It was a super impromptu spontaneous and last minute decision to go to Botanic Gardens. Around 3.30pm, Auntie BRenda msn-ed Mommy "Wanna go Botanic gardens for picnic"? After consulting Daddy, Mommy said "why not?!" ETA 6pm. And there we go, I have my first picnic! :)
Daddy Mommy brought Strawberries, nachos, beer, apples, the cold stuff were dumped into the ever reliable FTG. Auntie Brenda and Uncle Shawn brought Macdonalds! And we had a FEAST! right there on the old bedsheet Auntie Brenda bought, hahaha!
Your are Officially A Big Head - 6th MOnth Visit to the PD
This will be your last Hep B Jab. The next jab will be 2nd, 3rd and 4th dose of Prevnar (pneumoccocal vacinnation) at 7th, 9th and 12mths. Daddy and Mommy feel so xing tong that you have to go through so many jabs, while some of your friends will have 1/2 yr of rest before their annual jab. But we have weighed the pros and cons, and Mommy had read up too much about pneumoccocal (I was tested positive for Strep B in week 5 but cleared twice later during pregnancy) to risk not protecting you from it. So darling, be brave okie? Mommy is not scared of injections, so you must be like me, brave brave....eerrr or is it sadistic as Daddy would have me believe? :P
Well, here's something to cheer you up. During your developmental measurement at the clinic, you are 66.5cm long, 7.57kg in weight and have a head circumference of 45.2cm. You are officially a BIG HEAD! Hehehe, because though measuring in the 50th percentile for height and weight, you fall in the 97th percentile for head size!!! Oh WowW! Does that mean you have more brain mass? Which means you will be SMART? Hehehehe! Most importantly, be HEALTHY as well okie darling?!
Mommy prepared a long list of questions to grill Dr Ong with, and these includes any and every question on feeding cereal and puree and porridge. Only when Mommy has asked till her satisfaction did she leave the doctor's office. Oh, and did I mention, this time you did not notice at all when he jabbed you. Dr Ong said Daddy is so good at distracting you, but I suspect its coz Hep B jabs are not painful lah, right?
Mommy kept asking Dr Ong too why your weight only increased by 70g over one month! and to think that you have started cereals. He assured us that your weight is healthy and babies of this age should be putting on only a bit every month, since you are more active than before, and you should be reaching the ideal weight of 9-10kg at 1yr of age. He said you are on the way there. Though he has said that before, Mommy feels better hearing him say that again. And when asked around, Mommy learn that other babies of your age put on very little weight monthly as well.
Mommy bumped into her secondary school friend and her baby Cheryl in the waiting room. :) I have not met this friend every since we graduated 13 years ago! GOSH. I didn't even know she has a baby, who's around the same age as you. :)
Took leave to take care of you today. Temperature is fine throughout the day though it kinda hit 37.6 for a few seconds before dropping. All's well!
Ah Gong Ah Ma wanted to bring Mommy out to celebrate my Lunar birthday. We brought forward the celebration because on the actual birthday our family has the tradition of eating tung hoon soup with hard boiled egg (in teochew its called Dao Ciam Neng). So dining out will have to be another day. Mommy took the chance to suggest the Korean BBQ Jun Shin Jung that I have been itching to try! This time fussy Ah Gong cannot reject me. :P
We looked forward so much to having a BBQ with you sitting beside us. So we brought the bumbo. You slept in the car, when we push you to the restaurant, and for the first part of the dinner in your stroller. Look at the spread! Mommy's pleasantly reminded of my favourite show "Da Chang Jing".
Then you woke up! :) You amused us with your newly acquired habit of blowing raspberries. You were pretty well-behaved when you sat on the bumbo, and you look so cute sitting on the bench with us.
Birthday girl and her love of her life. :P
Mommy especially like it when you suddenly leaned close to Mommy, held my right arm, and sorta rub or bury your face into my arm, as if you want to be close to me or for me to carry you. That's so adorable I asked Daddy to video it down. ***
*** By the time you make noise, we were more or less done with the dinner, and we took turns carrying you while the the others finish the food. The waitress and waiters played with you too, and one nice waitress brought you some candy, which of course you are too small to eat. Mommy eat for you kae? :P
Mommy is glad Ah Gong and Ah Ma enjoyed the dinner very much. that is no mean feat, because Ah Gong has a VERY discerning palate that is so hard to satisfy. Hehehe.
Well, perhaps your presence made the food sweeter, not to mention your saliva that you blew all over our dishes. ***
Joshua's 1st Birthday at Costa Sands Downtown. Daddy mommy didn't know that is actually the NTUC Pasir Ris Chalet renamed, and went to the Costa Sands Pasir Ris instead! Turns out they were not the only ones who went to the wrong place. heheh. I managed to wake up in time to take pictures with the birthday boy! :) I heard he has a lovely birthday cake in the shape of a car, how nice! But it was gone by the time we reached there hehehe. Nebermine, ask Mommy to buy one for me for my birthday. :)
You see lah, silly Mommy, expose me until I zhao geng like that.
The day Enzo came to our house to play. :) Boy meets boy.
He is 6months Old! It is One Hundred and Eighty One (181) Days since the day I was wheeled on the labour ward purple bed, tired (no sleep for past 26 hours), triumphant and proudly cuddling a newborn tiny bundle, into my room 509 in Thomson Medical Hospital. 179 days since I brought him home for the first time, that tiny little baby that made me jerk awake every few minutes so I can make sure that he is still breathing. I was that paranoid then. It seems like just yesterday, yet it seems light years away. The sleepy bundle is now a naughty, noisy 6mths old.
We celebrate!
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~~Jovann~~
The night before, I was put into my new giraffe pyjamas Mommy bought from Mothercare. Around 15mins minutes immediately after I turned 6months, on the 18 March 2007, Mommy came into my room and sang me the birthday song, and kissed me on the forehead.
That morning, I woke up around 8AM plus, and it was Mommy who brought me into the room to feed. Daddy woke up immediately to give me a birthday kiss, and sang birthday song to me as well! Though I don’t really know the reason, but I could feel that today is going to be so special because Mommy Daddy has this secret smile on their faces.
They read a new book to me today, it’s titled Pinnochio and it’s the pop-up version! Mommy also started on Beauty and The Beast, but I was so impatient I kept fussing and grabbing at the pages. Its too wordy for me, not enough pictures for me to see! Mommy didn’t manage to finish reading it.
I played with my toy train on the playmate (which we opened yesterday), it’s a gift from Uncle Edwin and Auntie Jenny for my full month, and I love watching the train go along the playmat with its turning carousel, spinning monkeys/elephants and the many contraptions moving at the same time!
Soon, I was sleepy, so went for my nap from around 10.30am-11.30am.
During this time, Mommy Daddy busied themselves with blowing up balloons for me to play. They just bought a packet of it yesterday, and there's purple, blue, yellow (Mommy fought to blow up this one), pink, red, green, white, beige, so colourful!!!
When I woke up, Daddy Mommy ran to my room and attended to me. I fooled around in my cot and made funny faces for the camera.
Daddy took care of me while Mommy prepared my first every MILK BATH! What a treat!
Mommy thawed 6 Lansinoh bags of Frozen EBM for this bath! She had to change the water twice before its warm enough for me. Meanwhile, the tub is waiting for the milk in the bathroom. I am going to be bathed in the bathroom for the first time! A wise idea, as Mommy thought it’s going to be messy and they cannot afford milk on the paraquet room floor.
Finally, done!
And I was lowered ceremoniously into the tub. I looked wary throughout, more interested in the water and milk this time, I kept lowering my head and Mommy worried I may drink it. Cool! I feel like a king already!
Then I was given a clean water bath with all my new toys! There’s 2 ducklings, 1 tortoise, 2 frogs, 2 goldfish! It’s kinda crowded in here. Oh, and there’s one rooster, though I don’t know what it was doing in the water. They don't swim right?
There I have it! My first milk bath! Which Mommy swore never to do it again as she had FBM all over her and the bathroom floor. She felt yucky and sticky hehee.
Time for my lunch! Mommy had bought a ripe avocado (not easy to find) last night from Shop & Save, prepared to give me as a treat with my cereal, as it will be my first puree.
It don’t look like much, but I kinda like it! Much to Mommy’s satisfaction.
Yewwww...... why did it turned green when it was yellow? Because it oxidised I guess......
Mommy gave me 1/2 of the avocado and I ate it all uP! Mommy couldn't believe it. But its yummy. And it made Mommy felt a bit more confident that I am just a small greedy little piggie like her! easy to feed. hahaha.
After my puree, its balloons time. I lay on the playmat, facinated by the balloons, they are so lovely, I couldn't keep my eyes off them. When put in the bumbo to take photos, I kept stretching myself out to grab one, anyone. Daddy was afraid I may squeeze it too hard with my fingers and my nails may burst one and I may cry. So they were careful to remove them from my pincer-like grasp when I looked too excited.
During my 2nd nap, Mommy Daddy unwrapped my biggest present today! MY LEAPFROG ACTIVITY STATION. oooh.......anticipation......
Daddy sweated buckets after assembling the toy. But when I saw it for the first time, they felt it was ALL worth it! When I woke up, fresh from my nap (my nap today is at most 1.5hrs, I think I knew when the day is too exciting to sleep!), the leapfrog was hidden behind the dining chair, until they were ready to unveil it to me. And my eyes literally WIDENED.
Quick Quick put me doWN NOW!
My first time on the Activity Station, I am a COOL DJ dude!
The microphone was tasty tasty, until I saw the bright ice-cream that is the disco ball.
I was enjoying myself tremendously. If you need further proof, I actually SAID the words "I Like" when Daddy asked me "Jovann, Jovann, do you like the Leapfrog boy?". Click on the video to hear my "first words". :P (remember to up the volume). By the way, the hyena-sounding laughter is from Mommy.
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That evening Daddy Mommy dined at home, Daddy ta-baoed Korean food back so that they can have a quiet meal. I didn't let it be too quiet though, as I was squealing for attention. So they took turns carrying me and playing with me throughout dinner. After dinner, all 3 of us sat at the sofa. The Phantom of the Opera was showing and Mommy wasn't watching, she's playing with me. She sat me on the sofa and sang songs, played games, read to me, and played peekaboo. She let me sit by myself, the technique of which I am quickly mastering! Nice to see the world from this angle. I can support myself for quite long now, and can slowly straighten my back to look up and smile at them.
~~Mommy~~ So many things have happen in these 6months, how he has grown and developed. Nowadays, since he can flip, he tends to be playing by himself in his cot when he wakes up in the morning. Many times, when opening the bedroom door, I see the mop of hair that is so uniquely his, sticking up on his head and refused to stay down, and I know he is awake. When I enter he heard me, and when I called out he will smile at me with that charming smile that melts my heart everytime. But of course, there will be mornings when he is still in deep sleep, and in a totally different position from where I put him down to bed the night before.
Observe where the blanket is, thats where he started off the night before.
I also recently bought the Safety First Potty Seat, which is such a cool device. When I first set it up, I was impressed by the "deflector shield" (coz moments before I was still wondering how to clean up the mess if he pees all over the potty) which is made specially for boys. hehee. Hope he won't come running after me when he grows up and see this photo on his blog. :P Of course, right now when we put him on it he doesn't know how to go yet. Instead, he will give us his signature cheeky grin and smile, despite our enthusiastic efforts at going "NNnngggggggg.........." or "Sssssshhhhhhhh........". Well, guess it takes time.
He has also been eating a lot of his feet. It does taste good, we tried. :P
Finally, you didn't spit out the cereal once it enters his mouth. the past 2 days (8, 9 March), Mommy have tried feeding you a bit of Healthy Times Organic Brown Rice Cereal at Ah Gong Ah Ma's place, and you have only swallowed at most 2 baby spoons, refusing the rest. Today, Saturday, Mommy bravely made the cereal again, sure that I will be lucky sooner or later. I made 1 tablespoon worth (1tbs), added about 15ml of expressed breast milk from the fridge (pumped this morning) and you ate it all up! I was so proud, and boasted to Daddy when he came back from buying lunch! I was scrapping the bottom of the bowl already. Clever boy. Will you grow and grow!
My ambitious plan - 1.5tbs tmlw, 2tbs the day after. building up to the recc 3 tbs, where it means I can introduce puree. If I time it just right, you will have your first taste of puree on your 6mths birthday. I so looking forward to the masak masak time.
since you are on cereal feed now, it means your milk intake will be gradually decreasing from now on. That also means, as Mommy will still be pumping more than enough (in case of growth spurts), the freezer will get fuller and fuller. Mommy's story of frozen BM will need to find a home. Its filled to the brim with the Lansinoh milk bags (Mommy believe these are the thickest and bestest!), and there's no space for more if I don't donate.
Jovann was sick during the CNY. It makes me feel as if my breastmilk failed him. Isn't BM supposed to make babies stronger? I felt so down during that time. But, the good thing is he recovered within 24 hours. I did read that breastfed babies recover faster even when they are sick. Perhaps its true after all.
It was after a jab. This time, we gave him paosheng to drink. Ah Gong Ah Ma made it and I diluted it and feed him through a syringe, about 5cc of it. Fed him when nursing him. The next morning, he had his last dose of 5-in-1 and last oral dose of Rotarix. I spent the whole day with him, and he was fine, smiling and laughing and playing. i took his temperature every once in a while and its all okie. At around 4pm or so, he suddenly cried and wailed very loudly. Nothing can soothe him. Whenever he cries, he's either hungry, or tired, or needs someone to sing to him. This time, he cries after a few secs of nursing, singing didn't help, and even rocking him didn't help. He cried so hard I ended up tearing because it felt so painful. Called hubby and asked him to hurry home in case we need to bring him to see doctor.
He eventually went to sleep around 5pm. It was a short and fitful nap. within 1/2hr he woke up crying. He sounded as if he was in pain, and no amoung of cajoling and rocking can soothe him. I took a warm cotton pad to soothe his wound, and he flinched when it touches him at the wound. I was convinced its painful. When hubby came back, we took his temp and realised its 37.8 now. We quickly fed him infant paracetomal and he calmed down after a while.
9pm, his fever is back though he didn't cry. Fed paracetamol and put him to bed.
Next morning 6am plus, he woke up with fever of 39.2degrees! but he was smiling and playing with us. The poor darling vomited 4 times, one time vomitted out reddish mucus which was his paracetamol that we just fed him. Decided to bring him to KKH coz SBCC's Dr Ong is not yet contactable.
Nurse and Doc checked him, temp is down already. Suspect urinary tract infection (doctor said such infection happens for no reason, and has nothing to do with diaper hygiene sometimes). So little Jovann was stripped out of his pampers for the nurse to attach a urine-collection device on him. The next hour was a lot of waiting. Kept checking his diaper to see if he pee-ed, fed him a few times in the nursing room because he was fussing and crying, but he didn't drink much, until around 9am he drank and fell asleep drinking. Dr Ong has been informed of the situation, so we PD is back, decided go back to TMC.
Reached TMC, fever still kept at bay. Jovann smiled at Dr Ong during checkup! Dr Ong sent him for blood tests in the lab to rule out any virus or bacteria infection (the former will have low white blood cells count, the latter will have high white blood cell count). We tried to keep Jovann happy and resting. Results were out very soon, when we were called back to Dr Ong's clinic directly. He's cleared! Dr Ong speculated that it could a mild viral infection (gastric flu), so mild that it won't show up on the blood test. If not for Rotarix or the jab, perhaps he wouldn't even have manifested any symptoms. He explained that fever due to jabs are usually not that high. Were told to go home, monitor his fever, give him medicine and come back again if fever don't subside in 2 days time.
Fed him a dose of SBCC's medicine around lunch time. By around 3pm, he was right as rain and playing with us. Thank God for small miracles.
I came across this lovely poem posted by a friend. When reading it, it warmed me inside, because it provided me a quiet push to continue this breastfeeding journey, it affirms that my baby wants me to do this for as long as I can. A powerful emotion surged through me and I knew that all the endless washing, sterilising, pumping, early waking, storing, buying only the best milk bags, is all worth it. I suddenly realise Jovann will grow up fast, that he will not be a baby as long as I want him to be, and one day he may find that he don't wish to nurse anymore. When that happens, will my heart be broken? Or will I feel relieved? No matter how it is, I know that being able to nurse him is one of the most beautiful thing about motherhood. Holding him in my arms, seeing his eyes close in relaxation once he latches on, or watching him visibly calm down though he was crying his eyes out before this. Nowadays his little hands touch me when he drinks, grabbing onto my blouse as if he is afraid to let go, as if he don't wish to let me go. Watching me with a trusting loving gaze. Even at times he is overly excited and thrashing his hands all over the place and hitting me on the face, I enjoy holding this little bundle, this little bundle that is growing bigger and bigger everyday, in my arms and know that I am providing him the best I can provide at this moment. Mother Nature is amazing.
Mommy I love your milk so sweet and yummy, It's the very best stuff for my little tummy.
Mommy when your patience is running low at best,
sit down, take a few deep breaths and bring me to your breast.
Mommy hold me close to your soft warm chest Because being in your arms is where I like being best.
Mommy do not listen to those who say I am spoiled. It's just that you're my favorite person in the whole wide world.
Mommy when their negative comments put you to the test. Don't worry, trust yourself Because mommy you know me best.
Mommy ignore them when they ask, "Isn't it time to wean?" Because when to stop is up to only you and me.
Mommy continue rocking me, sing another song. I am still a baby, but not for very long.
Its Daddy's best friend Uncle Malcolm and Auntie Sharon's BIG DAY at the Ritz. and Mommy Daddy decided to spend a night there with ME! how exciting! I get to be bathed in the luxurious bath tub, in the famous bathroom of the Ritz, been long touted as having the most romantic bathroom.
We reached there at 3.30pm though the checkin time was 2pm. Who knows, the reception apologised to Daddy as our room is not available yet, Ritz is heavily booked due to an event. True to their excellent service standards, they invited us to wait at the lounge to enjoy high tea or any food with their compliments! Mommy had their nice high tea, while Daddy ordered a club sandwich. Me? I just lie there and enjoy relaxing in a nice hotel, making noise once in a while to make sure Daddy Mommy don't forget I am here!
Showing off my acrobatics
We were upgraded to the Harbor View Room because after 1 hour the original room is still not ready! Not that we are complaining. This view is gorgeous!
I am the first on the bed!
And the SOfa. Kinda lonely here, come and join me Daddy... After a short nap, its Wedding time. Daddy brought me around to be introduced to his friends. I also met Baby Adele there, who is 3 days older than me and born in the same hospital. Isn't she lovely?
Socialising with the pretty Aunties
Me and Baby Adele
As Daddy is helping Uncle Malcolm during the dinner, most of my time there is spent with Mommy or Uncle Steve, Daddy's other best friend. He was itching to carry me, but was so apprehensive at the same time. Don't worry Uncle Steve, I won't tell Mommy you nearly dropped me, hehehe!
Jovann : Bartender, get me both of that on the rocks please.
Jovann : *BURP*
Next morning, joined many of them for breakfast at Killiney. I made my entrance again, though I behaved pretty stoned though the aunties were trying to make me smile. Think I need my daily dose of morning nap.
Finally, my long-awaited bath! Daddy Mommy got into the tub with me, and that was the LONGEST bath I had till now! I had my bath ducky with me, as well as the bath fish book and my sippy cup that doubles up as my bath toy. Had so much fun!
