I have moved...

Hi everyone...
Thank you for reading this Blog. In an effort to make things easier for myself (I was upkeeping 2 separate blogs concurrently), I have decided to merge both Blogs into one. In keeping with the spirit of 3G (we have 3G phones, 3G SAF etc...so why not 3G Blog???), I have found myself a new blogsite that allows me to manage my Blog much better. All my previous posts will still be available in the new site along with a lot more posts from my other blog. So if you would still like to continue reading...look for me at Sunshine After The Rain.

Blessings and I hope to see you there!

Booger Removal For Dummies

I think I've somewhat mastered the art of baby booger removal. I've been asking around, trying to find out from people who have walked this road before me, how they do it successfully. I've had many suggestions and I tried them all. We even boought the following state of the art innovations to help us achieve our task:

1) I call this the PIGEON Booger Tweezer
It has rounded tips so you don't damage your baby's nose. However, this gadget only works if the booger has hardened and it is not too far in.

2) The NUK Nose cleaner
This fellow does not really work for us cos' the suction hole is too big for our baby's nose.

3) This is the PIGEON Nose cleaner Suction Syringe
This was what we originally wanted to get but could not find. The syringe tip is small enough to be inserted into the baby's nose and it is soft so it does not injure the baby.

All these were well and good, but the best way I've discovered is...this!
The good old cotton bud.

This is how I do it:

Step 1
Pray!

Step 2
Wet the cotton tips.

Step 3
Swaddle your baby so that he/she will be easier to handle.

Step 4
Insert the cotton bud into the nose and gently twirl it before making a slight scooping action against the wall of the nose as you remove the cotton bud.

Either of the following should take place:
1) The booger comes out with the cotton bud like it is supposed to.
or...
2) Your baby will feel irritated by the moist cotton bud and sneeze the booger out.

Sometimes, you may need to use a nose cleaner (the suction kind) to suck out the remaining mucus when it is wet.

Points to note when attempting to remove your baby's booger:
1) Have good lighting. Know where the target is before insertion.
2) Be confident and do it swiftly.
3) Be prepared to use your fingers.

I'm thinking of investing in this. It looks like what they use at the clinic, should be more effective. Till then, I'm doing it the primative method...haha!

Does anybody talk Goo Goo Ga Ga?

Sometimes I really don't know what Cherise wants. How do you pacify a cranky baby? She's been fed and burped, her diaper's been changed, the surrounding is dark and conducive for sleeping...yet she refuses to sleep and keeps on crying even though she's clearly tired. I wish I could understand what she wanted to tell me. It's interesting how sometimes she just looks at me when I'm carrying her, and she makes some funny noises as if she wanted to tell me something. Usually I'll talk to her and ask her what is it that she wants, and before I know it, she starts crying in frustration. Sigh.... then I'll do everything the books say not to do just to sooth her...I think I'm too soft. But what to do...she's my little princess and I think that's the way it's gonna be for a while. Hunny said something which I tend to agree, when Cherise is cranky, it is a contest of wills - we just have to fight it out with her and see who can last the longest. Like today, I was trying to put her to sleep after she was fed, she kept on struggling with me no matter which position I tried carrying her. In the end I had to force cradle her and let her cry it out until she gave up. I think it kinda worked for a while but she would doze in and out of dreamland so she'll start fussing when she wakes up. Then we'll start all over again.

That is why I'm so proud of Hunny for handling Cherise all by herself when I'm working, especially when I'm on night duty. Being a hands-on dad, I know how difficult it is especially when everything happens at the same time. Take last night for example, Cherise was having a one of those "what-goes-in-will-come-out-BOTH-WAYS" moments. Hunny fed her, burped her and carried her in an upright position for as long as possible. When she put her down, she had a reflux so poor hunny had to clean her up. While doing that, Cherise decided to test mummy's multi-tasking skills by letting it all out from the bottom as well. So Hunny had to leave her on the mattress, go get a pail of warm water to clean Cherise's butt, and when she came back, our darling daughter had regurgitated again. So Hunny had to change her shirt again (the regurgitated milk is all over the mattress and pillow as well.), at the same time change her diapers quickly so that she does not remain lying down. While changing her diapers, Cherise decided that it was a good time to pee....before the diapers went on! Now, tell me how you would feel if you are in Hunny's shoes, taking into consideration that it is 3 am in the morning and you haven't really slept cos' this whole drama happened at the last feed as well. Plus the baby is crying her lungs out cos' NOW she's hungry again...(cos' it's time for her next feed)...if it is not GOD who was keeping her together I don't know who was.

Ok ok, to be fair, Cherise is not really soooo difficult lah. She just has her moments like all babies do. We are quite thankful really, Cherise is actually quite hardy. She does not cry when she regurgitates, she just makes little grunts. She's also pretty easy to carry cos' her neck muscles are quite strong. She's not easily bothered by people talking loudly, she just gets a little over stimulated when people crowd around her. She is quite textbook as some may say, i.e, keep to the schedule and she is quite managable. Most importantly, she loves her bath time!

Anyway, Cherise is officially 1 month old today!!! Yeah!!!! More post about that later...need to get back to daddy day care now!

Shopping Spree...again

As mentioned in my earlier entry, Hunny and I brought Cherise out for a little shopping spree yesterday after the visit to the doctor. The main aim of the trip was actually to get a proper diaper bag for Cherise (we really cannot stand the bright green one the hospital gave us), and also to pick up some nursing tops for Hunny. There was no better place to shop other than United Square, the mall had everything we were looking for (well...almost), it had facilities for nursing mothers (and they are clean!!), plus it was very near TMC.

Although we initially only wanted to get only a few items, we ended up picking up a few other stuff which we thought were essentials. Mainly, they are:

1) Kiddopotamus Snuzzler
I think I'm a Kiddopotamus convert. Their products look good and feel so comfortable. The Snuzzler goes very well with the CushyStraps we bought a while back. It gives Cherise a more comfortable fit in her stroller, especially the head area.
Close up shot...looks good eh?

It's actually really really very comfie...

2) Skp and Hop Diaper Bag
These series of stroller-friendly Diaper bags are actually made to go with Maclaren Strollers. They come with special clips so that you can attach the bag to the handles of your stroller/pram. See, they even come with matching colours!!!
Same colours as our stroller...chocolate and pink!

It's a nice size too, not too big. But it can store everything that we need to bring out for the baby.

So finally we can say hello to this:
Looks trendy...unlike typical diaper bags...

And goodbye to this!
Enough of free advertisments for TMC!

3) Snuggle Nest by Baby Delight
We never had the intention of having Cherise sleep on the same bed with us. Like most modern parents, we wanted to get our baby accustomed to their own space from the very beginning. But it's really a lot tougher than it sounds. I salute any parent who is able to enforce the "no baby on my bed" rule from the very beginning. We initially left Cherise to sleep in her own cot when we brought her home, however the nights proved very long for us because she had some insecurity issues (very common) and she needed to know someone was there everytime she wakes up. After climbing in and out of bed a zillion times (we have to stand beside her cot to assure her until she falls into deep sleep), we decided to get the co-sleeper by Arms Reach. This was a good buy because baby had her own space yet it was easy for us to monitor her cos' she's just beside us and we can react immediately if she regurgitates (don't want her to choke) or if she really needs our attention. But for the past week, we realised that babies have their moods as well, and there will be times when they need constant soothing. At times like these you can almost forget about puting them down onto their cot cos' they will wake up once they lose human contact and the whole process starts again. This is when the Snuggle Nest comes in handy. We can prevent shifting the baby around too much and thus waking her up by leaving her in this...
The head is slanted at an angle so that the baby does not lie in a flat horizontal position. Prevents them from regurgitating.

It even comes with a night light.

2 out of 3 parents I asked told me that their baby sleeps with them on the bed. I can understand why, it's not just to feel close to the baby, it's also very much about convenience for the parents. But with that comes the danger of parents suffocating their babies by accident. That is why if people wnat to risk having the baby sleeping in their bed, they should invest in something like this.
See...comfortable yet safe for baby.

We also bought a small night light, some baby CDs, oral wipes and other small stuff. I can't wait to bring them out shopping again, God knows what we will buy next!!!

The Fours...

I have been Tagged again, this time by Noe on the above....

Four Jobs I have had in my life:
1) Waiter
2) Telemarketer
3) Sales Assistant
4) Soldier

Four Places I have lived:
1) Telok Blangah
2) Pulau Tekong
3) SAFTI Military Institute
4) Bukit Panjang

Four Countries I have been on Vacation:
1) Australia (Melbourne/Perth/Darwin)
2) Thailand (Bankok/Phuket)
3) France
4) HongKong

Four of my Favourite food:
1) Beef
2) Lobster
3) Mango
4) Braised Duck

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1) In bed
2) France (vineyard)
3) Mauritius (2nd honeymoon with Hunny...this time with Cherise!)
4) Heaven (Don't have to work anymore!!!)

Four people I'm going to Tag:
1) Modern Na Na (finally you can start a post on your blog)
2) Precious Eve (as above)
3) Princess Jo
4) Hunny

Super Woman

I was on duty again last night so Hunny had to handle Cherise all by herself. I thought that she will be very tired during the day since my MIL took a "day off" from baby sitting today. But guess what??? Not only was Hunny able to tend to Cherise all by herself (I needed to take a nap when I got home), she also had the energy to scrap! It helps to have the baby in the sarong sling. Cherise feels secure when she's close to mummy and mummy can go about doing what she wants.

Hunny using the sling.

Cherise feeling very comfortable...

Scrapaholic at work...

Back to scrapping after a long break...

I think the both of us are finally getting used to the changes in our lives. Really need to thank God for his strength through out these past weeks. Cherise is getting easier to handle as the days go by, partly because we are reading her cues correctly. Can't wait for the day when she starts playing with us...

That's a big booger!

As I mentioned in my last post, we needed to pay a visit to the PD to get Cherise's nose cleared. It was a quick process, first the doctor taught me how to do it but because the booger was all dried up and stuck too deep into her nose, the nurse had to insert a super thin catheter into her nose to suck the stuff out. The catheter was attached to a machine that does two things, to spray tiny amounts of water into the nose (to wet the booger) and to suck it out. Kinda works like the Osim I-ecology. Anyway, the nurse managed to suck out quite a big chunk of booger...the kind you'll only expect from an adult. How in the world did all that get in there? And that was only yesterday! Today, I managed to dig out another big piece!!! Now I must check everyday...if she does not sneeze them out herself, I'll have to "go in" and get it out before it all dries up and gets stuck again. I really do not wish to pay another $70 to use some special booger remover.

Anyway, as expected, it was quite an ordeal for Cherise. I mean how would YOU feel if somebody stuck something up your nose?!?! So there was a little bit of serious crying but she calmed down pretty quickly after that. It must have been a tramatic experience for her because she was so exhausted from that short crying that she fell asleep very quickly. And she stayed asleep for more than 4 hours. Not a bad thing anyway cos' we managed to squeeze in a short shopping trip before we headed back home. The trip was short but fruitful, I'll post more about the purchases later. As for now, here's a picture a Cherise in her rocking chair, we like to put her in it after she feeds to prevent her from regurgitating (she tends to if she's lyiing down).




More updates in a while!!

Little Whistler

Hunny was a little concerned about Cherise cos' she's breathing like she's wheezing. It's probably because her nose is blocked by mucus that has hardened. It's quite amusing actually, it's like she's constantly whistling...through her nose haha. Hunny is going for her check up tomorrow, so we'll probably pop by the PD while we're there and get the doctor to teach us how to get the bats out of the cave. If we are lucky, she'll just sneeze them out on her own tonight. We just need her to seriously cry for a while so that that she can generate some fresh mucus to soften the dried ones in her nose...ok, too many detail, sorry heh heh.

Cranky....

Cherise was a little cranky today. She refuse to nap the entire day, even though she was clearly tired. Hunny and I tried everything, we rocked her, carried her, gave her the pacifier, put her on the rocking chair, left her to cry, changed her diapers...nothing seemed to work. She was wide awake between all her feeds so you can imagine how tired Hunny and I were cos' she needed to be carried all the time. Even her daily "spa" treatment didn't manage to relax her enough to sleep, it kept her from crying though...Cherise loves her bath time. She finally feel asleep when my MIL came over with our dinner...somehow grandma has a soothing effect on her. I just hope that she will be able to sleep till her next feed.

Anyway, Cherise is now 3 weeks and 1 day old! How time flies, seemed just like yesterday that we brought her back from the hospital. Here are some random pictures for those who miss her...!
Cherise looking all freshened up after her bath.

Superbaby!!!

Switch off the lights!!! I wanna sleep!!!

I like falling asleep to the sound of daddy's heartbeat...

Ok...need to bring the princess into the room now...she really needs to sleep...cos' her daddy and mommy wants to!

I Got Peed on!!!

Yes...you heard it right. Twice to be exact! I couldn't believe that I didn't see them coming. Both times it happened when I was changing her. I really have to be a lot more vigilant in the future...sigh.

It's been more than 2 weeks since we brought Cherise home and I'm falling in love with her over and over again every single day. Last night was really tough for me cos' I had to be on night duty and thus Hunny was left to manage her on her own. Thank God Cherise slept well throughout the night, I think she's begining to feel more and more at ease at home.

I'm not sure if it is the same with all babies...but Cherise does not seem to like it a lot when we kiss her, she tends to squirm.
Could not resist kissing those chubby cheeks.

I've been Tagged!! 8 Random facts about me...

I've been tagged by Roy and Ade, so I guess it's my turn now...

firstly, the following rules:
- start copying -
* I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
* Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
* People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
* At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
* Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
- end of copying -

Ok, here it goes...

Fact 1 - I hold a black belt in Taekwondo...ok, junior black belt to be exact (the one that is half red and half black) buut I did not convert it into a full black belt cos' my martial arts licence expired and I decided not to continue practicing cos' I was turning a bit violent.

Fact 2 - I don't have much luck with musical instruments...I tried learning the violin, organ and piano but I still cannot play a decent song on them. Even my guitar skills are so-so only.

Fact 3 - I was a heavy smoker for 6 years. Thank God for His strength to quit once and for all.

Fact 4 - I'm a nut for romantic comedies.

Fact 5 - I am a foodie...especially when it comes to fine dining. I have no qualms about splurging a few hundred bucks (per person) on a single meal!

Fact 6 - I have always dreamed of performing in a broadway musical. I don't mind being a prop...haha.

Fact 7 - I dreamt of starting a family since I was 15 years of age. I came up with a long list of "must haves" for my future wife and Hunny met every single criteria...and more!

Fact 8 - I prefer girls to boys!!!! Haha! Lucky for Cherise!

Ok...Princess Jo, you are Tagged!

Mixed feelings...

I'm going back to work this evening...part of me feels relieved that I can finally get back to work, yet a part of me feels really bad about "abandoning" Hunny to take care of Cherise alone tonight. Will she be able to cope with the feeding, the changing and the pacifying all by herself? What if Cherise refuses to sleep after the night feed? Will Hunny be overworked? Sigh...sometimes I wish I can quit my job and be a stay at home dad. I like being at home with my family. i enjoy the fact that I can watch Cherise sleep. But a man's got to do what a man's got to do. God, please make your angels work overtime today....

The gift of burping...

I think I have a gift...my success rate of burping Cherise is 80% - 8 out of 10 times it works and my little angel is hiccup free! Her favourite burping position? This....
When you need...a shoulder to burp on...when you need... a..

*BURP* Heh heh...

Cherise has been having a lot of wind in her tummy these few days. Not sure if it is because of the food that mummy ate, yes it does affect the breast milk. We suspect that it could be the cabbage...research has shown that "cabbage flavoured" breast milk do cause some gas build up in breastfed babies. So we are going to lay off the cabbage soup for the time being...see how it goes.

Just came back from the PD, she said that Cherise still has a little bit of jaundice but it is under control so we need not do anymore blood test. Thank God...no more needles for our little darling...at least till Sept when she goes for her jabs. We just need to sun her whenever we can though...God please let there be light! Anyway, really thank God for His healing power, Cherise is looking a lot better now...
She's getting fairer by the day...looking more and more like mummy!

Both mummy and baby are sleeping now...poor Hunny, so exhausted after last night's prolonged feeding. The weather is cool and wet, perfect for an afternoon nap...but no time for me to sleep...need to do some grocery shopping, plus I really need a haircut!

Daddy's little Angel - Part 3

I thank God that my office have allowed me to take 2 weeks leave to attend to my wife and baby, it really gave me a chance to bond with Cherise and to reconnect with Hunny emotionally and spiritually.
Cherise listening to Daddy's heartbeat...

I've learnt so much about the Father's love from my own experiences with my little girl. How she depends totally on mummy and daddy to meet her every need, is exactly the way God the Father was us to be with Him. When she cries, she knows that someone will come to her rescue. At times, she does not even need to say anything and mummy and daddy will know exactly what she needs and meet that need at the right moment. Isn't it just how it is with God? He's never early and never late...always right on time.

Speaking about being right on time...it is not always easy to capture those "Kodak" moments of Cherise because it always happens so fast. But once you learn always to arm yourself with a camera when "handling" her, you get rewarded with priceless pictures like these...
Can you guess what she's doing?

That unmistakable pout...

It's getting more intensed....

Ahh...free at last....

A contented baby...after her poo session.

Daddy's little Angel - Part 2

Now and then, I like to lie Cherise on my lap after she feeds and look at the different expressions on her face...I managed to capture them a few days ago...was she dreaming?
1 second she was looking like this...

the next second she looks like this...check out that cheeky grin...

she probably knows that I was laughing at her...

she gives a big smile...

an even bigger smile...

suddenly she feels like crying...

Wait till you see her when she's doing her big business...you'll laugh your head off!

Daddy's little Angel - Part 1

It's been slightly more than a week since Cherise has invaded our lives in the most beautiful way ever. Our lives pretty much revolve around her now...I don't really feel like doing anything else other than to stay at home and carry her in my arms. She's such a joy to look at, both when she's sleeping and when she's awake. You just can't help but to stop everything you are doing and just watch her in her cot, exploring the strange new world in her own way. Now I truly understand what they mean by love at first sight.

But things were not easy at first during the first 2 days when Cherise and Hunny got home from the hospital. We suspected that she was probably still trying to adjust to her new surrounding, thus she was quite insecure especially at night. We literally could not put her down cos' she needed to be cuddled to sleep. Both hunny and I were ready to be admitted into the zoo as pandas by the end of the second night. Hunny was the milk-cum-cuddle machine, and I was the burping-cum-diaper changing-cum-bathing-cum-cuddle machine. There was just no rest for the both of us cos' the cycle was continuous- feed, poo/pee, cry, feed, poo/pee, cry.....even throughout the night. Oh did I mention that Cherise was a "Barracuda Baby"??? She would literally champ down on mummy's breast and not let go. She had some problems latching on properly initially, so although she was getting plenty of milk, mummy was enduring plenty of pain, to the point that mummy had to express the milk cos' her nipples were too painful.
Also, Like most babies, Cherise was diagnosed with Neonatal Jaundice. Her condition was not too serious, however she still needed to be placed under indirect sunlight in order to break down the bilirubin so that she can pass it out via her stool and urine. But the weather has not been very cooperative this couple of days, thus there was very little or no sunlight for our little girl at all. After the first review by the paediatrician, the doctor said that her jaundice level had gone up. She suggested that we could either ward her so that she can go under the phototherapy bed, or we could rent a phototherapy bed so that she can stay at home with us. We opted for option 2 cos' we really wanted to continue with full breast feeding for Cherise, plus we didn't really like the idea of a hospital stay for her...not at such a young age at least. So we rented a Bilibed for 3 days. This system would have been more effective with the Bilicombi but the company which we rented the device from did not have it. The eyeband that came with it didn't really work as well as it should, thus we had to literally sit there and watch her while she goes on the Bilibed cos' we had to keep the band on her eyes so that they don't accidentally stare directly into the light. Here are some pictures of Cherise on the Bilibed:




Cherise tends to heat up pretty quickly so we cannot leave her on the Bilibed for too long, even though the instruction was to leave her there all the time except when feeding or changing. We had to constantly wipe her down so that she does not perspire too much.

But praise the Lord, after the check up today the doctor said that the jaundice level has gone down so she does not have to use the Bilibed anymore!! We still have to sun her whenever we can though...but at least she's getting better.

Thank You Hunny....

To everyone out there who thinks that a woman's job is to get pregnant, have lots of children and take care of the house, please think again...It really takes a lot of courage and love (for you!) to sacrifice her career (not all employers want a preggie to work for them), her body (the fear that she'll never get her shape back...plus some things are permanent), and her desires (this cannot eat, that cannot do....the list goes on) to carry that baby for 40 week! And she will probably have to endure bouts of backaches, swollen feet and loads of other physical discomfort even after the delivery. To all mothers out there...I salute you!

So this post is a tribute to my darling Hunny...

Hunny...
I said it before and I'll say it again, thank you so much for enduring the 40 weeks carrying our precious little one and bringing her into this world. I think you are so brave to even attempt going through the whole process without any form of pain relief..at least for the bulk of the time! I know that this experience has deepened my love and respect for you, and I want you to know that you are still THE love of my life and I still find you very sexy hehe...

Here are some photos of the day of the delivery...

This is the device that measures the baby's heart rate and the mother's contractions.

Mummy obviously in pain...she's been feeling like this since Friday night...

Ahh...epidural...a life saver!

Finally...no pain...

EPIDURAL...the husband's best friend!

Mummy's first kiss...a moment I'll never forget.

Mummy all cleaned up and back at the ward.

Mummy and baby reunited!

Ok, that's all for now...more updates later!!!