A Whole New Babe-Game

Apologies for Absence..

2011-07-16T22:46:00.005+08:00

I have been too occupied with travels and also keeping up with Aden..

He is talking too much and learning too fast. I am literally breathless from trying to keep up with him. And did I mention he is into gymnastics right now? So it's a matter of time before my body breaks down. Haha..

So much has happened and in a blink of an eye half of 2011 is gone! Amazing!!
When I was working time seem to just zoom past, roster after roster but now that I am not working, it's worst!! It feels like time keeps pulling a disappearance act on me. Squeezing so much in a day really makes a difference.. At least I can declare that I am productive every single day now compared to before Aden came along. Ha!

Anyways..

Aden started Nursery this month. He kept bugging me about sending him to school so I decided to just do what it is he wanted.

I decided on a school which is somewhat near home and just 15 minutes walk from Parkway Parade. (I know.. Me and PP are BFF)
So once I have taken Aden up to his class, I take a leisurely stroll to Marine Parade to do whatever I need to do. (It's quite a good arrangement so let's hope I get to do this for a few more years) And walk back to get him about 11am. Perfect time management.

Only setback is the early mornings.. sigh.

AND Aden has suddenly become clingy all over again.
He tells me he doesn't like school and that he cries every time I walk away but whenever I go get him, he's all game for school tomorrow.. don't really understand what goes through his head but I know my heart got minced when I heard him crying while I walked on.

People tell me that the crying will pass and he will soon accept his new routine: SCHOOL.
I will give him a few more weeks and if he continues to cry and tells me "No school", I will just keep him home. After all, he is not in anyway behind his fellow classmates so home schooling him for now may be a better option..

2010-11-27T21:54:00.004+08:00

There is a constant debate on what is safe to be blogged and what should really be kept under lock and key. Even Facebook has a reminder to all its users to be wise about what they post onto the net yet there are those who seem to think it's just BS.

Anyways, different folks.. different strokes right?

I have been going through my hidden treasure again.. you know, stuff nicely packed in boxes and nicely stacked in my little store-room. If I can have them nicely packed and nicely stored, it probably means I don't really need them in my life. So it's time to do giveaways and charity AGAIN!

As always all proceeds will go to the Singapore Cat Welfare Foundation.

2010-11-22T21:41:00.002+08:00

And soon it will be time to think of playmates for Aden.

Can it be done? Have I forgotten all the horrific non-stop crying and sleepless nights?

I can only hope that everything is better this time round as I am more prepared and more aware of what it is like to have this tiny creature who is 100% dependant on me and who is also 101% needy like only a mother knows :)

Despite PMS or a bad day, somehow I cannot push away the idea of babies. I seem to have a very soft spot for them and yes, it is terrible that I am still not sleeping through the night but yet it all seems so worth the while. I know, I am totally hopeless. Sigh..

2010-11-12T22:41:00.002+08:00

Time to think of a school for Aden.

Not an easy task.. I am getting a headache!!

I am hoping to find a school relatively near where we live and hopefully a Montessori one as I prefer the syllabus compared to the regular nurseries.

Time really flies huh?

Sigh.

My baby is no longer my baby anymore. He is almost a little man now.

2010-10-23T09:27:00.002+08:00

Why do people where room slippers in public? They are called "Room Slippers" for a reason. I gave this couple a benefit of a doubt but they did it three days in a row!

Might as well come down in their bathrobes! Haha..

I wonder..

2010-10-04T18:47:00.004+08:00

I wonder if this guy understands English.. wait a minute.. even if he can't read/write I'm sure he's got eyes to see the big and small sign that says "NO SMOKING" by Law..

Sigh..

So much for an educated society.

2010-09-19T11:52:00.002+08:00

We just got back from Malaysia and Aden caught a flu bug which he shared with me

so we are both nursing our cold. No fever, just green slime oozing from his nose and

as for me, it's the usual aches and pains, a sore throat, stuffy nose in the night.. the usual

suspects. Haha.

2010-09-19T11:27:00.004+08:00

It's been awhile..

Been busy traveling and readjusting to my new environment and finally

I think I've got everything under control and in-sync with my expectations

and threshold. Haha.

Three months since my last entry. So much has happened. Time for a

quick update.

Only this morning, Aden said "Bless you, Daddy." when my husband sneezed. Very cute surprise for us both.

And only last night did I realise he already knows his colours well. He recognises Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Purple.

He started singing.. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Old McDonald, Getting to Know You, a few songs from Barney, Raindrops on Roses and Chuggington theme song.

He would play the piano and sing or he will say, "Mommy play, Aden dance."

He has mastered the iPhone. He can scroll around looking for his apps. He also knows how and where to look for his movies, not to mention he knows how to play all the apps which are loaded for him.

I weaned him off breast milk. I expected a whole lot of crying and begging but he only cried through the night once. After a couple of days, it was a thing of the past. For this I am so proud of him and I am so thankful to "the man up there" for giving me such a clever and understanding boy.

He can get his point across to you rather clearly. He can structure his sentences although his vocabulary is still 80% baby talk. Haha.. but he is picking up fast. New words, new phrases and new dialect everyday!! Amazing brains kids have la!!

I can travel by air with him with minor hassle. He is born to travel, just like his Momma.

Anyone can put him to nap now. And he will nap in his stroller, no longer need to rush home for nap times.. yeh!! And Daddy can now put him to bed [without me] in the night!

He acquired the taste of Buffalo Mozarella, fresh Roma tomatoes, spring onions, sautéed garlic, liver, and not fussy with his food.

He started playing imaginary games. Pretending to be stuck to the wall, or to the floor. Taking care of Elmo as if Elmo's the baby and he's the big brother.

Ok, I think there is way too much to put down.

2010-07-06T09:47:00.002+08:00

Everything is back to quiet. They have all left and poor Aden is left with his mommy again.

Aden is talking a lot more these days.

He is forming sentences as well. It's so cute lah.

The last few days, he would come up to me and gently touch my cheek with

his hand and sweetly say "Mommy" with the most angelic smile. It totally melts my heart.

And then he would hug me. Ahhh!!

I know this is not going to last so I am going to enjoy all these lovey-dovey moments and

hopefully I will be able to capture some of them on video.

Butterfly fly away

Mommy, no more biscuit

Mommy, 2 strawberry please

I introduced Play-Doh to Aden last week and he loves it or at least I think he does. Haha. I

gave him some plastic cookie cutters and a little plastic knife and just let him do what he

wants with it. So far, he has not attempted to eat the "Doh" so I guess he understands that

not everything that looks nice can be eaten :)

2010-06-23T20:47:00.002+08:00

Expecting relatives from the UK next week and they are really looking

forward to meeting Aden. Haha.. if only they could help babysit him

and take him with them while they are sight-seeing Singapore and give me

four days to do whatever I fancy.. if only.. *dreaming*

2010-06-20T09:03:00.003+08:00

I spent yesterday afternoon with friends in Orchard WITHOUT Aden in tow.

It felt good not having to keep and eye on him while contemplating on a purchase

but I could not detach this nagging worry feeling if he was okay at home, if he ate lunch

well and then his afternoon snack-time.. did he drink enough water and blah blah blah..

Of course he was ok.. I am having seperation anxiety!!

Haha.

At the end of the day, I guess it's me that has to get use to being away from him.

2010-06-16T18:08:00.003+08:00

Surprisingly Aden napped again at 6:00pm..!

Great, that gives me some time to catch up with my blog :)

My girlfriend Audrey is in town and she is staying in a hotel just

10 minutes away from me. Isn't that great? And what's even better is

her hotel is right oppposite Parkway Parade.. my favourite haunt! So

we will be meeting for dinner [conveniently] at Parkway Parade.. haha.

In some ways I guess it's good then that Aden snoozed off.

It's amazing to communicate with him. He is figuring so much out on his own

and it truly is wonderful to know that we understand each other.

Just yesterday he came to the kitchen and said,

"Mommy, more apple peas.." He meant "please"..

Even though I knew he was munching and spitting them out all over the

living room carpet, I handed him another slice. He just sounded so adorable.

It was his first complete sentence!

After that he realised people hear him better if he spoke in sentences I guess..

So he is now speaking in little sentences.

"Butter-fwai, fwai away"

"Mommy, Help!"

"Off light, sleep. Night night"

"Por-Por gone home"

I better prepare for dinner.. just in time.. he is up!

2010-06-16T13:20:00.002+08:00

I am finally getting the hang of my new home.

Still needs a bit more time in adjusting but at least I can now find time to cook,

clean, and blog :)

We have moved into a home with more floor space and a second floor so

it is quite tricky for me when it comes to managing a 21 month old toddler

and house chores. Especially more challenging now that I have three balconies that

fall five storeys down with sliding doors which Aden will eventually learn to unlock.

However I am thankful to God that Aden seems to understand the dangers of

playing too close to the balcony railings. Aden seems to understand everything that

I try to communicate to him and it is good to see him acknowledge me when he

understands. Well, or at least I think he understands when he nods his head or say OK

or NO NO NO!!

This is my first blog from my new home. Hopefully I will have more time to blog.

Unfortunately this will be all for now.

I have to go wash up our lunch mess and take a power nap with him.

2010-05-21T21:30:00.002+08:00

*deep exhale*

It's been a crazy couple of weeks.. from packing, to unpacking, to sorting out what goes where and where goes there.. not to mention reminding myself I have to feed, change and watch-out for Aden.. phew!!

I'm still not settled but it's slowly happening.

This place is beginning to look like a home despite the workmen walking in and out everyday to redo this or touch-up that and me having to vacuum, mop and clean every night before I hit the sack just so Aden doesn't wake up to dust in the morning.. I'm certain in no time, it will feel like home :)

Just need to "tahan" a few more days, I hope.

2010-05-02T00:14:00.001+08:00

I am tired. Physically, mostly but I'm sure I will pull through.
Looking on the bright side, I think Aden is starting to sleep through the night from 1am to 4am. Improvement from his waking every 2 hours in the night.

I have also started him on a one nap a day routine - commando style. Just kept keeping him up till he fell asleep on his own. So far it seems to be working. He will nap for about 2 hours after his lunch at about 1:30pm or so.

Aden finally decided to call me Mommie. It's such a sweet feeling. Even when he wakes me in the night calling "Mommie" in that little voice.. ahh.. Bliss. I'm such a sucker for cute-ness :)

He is growing up happy I think. He's always laughing and making others laugh. He's friendly, willing to share and knows how to say "please" when he wants something. Haha.

Let's see. Some of his newer words:

Chopsticks
Butterfly
Airplane
Green
Shark
Croco/Crocky
Tortoise
Wait
Water
Pocoyo [cartoon character]
Ellie [Pocoyo's friend, a pink elephant]
Hand
Kai-kai
Kao-kao

Hard to imagine life without this little man. Finding it even more difficult to send him to kiddy school in a few months from now. I know he will probably not miss me much but I on the other hand will miss being the one teaching and playing with him. Sigh.

Sent from my iPhone

2010-04-10T11:57:00.002+08:00

Help! White. Blue. Croco. Just a few new words that I can remember but Aden has been yakking away and the cute part is, we actually understand him. Precious!! Haha.. it's so funny to see him go "Pain, pain" when he steps on something or hurt himself and just sits there waiting for you to go hug him. Sweet lah.

He's been happily walking to the fridge every day to get fruits. Watermelon, Kiwi, Strawberry, Apples, Pear and Rockmelon right now. I'm hoping to introduce more fruit variety to him, especially yellow and purple ones.

Only tonight he said Nite-Nite to his Daddy before bedtime and kissed him. Daddy melted into a puddle of mud.. hahaha.. lucky I had some dirty laundry nearby to absorb Daddy before he melted through the floor!

2010-04-07T21:53:00.002+08:00

Bought a golf set for Aden yesterday and it's hilarious watching him play. It's more like hockey he's playing instead of golf but I am just happy to know he is able to hit the ball with the club. Hand-eye coordination is there :)

I also got him a Croco Learning thing. It's like a fat pen that reads and sings [and blah blah blah] when put to words or pictures in a book. It's something to amuse him. So far he seems to find it amusing. Haha.

A friend got Pocoyo on DVD for him. Aden calls it Pokie. He will point at the DVD player in the room and say Pokie. Haha.. and of course every little boy must have his fascination for "choo-choos" and Aden is no exception. He loves his "choo-choos". He is starting to make conversation although it's a guessing game for me but it never fails to put this big grin on my face trying to cypher what he's trying to tell me. It's wonderful. He is wonderful. And I really love him so.

Nothing can describe the emotions I feel towards him.

2010-04-05T09:30:00.001+08:00

Aden has started nodding to questions which require a yes or to indicate that he wants something. Funny. He looks like one of those dolls with a springy head bopping around. He is getting better with the nodding but still needs a bit more practice. Haha.

He also seems to have better memory of where he hid objects which does not belong to him. Something goes missing around the house, I ask him to find it and even though he will go around looking under the sofa, looking into his toy box or pretend to be searching for it, he eventually brings it out but you have to give him specific details of what went missing of course. He's only 19 months old, I can't imagine the capacity of his brain in the next few months/years. Amazing isn't it?

Took him to a rather large dinner gathering last night. He sat down in the high chair and ate some home cooked dinner and cut fruits. Once he had enough, he started whining to get out. So as usual, we didn't have a good dinner as we had to keep an eye on him at all times and still seem polite to strike conversation with the people present. Tough.

We got home about 9:00pm and after wiping Aden down, changing him into his jammies, he was more than happy to walk to the bed and lie next to me. He was out in 10 minutes. The first 3 hours of his sleep was not good. I expected this as he must have been really tired. So he was crying off and on and eventually he slept through the night until his morning feed. Yawn.

2010-03-31T17:56:00.003+08:00

I think Aden only enjoys bullying me!!

When I am not home with him, he's always good and happily playing with the nanny and his toys or watching Hi-5 dancing to the music. The moment he sees me!! He starts whining and throwing tantrums and expects me to carry him 24/7. Oh man! How to tahan lah like that?

Looking forward to this long weekend so I can bake some cupcakes and whatever that comes to mind with whatever ingredients I have at home. Ha.

Been so busy running around, between ID office, new place, showrooms, groceries, cooking, cleaning and Aden.. I think I am going to take a month off once I wean him off! Say only lah.. how to tahan being separated from him for 1 month.. sad case lah me!

Dinner tonight Acar Fish, Bittergourd with Minced Pork and Black Bean paste and Tau Eew Bak [stewed pork with black sauce]

2010-03-26T17:11:00.004+08:00

More and more words he's learning.. incredible and so awe-mazing to me.

He is still teething and so he is sticky like super glue. He just wants me around all the time even if it's just sitting in the same room. He will move around and then every so often he will come and sit on my lap or hug me from the back or some form of contact. It's nice but very tiring. Yawn.

It's Friday so thought I'd just treat the household to

Grilled lamb chops with mashed potatoes & green salad and Cream of broccoli

2010-03-25T18:03:00.004+08:00

Aden was feverish since Sunday. Fever temperature was hovering around 37.8-38.4C so after three days of Neurofen I decided to take him to Dr. Khor just incase I missed out on something. Dr. said not to worry, it's just a viral thingy and sent us home without any prescription. The viral fever took 3.5days to clear and as of yesterday, I have got my little Aden back :)

Obviously I am as tired as tired can be but I managed to catch a good afternoon nap with him yesterday when he took a 2 hour afternoon nap from 11-1pm. It was so good for me and what was even better was Aden was doing a 1 nap a day routine until today.. sigh. I guess it's because I was not next to him in bed, so if he naps only an hour in the day, he will need a power nap in the evening. Can't blame him I guess, he is burning so much energy every single minute.

Curry Prawns, Ange's Beef Bulgogi and Egg Tofu remix

2010-03-21T17:58:00.001+08:00

Tired. Tired. Tired.
At this present moment I so wish I sent Aden to nursery instead of
minding him at home all by myself. Argh!!
Envy those who have parents, in-laws, maids, or any other kind of help.

It was such a pain shopping for my new kitchen equipment when I have
to keep an eye on Aden at all times. He was of course having the time
of his life touching every single knob, pulling off as many labels he
could find and climbing on and off stuff. Sigh. I need more energy
here!!

He seemed a little feverish this morning. By noon he was quite hot to
my touch. His palms and soles were burning but the ear thermometer
only showed 37 Celcius. Not wanting to take any chances as I was
taking him to Harvey Norman at Millenia Walk, I gave him a small dose
of Paracetamol. Despite his warm temperature he was as active as can
be so I need not worry just yet. Ha.

Speaking of Harvey Norman, I found the washing machine that I've been
thinking of getting. The price is a little steep but it has the
highest energy friendly rating in Australia. The Electrolux 8kg washer
looks a little intimidating with all the buttons and knobs. Why can't
they just make a machine with a wash, rinse and spin button. How many
Asians actually use heated water for our laundry?!!

Since I like the washer I might as well get the dryer from Electrolux
too so I can stack them neatly.
Bleed amount = SGD1'799 + SGD749. I feel a little faint!!

Next big ticket item will be my built-in oven. I am eyeing Bosch. Now
if only I can decide which model[s] I want?!! Should I get a seperate
microwave-oven? Or get a unit with everything combined? Decisions
decisions decisions. This will cost me I know. Sigh. Now if only money
grew in my garden :)

Aden is still taking his evening nap. He is lying next to me this very
moment. I am trying to cut down his two naps a day to one; Not very
successful so far.

Sent from my iPhone

2010-03-16T23:01:00.003+08:00

Aden hurt himself this evening. He bled a lot but I guess he's fine since after 10 minutes he was his usual self again. I'm not sure how it happened but he has a bruise on his upper lip but the bleeding is from his upper lingual frenulum [I think that's what you call that thing that holds down the upper lip to upper gum].

We had steamboat at CoCa with May, James and Liz. Aden was so excited having people his size around so he was on "top form" lah. We only got home about 9:30pm and he knocked out in 15 minutes after I wiped him down and turned off the lights.

Need sleep. Update more another day or tomorrow if Aden is in a better mood.

2010-03-15T11:54:00.002+08:00

Over the weekend Aden was introduced to green kiwi. He loves it. He will not take regular apples but he has been chomping on Japanese Fuji Apples. Strange boy, really knows his products.. haha. Bankrupt lah like this if he only likes Japanese produce. Later will see if he likes persimmons :)

2010-03-15T11:44:00.003+08:00

No update on what I've been cooking as we've been dining out most of the time with my guests around. Supposed to make creme caramel but I don't think it's going to happen unless I do it tonight :)

Gonna take them to Parkway Parade and junk on MOS Burger for lunch today before meeting up with the men to head to Sentosa. Unfortunately Universal Studios is still not open I think. I can only get tickets for 22/March but they would be long gone by then. Trying to persuade them to stay a couple more days. Haha.

Need to go pick up my wireless printer as well. I feel strange without a working printer at home although I don't really have a real need to have one right now but it just feels so damn inconvenient for that occasional print requirement or the need to duplicate something. Control freak!

Aden starts looking for Bee-Koko [my nephew in-law] the moment he's up in the morning. And the boy is so sweet to oblige Aden's attachment to him even though he is only seven years old. It's good to see Aden sharing and playing with another. I hope my nephew Zachary will be just as hospitable when Aden visits him at the end of the year.

2010-03-14T22:10:00.003+08:00

My brother is in town for a week. Yahoo!! And Aden just loves his wife AND her nephew who are all here too. Fantastic!

He bit me a couple of nights ago on the left and ouch it still hurts till today. I kept checking to see if it turned septic cause the pain was starting to get to me but it looks ok. Unfortunately it's on his favourite side and so I have to just grind my teeth and bear the pain when he's latched on for his feed[s]. No fun but it's better than tolerating his whining and tears. I'm such a sucker I know but seriously I'm just too tired to tolerate unnecessary tantrums. As my family members know I have a very high tolerance for pain so I guess the pain I feel won't kill me lah so no biggie.

They [my brother, his wife and the nephew] wants to visit Sentosa tomorrow. Do I dare take Aden and join them for the outing? I have yet to decide. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and if Aden gives me a good night of rest later tonight.

Oh other than that I sent two of my plants for re-potting today at Far East Flora, Bedok South. I'm so excited to see them tomorrow. Finally they are getting a "condo" as well.

I better hit the sack early tonight.

2010-03-09T12:11:00.005+08:00

Easy Tuesday's Lunch and Dinner

Aden: panfried Red Garoupa for lunch and steamed Threadfin for dinner

Adults: steamed Threadfin Cantonese style

and Stir-fried prawns with Chinese wine and bitter gourd

2010-03-09T12:08:00.004+08:00

Lazy Monday's Dinner
Braised scallops on a bed of spinach

Buffalo mozarella paired with vine ripen tomatoes

2010-03-09T11:47:00.002+08:00

Aden in my apron.

Painting himself onto a spot!! Haha, he got stuck. He confidently

stepped onto the stool only to realise that he didn't have enough

guts to step off it.

2010-03-07T14:39:00.004+08:00

Yadda yadda yadda

Aden can go on and on and on but only God knows

what he's going on and on about.. haha.. He picks up the remote

and uses it as his phone and has imaginary conversations with

I don't know who. Or he'll talk to his toys and to himself.

Strange and so lovely to watch. Haha.

He is starting to form simple sentences.

Car where?

Oh oh, no more.

Mommie, nan-nan!!

Kiki out!

See there/where?

Walk there.

Today I hope to give him only one nap during the day

since he got out of bed only at 9:30am instead of his

usual 8:00am. Managed to keep him up all the way till

2:00pm so I hope he'll sleep at least 2 hours so we can skip

the evening power nap.

I need some shut eye too. Yawn.

2010-03-07T09:18:00.001+08:00

It was a pretty good night. Aden is starting to sleep better through
the night I think but what's annoying is I end up shooting myself in
the foot everytime I feel this way. Can only hope right.

It's gonna be a busy day for me today. I can't wait to go taste the
stew on my stove once Aden is awake. He's still asleep. Oops. Spoke
too soon. He's up. Got to go.

Sent from my iPhone

2010-03-07T00:19:00.001+08:00

In bed with Aden by my armpit but I can't doze off. Too much
excitement in my head. NOT the stew alright. Renovation works for my
new place ought to be starting soon and I am so looking forward to my
new place. Actually am more excited about my kitchen and my new toys
then anyhing else. Haha. Although I must admit I'm also looking
forward to the shopping required to compete the place into a home.

Kitchen first. What oven to get? I know I want a Bosch but which one?
Also I'm hoping to find a floor standing wine chiller within
reasonable price that is not made in China. Where should I place my
KitchenAid? How about the dryer? And my clay "dapur"?!!

I better try and sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep lah!!!

Sent from my iPhone

2010-03-06T23:18:00.002+08:00

Visited my aunt at Tan Tock Seng hospital today. She was admitted on Thursday for severe tummy pain and bloating. They opened her up the very same day and today I found out it's because there was a knot in her intestine. KNOT?!! How in the world does something like this happen? So I decided to Google it of course because she says it's common on my paternal family side. Sh*t!! I better go read up everything I can find about this, it's IN MY GENES!! Arhhhhhh!!

Anyway this is what I found out.

The ileosigmoid knot is a well-recognized condition in certain African, Asian, and Middle Eastern nations!!

I'm Asian. So that means I'm at risk?!!

Life is just so unfair. Hope I go off in my grandpa's footsteps. Drop dead, end of story.

I better start loving every minute of cooking and eating and not worry about butter or ghee or lard.. hahaha..

The house smells so good right now. The stew is definitely better than the one before. Even the aroma is different. Must be the wine. Yummm.

Go check out my Cooking Blog !!

2010-03-05T17:16:00.003+08:00

Aden is attempting to outsmart me by the hour! From mimicking me to discovering new things by himself, he sure is keeping me ON MY TOES!! I cannot even turn my back on him for a few seconds! And he now knows his way around the home like the back of his hand so he is just so busy messing the place up given the chance. What's with kids and mess?!! And it's REALLY messy mess.

My sister was just sharing over the phone last night on how her son drives her nuts by messing up the house. The moment she starts packing up one messy corner, there will be a few other messy corners and if he sees her packing up the art-mess he created, he gets upset and goes straight to her to mess up the packed up mess even more! Haha.. Aden is not too far behind. So I am bracing myself for worst-mess.

Strangely he's been really clingy of late. He still looks for his por-por so I end up calling her on the phone to let him understand that por-por has gone home but she is still around. He seems to get it, I think.

He is getting more fun to be with I must admit despite the driving me up the wall and giving me bruises on both knees for running after him and banging into stuff as I bull my way through in order to get to him before he pulls down a drawer of stuff onto himself or a whole shelf of books and so forth. Man, I thought I was fit but I thought wrong man..

It's just totally crazy coconuts at home now. Fun.

2010-03-05T12:53:00.003+08:00

I started sautéing my onions last night after Aden went off to Dreamland.

They tasted better this time round. Maybe it's because of the wine or

perhaps I am more aware of what and what not to do and when to do it.

The onions gave the kitchen a very nice aroma like as if I am some

professional chef whipping up some stylo-milo dish.. very "atas" kinda feel..

hahahaha..

And I sautéed the mushroom this morning when Aden was taking him

morning nap. This time they turned out great. Not soggy and they

browned perfectly. Not sure if it's my new pan or just me being more

aware :)

Next will be the browning of the meat. Tonight lah.

2010-03-04T17:11:00.001+08:00

Guess what! I shouldn't have but I did. I mean what diff would it make
if I got it now or 3 months down the road right. And I've been itching
to replace my present one for a few weeks now. Haha. I'm SGD315 poorer
but happier!

Well I've now got extra to pack when I move but I'm sure it will all
be worth the effort.

MC if you are reading this, I'm sure you feel my joy.

Can't wait to cook with it but I have to let it season for a day
first. Already oiled it down so it should be good to go by tomorrow.
Hmm but I'm not cooking tomorrow!! Guess I'll just have to wait till
Friday then. Yahoo!

Oh I'm gonna try Julia's beef stew again this weekend. My neighbour
[Aunty Molly] shared a plate of her homemade Hakka yong tou foo with
me yesterday. So hopefully the beef stew will turn out better this
time round so I can return her gesture. I must remember to visit the
bottle shop tomorrow. Shiraz for stew just won't do.

Sent from my iPhone

2010-03-03T10:57:00.002+08:00

My mom left yesterday. So it's just Aden and me again. Poor little fella kept looking for "por-por" as he wandered around the house. He even asked me to carry him to the kitchen toilet to "see" if por-por is hiding in there.

I have not been cooking much cause everyone is down with the flu bug over the weekend. Aden and me caught a rather mild one but I can't say the same for the others. My mom called today to say her throat is starting to hurt. Well it was to be expected as she hardly drinks any water! Keep reminding her to flush her system with water but of course, she will go ok ok but never lah.

Uncle was the one who brought the bug with him I guess. Anyway had to take him to the doctor on Sun morning [not because he was couging and sneezing] cause he hurt his foot so bad that he couldn't walk. He thought it was gout but the doctor said all it was was a just very injured vein. You see this man [like all men = stubborn] bought a pair of shoes that was probably too small and he kept insisting that they were perfectly fine and he just needed to break them in. Ya right! This is what happens to men when they think women talk rubbish!! Suffer!! The doctor gave him some [pretty mild] painkillers and told me to get him an ankle guard. Once he got home he was still in so much pain even after the painkillers so I offered him my top-ass-best-in-the-world pain medicine. I told him to take ONLY ONE but being man again, he disobeyed and took TWO!! WTF is wrong with men?!! He started perspiring like a pig probably from heart palpitations and he slept throughout the day partially from overdose and from the fact hedidn't sleep at all during the night. Anyway he woke up in the evening and was able to walk again though with a limp.

Then on Monday, I took my mom to a physiotherapist at Singapore Shopping Centre. 45 minute session SGD65. Apparently she is suffering from Plantar Fascilitis [a painful inflammatory process of the plantar fascia] and she needs to start doing some feet exercise in the mornings and also to give up all her cheapo pasar malam shoes. Penny wise pound foolish. I got her a pair of Birkenstocks but didn't manage to get her a gel pad for the heel, so hopefully she will remember to love herself and get a pair from the pharmacy back in Ipoh. She also got a pair of Crocs sandals with heel. Dah lah punya tinggi pakai heels lagi.. sigh.

2010-02-26T09:42:00.003+08:00

I slept like sh*t last night thanks to my parents keeping Aden up till past 10pm. Aden must have been so tired so he was waking almost every hour throughout the night. Boy! I feel like a half dead panda this morning.

I'm supposed to go to the NATAS at Expo but I think I'm gonna postpone my visit to tomorrow. My stomach cramps are still bothering my sanity. I think the dang ulcer is back. Feels like it. Just wondering why would it come back to visit as I have not been starving myself or eating irregularly? Great. How am I going to go for an observation and check up with Aden around?!!

Anyway life has to go on despite the stomach episode. My cousin Lee Hann is in town with his parents so we are meeting up for lunch at Din Tai Fung Paragon at 1pm. I'm sure I can "tahan" the outing since I want to go get myself a saucepan and another wok from Tangs. Something to motivate me to forget the pain right.. haha.

We had spinach with a dash of lemon juice, buttered leek with pan-seared scallops, leftover beef stew and Aden's half eaten fried black pomfret.

2010-02-24T18:40:00.002+08:00

I went to the Bedok wet market this morning at about 8:30am. Thanks to my guy-friend WS, I now know where to get fresh and reasonably priced fish. Since Aden loves fish and I'm starting to get a little bit uncomfortable with all the over-fishing of cod and salmon that is happening around the world, what better time than now to switch to local catch.

WS recommended this red looking fish. Looks like the garoupa and I think it is but the fish monger claims that the one he is selling is hauled from the sea and not from the farm. No harm giving it a try. The Hokkien name for it is "Ang-Choe" whereas the ones from captivity is "Ang-Sai". Hmm.. or was it the other way around?

Anyway I steamed a few fillets of this red fish and I think it's something I can make myself buy again. But I will need to do a little more research on it first just incase the monger is not telling the entire truth. I know a lot of people in Singapore who get conned cause they can't tell the difference between Toman and Haruan, they end up paying Haruan prices for Toman. Sad sad sad.

Now that I know which stalls to get my fresh seafood from, I think I can re-budget my monthly groceries or just splurge on ingredients to try out more of Julia Child's recipes :)

2010-02-24T18:38:00.002+08:00

Aden decided to give me a tattoo. Nice?

2010-02-24T18:19:00.005+08:00

I did it. Unbelievable but I did.

I cooked Julia Child's Bouef A La Bourguignonne.

It took me a half a day and I must say it turned out ok. Unfortunately I cheated. Sigh.

Well,

1) I don't have cast iron enameled cookware and I'm not about to go fork-out thousands of dollars for them.

2) Also I could not find small white onions so I used our local purple shallots instead.

3) The gourmet butcher that I frequent only have streaky bacon in slices and no chunky ones.

4) I was also too lazy to measure the ingredients so I used "agaration". Haha..

5) And finally I don't have a saucepan for browning as per book. I used my Tefal wok for everything instead.

Oh two more points I cheated on, the wine and the cut! She recommends using Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, St. Emilion claret or Burgundy. I used an Australian Shiraz. And her 1st choice of cut is Rump followed by Chuck. I used Tenderloin cause I figured it would take less time to tenderize.

All in all I am satisfied with the outcome. Could have been better? Perhaps but I don't really have the time to do it word for word. I did however follow her instructions as closely as I could.

The right method of cooking this stew is to slow cook it in the oven. Since I don't have an oven big enough to accommodate my WMF pot I just let the stew cook over my stove. And because I used tenderloin I didn't have to cook it for too long before the meat became tender. Excellent!

Aden loved the carrots and onions from this stew. He ate a big bowl of dinner.

2010-02-23T20:15:00.004+08:00

Didn't get the chance to make rice balls yesterday. Sorry.

But today I tried out some recipes from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking!! Of course I opted for the easiest recipes which to me were Sauteed Mushrooms and Beef Saute with Cream and Mushroom Sauce. They turned out great and Aden loved the mushrooms! Must be all the butter I put in. I hope he doesn't breakout into eczema tomorrow.

Having tummy cramps after a tea latte from Starbucks. I'm either no longer used to milk or the drink was tainted. I'm still cramping in the upper side of my abdomen. Feels a little like gastric but not really. Feels like I need to go sh*t but not really either. Just this awful cramping and some bloated-ness [I don't think there is such a word but you get my point right?]

Will write more about my French cooking experience tomorrow. Got to go sit on the throne and see what happens :)

2010-02-22T09:33:00.003+08:00

As expected, Aden didn't sleep through the night. Sigh.

Anyway I'm gonna make some rice flour balls later today if I'm not too tired. Here's the recipe which is taken from MoodFood for the Family.

200g rice flour [I'm using brown rice flour from Organics. Bought from NTUC/Cold Storage]

a pinch of salt

160g sour cream

jam or honey for topping [I use both so there is variety]

Stir together flour with salt. Add sour cream and mix with hand. Once no longer powdery, shape into biscuits. Bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes.

I roll them into little balls so they fit into Aden's hands. In this way he can hold them and feed himself while he's busy inspecting the house.

Other than that I am expecting some visitors today at around noon. I would normally throw a get-together but this year the home is in a mess and I don't have time to cook so guests will just have to do with Ribena and crisps. Ha.

2010-02-21T16:49:00.005+08:00

Side track a bit from Aden.

My complexion has not been her usual self the last few months. Sometimes she's good and sometimes she is all spotty. Some tell me it's because my hormones are readjusting again cause Aden is feeding less on the breasts. Some say it's because I'm aging so hormonal levels are changing again. Some say it's because I lack sleep. Well whatever some say, I need to find a remedy!

I have been breast feeding for coming 18 months now. I feel fat but the weighing scale says I weigh a scrawny 48kg. Boy! I've never been 48 since I was 15[!!] but I've always managed to keep my weight around 50 so I guess I should feel a little proud of myself. I think I just need to go work my muscles a bit to get back my old definitions. Ok, how to find time to do that is gonna be a challenge.

Ok, so I've been reading for "miraculous" and affordable skincare that works.

I am not someone who will pay big bucks to see an aesthetician for laser or IPL or even botox. Perhaps not now lah. Ask me again when I'm 50! Ha. As I was saying, skincare that works. I was using Bio-Reborn products from this beautician in Ipoh. I tried to Google and get more info about this Bio-Reborn but never could I find anything over the internet or if it's sold anywhere else on this planet. I must admit, the products gave all its users superb complexion including myself. Unfortunately I am a curious [and suspicious] person by nature so I had to find out what this Bio-Reborn stuff were made of. I stopped using the products first to see if I can retain my glowing complexion. Honestly I also stopped because it's a pain to have to travel all the way back to Ipoh just to see the beautician[s] and get the products from them although they said they could courier what I need over. Guess what happened when I stopped?!! After a week my poor face started to look like sandpaper with breakouts all around my mouth and forehead. Poor me.. poor poor me. Sent the products to the lab just to see what they're made of and oh my, steroids, steroids and more steroids!! They also contained high levels of acid. Haiya!!

It took my face 3 months to recover from the steroid withdrawal symptoms i.e. the dryness and sensitivity around the mouth also the red spots all over my forhead and chin.

Everything is almost back to normal now I think. Whatever lah. I still get dry patches every now and then and red allergy spots on my upper left cheek but it's getting better by the day. I got myself a jar of Creme de la Mer and using Aden's leftover vaseline. Believe it or not it's a good combination so far. Well I don't use them together of course. I smear Vaseline twice a week over my face after spritzing it with rose water [only in the night] and the next day, nice skin. I use Creme de la Mer every night and will do so until I finish my 1oz jar. After that will have to try some other skincare cause I ain't gonna be paying SGD240 for a jar every other month!!

I hope to see more improvements over the next few weeks. I just started this routine 2 weeks ago so I have my fingers [and toes] crossed.

Damn Bio-Reborn!

2010-02-21T11:55:00.002+08:00

Wah!! Aden slept from 9pm till 5:30am!! I know it's probably too much to ask but I hope he does it again tonight and tomorrow and the day after and you know what I mean lah.

Unfortunately there was a downside to last night.. he was sleeping against me. Maybe that's why he slept so well.. he had his little body huddled right next to me which made it very uncomfortable for me of course. I could hardly move! But it was great. Much needed sleep I got.

It's gym day for Aden so we're gonna have a simple lunch at home and head out to PP. Someone told me that PP Best Denki has got some Samsung LCD sale so I'm gonna go check it out man!! Yeah!

What's for makan today?

Steam cod with ginger.

Ginger and rice wine chicken.

Chopped spinach in pork and lotus root broth.

2010-02-20T12:19:00.001+08:00

What's for makan:

Lunch [Chinese]

Steamed rice. Fried Threadfin [Kurau] in tumeric with ginger and scallions. Ladies fingers chap choy. Lotus root soup.

Watermelon for dessert. Aden loves watermelon.

2010-02-20T12:10:00.004+08:00

I watched Avatar last night and ended up going to bed only at 1:30am! Had major difficulty getting out of bed this morning despite the pokings and proddings of a 1.5 year old boy's fingers into my eyes and nose. Gone are the days where I can sleep past midnight and still feel "alive" the next day. Sigh. I guess it's a good thing then that I'm usually out cold by 11:3opm huh?

Have been sorting out the house a bit. Had to rearrage the packed boxes in order to create a clear path for Aden's new convertible! Along the way I ended up spring-cleaning as well.

I decided to cook a simple dinner yesterday after filling up my fridge with lots of greens and red meat. Ended up with lotus root soup and beef/mushroom/tofu pot [Japanese style].

Aden has been really good. *fingers crossed*

He got back onto his routine the day we got back. Unfortunately he is still not sleeping through the night. 18 months now. Guess I'll just wait another 6 months to see if he does.

Got to get back to the kitchen.

2010-02-18T17:29:00.003+08:00

Some photos of Aden taken with his "play mates" back in Ipoh.

2010-02-16T23:24:00.004+08:00

Today is day 3 of the LNY. And the first day we ate out since we got
here. As usual we ate at the East Ocean restaurant but the dishes were
only so-so today. Aden enjoyed the prawns and fish with some rice but
I had to feed him while he sat on my lap instead of the baby chair so
of course I didn't get to eat as much as I'd love to.

On day 1 we headed over to my Dad's place for lunch. We had a
vegetarian lunch which was quite enjoyable. That was about what we did
the entire day other than staying home shielding ourselves from the
scorching heat. The weather was and still is "too f*cking hot"!!

Day 2. I went to my Dad's elder sister's place to catch up with my
cousins and little Sarah. Didn't get to see her much cause she was all
cranky so to bed she had to go. We stayed there till noon and left
when Aden started rubbing his eyes. I was pushing it to see how long
Aden can stay up for the 1st half of the day. He fell asleep in my
arms the moment we drove off. Clever boy. No fuss. No tantrums.

Brought him back to Mom's place to sleep for another hour before
heading over to Dad's place again for lunch. No vegetarian this time.
A good home cooked meal.

Back to day 3 [today]. Audrey my childhood friend arrived from

Penang with her Mom & daughter Cerys. Dropped to see her for

a little while before rushing home to put Aden down for his

afternoon nap. Have to make sure he rests so he won't be all cranky

for dinner you see.

It's been a non eventful trip for me but at least Aden is having a
blast with the oldies. Just this evening I realised he knows how to
stick his fingers into his ears when it's too noisy. Funny boy. Oh and
he wanted to drink some chilled OJ from my Mom's cup [but of course
he's not allowed] so my Mom tilted the cup to his mouth without
letting the OJ touch his mouth. He gave her a puzzled look and said
No. I asked his father to give him some cold water but instead his
father offered him warm water which Aden refused [as expected] and the
funny part is when his father actually offered him cold water in the
same cup, he [Aden] put his hand into the cup to feel the water before
drinking it. Haha. Funny isn't it?

Sent from my iPhone

2010-02-13T11:39:00.002+08:00

Aden & Cerys Jones with his new convertible

Back, Where?, Watch, Hair, Key, Cake, Biscuit, Birdie, Kiki and too many more

Some of the words that Aden's been saying a lot.

His grandma [my Mom] bought Aden a car!! I had to wait 17 years to get
my own car but my son gets his own car even before he knows how to
ride a bicycle. Sigh.

It's cute I must admit. It's white. Maybe a Daihatsu. This car is a
motorized step-pedal type with also a wireless remote control. Cool.

Aden was initially terrified of it. I don't blame him. The radio
buttons on this car plays loud Ah Beng music. I was terrified too when
I heard it!! My Mom got him the car on Day 1. He only warmed up to it
today [Day 3]. I guess he finally figured that as long as he stays
away from the buttons, the car is just super!! He climbed into it all
by himself and even attempted to belt himself up. I started pushing
him around manually just so he gets used to the motorized sound from
the wheels and once he didn't seem scared anymore I used the remote to
control the car. He loved it. He loves it.

[Some] Kids are so lucky these days.

Sent from my iPhone

2010-02-13T11:19:00.002+08:00

Day 3 in Ipoh: Eve of CNY

Time goes on fast forward whenever we're back with loved ones.

Aden is having the time of his life despite his ugly looking anus.
Doesn't seem to bother him at all so I have to let myself not worry
about it. Right. The last few mornings have been fishball noodles for
him. I keep telling my Mom not to give him so many [fish]balls as they
contain MSG but of course it falls on deaf ears. It's ok I suppose as
long as Aden doesn't start breaking out in hives!!

I on the other hand am not enjoying myself much with the choice of
cuisine whipped up by Mom. I mean her cooking is yumm and all but Pork
Belly every other day can get to you, you know. She is not big on
vegetable dishes either so that is another boo boo for me. I love my
greens.

My sister-in-law @ Aden's Godma will be arriving some time this
afternoon in time for lunch at my Uncle's. Poor chap has only got four
daughters [and 3 out of 4 live in the US] so it's going to be a rather
quiet night for them. Well if I had in-laws it would also be a quiet
night for my Mom cause my brother is away at work. So ain't she [my
Mom] lucky!

The night drive home was tiring! Oh gawd!! It's been so long that I
stayed up past midnight that it was almost unbearable for me but we
made it safely. Aden had a make-shift bed surrounded by big fluffy
pillows so he pretty much slept all the way. Unfortunately the moment
he got into the house he decided he wanted to play with his grandma a
little bit. I was already at the brink of madness from sleep
deprivation so I had to chase my Mom out of the room, turned off all
the lights and hoped Aden would fall asleep on his own as I was no
longer able to keep my lids open. Zzzz.

Sent from my iPhone

2010-02-10T11:08:00.006+08:00

We will be doing a night drive back to Ipoh tonight. I plan to feed Aden his dinner, give him a bath and pack him into the car in his jammies and pray that he falls asleep within an hour or so.

The "kiasu" mother in me took him to Dr. Khor today for a quick consult on his asshole, ok I should use the word anus instead but I am so foul-word[s] deprived so it's nice to use naughty words whenever I get the chance.. *grin* Yes, I was saying. Went to Dr. Khor to see if I should freak out with what I see around Aden's anus. She didn't seem worried so I feel better now. However she did introduce me to another baby bottom cream by Weleda. I should have stocked up on all these creams when I had the chance. Anyway she doesn't think it's eczema. Will see what happens after a week in Ipoh. Other than that we agreed that it might be worms. Slim chance. But a possibility. Anyhow I will approach the worm matter holistically so I will get Aden to eat more pumpkin and maybe a few drops of Black Walnut oil.

Oh, she also gave me a bottle of Lysinium Max [smells like Appeton, I remember this from my childhood]. This is to help increase Aden's appetite. Hmm, I know I am a little worried about his small stature, but I think he is eating a lot as it is. Do I want to increase his appetite just yet? Hmm.. maybe after the CNY week once we're back in the comfort of our home lah. Yeah, I think that's a better idea. Will start him on Lysine once we're back.

Ok, a bit more packing and then rest. This is so exciting and freaky at the same time.

Journey mercy and sanity needed tonight. Amen.

2010-02-10T11:00:00.003+08:00

A, B, ball, balloon, baby, bella [unbrella], bird, book, bubble, buddy, cat, chair, daddy, dog, duck, fish, flower, fridge, frog, hair, hot, jie-jie, key, Ki-Ki [my cat's name], mei-mei, monkey, no, oh-oh, one, papa, pig, shoe, there, three, tree, TV, two, wah, walking.

Aden can identify belly button, head, tummy, eyes, nose, mouth. He will hug and pat your back when you are sad. He will shake or nod his head to say Yes or No. He will say "wah" when he sees something new. He knows how to bend under the table to look for the cat. He knows how to pretend to be doing something else when caught doing something he's not supposed to be doing [hmm, this I don't know where he learnt from]. He loves spinning to Hi-5.

2010-02-10T10:49:00.002+08:00

Before Aden went to bed last night, he played a game of "Blind Man's Bluff" in the dark instead of shades over his eyes. Haha.. he walked over to the TV and turned it off leaving the room in total darkness. I could hear him walking around the room touching his red chair, the bed, my wardrobe door but I just sat quietly at the inner corner of my bed listening. I thought he would freak out and start to cry but he didn't. He just kept on exploring the room. After some minutes my nerves got to me and I turned on the TV to see what he was up to. He was actually very cool about being in the dark.

Once again he walked over to the TV and turned it off. This time I hid in a corner of the room and called out his name. I was so amazed that he could actually find me in the dark just by following my voice. So cute lah. Once he finds me, I would walk over to the TV and turn it on again and the game continues. After 20 minutes of playing I decided not to turn on the TV anymore but he pointed his finger towards something/somewhere when I carried him and I said "Where do you want to go Aden, Mommy can't see what it is you're pointing at." He said "TV". Boy, he is learning a lot of words.

During the day, he decided to let me know that he knows his 1, 2, 3 and that he has a "chair" and also that it's "hot" standing in the sun or touching an object that has been under the sun.

2010-02-09T21:39:00.002+08:00

Aiyah!! The eczema seems to have taken a turn for the worst!! Aden's poor asshole looks terrible? The strange thing is no where else on his body has eczema. What could be the irritant?!! Argh!! I'm irritated now!!

Would post photos but I think it's a bit obscene cause it's like asshole right in your face.

2010-02-09T11:45:00.003+08:00

What's for makan:

Dinner [Chinese]

Steamed rice. Steamed "water" egg. Steamed Snow Cod with spinach.

Ella's Kitchen the Yellow One smoothie for dessert.

2010-02-09T11:32:00.004+08:00

Aden woke up at 7:15am this morning. He is always bright eyed and bushy tailed the moment he's awake. He will be chatting away in his own lingo and poking his finger[s] into my eyes and nostrils or even prying my mouth open just to see if I'm really asleep. Like as if I can continue to sleep with all his fingers on my face!!

He had Oatmeal for breakfast. No milk in it. Just fruit puree. Wanna ban dairy in both our diets and see if his asshole eczema will go away for good.

I'm not sure how true it is but apparently O+ blood groups should stay away from dairy. Perhaps that is why for no rhyme or reason I suddenly became lactose intolerant when I was pregnant. I never had any problems with milk but strangely it all took a windy change after my 1st month of conception. I'm still lactose intolerant till today!! Crazy man. CRAZY!!

Well what is the sacrifice of all things dairy compared to the well being of the little precious right? Hmm, let me rethink this for a moment.. maybe it's time to wean him off and then I can just indulge in all the sinful creamy yummy stuff made from dairy.. *slurp*

It's going to be another day at Parkway for us. Will be meeting Mington my dear friend for lunch and to do some last minute shopping before I head home to Malaysia tomorrow. I'm also hoping to see if Borders has the French cuisine book by Julia Child.. haha.

2010-02-08T19:11:00.004+08:00

What's for makan:

Lunch [Italian]

Fairly easy preparation.

Pasta with pumpkin, ricotta and carrots.

Apricot mash for dessert.

Dinner [Chinese]

Easy.

Steamed rice. Steamed Batang fish with ginger and scallions. Leftover carrots + white radish from soup.

Mashed pear for dessert.

Off with the Titles!!

2010-02-08T18:36:00.006+08:00

Decided it's senseless to have a title to every blog. Anyway, this is not the local news, so there is no need for catchy headlines :)

I watched Julia/Julie today [in 4 segments] and it only motivated me further in my kitchen adventures. I have always had a passion for kitchen activities which includes taking pride in keeping it spotless. How can one prepare good food if the kitchen is not in tip-top condition right? This passion took a back-seat for years until my brother reignited the idea a couple of months back. Well, it all started with my sister's baking fiesta. All her cakes looked so yummy and lovely [on Facebook] and all my brother had to say was "Jie, you used to make yummy stuff in the kitchen. What happened?" He was right. Since an early age I was always intrigue with recipes and it was so frustrating then [back in tiny Kulim] as ingredients were either not available or way too expensive for my pocket.

Over last Christmas, I bought the Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum to understand a little in depth on cake making, the science behind the cake I suppose. Unfortunately her recipes are a little too sweet for my liking and I have to adjust the amount of sugar for every single recipe I tried from her book which means I ended up having to bake a couple of times before getting it right to suit the taste buds of those living under this roof. Anyway, that's not the point. The point here is I feel that cooking/baking is something all women should have some knowledge of and it is indeed true that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so there is no reason for women not to know how to cook [if you want you man to truly love you].. haha easier said than done I know.

Whatever it is, I think I might just head to the bookstore to get Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and see if I can actually whip up some French gourmet for this household.

Just to side-track sikit, I got a compact recipe book from Dr. Khor titled Mood Food for the Family. She bought a couple of these books in support of the Children's Cancer Foundation. It's an interesting book except a little too simple in the preparation/method description for most of the recipes. If you are an amateur in the kitchen it will be slightly challenging to get some of the recipes right at your first attempt. Hell, even I had to do some trial and error on my part!

Healthy recipes for the whole family nevertheless.

Lastly, I subscribe to the Flavours magazine distributed by Star Malaysia. It's an amazing magazine! Period.

Enough talk about "the" passion.

Aden has still got eczema and it's hiding around his asshole! No offense to some of you reading this but it's really where the eczema is located, around his anus. I thought I got it [the eczema] under control as the red patches on his inner arms and behind his knees have been long gone. His itchy bum has also recovered some time back. I guess it's not so easy to be rid of E and I am so tired of keeping a log on all the foods that he consumes so I'm just gonna go GI on him and use a steroid based anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacteria cream and see if it comes back once it's gone. Sigh.

Radish and Apple Pork Rib Soup

2010-02-07T11:29:00.004+08:00

Am trying to clear my fridge before my long absence over the CNY period, so got to mix and match whatever there is left.

Aden loves radish and carrots, so I decided to serve Radish+Apples+Carrots in Conpoy+Pork broth for today's soup. Later tonight there will be steamed Chinese Pomfret with ginger, tomatoes and lard bits [ooooh, I love lard] and stir-fried Garlic Shoots with sliced Pork Belly.

I wish I had more time like those Moms who blog about their kitchen and cooking activities!! I have to do everything like "Speedy Gonzales" as it is so no way will I be able to take 2 seconds to snap the food, or the preparation methods right now. Who knows, perhaps once I've moved into my new home and once Aden understands instructions a little better, I could do some proper blogging.. ah, that would be something to look forward to.

Aden will be going for his gym session today and hubby gonna take me out for Japanese lunch today. Yummm..

Saving For a Rainy Day

2010-02-06T12:20:00.004+08:00

Been cultivating the habit of putting coins into his piggy [froggy] bank and it worked. Now whenever he picks up a coin, he will head to his froggy and deposit his treasure :)

Aden at the Gym

2010-02-06T12:13:00.003+08:00

This is Aden's 2nd term at MyGym Marine Parade. He loves it.

45 minute classes once a week, 8 classes per term.

It's a good session for Daddy & Aden to bond since Daddy is always so busy working working working during the weekdays :)

Can't Keep Everything

2010-02-06T12:09:00.004+08:00

As I mentioned, I have been packing and spring cleaning. I found some stuff that I have kept for years and it's about time I gave them a new home or recycle them I guess.. Lookie here, a gift from my good friend Ivan Ho ages and moons ago :)

No wonder my Hubby calls me a "Kalang-Guni" the correct word should be "Karung-Guni"

but everyone in Singapore just seem to have their Malay vocab funny so Kalang-Guni it is!!

Kelly's 1st Birthday

2010-02-06T12:04:00.005+08:00

This is my friend Lee Fong from my hometown Kulim. She is now living in Singapore and is a busy [and tired] mother of Xavier 3 and Kelly who just turned 1.

We were in the same school and were classmates during our primary school days and it is amazing that we found each other IN Singapore thanks to modern technology called "the Internet"!!

Birthday party was on 28 January 2010.

Aden's 1st Professional Hair Cut

2010-02-06T11:57:00.005+08:00

I was worried that Aden would start shouting and screaming like some of the kids there, so I tried to stay as calm as I could and explained to him that the "aunty" is going to give him a hair-cut to look nice-nice. To my relief he was well behaved throughout the entire 10 minutes. Phew!

Hair cut on 9th January 2010.

2010: The Year of the Harimau!!

2010-02-06T10:54:00.003+08:00

and so it is.. time has flown by on a Concorde and the year of the Tiger is just right around the corner. Wow!!

The last few months of 2009 were crazy for me and amazing at the same time. Anyway it will still be crazy until June or July 2010 so I am bracing myself for the worst.

Aden started walking at 16.5 months. My sister thinks he's slow but seriously, I think he's just right on track. As long as he does walk, no reason to get all "kan-cheong" and worry right.

He also started voicing his vocabulary. It started with "book" and "balloon". And today at 17.5 months he can identify and say A, ball, balloon, baby, bird, book, bubble, buddy, cat, daddy, dog, duck, fish, flower, fridge, frog, hair, hot, key, Ki-Ki [my cat's name], monkey, no, oh-oh, papa, pig, there and tree.

The rest of his words are pretty much gibberish to me or in his own baby language I suppose. It's just amazing to hear him say new words out of the blue.

It's also amusing to see how he recognizes objects and words like for instance, Elmo the red monster from Sesame Street, the moment I say Elmo, Aden will make this ah-ah-ah sound cause in one of his Sesame Street episodes Elmo was doing a tribal dance jumping around saying ah-ah-ah.. haha.. and when Aden sees a flat round object he will put it near his mouth and go yummy-yummy-yummy mimicking Cookie Monster! And now when he sees Sesame Street characters he will yell out "Buddy".

Other than Aden's milestones, my cooking skills and recipes have also been put to the test. As I am able to introduce a bigger variety of foods to Aden, I had to figure out how to prepare these "new" foods without him spitting it out or refusing his meals. I have also made it a point to have soup at every meal and dessert as well.

Now for some personal updates!

I have been packing, packing, packing.. not for a holiday so you must have guessed. My new home should be ready some time in May and I am so looking forward to it. Actually I am more excited about introducing the pool to Aden and of course to have extra rooms to accommodate my out-of-town guests, and my new compact kitchen [this I am not so looking forward to] but just thinking about the new toys that I will be using in my new kitchen puts a big grin on my face!!

I will try and update a bit more often but no promises as I hardly have time to breathe from all the activities that's going on right now and of course I will be away with my family over the Lunar New Year week.

Kong Hey Fatt Choy to you, and you, and you :)

This will be all for now.

I'm back

2009-10-26T15:19:00.006+08:00

It's been a busy and hectic month for me.. hence the silence on my blog.

Quite a bit has taken place since my last entry.

And I must share this with all who reads my blog.

Some of you may already know I am very active and protective of cats and their welfare in Singapore, not that I dislike dogs and other animals but I think the elegant and arrogant cat has been mislabeled all these years as "bitchy" and unfriendly. They [also] deserve love and care regardless of the domesticated or stray.. anyway this is not about cats ok.

There are so many precious little ones in this world suffering every single day. They die a slow physical and emotional death.

They cry from hunger, from pain, from not being loved.. but no matter how much tears and anguish, no one is there to hold them, to comfort them, to feed them. Children should not suffer in this manner.. they do not deserve this, not one bit.

These children are just like your precious ones.. like Aden to me. Perhaps we are so fortunate in this part of the world that we have forgotten to reach out to those who need so little to survive day to day. Our worries cannot compare to theirs I'm sure [and no matter how I try to tell myself that it is somebody elses problem, I can't] so I decided that I will do something about it. I don't care if the organisations that collect the donations misappropriate the funds or only 1% of what I contribute goes to the kids, at least I am doing my part to help these children to the best of my ability.

So anyone of you guys out there who can spare a little bit of income a month, please do find a suitable charity home to help out.

Check this out:

Village2Village

Project HOPE

Side Track Sikit..

2009-09-04T15:24:00.002+08:00

This is a good one lah.. enjoy!!

Botak Head

2009-08-26T21:22:00.005+08:00

I decided to shave off his hair last Sunday. Well, it wasn't my intention to begin with but after my attempt to shorten his hair ended up patchy, I thought "What the heck!! Just shave it all off lah!" and so Aden ended up botak :)

Yesterday, he finally decided that he would finally oblige me by waving his hand when I say "bye bye" and moving his arm when I say "hello". In order to ensure it was not just coincidental, I tried the words on him again today, and yes, I got the result that I want. So now he understands "Hello and Bye Bye".. haha.

Today, I taught him how to put smaller things into bigger ones. It didn't take him very long to follow suit once I applauded his every effort to follow my action. And he also started sharing his food with me as of today. He would extend his hand with a half eaten soggy saliva drenched biscuit to my mouth and poor me had to eat it and smile and say "thank you". *shivering*

He did it throughout the day and it didn't stop with food. He also enjoys sharing his teething toys and saliva soaked soft toys with me. Funny right?

Other than that, my little boy is teething like crazy right now. Tooth after tooth after tooth and so he is leaving trails and trails of slime all over my carpeted floor.. sigh.

I took him to the Singapore Zoo yesterday.

We were there for about 3 hours and sadly, the only animals that we caught sight of were the monkeys, otters and an elephant! Well, we didn't walk the entire zoo as time was limited you see. I had to feed him his lunch as well during the outing. Overall I think he enjoyed it. I think.

We will go to the zoo again some other time.. perhaps when he is a little older and able to walk :)

A year has gone by?

2009-08-23T10:11:00.002+08:00

Truly, times flies..

I have been extremely occupied of late. Travelling. House hunting. Home organizing. People management and Aden entertainment.

Aden has been incredibly demanding for attention the past few weeks as he is teething tooth after tooth. His third lower tooth cut through follwed by his first upper one and I can see another upper one pushing its way through soon. So he has been drooling and living slime trails like a snail and very needy for attention and physical contact. I wonder why?

Other than that, I took Aden on his first propeller flight back to Ipoh during the Singapore National Day week. It was a good and tiring 1.5hours of flight. He didn't cry at all, but I had a lot of trouble keeping him still! He was just too curious about the new environment and he wanted to explore every single detail.. unfortunately that was not possible as you know, low flying aircrafts tend to have more turbulence, so it was a bit of a challenge keeping him within the 2 allocated seats that we had. Well, we survived.

Every past weekend has also been spent hunting for a new home.

It's been really tiring but I guess it is all part and parcel of having kids.

The Wiggles

2009-07-29T08:19:00.004+08:00

There is this Australian children's television programme called "The Wiggles", and my sister handed me all of her son's DVDs as Zac has moved on to "In the Midnight Garden".. sigh..

I'm going to go mad soon with all the nursery rhymes and kiddy songs playing in my head 24-7!! It's amazing. Not only does Aden start dancing and bouncing around when he hears them, he would look up to where the singing is coming from, and of course, attempt to destroy my DVD player by trying really hard to pull the player off the shelf and onto the floor :)

I have been so extremely busy keeping up with him of late. He is teething again, so he hasn't been sleeping well in the nights. And because of this, I am so tired during the day. The lack of sleep is catching up with me.. I'm starting to break out like a 16 year old again *shock*

My system is going through another cycle of changes right now. I can feel it. I'm tired most of the time and I feel funny. NO I AM NOT PREGNANT. Thank you. Not yet anyway..

Aden is too much to handle for now.

Yesterday, he almost fell asleep in his car seat when I was driving home. He was chewing on to my earpiece and he had his head leaning on the side of his car-seat. I closed his eyes, relaxed his grip on the earpiece and for a moment there, I thought "YES! YES! YES! Finally my boy is going to sleep during car rides!!" sigh.. But in less than a second he startled himself and decided it was just too easy for me and immediately started wailing all the way home.. *deep exhale*

Oh when oh when will he learn that most kids love car rides and enjoy sleeping in moving vehicles..?!! Argh!!

Anyway, there is no stopping him now in the room. He knows how to slide open my wardrobe doors, pull out drawers, push/pull my bathroom glass door, lie low on his belly to look under gaps and reaching in to pull out stuff..

There is more..

He knows how to hide himself to play peek-a-boo. He will hold up the blanket, or hide in my wardrobe or behind a pillow and then reveal himself when you say "Where's is Aden?".. hillarious..

He has also discovered tantrums.

When I take something away from him ie. the shower-head when I take him out of his bath-duck-tub.. oh, he arches his back, kicks and wails.. amazing.. wonder where he picked that up from?!!

He is learning many new skill every day.. I'm just wondering how they pick these skills up?

Playing with Grandma..

2009-07-14T15:28:00.002+08:00

Aden sings

2009-07-13T15:14:00.003+08:00

It's been an amazing week. Aden is learning so much and picking up so many new skills, it is truly amazing.

He has learnt to sign "no more". Do hand actions to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

And even sing when I'm singing to him.

He knows how to show excitement by bouncing his head and entire self up and down as if bouncing. He shakes his bum and head to music.

Watching him. Laughing with him.

NO words can describe the joy that fills my heart.

God truly is amazing when he made man.

And even more amazing when he gave us love.

iPhone and Aden

2009-07-02T10:02:00.002+08:00

My fault, my fault.. I introduced the iPhone to Aden and now he loves it. Well, which toddler would not?

There is this Duck Application on the iPhone that goes "quack quack" everytime he touches the screen of the iPhone and I guess Aden finds this fascinating.. ha, kids.. so easily conned.

Muchies Galore

2009-07-01T10:29:00.004+08:00

I kid you not when I say I have too much munchies at home..

And there is more!! Now if only I can learn to enjoy all these chips and snacks.. what am I to do with them?!!

Papa, Mamma, Ahhhh!!!

2009-06-28T12:31:00.002+08:00

And so he speaks.. :)

He started babling pa's and ma's this week and yesterday it is official that he knows me as Mamma. Hehe.. so cute lah.

Every little thing is Mamma now.. cause he knows I will go to his aid/rescue the moment he yells out Mamma.

Eczema

2009-06-26T09:17:00.003+08:00

I think I can safely say that cow's milk and soya milk gives Aden eczema even if I'M THE ONE consuming it. So I got to ration the amount I consume. Sigh.

Dr EK was right. Babies tend to be sensitive to the food that the mothers like best. I love my "tau-chui" and if I can drink it all day long, I would.. but now, even ONE cup a day is too much for Aden. Argh.. I guess it's back to one or two cups per week then :(

As for cow's milk, I started taking it with my cereal and tried giving him some of his cereal soaked in cow's milk.. Not a good outcome also. Cow's milk I can do without lah.. no biggie.

So far, he loves his fruits. The lastest fruits introduced to him:

Rock Melon
Kiwi
French Fries (hehe, just testing to see your reaction)

But yes, I gave him a french fry without salt from Mos Burger. He loves it! Either that or he's just greedy cause he loves to feed himself.

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-06-26T09:07:00.003+08:00

And we say goodbye to Michael Jackson.. a passing of another great performer.

By the time Aden is old enough to appreciate music, I guess only the rappers (and people who shout at the top of their lungs to what seems like a melody that only owls can hear) will still be alive and kicking lah.. sigh, sad sad sad.. SO that is why I am introducing opera and classical music to him NOW!! The composers are long dead but their music and lyrics live on and on and on.. lovely.

Time Flies

2009-06-21T10:00:00.003+08:00

I have not had time to post anything as I was busy reading.. *grin*

It's been so long since I last read, so it was difficult to stop until I'd finished the entire collection. Thanks to the movie Twillight, I gave myself an entire week of "less internet time". I finished all four books in the span of a week so now I can get back to where I left off.

Aden is very noisy these days. Not sure if he's yelling or just excited. He is squealing off and on throughout the day. And when he hears loud music, or loud chatter, he goes off yelling again. It looks like he's having fun shrieking and squeling so I just let him be. I tried to get him to mimick me saying Papa, Mama or Baba but he refuses. When he is not paying attention, he will subconsciously repeat after me.. but once I've caught his attention.. it's back to ahhhhhhhh.... ahhhhhhh.. strange kid.

His appetite is back to normal these days. He seems to be consuming more and that is probably why my arms are starting to ache when I carry him around. He still refuses to fall asleep in his stroller, so I still have to carry him when he's sleepy. Sigh. But I don't mind it lah.. watching him asleep in my arms is so therapeutic.

Other than that, he is well. It's my turn now to see the doctor.

My left ear seems need some servicing. It was bleeding a few days ago, and although the bleeding has stopped, I feel a dull achy feeling in it every now and then. It's not excruciating, but enough to bother me. So to the ENT I go tomorrow.. wonder how I'm gonna manage getting my ears checked with Aden?

Lily is right

2009-06-12T19:58:00.001+08:00

Thanks Lily. You were right, Aden cry cause his tummy got "hong".. After I rub his tummy and gave him some Gripe Water when he started crying, after 10 minutes he "pang phooi" and then that was it. He slept until morning again.

Hope it works the same again tonight.

Night time horror.. for me, again..

2009-06-11T10:06:00.002+08:00

For the past week, Aden has been whining every hour or so (throughout the night) on some nights. I hate it when it happens because I feel so helpless. I just can't seem to make him feel comfy and I really hate it. He will whine and then toss and turn and toss and turn some more. Even when I offer him the breast he seems disinterested. He will doze off for awhile and then he starts whining and tossing and turning again.

This happened when he was cutting his two lower teeth. Perhaps he is teething again (?). My heart aches when I see him so unsettled.

I think tonight I will feed him some Gripe Water and standby paracetamol in the room. Let's see if he feels better and sleep better.

New Old Clothes

2009-06-09T15:58:00.002+08:00

My sis sent some of Zach's undersized clothes to Aden last week. They look big but Aden fits in them. Gosh..

Aden today

2009-06-09T15:49:00.004+08:00

Aden has prefected his "bending knees to get bum onto floor" technic. He has been falling with a thud the last few days and yesterday he finally figured out how to do it gently.

He is also learning to climb higher. Started off with floor and the bed. Now, it's floor to sofa, to coffee table, sofa to dining table, and etc. It's funny watching him. God truly make babies incredibly funny.

We stayed home yesterday and today because he seems a little off routine. He has been waking up at 6:30am the last few days and very clingy and "ham-pau" (again) so I thought best to just relax at home. Hopefully tomorrow he will be in a better mood and we can go kai-kai. I miss my MOS milk tea :)

Kawasaki Disease

2009-06-06T09:14:00.003+08:00

My friend's little boy was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease last Tuesday. Another new word for me and for most mothers I think. I read up a little on what it is and it sounds scary. Poor Mommy and baby, I pray they have the strength to overcome and be back in their cozy comfy home soon.

All these illnesses, pain and suffering.. sometimes I really wonder why we reproduce. I guess it's one of those questions where the heart and the head will combat and debate themselves to death!

Before Aden, I was constantly wondering why a friend who continued with her pregnancy knowing that the baby would not live more than a year. The baby had cranial deformity and the doctors said that his chances of survival were almost zero. Yet, she carried the baby to term and asked the doctors to bring him into this world. Now, I understand why. Not all mothers will agree but I would have done the same now after Aden.

I know there will be mothers out there who will stone me to death by me saying this but I think I am not wrong to say that babies are to be loved and loved and loved. Look at the babies in the animal kingdom.. their mothers are animals, yet they are able to show care and concern and are always with their young around the clock.

Aden is like a little animal.. haha. In the dark before bedtime, he will be crawling over me to my left, to my right.. never wandering too far, just far enough to find his way back to me. It's a lovely feeling.. to love him and to be loved by him. It's better than Kiki climbing into bed and curling herself next to me.. cause Aden doesn't claw or bite me :)

There really is no better feeling that to love someone, human or animal.

When I look at babies, I just want to love them to death. Carry them, hold them and watch them smile, laugh.. to be there to keep them safe, always.

No wonder love IS the greatest commandment.

I pray that Tristan will be home with his siblings soon.

Influenza

2009-06-04T10:17:00.002+08:00

Influenza A or B Virus:

There are 3 types, A, B and C, in which specificity is conferred by internal nucleoprotein and matrix protein antigens.

A has counterparts in birds and pigs, as well as humans while B and C are known only in man. Influenza type A and B cause essentially the same spectrum of disease. However, type A infection results in hospitalization approximately four times more often than type B, and type B more commonly results on myositis and gastrointestinal involvement.

Influenza type C rarely results in lover respiratory tract illness but causes sporadic upper respiratory tract disease. Lower respiratory tract disease in children and adults associated with influenza infection is manifested in three forms of pneumonia:

primary viral pneumonia
combined viral-bacterial pneumonia
influenza infection pneumonia follwed by bacterial pneumonia

Non-pulmonary clinical responses to influenza infection include viremia, cardiac and CNS involvement, Reyes syndrome, and toxic shock.

Every year, influenza is linked to over 30'000 deaths, a quarter-million hospitalizations and billions of dollars in health care costs, 99% of which occur amont the elderly.

Pandemics of influenza A occur about every 10 to 30 years and epidemics of either influenza A or B occur annually.

Complications tend to occur in the young, elderly and persons with chronic cardio-pulmonary diseases.

Taken from a pamphlet given to me by Dr EK.

Bye Bye Rash Rash

2009-05-28T09:34:00.001+08:00

Roseola has left the house.. and Aden is normal looking once more.. hurray!!

Despite the Rash

2009-05-26T10:12:00.003+08:00

Aden is not slowing down despite his condition. Well, he is as good as new now except for the red spots all over him.

He is learning how to stand without support. It's scary and I worry that he will fall and hurt himself when I'm not looking. But then, isn't this how they learn to stand on their own? I can't be there all the time to catch him when he falls right? Hmm, wait a minute, I take that back, I would like to be there at each fall, so that I can help him rise and tell him it's ok. Let's do it again, but better this time.

Yup, that's it. My baby is growing up.. sob sob..

Roseola

2009-05-25T09:34:00.010+08:00

Article from Baby Center:

What are the symptoms of roseola?

It's possible to have the virus without having noticeable symptoms. But roseola usually starts out with a sudden, relatively high fever, often above 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celcius).

The fever typically lasts three to five days and may end abruptly, followed by the telltale rash. The rash may last for days or only hours.

The rash is pink and may have small flat spots or raised bumps. These spots may have a lighter "halo" around them and may turn white if you press on them.

The rash isn't itchy or uncomfortable, and contact with the rash itself doesn't spread the illness. It's usually seen on the trunk and neck, but it can extend to the arms, legs, and face.

If your toddler has roseola, he may also be irritable and tired and have mild diarrhea, a decreased appetite, and swollen eyelids. The lymph nodes in his neck and at the base of his skull may also be a bit enlarged. In general, children with roseola don't appear especially ill, considering how high their fevers get.

Occasionally, children with roseola have a febrile seizure. If this happens, your toddler may become unconscious and jerk his arms, legs, or facial muscles for two or three minutes. He may also lose control of his bladder or bowels.

Although frightening, fever-induced seizures in young children are seldom serious and rarely harmful.

Article from Wikipedia:

Exanthem subitum (meaning sudden rash), also referred to as roseola infantum (or rose rash of infants), sixth disease (as the sixth rash-causing childhood disease) and (confusingly) baby measles, or three day fever, is a disease of children, generally under two years old, whose manifestations are usually limited to a transient rash ("exanthem") that occurs following a fever of about three day's duration.
Until recently, its origin was unknown, but it is now known to be caused by two human herpesviruses, HHV-6 (Human Herpesvirus Six) and HHV-7, which are sometimes referred to collectively as Roseolovirus. Current research indicates that most babies infected with the HHV-6 virus inherited the virus on a chromosome.

Typically the disease affects a child between six months and three years of age, and begins with a sudden high fever (39–40 °C). This can cause, in rare cases, febrile convulsions (also known as febrile seizures or "fever fits") due to the sudden rise in body temperature, but in many cases the child appears and acts normal. After a few days the fever subsides, and just as the child appears to be recovering, a red rash appears. This usually begins on the trunk, spreading to the legs and neck. The rash is not itchy and may last 1 to 2 days. In contrast, a child suffering from measles would usually appear more infirm, with symptoms of conjunctivitis and a cough, and their rash would affect the face and last for several days. Liver dysfunction can occur in rare cases.

The rare adult who contracts the disease can show signs of mononucleosis.

There is no specific vaccine against or treatment for exanthem subitum, and most children with the disease are not seriously ill. A child with fever should be given plenty of fluids to drink. Paracetamol/acetaminophen or ibuprofen could be given to reduce their temperature (but never aspirin, due to the risk of Reye's Syndrome). Fever reduction is usually not needed, because fever is a normal and useful reaction of the body, and if it does not exceed 40.0 °C, harmless. The rash is not particularly itchy and needs no special lotions or creams.

Campylobacter

2009-05-24T15:42:00.002+08:00

Another word I learnt from Dr EK.

What is campylobacteriosis?

Campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Campylobacter. Most people who become ill with campylobacteriosis get diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain, and fever within two to five days after exposure to the organism. The diarrhea may be bloody and can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The illness typically lasts one week. Some infected persons do not have any symptoms. In persons with compromised immune systems, Campylobacter occasionally spreads to the bloodstream and causes a serious life-threatening infection.

How do people get infected with this germ?

Campylobacteriosis usually occurs in single, sporadic cases, but it can also occur in outbreaks, when a number of people become ill at one time. Most cases of campylobacteriosis are associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry meat or from cross-contamination of other foods by these items. Infants may get the infection by contact with poultry packages in shopping carts. Outbreaks of Campylobacter are usually associated with unpasteurized milk or contaminated water. Animals can also be infected, and some people have acquired their infection from contact with the stool of an ill dog or cat. The organism is not usually spread from one person to another, but this can happen if the infected person is producing a large volume of diarrhea.

A very small number of Campylobacter organisms (fewer than 500) can cause illness in humans. Even one drop of juice from raw chicken meat can infect a person. One way to become infected is to cut poultry meat on a cutting board, and then use the unwashed cutting board or utensil to prepare vegetables or other raw or lightly cooked foods. The Campylobacter organisms from the raw meat can thus spread to the other foods.

Nestle: Aden's Poison

2009-05-24T10:52:00.004+08:00

This is Aden's poison. Sadly, he can't seem to take any cereal from Nestle. After a few mouthfuls, little red mosquito bite looking rash will appear around his mouth. And he refuses to take NAN. What I have learnt from being Mommy to Aden is, he knows what is bad for him. So when he refuses something, I know, it is bad for him and I will stop giving it to him. So I did me some reading up on Nestle baby products:

The Nestle Boycott

Why:
In order to sell more of its infant formula in third world countries, Nestle would hire women with no special training and dress them up as nurses to give out free samples of Nestle formula. The free samples lasted long enough for the mother's breast milk to dry up from lack of use. Then mothers would be forced to purchase the formula but, being poor, they would often mix the formula with unsanitary water or 'stretch' the amount of formula by diluting it with more water than recommended. The result was that babies starved all over the Third World while Nestle made huge profits from this predatory marketing strategy.

Then:
In 1977, a world-wide boycott was launched against the Nestle Corporation, which was found to be the most unethical of the several companies selling baby formula at the time. Consumers all across the world stopped purchasing Nestle products. The World Health Organization drafted the International Code on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, which was signed by much of the world in the early '80's and finally by the United States in 1994.

Now:
After a brief hiatus the Nestle boycott was relaunched in 1988 and continues to this day. A recent report called "Cracking the Code" outlines the many present-day violations of the W.H.O. code. This report is available from UNICEF at:

UNICEF

Unit 1, Rignals Lane

Chelmsford, Essex

CM2 8TU

United Kingdom

Tel: (01245)476315

Presently, the International boycott of Nestle products covers 18 countries:

Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and USA.

The International Boycott is presently being coordinated by Baby Milk Action.

Paracetamol Antidote

2009-05-24T10:30:00.002+08:00

N-acetylcysteine a.k.a. NAC

This helps to offset the bad effects of paracetamol on our liver.

The ones that were given to Aden comes in sachets. It tastes like orange efferversent Redoxan. It's called Fluimucil by Zambon.

This is good info for people who take Panadol often.

On a Happy Note

2009-05-24T09:57:00.003+08:00

Aden learnt to shake him bum to music yesterday morning. My Mom discovered this. So now when he hears music, he starts shaking his bum. So cute right.. Aww, baby is growing up.

More First Times..

2009-05-23T08:35:00.004+08:00

21 May, Thursday:

Aden's been burning up since 4:00pm this evening. His highest recorded temperature by the home thermometer was 38.4degCel.

I gave him paracetamol after consulting Dr EK. Gave him a cool bath and monitored him throughout the night. He slept ok. His fever broke at about 5:00am Friday morning, or that's what I thought.

He started burning up again once the paracetamol began to wear off.

Hmm, something not right lah. He may be teething, but I think his fever is a bit on the high side for a "teething fever". Also sometimes his poo is like mashed potatoes and boy, it is real smelly shit too. Haha.

22 May, Friday:

Took him to Dr EK in the morning.

There was nothing physically wrong with him. But she did prep me for the worst. And I like this. I like knowing what to expect so I don't end up panicking like a headless chicken for nothing. She said that it is Influenza season and Aden could be having a viral fever.

Anyway, he was fine for the whole day until 12:30am. Fine because of Voren I guess. Voren is an anal suppository which Dr EK inserted for Aden at about 1:00pm at her clinic. I gave Aden paracetamol at about 6:30pm once Voren started to wear off.

At 12:30am, Aden started quivering in his sleep. He was asleep next to me and he was making these strange sounds. When I carried him, he was half asleep but still quivering. I got scared.

I called Dr EK in the middle of the night, bless her, and she told me that it was chills from the high fever. She wasn't worried, but I was not sure if I could handle the situation alone. So I told her I will be taking Aden to NUH. Better to have people with medical training around then just a first time mother around right?

At 1:30am we arrived at NUH. We got home at 4:30am after a check that he was not seizing and that he didn't have a urinary tract infection. We would have been home earlier, but my naughty boy took forever to pee pee..!! Since I was already up and about NUH in the middle of the GD night, might as well wait a bit more and get the test done right?

We went to bed at about 5:00am. I thought Aden would sleep till late but he woke at his usual 7:00am. Amazing.. I was half dead!

23 May, Saturday:

I contacted Dr EK and she said that she would like to review him. So I took him in at about 11:30am. She confirmed that it's a viral fever. His throat is red and she sees some ulcers, so had to start him on antibiotics. She gave him Azythromycin.

He seemed fine throughout the day, but with paracetamol's help lah.

He slept well, but at 11:30pm he burst out crying. For some reason, he was crying as if he was in a lot of pain. I couldn't console him. I gave him the breast, didn't work. I carried him upright, didn't help. Nothing helped. He was just crying and crying for a good 10 minutes. And then suddenly, he stopped and went back to bed.

He slept for about an hour and then he cried again; For a shorter period and went to sleep again. I'm still wondering why. Throat pain? Tummy discomfort? Only Daddy-God will know. And I leave this in His hands.

I will just administer medication when the time is right. The rest, I pray that Daddy-God will sayang him through till he's recovered.

First Times..

2009-05-21T08:26:00.006+08:00

Yesterday was one of those perfect days.. I know it will happen more often as Aden grows. I ought to be happy and jump around, but I actually feel kinda sad. Melancholic I guess.. the baby is growing up.

He did his first poo-poo seated on the toilet bowl (with me holding on to him of course) and he fell asleep at night without any patting, breastfeeding, cradling and etc. He just rolled around a few times, tossed here and there, found himself a comfy corner (but awkward position if you ask me) and fell asleep at 7:45pm. Wow. I was amazed.

But my cheeky mickey would open his eyes every 4o minutes or so to check if I am next to him. This part still puzzles me.. sleep separation anxiety I suppose. But it's cute lah.

Also, I bought us a Maclaren Quest. Got tired of lugging the Capella around. So I guess, I can leave home without the Baby Bjorn these days.. just the sarong for breastfeeding in public and snoozing. Another less load on my shoulder.. Yippee!!

His cold is a thing of the past. And his two little lower teeth have appeared. Yes, my baby is growing up. Sigh.

Happy Birthday Evie!!

2009-05-20T09:07:00.004+08:00

It's my sister's birthday today..!!

I called her up this morning to wish her, and so tried Aden as well.. haha.

May she get what she prays for.

I pray that God will give her strength to overcome her present "annoyance". Keep her in good health and good company.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY SISTER!!

Oldies and Loonies

2009-05-18T10:16:00.002+08:00

My neighbour the dear old lady, sometimes she has the strangest knowledge to share. She told me this morning that Aden has a weak constitution; And that she knows this because he's got very sparse and thin hair. Hmm.. I wonder how these people come to such conclusions?!!

Sometimes it's very challenging to keep a straight face and smile and say, thank you when I get such unusual comments from people. But hey, I guess they are sharing their knowledge because they care right? Haha.

I think if she saw the blue markings on Aden's body, she would have definitely reminded me that it's because of me moving my furniture around when I was pregnant.. :)

Baby Seizures

2009-05-17T20:20:00.004+08:00

I spoke to Mingsy yesterday about baby seizures. Her son got admitted to NUH last week for "fits". When you tell me "fits", I picture a person lying on the ground foaming at the mouth.. and some old people will tell you to force a spoon into that person's mouth lest he/she bites his/her tongue :)

But how does a baby get "fits" and what are the signs and symptoms of it?

Apparently, any baby with a certain degree of fever temperature is at risk of getting a seizure. She said that the doctor at NUH told her that once it happens, it may happen again and again whenever the baby has a fever. Gosh.. scary right?

Well, babies don't collapse onto the floor. Their seizures are about a minute or less, and sometimes longer. But what happens is, baby will seem all limp after a seizure and his hands and feet will start to turn blue-ish and he will look pale. He will also seem very tired.

When this happens, ayoyo, don't bother calling anyone up, just go straight to the hospital or the doctor k.

It must have been terrifying for Mingsy. And it happened over Mother's Day weekend. Poor girl. Jriel is recovering well. Poor baby boy.

Guess which one is real :)

2009-05-16T09:54:00.003+08:00

This is a photo of Mingsy and yours truly, taken last year sometime in May.

It is not true that the shape of the belly will reveal the sex of the baby.

Can you guess if she had a girl or boy?

It's Almost Over

2009-05-16T09:12:00.004+08:00

Today is Day 15 of Aden's running nose.

But it seems to be drying up. Can see all the nice crusty kaya looking stuff around his nostrils. I shouldn't be complaining much since the only thing that was wrong with him for the past two weeks was the dripping nose and the sneezing. No fever. No cough. No anything else.

I also discovered that my little one knows how to breathe from his mouth! When he is latched on and needs a breather, he will unlatch himself and pant and then latch again to continue with his feed. It's funny and so terribly adorable.

We went to see Dr EK again on Wednesday. Me being me, I just wanted to be really sure I'm not missing out any signs that Aden is sick. When we got there, she took off Aden's sock and smelt his feet, and agrees with me he's got smelly feet.. haha.. and then she looks into his ears, into his nose and down his throat. Everything looks fine. Yipee.

She then gave Aden a biscuit. But he coughed and sneezed after eating it. So she said not to give him any until he has recovered from his cold. She tried to suck out his mucus with his gadget, and of course my "cry baby" protested like crazy!! Nothing got sucked out, Doc said mucus thick. So she gave him a bottle of Sinupret. Organic decongestant.. how cool is that..

I hope Aden breathes clear again in the next few days. I hope he's not allergic to Kiki :(

The Nose is Still Running

2009-05-11T10:36:00.002+08:00

Strangely, Aden's nose has started running again. I find it rather unusual as I caught the bug from him and I recovered within 4 days. And he is still running?!!

I had to stop giving him Polaramine because Aden would behave like the Drunkard Master after his dose. So Dr EK told me to stop it.

Wonder how long will it take for him to breathe clear again.. poor boy.