$28 per packet and buy 2 at S$30. Based on the sales person recommendation, we got 1 packet of XO and 1 packet of super D24 for S$20..

Both are creamy texture and taste sweet.. the XO inital taste a little bitter.. follow by sweetness..

More Stuffs for Gorgeous

Finally.. daddy and mummy got all the stuffs.. and they are counting down for my arrival..



Bathtub at S$12 and my sleeping blanket at S$19.. from Ikea



Philips Avent IQ UNO milk pump at S$279 less 7%+5%.. Mummy got it at the John Little GST absorb sales..

My 8th Appointment

6 more weeks to go..

Today we have decided not to do scan for once.. Dr Paul touched mummy's tummy and I'm still in breech position.. Mummy is getting worry that I'm a breech baby and may end up delivering by cesarean..

Dr says he can try to turn me in mummy's uteruse using a procedure called external cephalic version (ECV) in the week of 37..

External cephalic version has some risks, including the following:
- Premature labor
- Premature rupture of the membranes
- A small blood loss for either the baby or the mother
- Fetal distress leading to an emergency cesarean delivery
- The baby might turn back to the breech position after the external cephalic version is done

We are very grateful that Dr Paul is very experience.. He provide suggestion for us to help move me during the next 2 weeks..

1) Lie on your back, with your bottom away from the wall. Place the feet high on the wall, and using it for support, lift your hips high. Have pillows or a firmly rolled towel ready to slip behind your back for support. Your hips need to be higher than your shoulders.



2) An alternative is to adopt a "knee-chest" position, with your bottom high in the air and your head and chest on the floor.



But both suggestion cannot last too long as mummy will be exhausted..

So he suggest to raise the leg of the bed.. mummy will sleep 8 hours in this position over the next two weeks..



The bed was raised by approx 5 inches from ground..

Our conclusion.. my head is small so there is no pressure to drop to vertex position.. but hor, daddy got a big head leh..

Mummy is praying that gorgeous will turn from breech position to vertex position.. please don't be like your daddy.. daddy was borned with buttock first :(

I'm 34 Weeks Old

Let the countdown begin.. Mummy wake up this morning with a great idea for this photo shoot.

She make daddy took these photos.. This photo show daddy & mummy hands covering me, hugging me, making me feel warm..



Loving hands with the little gorgeous..

Laundry

Mummy did my laundry today.. see this scary sight..



Lots of clothes nappy.. Look like some towel outside the saloon..

Gorgeous Cap

Mummy finally got me a cap.. from Kiddy Palace at S$4.90..

Baby Wipes

Daddy and mummy went to Parkway Parade for more shopping.. wanted to buy wipes and bath tub.. but the bath tub that daddy prefer is a last piece..

We managed to get the pigeon wipe.. 1 box of wipe (S$7.90) + 82 X 6 refills pack (S$19.50).. total 574 wipes!!!! Mummy says it'll wipe my butt.. cause can't use toilet paper.. too rough and my butt will open "flower"..

2009 Lunar New Year

We spent 6D/5N at daddy's kampung and celebrate the Lunar New Year with our relatives.. great grandma, grandma, grandpa, grand aunt, grand uncle, aunty, uncle and cousins.. It is always so crowded and fun during Lunar New Year cause everyone will be back.. we even have our own firework every year..



On the 29th nite, we went to restuarant to have 盆菜.. and buffet on the 30th nite at Great grandma's place.. Grandma also cooked many nutritious foods for us.. bean curb barley with lotus and 湯圓, 六味水, mushroom with sea cucumber, dumpling soup, chicken soup, vinegar pork knuckle and wine chicken..



My 3 cousins.. Angel, Eason and Chong Chong.. who love to knock on our door and wake us up every morning..

Grandma prepared so many stuff for my arrival in March 2009.. Ghee Hiang sesame oil, homemade wine, medicated oil.. and also herbal bath & pyjama with front opening for mummy.. Daddy brought a tub for my bottles and Uncle Sheng has help to buy another 3 bots of Ghee Hiang's sesame oil.. It is all the way from Penang.. so now we are overloaded with sesame oil..

My 7th Appointment

I'm 32 weeks old.. no wonder mummy is starting to feel huge cause it's crowded in there! Mummy now weight 49.3kg.. she has gained around 6.7kg since pregnant.. and she will be gaining around 500g/ 1lb a week now and roughly half of that goes right to me.. In fact, I weight 1820g today.. Mummy just hope that I'll get plumper and look healthier..

I'm a 土 牛

Year 2009 is a Chinese Brown Earth (Soil) Cow Year so I'm a 土 牛!

Mummy is worry that my life will be very tough as I need to go to the padding field to work..

My 6th Appointment

I'm 28 weeks old.. today daddy and mummy hear my heart beat at 140 and weights 1076 grams.. I'm growing. Mummy is less worry now if I'm going to be small as she read the baby centre of the fetal development.. and it says I should weights nearly 2.3 pounds or a little over 1 kg.

Next appointment is after Chinese New Year.. and then it will be every two weeks once till EDD :)