Hannah's Best Friend

This month, Hannah was hit by the travel bug and spent many many hours in the car, including a long ride to the Cameron Highlands (almost four hours) and a recent day-trip to Cindy's hometown of Port Dickson.

We discovered the key to surviving those long car rides - the indispensable presence of Hannah's best friend. Shall we then introduce you to.... MR.BUMBLE BEE!!!


Who knows how and why he manages to have such a predictable effect on the little girl. Without fail, her grumpy face breaks out into smiles and squeals of delight will follow when the cheery friend makes an appearance.

Interestingly, Hannah has also developed the ability to 'talk' to humans and inanimate objects alike. This was much to our delight when we were dining at a particularly posh (and quiet) restaurant and little Hannah was beginning to act up. Thankfully, she made friends with a wall lamp and proceeded to spend the next 30 minutes having a one-way conversation.

Looks like she's well on her way to having imaginary friends!

Goodbye Grandpa, Grandma and Auntie Sam.

Chris's family have just left Malaysia after a few weeks' holiday here. It has been a wonderful opportunity for Hannah to bond with her paternal family: Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie Sam. Hannah will miss all of you, as will her Mummy and Daddy. Thanks for all your love and support. I will let Hannah make a few comments on this collection of memories:

"Tell me another nursery rhyme, Grandpa!"

"I'm having a bad hair day, Auntie Sam. It must be this damp Cameron Highlands climate. Any recommendations?"

"Thanks for the comfy place to sleep, Grandma."

"Why did that man say 'Cheese'? And why is everyone smiling at that flashing light? Sigh. Is it time to go home yet, Mummy?"

Grandpa's Gift

LITTLE HANNAH

Little Hannah, angel sweet,
Tiny hands and tiny feet,
Big brown eyes so clear and bright,
Staring sweetly, such delight.

Little Hannah, try to smile,
Showing off your winning style,
Everyone just loves to see
They all think ‘that smile’s for me!’

Little Hannah, crying now,
Why do you make such a row?
Is it time for your next feed,
Or is it something else you need?

Little Hannah, close your eyes,
Time to rest before you rise,
Dreaming softly, thoughts so pure,
Not a worry to endure.

Little Hannah, loved by all,
Little bundle cute and small,
Your doting parents thank the Lord,
You really are a gift from God.

 

Guests for dinner

Last Sunday, we enjoyed the company of Carol and Tony. They flew 6000 miles, along with Chris's parents, to have a holiday in Malaysia. Here we are at a Chinese restaurant not far from our house.

And here they are in Langkawi with my parents. "We hope you had a great holiday. Thanks for visiting, and see you again - in either England or Malaysia!" 

Dedication Service

Sometimes it seems as though we have endless occassions to shine the spotlight on our baby. Here's yet another one!

After Hannah turned 2 months old, we had what was perhaps the most important event in our baby's young life. Just days after the arrival of Grandpa and Grandma, our church held a dedication service for Hannah.

Standing before the church, parents and grandparents pledged to raise the little one in the way of the Lord. In response, the congregation declared their readiness to support and help the parents along as we nuture this precious little soul.



Hannah was somewhat bemused by all the attention, but managed to be on her best behaviour. Grabbing the minister's tie during a long prayer was the only distracting behaviour she displayed, but hey, shouldn't your eyes be closed?!



A rare photo opportunity for the two families. Although little guess work is needed to tell apart the Teohs from the Wylies, it is interesting to note that the entire Teoh family wears glasses, with the exception of my sister-in-law, who isn't a 'Teoh' to start with anyway. How about Hannah?

We were a little concerned that the day would be too long for Hannah. A catered lunch was arranged for after the service, so everyone stayed on till the early afternoon. Not too long ago (about a month), we had quite an unforgettable experience dealing with a grumpy baby during her Full Moon celebration.

So, we were all pleasantly surprised when little Hannah spent most of the time doing this:


A quick word of thanks to our church family for being our pillars of support throughout the (sometimes) difficult pregnancy till today. Hannah is truly blessed to have so many 'godparents'!

Acknowledgements are also due to the photographers who produced these beautiful snapshots, as well as the talented cakemaker (AND mother of three) who continually churns out such amazing works of art. If you are impressed, check out more at www.tpcalcake.net

Finally, dear Hannah, we commend you to the Lord:

"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for everymore! Amen"

 

Sneak Preview

It's been about two weeks since we've seen any action on this blogsite. We are both up to our necks with work - Cindy has been slapped with alternate day calls this week and Chris has been juggling work in two different departments.

To keep our loyal readers happy till the weekend (when we'll hopefully have more time to write), here are a couple of pictures to whet your appetite for our next post.



Hannah has recently discovered her two hands (and the furry attachments). She can spend minutes staring at it - a pretty long time for a small baby!

What can we look forward to in the coming posts?



Well, we've recently introduced two important people to Hannah - Grandma and Grandpa from England! There was also Hannah's Dedication service last Sunday, not to mention her aunt's arrival AND her first holiday away in the week to come.

Too much happening, too little time. 

My First Time

Last week was another busy one for Hannah, where she charted several “firsts”. Let’s try to do a quick recap…


Ant bites

At least that was what we tried to convince Hannah it was.

Last Friday, Hannah made her first visit back to the clinic for some measurements and several immunization jabs. It was heart-wrenching to see her sweet face crumple as the smiling nurse plunged the needle deep into her thigh. No wonder she warned me to “hold your baby tight”. Nothing could calm poor Hannah when the procedure was repeated on the other thigh.

On the flip side, the trip was an enjoyable one for Po Po(grandmother) and Mummy. Among the sea of Malay, Chinese and Indian babies, Hannah’s features stood out prominently. Hannah was proudly paraded by Po Po as she went round chatting to other mothers and grandmothers, no doubt comparing weight and length measurements. We even met a happy mother of triplets, who amazingly had no signs of sleep-deprivation or post-natal depression!

We happily concluded that not only was Hannah a healthy, chubby baby, she also had the lustiest cry in the room. Not a plus point at 2 o’clock in the morning, but according to an American expert, such “high demand” babies eventually grow up to be sensitive, people-centred adults. After all, the age-old adage teaches us to view the cup as half full, not half empty. We can only hope so.


Zzzz

Thankfully, we seldom hear Hannah’s cries at 2am these days. For the first time, our little baby slept a solid 6 ½ hours last week, which we consider almost as good as “sleeping through the night”.

Armed with the knowledge that Hannah can sleep through a 5-6 hour stretch, we now face each night with a little less fear and dread. Although waking up at 6am each morning might seem like a drag for some, it works out perfectly for us – we both leave for work before 7am anyway!



Out of Sight, Out of Mind?

Obviously this doesn't apply to Hannah and I.

Last week I was away for 2 half-days, attending a work-related conference. It was the first time Hannah was separated from Mummy for more than 2 hours, AND took 2 consecutive bottle feeds.

Now, so what, you might ask. Any breastfeeding mother will tell you how difficult it is to settle Baby with a bottle in the early days. Hannah had refused the bottle outright on several occasions, and Po Po was stuck with the job of babysitting alone on the first day I was away.

How did we fare?

Mummy: Anxious and jumpy throughout the talks and seminars. Could not concentrate on conversations with colleagues. Wished she had pictures of Baby with her. Resisted urge to call home every 15 minutes. Left conference early on both days! Diagnosis: Moderate case of Separation Anxiety

Baby: Screamed and fussed during feeding time, but eventually finished both feeds due to the coaxing skills of Po Po. Otherwise no outright display of missing Mummy. Diagnosis: Who can read the mind of this little one?

In a week’s time, both of us will be put to the test when I finally go back to work and start doing night calls. It’s a little sad to think I have less than a week of solid time with my baby. We’ll just have to enjoy our weekends together, IF I’m not on call that is. Sigh.

******************

Last week we also received a group of “aunties” who travelled from as far as Melaka (2-hour car ride) to visit us. After listening to their words of wisdom, I can only say this to Hannah: “Aren't you thankful Mummy is not Aunty Wendy, otherwise you’d be left crying in your cot during nap times – no rocking or cuddling; or Aunty Betty, who would force you to drink your own urine to get rid of those milk stains on your tongue; or Aunty Alice, who stuck a piece of tissue on your forehead to stop your awful hiccups.

That’s not to say Mummy has got it all perfectly right either. We just try to do what we think is the best for you, Hannah.”

Hannah at seven weeks

What's on your mind Hannah?

Hannah's first smile on camera

What do you think she is dreaming about?

 

Hannah & Daddy’s big day came and went. We’re still suffering from the after effects of the day, so I can only give you snapshots of what happened…


Scene 1

Was this taken at the beginning or the end of the day?



7am – Father and daughter started the day in a similar fashion, unwilling to face the realities of a long, tiring day.


Scene 2

“Careful how you carry her; are you sure it’s ok to carry a young baby like that?”

“Oh don’t worry, she likes it like that.”

“Cindy, how are you coping now? Are the nights getting better?”

“Are you two leaving now? Oh, never mind then, I’ll wait till next week.”

“So cute… She looks like you Chris!”

11:40am – Chris, Hannah and I inched slowly out of church, taking half a step each time towards the door, but obviously Hannah was drawing too much attention. We usually enjoy catching up with friends after the church service, but that day we had an important lunch appointment.

Hannah’s grandparents were waiting outside the church building, not interrupting but looking slightly concerned, glancing intermittently at their watches.

Finally, Hannah saved the day by letting out a loud wail. Snatching the opportunity to excuse ourselves, we quickly bundled out of church into the bright afternoon sun.


Scene 3

(Telephone rings)
“Are you guys still at home?! The whole world is here already!”

Babies have no concept of time (other than feeding time), so we were more than a little behind time for Hannah’s Full Moon party. Oblivious to the stress she was creating, Hannah wanted to complete her cycle of ‘input’ and ‘output’ before leaving the house, and even attempted to catch a nap in between!

Hannah’s Gong Gong* (grandpa), Po Po** (grandma) and Tua Ku* (eldest uncle) had already called at various times before we finally stepped into the restaurant, just over half an hour late.


* Hokkien terms
** Cantonese term (my mother is Cantonese, my father is Hokkien) 

Scene 4

Ignorance is bliss they say, but even though Chris could not understand much of the conversation going on around him, his blood pressure soared as a scene of chaos greeted us.

Having made a grand entrance, Hannah was the immediate centre of attraction. Known as a baby-loving clan, several great aunts instantly swirled around the infant carrier, even whilst Chris was struggling to set it up in the stroller.

An elderly great aunt, obviously not familiar with the 5-in-1 contraption of stroller/ infant car seat/ infant carrier/ rocker and feeding seat looked in disdain at us. The instructions shot out steadily (translated from Hokkien):

“Are you sure she’s comfortable in that?” (despite the fact that Hannah was sleeping soundly)

“Why are there all these straps? Look, it’s leaving red marks on her skin. Take it off!” (off went the safety belts)

“She’s feeling cold, quickly cover her with something.” (a clean nappy cloth was thrown over her legs)

“Why is her head in a funny angle? Can you adjust this thing so she’s more comfortable?” (I had to insist Hannah was feeling perfectly comfortable by now)


Thankfully, Hannah slept soundly through lunch, cleverly avoiding being passed around from one person to another. Still, she was ‘exhibit A’, and could not avoid viewings from relatives, with the occasional poking and pinching.

It became slightly unbearable when my aunts turned the attention to me.

“Have you been drinking enough DOM?”

“Don’t eat that! It’s too ‘cooling’ for you” (dessert was a delicious-looking honey dew sago with ice cream)

“I thought you were not supposed to eat spicy foods?”

And so the afternoon went by with an almost constant barrage of well-meaning comments on how I should be taking care of Hannah and myself, and of course, comments about breastfeeding.

Scene 5

Unfortunately, the attention was too much for poor Hannah to bear. Before dessert appeared, she was wide awake and not very happy. Po Po tried to calm her down and introduced her to my cousin’s baby (held by his Po Po) – only 5 months older and perhaps 3 times bigger!

The bigger boy burst into tears, triggering off another baby in the restaurant. Soon we had 3 babies crying simultaneously. Hannah will grow up to be an influential person!


Once again, Hannah saved the day by requesting for another feed. We left just as we came, ‘grandly’, with all eyes on us - a screaming baby and rather frazzled parents.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent coaxing the tired little baby into her usual routine of feeding and sleeping, with little success.

Finally at 9pm, in the same manner as she started off her day, Hannah fell into a deep sleep in Daddy’s arms. Everyone in the household heaved a sigh of relief. No more big crowds for Hannah for a long time. 

Hannah Says

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Ok, so it's tomorrow and not today. But seeing how busy we'll be tomorrow, I thought I should do this before I forget. We've got to go to church, and then to my party. What was it again? Oh yes, my Full Moon party. Let's see, between the folks at church and all our relatives at the lunch, I'd expect to be passed around at least, say, 40 times? Sigh, the things I put up with...

Mummy says you will be, err, almost 30 years old?! Wow, how does it feel to be so old? I am only over a month old, so you must be many many times older than me!

As a birthday present for you, I have decided to make a few resolutions, which I am sure will please you:

1. I will wake up only once every night and sleep through the night within a month’s time.

2. Whenever you change my nappy I will not aim or shoot unmentionables in your direction.

3. I will not fall asleep within 5 minutes of starting my feeds.

4. I will stop fussing and fall asleep within minutes of your cuddling or rocking.

5. I will look pretty each time you take a picture of me, so we can land an advertisement deal and earn a lifetime supply of diapers.

Oh, all this talking is tiring.

I think I’m going to start crying hysterically and get some attention. Hopefully someone will feed me then put me down for a nap.

You adults never seem to know what I want.

It’s tough being a baby. Yawn.

Happy Birthday again Daddy. Oh, and love from Mummy too.

Hugs and kisses,
Hannah

Motherhood Musings

Almost 6 weeks on, and it finally feels like things are picking up speed. From an old rickety KTM* overnight mail train, we now seem to be progressing to the speed of the Eurostar passing through the underwater tunnel.

Well, almost.

There are still colicky nights when we wonder if we would ever live to see daylight. But compared to Hannah’s first week (‘the longest week of our lives’), we seem to be calmer parents (and grandparents), more able to decipher her cries and anticipate her needs.

I often wonder what mothers do with the endless hours spent feeding their babies. Occasionally I manage to read a little or eat a little, but always with an eye on the little girl, who tends to be unpredictable. With my favourite radio station playing in the background, here are some threads of thoughts that have drifted through my mind in these last few sleep-deprived weeks…

Weight loss

After getting over the initial discomfort of delivery, I realized that once again, for a long time, I could see my toes! By the first week I could wear my old shoes, skip, jump and run. With joy I saw the scales tipping in my favour, showing an almost instantaneous loss of half the weight I had gained this pregnancy.

The second week came and went. Reality hit me. I wasn’t going to lose any more weight, not so quickly at least. Since I had chosen to breastfeed, it meant no silly Atkins’s dieting until Hannah starts depending on cows for food.

By the fourth week, I was desperately going through my wardrobe, looking for remnants of clothing I could still wear to work. After all, in a couple of week’s time I had to attend a work-related conference, and another month later, I’d be back at work.

The verdict? Face the facts and go on a shopping spree. I am convinced that Hannah prefers people who are more “padded”, which must be why my mother is Hannah’s favourite companion when she fusses (not discounting her years of experience, of course!). So, if my daughter is happy, I’m happy.


Cow’s milk vs. Mother’s milk

When did human beings start depending on cows for this form of nutrition? Why do we feed our babies cow’s milk, not goat’s or any other mammal's? If we find it hard to imagine our precious baby feeding on another person’s milk, how is it that we so readily give them an animal's milk? Yet this must be an ancient practice since even the bible mentions the Promised Land as one of “flowing with milk and honey”.

Shouldn't it be unusual for people to think it unusual to breastfeed?

A generation ago, feeding formula milk was considered the norm. Some manufacturers even promoted their product as being ‘superior’ to mother’s milk in some aspects. My mother recalls purchasing the ‘best’ brand to feed all 4 of us. Even up till my university days, I recall students protesting against a manufacturer for promoting their products in the developing world using unethical methods.

The tide has changed. Now, the tagline is “breast is best”, with all government hospitals enforcing strict breastfeeding policies from day one of life. Infant formula tins display prominent labels with current health ministry recommendations of exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of life. Perhaps it will take another generation for the mindset to change. Only 29% of Malaysian mothers follow the current recommendation, and no wonder.

The older generation comprising of grandparents, confinement ladies and self-proclaimed childcare experts in all forms (well-meaning friends and relatives) are still THE people who influence how an inexperienced young mother brings up her newborn.

My first week of breastfeeding was emotionally traumatic, with all sorts of conflicting advice coming my way. Some insisted I should bottle-feed the baby while waiting for my “milk to come in”, while all current literature clearly states that breastfeeding alone is sufficient. To this day, I still get unhelpful comments such as “are you sure you have enough milk?”, or even hints that expressing milk at work is too troublesome. A friend had this said to her: "Oh, please stop breastfeeding, you remind me of a cow!” How ironic.

No doubt, breastfeeding in public and milk expression at work are still challenges facing every well-meaning mother. I admit to nights when I lie in bed wondering how, when and where I could possibly achieve this at work, despite working in a hospital! Malaysian public toilets are infamously notorious for being, err hem, unhygienic to say the least. Now that is public enemy number one to lactating mothers.

Sigh, a Chinese saying goes: “xin you yu er li bu zu”. We may have all the best intentions in the world but still fail due to limited abilities.

This is not a cop out for me, but a realistic statement of the current situation. So far I have fought tooth and nail to give what I feel is the best for my daughter, I only hope I will have sufficient stamina and determination to carry it through. After all, going back to working 24-hour-calls shouldn’t be as difficult as before, considering we’ve been “on call” every night for over a month!

Oh dear, this has turned out much longer than expected. Even if you have thrice the attention span of my daughter, you’d be starting to get bored. Believe it or not, I have much more to say but will leave it till another day when Hannah permits me to spend time at the computer.

Let me end with this little excerpt from a card we received:

"Wishing you bags of energy, an extra pair of arms, a wild imagination, plenty of supernatural wisdom... and hearts full of endless extraordinary love"

Don't we just need that?


*Keretapi Tanah Melayu: the national train service

Hannah's first trip to church

"Are we nearly there yet?"

 

"Well I'm glad you find me entertaining."

 

Full Moon Celebration

A quick Google search will yield a mish-mash of results for this one. It ranges from Buddha's birthday, to the Chinese mid-Autumn Festival, and even ancient Greek mythology. Our previous blog would give you a clue about what this is all about.

Yesterday was Malaysia's 49th Merdeka Day (Independence Day), and naturally, a public holiday. Cindy's parents took the opportunity to make a day trip to their hometown, Port Dickson, to do what every proud Chinese grandparent would do: announce Hannah's one-month birthday!

Armed with packs of "goodies", they went round to houses of friends to distribute the gifts and announced the good news. The contents included: roasted chicken, nasi kunyit (yellow glutinous rice), curry chicken, hard-boiled egg dyed red, ang koo kueh (glutinous cakes with green bean paste filling) and pickled young ginger. Interestingly, the ang koo kueh is ball shaped for a male baby, and peach shaped for a female.


Hannah's Full Moon celebrations will culminate in a special lunch next weekend, hosted by Cindy's parents, and attended by close friends and extended family members. Although it all sounds rather extravagant, a shrewd mother pointed this out: the Chinese will never allow themselves to be on the losing end! A common returning gesture would be to give ang pow (red packets containing money) to Hannah, or gifts, including jewelry.

Of course, Hannah's grandparents are simply happy, excited and proud to show off our family's newest addition, and will not be balancing the accounts so calculatively.

Oh, I can see questions coming... what do all those different food represent? Hmm, I'm sure they have various auspiscious meanings, but that is totally lost on me. An online search may do the trick, but you will have to forgive this busy new mother for not doing her homework. 

House Arrest!

Today should be the day to throw a huge party in celebration of Hannah’s “coming of age” – that is, a month old. According to strict confinement practices, it should also be my first hair wash in 30 days.

Welcome to the world of traditional Chinese confinement practices, otherwise known to rebellious people like myself as “House Arrest”. Although my parents are now Christians, occasionally it is difficult to differentiate between cultural and superstitious belief. So, since the birth of Hannah, I have been subjected to a watered-down version of Chinese confinement. This encompasses a 30-day period of dietary and lifestyle restrictions, with the aim to improve the health and well-being of both mother and infant.

Here is a glimpse of what it should be, and how I fared:

Mother and child must not leave the house during the confinement period

Some of you must have been wondering why Hannah’s first outing was such a big deal that we had to blog about it. She should have been ‘let out’ only today, when we should rightly have a Full Moon celebration. This would involve lots of friends and relatives, a big Chinese meal and lots of presents for Hannah! Apparently, pregnant women should not touch her at this time, as it would cause her to be a difficult child to handle in future. Oh, as for myself, I’ve already done two shopping trips with Chris to get supplies for Hannah.

No hair-washing for 30 days

Ah, I can imagine some of you going “Eeuuu”. Fear not, this practice is so widely practiced that we now have dry shampoo to relieve some of the discomfort. The rationale is to keep “fung” or "wind” out of the mother’s body and prevent unnecessary joint problems in future. I managed to last till the end of the first week before I put my foot down and insisted on some degree of personal hygiene.

No bathing for 12 days

On the 13th day, women are supposed to bathe in warm, boiled water with herbs. Some sweep alcohol all over their bodies to "close the pores" and "reduce wind from entering the body". You can imagine how impractical this is in a warm tropical country like Malaysia. I had my warm shower on Day 3.

No direct exposure to “wind”

For example, no air-conditioning or direct usage of a fan or even a hair dryer. I have been sleeping in an air-conditioned room with the fan blowing at top speed each night. Looks like I'm bound for arthritis by the time I hit 35.

No TV watching for more than 15 minutes at a time

The eyes are thought to age first and watching TV can speed this up. As such, no reading for long periods, and no excessive crying. Well, no problem with this one as I’ve not had much time to watch TV, or have any form recreation anyway!

Do not carry heavy objects or sit/walk for too long

This includes carrying the baby! The aim is to allow the internal organs to heal well, preventing conditions such as uterine prolapse. Hmm. The Chinese usually employ a confinement lady during this period, who will not only help to look after the infant, but also cook special confinement food, allowing the recuperating mother much needed rest. Ah, but try breastfeeding, on demand, and you will realise how impossible this is. Relatives who came to visit noted with disapproval that I spent too much time sitting in front of the computer and not in bed. Most insist that I should retreat to the bedroom and have a lie down. My excuse? Surfing the net is a form of relaxation for me - times have changed. I could do it in bed, but our wireless isn't working.

Do not drink plain water for 20 days

Or was it 30 days? Everyone has their own version on this one. Apparently, we have to drink a special herbal concoction in place of plain water. Much as I enjoyed the herbal drink, I was sneaking in water into the room by the first day. I compromised and drank warm water initially, then my mother gave up on me and allowed me to drink whatever.

Special confinement diet

It has been a month-long of ginger, rice wine, sesame seed oil and Benedictine DOM. Thankfully I was spared some of the extreme food preparations of pig offal, although I would have enjoyed eating frogs – somehow Ma never got round to buying that for me. Generally I ate what was placed in front of me, and obediently stayed away from anything taken directly from the fridge. To this day I have yet to figure out which foods are “heaty” and which are “cool”, and when I’m meant to eat which. Just thank God for the food and eat, I say.

There are many more taboos and restrictions during the confinement period – there must be books written on this subject. In the early days I was rather rebellious and disliked the restrictions imposed on me. Soon I realized that the pressure was also on my mother, who acted as my confinement lady. Well meaning relatives would visit or call, asking how mother and baby were doing. Everyone would give their opinion on confinement practices, reminding my mother that mother and baby would suffer all sorts of pains and aches if she didn’t do things right. They would mention someone who had particularly bad arthritis as a result of having a shower every evening, or chronic backache due to insufficient bed rest.

Say what you want, but these folks really believe in the cause and effect of confinement practices. Since the beliefs are so culturally ingrained, the psychological effect is even greater. Every good doctor knows that as long as the patient trusts you, half the battle is won. Never mind that postnatally all women have stretched ligaments and hence are more prone to backaches, or the fact that having to care for a little baby involves lots of carrying, cuddling and rocking – all of which leads to aches in the back and arms!

I suppose at the end of the day, the intent is good. After all, the aim is to protect the well-being of the mother and child. Someone said that confinement practices may actually have started from the days of ancient China, where women had their only time of rest after having a child. Otherwise, women had to work hard in the fields from dawn to dusk, and look after the needs of the household. A lifetime of hardship and suffering punctuated by brief periods of pampering and rest.

As for me, I will celebrate my release today, at the same time realizing that I have already broken many of the confinement rules. I have no intention of being disrespectful to those who unyieldingly cling to such practices , yet I will have to appeal to my own sense of logic before willingly embracing some of these teachings. What I have followed, I do so out of respect for my mother. Whenever relatives come, I quickly put on my fluffy house slippers and make sure I wear a long sarong (all to keep out “wind”), consciously making sure that I spend a portion of their visit time in my bedroom. After all, I don’t want to get my mother in trouble!

There are many more stories I could tell, such as using the baby's dirty diaper to clean his face to get rid of unsightly rashes(milia, which is normal and self-limiting), or bathing the baby in alcohol to reduce "heatiness". Anyone has more stories to contribute?

Hannah's First Outing

It was a big day. Maybe too big. Hannah was clearly overwhelmed by the experience of going for a walk around our apartment's compound and decided to sleep through the whole thing! Oh well. Mummy and Daddy were still excited about the outing.

Preparing for the REAL world

We've been playing around with the baby-carrier over the last few days in anticipation of Hannah finally getting out and about in the big wide world. We think she looks just about ready!


You may recognise this baby-carrier / car-seat from a previous blog. 9th July, to be precise (click here to see the Archives!). At that time we only had a teddy-bear to practise with. Even though that was only one and a half months ago, I don't think we could have imagined what was to come! How could we have imagined how cute and adorable Hannah would be? How could we have fully understood what an awesome responsibility she would place upon us? How could we have had any idea what a challenge persistent sleep-deprivation could be?!?! But we thank God for the wonderful reality of Hannah in our lives. 

Another Milestone

This morning, at the grand age of 4 weeks, Hannah managed to take her first feed from a bottle of expressed milk.


Mummy and Daddy weren't having much success (or maybe not enough patience?!) with Hannah, but after a few attempts from Po Po (Grandma), she happily sucked away. Does this mean we can begin to look forward to more hassle-free feeds in the future? At the very least, we hope Cindy gets to sleep a bit more at night... Of course, at the expense of Daddy :-P