Monday, 31 December 2007

It's been a while since I've updated nat's blog. another new year resolution, to be more dedicated to her blog. I dun wanna be one of those mummies who give up after a while ... will continue making an effort to record baby nat's growth and development and share my happiness watching her grow with everyone.

Today, we brought nat to vivocity and she really had great fun playing with the water fountain. nat has grown so much and every day i find i love her more and more. her cheeky smile, her babbling, even her daddy is charmed by her and today, for the first time, decided to sling her around in a carrier, unmacho as it seems to be.

Just to share some pics of nat :)

12 December 2007

Every so often, I feel upset because I'm not a SAHM. Logically, I know that nat does not really need me 24/7 and working helps on our finances ... but emotionally, I guess it's a different story. These few months, I've run out of leave, so I've been working full time 5 days a week and I am feeling the detachment from nat very strongly. Often, when the maid is carrying her, and I take over, she struggles to get out of my grip.

It's easy to say, a child will always know who is her mum. And I guess many years down the road, I will look back on this entry and laugh it off. But right now, it sure doesn't feel good.

7 December 2007

I just finished listening to nat's nursery rhymes cd in my car, quite relaxing i must say, but i come to the same conclusion as gary, nursery rhymes are inherently nasty. here's why?

little miss muffet
here you have a perfect example of a little miss minding her own biz, having had a bz day, she sat down for a meal, and the arachnid just had to come mess things up, didn't it?

Rock-a-bye baby
now, which kiasu Singaporean mum would willingly put the cradle up on a tree? first of all, in Singapore, trees are grown mighty high, would need a freaking ladder just to climb up. second of all, if i had to balance a baby in a cradle as well, think i'll be the one falling off. thirdly, if i wanted the baby to have some breeze, you know what i would do, switch on the air-con!

Sing a song of sixpence
this one doesn't really make sense, if you baked four and twenty blackbirds in a pie, birds would have been cooked by the time you were done, they sure ain't gonna sing no song when u open up the pie. next, wat kind of class conscious bird is that, choosing only to swoop down and peck the maid when he's got free choice to have a go at the king and queen too. after all, if it ain't dead after the baking, i assume the bird's flying ard the castle, right? haha

i've got a lot more interesting ones, will update along the way. enjoy. but jokes aside though, i kinda enjoy listening to them, even more than baby nat i think :)

5 December 2007

Baby nat has a cold, past few nights, she was cranky because of a stuffy nose. Kept waking up in the night to whine. Everytime I picked her up, she was fine. So i concluded that in an upright position, her nose would not be blocked. Anyway, brought her to doc yest. All's fine now, really glad for that.

Sunday, 2 December 2007

A busy weekend for nat, but she enjoyed herself thoroughly. On Saturday, brought her to SITEX at Singapore Expo. Me and gary wanted to check out some stuff there, mistake to bring her, the place was crawling with people. Luckily we also had the foresight to bring our maid along. So at least she could look after nat, while we were pushing with the masses.

On Sunday, met up with nat's baby frens. We went to Tanglin Mall Gymboree where the babies had a great time crawling around exploring the place. I love these baby gatherings and so does nat. She always enjoys herself. It's great to see how my friends' babies have grown. After all, they were born around the same timing and all seem to be reaching development milestones together.

Here are the pics of my baby nat.

Sunday, 25 November 2007

It's been a great weekend with baby nat and gary. last week, i was not home much during the weekday nites, so nat seemed a bit "upset" with me and did not want to be carried. sigh, i hate it when that happens. over the weekend, i spent as much time with her as i could.

We checked out a new breakfast place called Choupinette along Bukit Timah Road, quite nice. Gary and I also bought her a gadget that blows bubbles (she's not too impressed by it, though), some new clothes as well as a decorative reindeer and Christmas lights to make the house more festive in celebration of baby nat's first Christmas. Nat's quite thrilled with the lights and I will take some pics of her admiring the lights soon.

Thursday, 22 November 2007

Baby nat is one smart gal ... hmm ... wonder who she takes after? little o'le me? nyah, most probably her daddy. anyway, today i went home during lunchtime. Me and nat chit chatted all through lunch time, her babbling to me about her morning activities and me showering her with kisses.

She can now recognise words. Her fave words are:
1. bird bird (she will turn her head to look into the garden)
2. banana (she will point her finger in the direction of the bunch of bananas hung in the kitchen)
3. fish (the infamous red fish that she loves throwing onto the floor)
4. dollie ( costs my mum all of $1.90, a musical lantern in the shape of girly doll)
5. duck duck (my family of ducks in the cupboard accumulated from the annual duck race)

Thanks to my mum, who talks to her a lot, repeating the words again and again. Was just telling mum that if she had done this with me when i was nat's age, i might have turned out to be a genius! you think? ...

Monday, 19 November 2007

Daddy's favourite little girl. Nat and her daddy have a very special relationship. When he is sleeping, so is she. When he wakes up, so does nat. It is no wonder that gary's new sweetheart goes by the name of natalie ong. boo hoo, my that was my position in the past :) but it's alright, because nat is my sweetheart too.

Friday, 16 November 2007

My little nat has grown so much and now has a whole new bag of tricks up her little sleeves.

1. She loves to poo poo in the car, happened on quite a few occasions already.
2. She loves to dance to music. Every night, I play the "Can-Can" for her on my Mac and it never fails to get her standing up and boogieing away.
3. She loves throwing things on the floor. Give her anything, a towel, a toy and off it goes onto the floor. In fact, if she sees u hanging around waiting to pick up the toy, she'll pretend to put it in her mouth and once your head is turned, there goes the toy onto the floor.

But really, I enjoy every minute of my time with her. There are those rare moments, when she falls asleep in my arms and I just look at her sleeping. I am sure these moments will pass by in a flash and I will now just savour the moment.

Sunday, 11 November 2007

Babies are the cutest little things on earth, and they sure know how to tug at your heartstrings. Today, we were at Starbucks having an early morning cuppa coffee. Nat, as usual got restless, squirmy and noisy. Gary decided to give her a little smack, just a tiny little tap on her thighs. Immediately, Nat gave her signature pout, tears shimmered before she gave a loud wail. Sigh, immediately, our softy daddy picked his firstborn up and showered her with lots of kisses.

One thing i was telling Gary though, is that as Nat gets older, we must never let her become a brat. You know, those irritating pesky rude kids that run around, screaming and acting cute. Hopefully, we will bring Nat up well.

Friday, 9 November 2007

I saw in a documentary that a baby can absorb and learn a treasure trove of information so it's good to start them learning young. So yesterday,I placed nat in front of my mac and showed her the alphabets from an interactive kids' website. My first thought was that she would be distracted and try to crawl away. To my amazement, she sat there right through from A-Z. Then I played some music for her and again she was very focused on the music.

I'm happy that this week, I'll be able to spend 4 glorious days with nat, thanks to the deepavali hols. Yesterday, she was juz a dynamo and ball of energy. After the zoo outing in the am, both gary and i came back home and slept. So did nat. But at night, she refused to sleep and we had to amuse her till midnite. Gary kept asking in disbelief how a baby could have so much energy haha.

Anyway, like i said, not had an good photo taking opportunities, which explains the lack of nice pics. We did take some nice ones yesterday, so check it out.

Wednesday, 7 November 2007

To bring nat or not? Tat is the question? Something that has kept me up for the past few weeks. Should I bring nat with us to Perth?

On the upside, it's a great time for me to spend some time with her. These few months, I've not been able to take as much leave as I would like to. And I'm feeling kinda miserable ... So having her stuck to me 24/7 would really be nice.

On the downside, nat really does need a lot of care and attention. This means that it won't really be that much of a holiday for me and gary. Probably won't be able to do any of that horse-riding,hiking, spa type thingey that we enjoyed when we went to New Zealand previously. Also, it's hard to sit down and enjoy a nice dinner with a squirmy baby in my hands.

I change my mind constantly, much to gary's irritation. One day, I'm determined that she is not coming along, one day I'm convinced I need to have her with me. Well, will decide soon. As everyone has rightly pointed out, if nat comes along, it's more for me then for her benefit. After all, who remembers where one went at the age of 10 months old?

Thank all for listening to the ramblings of an obsessed mum.

Sunday, 4 Nov 2007

Baby nat can talk. While it vaguely still seems like baby talk, I'm convinced she can say "Pa Pa". Gary denies that it's a great achievement, but you can see he is secretly pleased.

Bringing nat out is certainly getting more difficult. Once out of the sling, she squirms non-stop. Gary and I feel absolutely wiped out after a day out with her. But you know, at the end of the day, it's all worth it!

Her little dimpled smile and chuckle, her "scaredy cat" behaviour - when u bring her near to something she does not like, she clings on to you for dear life but once you move away from the scary item, she will strain her neck just to catch sight of it, everything about her just makes me love her more every day.

These few weeks, we have not gone anywhere with good photo taking opportunities, which explains the lack of stunning photos of my beautiful baby. No worries, good things can afford to wait one la hor!

I'm glad that my good friends all love nat. As gary says, she is the only member of the family that is universally loved. We may irritate each other once in a while but for nat, she is loved always :)

Sunday, 28 October 2007

Lazy mummy, didn't update Nat's blog last week. Lots of interesting happenings though. Nat met up with her frens again, and the babies went swimming. Everyone had a great time, although swimming with 8-10 babies is no joke, quite chaotic ...

Nat has grown up so much over the past month. Some developmental milestones:

1. She is 8.12kg.
2. She can crawl quite speedily to any location.
3. If holding someone for support, she can stand and sometimes, without support, she can stand for up to 2 sec.
4. She is extremely squirmy, unless I place her in my baby bjorn sling.
5. She is kind of frightened of the speakerphone on my handphone. When I'm speaking to my mum via the speakerphone, she immediately becomes silent and rests her head on my chest ... very sweet.
6. She loves swimming with mummy.

She is truly a joy in my life and I think gary's a great daddy too!

Thursday, 18 October 2007

I went home during lunch to spend some time with nat. It was slightly cloudy, the wind was breezy and nat was feeling sleepy. As she lay on my chest falling asleep, I realised how much I enjoy this. It's nice to have your little baby sleeping close to you. In fact, I also enjoy this closeness to my mum when I slept with her during my childhood days. Hmm ... looks like this "neediness for affection" is genetic :)

Monday, 15 October 2007

I love watching nat sleep, she looks so sweet ... today is another one of those days ... i'm typing on the laptop, nat is sleeping in the cot next to me making her little baby sounds. Time sure flies, nat is officially 8 months, 1 week and 3 days old. She has grown from a small little whimpering bundle to a fiesty little one that knows exactly what she wants.

One thing that never fails to amuse her is placing her in front of a mirror. Always, she will give a sweet smile, esp when u ask her who's the pretty girl in the mirror. sigh ... we've nicknamed her "hiao pok" nat.

We are intending to bring nat to Perth for a hol, i expect it will be tiring but i think i will enjoy the experience. she is truly God's blessing in our lives, bringing joy to us daily. I used to "poo poo" at others in the past when they said that the stress of the day melts away once they see their kids. it is true you know, while work problems still exist, at least for that moment, you toss it out of your mind and focus only on your baby.

Monday, 15 October 2007

This is nat's passport photo. Gary and I are thinking of going to Perth this Dec, with baby. So i tot we had better quickly make her passport first. It really is not easy to capture a nice photo of her against a white background, and smiling. This is the best I could do, she looks kinda pissed! hahaha too bad ...

Wednesday, 10 October 2007

An interesting pic, taken with a handphone, courtesy of an ex-colleague and friend :) My only comment, I ain't a man and nat's definitely not for sale.

Sunday, 7 October 2007

Yesterday, gary and i were out with nat from 9am to 9pm. Only one thing to describe the day - WIPED OUT! To think we used to do this when we first dated but hmm ... tat was like when we were 19 and now we are like 30? At the end of the day, gary complained of a backache and achey arms, while I trudged on energetically (haha to be fair, he did carry nat quite a bit, while i had the help of my baby bjorn sling).

Nat is really quite a good baby, although she has occasional moments of crankiness, she slept through the shopping, and when she is awake, she gets really excited by all the interesting happenings around her. On the way home, nat slept in my arms during the car ride.

Today, gary and i brought her to the new kids' playground at Botanic Gardens. Interesting place, with different "adventure zones" for kids to run around and explore. My conclusion though, nat's too young for this, probably more suitable for kids age 3 and above, or at least when she can walk in a more stable manner.

Right now, both nat and gary are sleeping, i know because i just spied on them. And interestingly, both are sleeping in the exact same manner, lengthwise against the wall, with their hands dangling out of the mattress. she really is her daddy's daughter.

30 September 2007

Today, we had a great time taking many pics of nat. Dressed in her new pink dress, she looks really cute :) no chance of anyone mistaking her for a boy this time.

Some reflections:

1. I love spending time with nat, especially during the weekend. Taking care of her, playing with her, I find all these a joy. Even when I have to run off in the middle of dinner, just to coax her to sleep, I view this as part and parcel of bonding and motherhood ... hmm ... having nat in my life has really built my patience :)

2. Nat loves to play, gary and i spent about half an hour entertaining her, and boy were we exhausted. She loves the game of "peek-a-boo" where I hide myself and then reappear before her eyes :) never fails to get her chuckling.

3. Nat can scream ... quite loudly in fact ... especially when we are playing with her or when she wants our attention. She has changed from my gentle little newborn into an active little baby that loves to climb all over me.

4. Nat likes bland food ... like me :) This weekend, I tried feeding her banana rice cereal, for a change from her usual bland meal of ordinary rice cereal. She made a face to show her displeasure ... haha ... a girl who knows what she wants.

5. Nat loves to sleep in the car ... it could be the dull droning of the engine or the cooling air con environment, she loves to fall sleep in the car.

6. Nat is a water baby. I had not brought her to the pool in almost a month ... thought she would be scared of getting into the pool. No worries, she was chuckling away. In fact, today we brought her near the mini waterfall in our pool and she eagerly touched it again and again, even though each time, the water sprayed at her face.

I really have no regrets with having nat in my life. Enjoy the pics :)

A quiet and serene moment, I love this picture

In deep concentration

My cheeky babe showing off her two pearlie whites

A beautiful pic, except that the photographer should warn me of unsightly bra showings next time hee hee

Nat appreciates good food ... hmm ... so does her daddy ... hmm ...

Nat's first experience with sparklers

My grumpy baby but i love her all the same

Monday, 24 September 2007

Some more nice pics, courtesy of cutie jamie's mummy.

Monday, 24 September 2007

A happy and contented nat, who has just eaten 2 japanese baby biscuits.

Monday, 24 September 2007

Yesterday, nat met her baby friends at Botanic Gardens. My mistake, it was rather hot, should have asked everyone to meet slightly later at 5:30pm instead. sorry, folks! nat had a great time and so did I catching up with friends and updating each other on our baby's progress. something interesting we saw at botanic gardens. there was a pregnant lady sitting some distance away from us and her dutiful husband was not only fanning her, he was fanning her tummy. so sweet ... keeping the baby cool in this hot weather. pity we did not manage to take a pic of tat.

check out the pics!



what hot weather ... nat was perspiring ...



what a relaxing day, let me just lie back and hang up my little feet!



nat the bread thief, stole some bread while i was not looking, luckily i caught her in time before she stuffed it into her mouth.







nat's cutie friends, rafe, zofie and jamie!

Monday, 24 September 2007

Nat's first haircut ... but not much difference ... poor nat's hair is growing ever so slowly. I figured that bringing her for a trim might stimulate some new hair growth. let's wait and see. anyway, she did not squirm much, just kept staring at the hairdesser.
Today, me and nat went shopping as well, just the both of us. I'm really quite pleased as i'm getting comfortable with bringing her out on my own, without the maid in tow. in fact, i put her in the sling and she slept right through my shopping expedition at the mall. for being such a good girl, i bought her some japanese baby biscuits. i tasted it myself, it's quite nice.


luv this picture!


hmm, not a very ladylike position to sleep, gary thinks i sleep like tat too!


check out nat's hair

Thursday, 20 September 2007

I've been a lazy mommy, not updated my blog in 10 days ... well, this week we brought nat for her regular pd check up. She is officially 7.8 kg and 64.5 cm long.

Nat is really quite a happy girl these days, not as grouchy ... every night before she sleeps, she will have a play session with me and gary, often we end up more tired than her.

Sleeping with a baby in the same room is not an easy task. Over the past few weeks, I've devised an ingenious way of blocking out the light from my TV by throwing a blanket over the cot ... but ... it's gotta be done in such a way that there is still plenty of air circulation ... heehee ... not ez eh!

Well, we'll try to post more pics this weekend.

Monday, 10 September 2007

Din really do much over the weekend. nat is a good girl and manages to sleep through the night once or twice a week. Even gary enjoys having her in the room with us now. Also, nat is beginning to enjoy her porridge, whereas in the past, she would have "pui" all the porridge out when we feed her. Every weekend, I try to bring nat to botanic gardens at least once, she enjoys it and gets really excited. Some nice pics to share ...

Friday,7 September 2007

I have always felt that black and white photographs best capture a baby's beauty. These photographs were taken by my good friend with her trusty o'le film camera, back when nat was only about 1 week old ... and I love it.

I've always wanted to take a series of "baby nude" black and white shots for nat. No, nothing kinky going on here. It's just that I feel that it's a nice way to capture a baby's innocence and happiness. Glad my friend has kindly agreed to help me with the photography :)







Anywayz, over the past week, nat has been sleeping in our room, in her little cot. I feel a lot happier and contented. Just before I sleep, I often sit by the cot and watch her, listening to the little noises she makes while sleeping. I often tell gary that one must never take such joy for granted and it is truly a blessing to have nat together with us and in our lives.