Journeying On

The dearth of entries in this blog would probably indicate how busy we have been. 3 ½ months on, we are still getting used to having a cute, screaming infant in the house. Just when we think we've figured her out, Hannah comes up with something new to keep us on our toes. Resigned to the fact that life will NEVER be the same anymore, we are trying to find the appropriate balance of work, ministry, family and dare I say, leisure?!

For the sake of family and friends who keep checking this site only to find Mr Bumble Bee staring back at them, here’s the latest on our Princess and her tired parents.

Cindy’s been kept busy with 24-hour calls almost once in three days these last couple of weeks. Instead of getting several hours of sleep after coming home from a busy day (and night) of work (think: pre-pregnancy days), she finds herself having to entertain a noisy baby suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

From what, you say? Well, Hannah is still exclusively breastfed, so enough said.

Chris has had a slightly better deal this month, with fewer teaching hours and more time to sort out administrative work. However, with Cindy away so many nights, guess who has been pacifiying the little girl single-handedly?

And now, what about Hannah?

Being a baby of mixed parentage (‘Pan-Asian’ is the word to use?), we had to look around for an appropriate growth chart. We stumbled upon one on the WHO website (http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/en/) , which incidentally reflects the growth of breastfed babies – excellent!

Hannah started off as an average-sized baby, and has blossomed (or ballooned) to almost above-average. Yet, her weight for length is appropriate, so no worries of being overweight. At this juncture, I will have to introduce you to the ‘Grandparent Syndrome’.

There has been several new babies in the extended family (4 in the last 6 months!), with it not only first-time parents, but also first-time grandparents. Suddenly, all they ever talk about at family gatherings is baby talk – diaper brands, strollers, milestones and of course how well the baby is thriving. There seem to be a race for the fattest baby, almost equating health with size, as though being overweight is impossible for a baby. Scary.

Naturally, the grandparents have been comparing notes, politely and subtly hinting their respective grandchild has the upper hand in this informal competition. Curiously, the parents seem the least bothered about whether their baby smiles or crawls before their cousin's does. Now it’s not only the babies, but the grandparents as well who are a source of entertainment!

But for the sake of her grandparents scattered all over the world, we’ll have to report what Hannah CAN do.

If Po Po had her way, she’d say that Hannah is walking and even flying now. The real truth is, Hannah loves to spend time on her feet while being held upright, occasionally making stepping motions. We call it 'the moonwalk' since it gets her nowhere! Medically speaking it is a sort of infant reflex, therefore a little embarrassing to make a big deal out of it.

As for the flying bit, that’s Daddy’s doing. Hannah’s developed an acrobatic ability to hold herself stiff while Daddy flings her around in mid-air. With a little imagination, our little girl looks like Supergirl. A little far-fetched, but if you’ve run out of things to say, this one might just shut all the other grandparents up.


And now, with photographic evidence, this is what Hannah can really do. With her neck and back firming up, Hannah’s been keen to spend more time upright, with support of course.

Her vocabulary has also expanded from cooing to squealing, with a lot more spontaneous smiling. We think she might grow up to be quite a vain little girl since she now enjoys looking at her reflection AND smiling in approval at what she sees.

Unfortunately, Hannah is also starting to develop stranger anxiety, often crying hysterically when surrounded by unfamiliar faces. The elite group of ‘familiar faces’ only include Mummy, Daddy and Po Po. Hmm, so much for all those babysitting offers.

Although a little young, Hannah seems to be displaying signs of teething – lots of drooling, chewing, sucking etc. The teether has been getting its fair share of abuse, together with Fudge the dog, her security blanket and anything else she gets her hands on.

Just to show how quickly Hannah develops and changes, we have to report that Mr. Bumble Bee has fallen out of favour! Shocking.

Shall we even bother introducing her latest friend? Oh well, here he is anyway, Fudge the dog, Hannah's loyal sleeping companion. Let’s see how long you will last. You have been warned...