So what do we do in the B&B in the hours between eating, shopping and sleeping? :) HOw is Jovann entertained? hehehee....
The B&B is huge, lotsa crawling space for him to move and work off that energy. There's always lotsa of things to do, and Jovann is always happily exploring, learning, making noise. hehehe.
There was this one adorable night...it was on day 2 I think. I was lying on the bed after bathing, and hubby playing with him on the roll out bed beside me... Jovann about to be washed up too for his bedtime...and then he suddenly sat up, leaned forward, and kissed me, fell back giggling, then sat up lean forward and kiss me again, then fell back laughing! It was really really sweet, and wet hahaha. Coz he either kiss my cheeks, or gently mouthed my nose, or just bump his head against mine....love it...love that feeling, that sudden impulsiveness of him to show affection. LOve you Jovann...
**
**
Or sometimes, after we finish dinner, IF we had it in the B&B, he will be crawling to the drawers, trying to pull them open but not succeeding coz these are antiques, super heavy. One night, he busied himself to closing doors. and then he discovered the heater....he kept touching the heater, even after countless warnings by us. he touch, and withdraw, and keep touching. The heater was not very very hot at that time, but we don't want to risk him liking it so much he may touch it one night when its super hot. so hubby wanted to teach him, and pretended to touch the heater himself and "got burned". Our son found that funny instead.
**
**
sometimes we spend time in the drawing room chatting, or just ildly planning the itinerary for the next day. Jovann always try to make a beeline for the book shelves. The ones in the drawing room a bit dusty, while the ones in the hallway is fine. So i don't let him touch those in the drawing room, so either we move furniture to block it, or I play "guard the bookcase" game with him....
**
**
A Little Space to Call Our Own
The 2 of us
Sunday, October 14, 2007
We Love Melbourne - Part 5
Day 4. Its Queen Victoria Market, i love the sound of this place.....sounds so fun and grand at the same time.
breakfast
Jovann trying to grab my food as usualll...
Little boy messing about in the luggage...
The temp is very cold today. Douglas told us it dropped from 15deg to a sudden 9 deg coz of the rain. So bundled up Jovann to the max, and me too. When we reached there, it was just afternoon. Hubby said today's market opening hours the longest, so we took a quick walk through, noted what we wanna buy, and went to have lunch.
but BUT BUT!! HORRORS! When we came back from a leisurely stroll and lunch, realise many shops are packing! oh dear..........lucky I oredi bought all the lovely toys......now was a mad rush for the rest of the shops.....lucky the one I wanted is still open. Then I saw a NICE white long jacket, only at $35....how can I not buy? hehee.
Discovered this quaint little market off the main market, its names Fine Foods...I went ga ga over the stores of pickles, all sorts of cheese, pickled octopus, cabbage...aiyoh, just so yummy! even have Bratwurst sausages (we had one!).....
and there is this organic market off this fine foods market, selling organic produce. Of course, I can't help venturing inside. after all, I do need some more vege...right? hheee. bought an organic zucchini, and an organic xiao bai cai. I deliberately choose the shop that packs the vege in paper bags....always had a soft spot for those things..hehehee...
My loot!
HUbby wanted a leather jacket still very much, so after this, I suggested we go down to Myers and David Jones. Had a lovely time shopping. Myers is HUGE here, they are divided into 2 huge stalls. one block away from each other but kinda connected. I love bridging betw the 2 coz then I get to enjoy the weather. hehehe!
Jovann window shopping...
**
**
When snooping around, found this little quaint lane of shops....nice! Stepped into a shop selling books, and puzzles and games. and spend around $40 there hahahaa. Bought a book on Brilliant brain games for kids, and a box of cute flash cards. Wanted to buy the SNAP but didn't....
Stopped by for a shot of fresh fruit juice, coz I am feeling a bit under the weather, a sore throat has set in since day 3. Have gotten better after gurgling with sea salt water....made using sea salt from Chris's kitchen. Power leH! next day not paiN!
Off we drive back home, on the way, hubby stopped by at Coles to find some distilled water, and some baby bottle detergent (FOUND out later that this is a non-existent concept in Melbourne!, no such thing!!!!). While waiting in the car with sleeping Jovann, observing a lot of customers going in and out of 2 particular takeaway shops. One selling fish and chips, one is Kirala Jap take away. So when hubby came back, suggested we get dinner from this 2 shops since they shld be good! good recomendation from me okie? The jap bento set is delicious! see....not a morsel left....as for the fish and chips, hubby said not bad but not the best....the chips are enough for a meal!
breakfast
Jovann trying to grab my food as usualll...
Little boy messing about in the luggage...
The temp is very cold today. Douglas told us it dropped from 15deg to a sudden 9 deg coz of the rain. So bundled up Jovann to the max, and me too. When we reached there, it was just afternoon. Hubby said today's market opening hours the longest, so we took a quick walk through, noted what we wanna buy, and went to have lunch.
but BUT BUT!! HORRORS! When we came back from a leisurely stroll and lunch, realise many shops are packing! oh dear..........lucky I oredi bought all the lovely toys......now was a mad rush for the rest of the shops.....lucky the one I wanted is still open. Then I saw a NICE white long jacket, only at $35....how can I not buy? hehee.
Discovered this quaint little market off the main market, its names Fine Foods...I went ga ga over the stores of pickles, all sorts of cheese, pickled octopus, cabbage...aiyoh, just so yummy! even have Bratwurst sausages (we had one!).....
and there is this organic market off this fine foods market, selling organic produce. Of course, I can't help venturing inside. after all, I do need some more vege...right? hheee. bought an organic zucchini, and an organic xiao bai cai. I deliberately choose the shop that packs the vege in paper bags....always had a soft spot for those things..hehehee...
My loot!
HUbby wanted a leather jacket still very much, so after this, I suggested we go down to Myers and David Jones. Had a lovely time shopping. Myers is HUGE here, they are divided into 2 huge stalls. one block away from each other but kinda connected. I love bridging betw the 2 coz then I get to enjoy the weather. hehehe!
Jovann window shopping...
**
**
When snooping around, found this little quaint lane of shops....nice! Stepped into a shop selling books, and puzzles and games. and spend around $40 there hahahaa. Bought a book on Brilliant brain games for kids, and a box of cute flash cards. Wanted to buy the SNAP but didn't....
Stopped by for a shot of fresh fruit juice, coz I am feeling a bit under the weather, a sore throat has set in since day 3. Have gotten better after gurgling with sea salt water....made using sea salt from Chris's kitchen. Power leH! next day not paiN!
Off we drive back home, on the way, hubby stopped by at Coles to find some distilled water, and some baby bottle detergent (FOUND out later that this is a non-existent concept in Melbourne!, no such thing!!!!). While waiting in the car with sleeping Jovann, observing a lot of customers going in and out of 2 particular takeaway shops. One selling fish and chips, one is Kirala Jap take away. So when hubby came back, suggested we get dinner from this 2 shops since they shld be good! good recomendation from me okie? The jap bento set is delicious! see....not a morsel left....as for the fish and chips, hubby said not bad but not the best....the chips are enough for a meal!
WE LOVE MELBOURNE - Part 4
Day 4!
Our target is Bridge Road, the stretch where many factory outlets shops are. But first, lunch.....stopped at Chapel Street, the opposite of Bridge Rd...its where all the upmarket labels, trendy fashion boutiques, sassy cafes are....lovely! ate a lovely lunch at New Wind VIetnamese and Thai Cuisine... Fed Jovann his porridge. :)
Then...to Bridge Road! We parked twice, coz street simply too long to cover by foot alone...
Wow....really a lot of nice clothes! but not all of them are cheap..! I ended up buying some baby clothes, and a blouse and 3/4 pants for myself. Hubby spend a long time in this leather shop, he is keen to buy another leather jacket....he seems interested in customising....hehehe....
Jovann after a nap...we are parked outside Parenthood.
We then drive further down, and discover this LOVELY LOVELY SHOP! its like a HUGE motherswork that we have in Singapore. its called Parenthood. lots of lovely toys, books, bedlinen, wooden toys....organic bath supplies...aiyoh, I can go on and on and on! We spent $120AUD here! bought organic body lotion for Jovann, lotsa books, some wooden toys (he grabbed one and didnt let do)...a CUTE ducky bath mat!!!! I LIKE!!!!! hehehee...
And don't forget out DINNER! Yeah, Chris cooked for us. I ordered the pasta I mentioend in the earlier post, and hubby ordered lamb loin chops with roast parsnip, peas and an old english gravy. and I tell you, BOTH ARE DELICIOUS! yum yummm....hubby find the lamb loins as good as his fav at Oaks. I found mine one of the nicest linguine i have eaten. perfect.....
I told hubby I definitely want to order one more of his dinner before we return to Singapore!
This nottie boy, likes Douglas so much, see what he did?
**
**
Our target is Bridge Road, the stretch where many factory outlets shops are. But first, lunch.....stopped at Chapel Street, the opposite of Bridge Rd...its where all the upmarket labels, trendy fashion boutiques, sassy cafes are....lovely! ate a lovely lunch at New Wind VIetnamese and Thai Cuisine... Fed Jovann his porridge. :)
Then...to Bridge Road! We parked twice, coz street simply too long to cover by foot alone...
Wow....really a lot of nice clothes! but not all of them are cheap..! I ended up buying some baby clothes, and a blouse and 3/4 pants for myself. Hubby spend a long time in this leather shop, he is keen to buy another leather jacket....he seems interested in customising....hehehe....
Jovann after a nap...we are parked outside Parenthood.
We then drive further down, and discover this LOVELY LOVELY SHOP! its like a HUGE motherswork that we have in Singapore. its called Parenthood. lots of lovely toys, books, bedlinen, wooden toys....organic bath supplies...aiyoh, I can go on and on and on! We spent $120AUD here! bought organic body lotion for Jovann, lotsa books, some wooden toys (he grabbed one and didnt let do)...a CUTE ducky bath mat!!!! I LIKE!!!!! hehehee...
And don't forget out DINNER! Yeah, Chris cooked for us. I ordered the pasta I mentioend in the earlier post, and hubby ordered lamb loin chops with roast parsnip, peas and an old english gravy. and I tell you, BOTH ARE DELICIOUS! yum yummm....hubby find the lamb loins as good as his fav at Oaks. I found mine one of the nicest linguine i have eaten. perfect.....
I told hubby I definitely want to order one more of his dinner before we return to Singapore!
This nottie boy, likes Douglas so much, see what he did?
**
**
Thursday, October 11, 2007
WE LOVE MELBOURNE - Part 3
Day 1 - after sleeping off the mild jet lag, Daddy suggested to take a trip to town, to Melbourne Central, where he heard the shopping malls stretches for 3 blocks. Mommy wanted to take the public transport, coz to her she have not really been to a country if she don't try their public transport hehehe. so off we go!
We strolled leisurely along Glen Huntly Road, dropped by at Timothy's Fine Foods recommended by our host. And Mommy order a cabbage roll for the first time in her life, with grape salad. thats her lunch! Then they realised I had fallen asleep in my stroller. Cool.....
They called back home to report safe arrival, and after lunch, we strolled to the Elsternwick train station, and Daddy asked for directions to get to where we wanna go. Paid for a full day pass as the 1 hour pass won't be enough for us to get back on.
I woke up on the platform when the train about to pull in, because Mommy transferred me from the stroller to Daddy's arms, in case the train step is too high for the stroller to be pushed safely up. We sat near these 2 ang moh girls who kept smiling at me, even though I did not bother with a return smile as I was still in a half asleep state. with the movement of the train and in Daddy's warm arms I soon fell asleep again.
We finally reached Melbourne City station, and Mommy quickly did a reconnaissance of the shops. Daddy too, but no damage for the next 1 hour. We went to Myers nearby too.
I was awake, and Daddy Mommy decided its time for my afternoon milk. They sat down at a cafe and had afternoon tea while Mommy nursed me.
Life is good......they were rather amused how I enjoy my milk as I kept shaking my legs......
**
**
Soon after this, we went home on the train, and changed to a tram that brings us the 2 stops down Glen Huntly to somewhere opposite Parkside St where we stay. We dined at Sushiya Jap Restaurant, another place that Uncle Douglas recommended. For the first time, I was fed baby jar food, its Healthy Times Little Bears Chicken Stew, with Healthy Times vegetable stew. Mommy pour both into a VIA cup and asked the lady to microwaved it for me. It was with apprehension that she fed me the first spoon, but I surprised her by eating it all up! She still wasn't convinced jar food contains the necessary nutrients, so she asked the restaurant to cook some steam salmon and steam rice for me. When it came, it turn out to be stewed salmon, which tastes good Mommy, but I didnt like it much.
Daddy and Mommy enjoyed their bento sets, and towards the end Mommy carried me in her lap and continue trying to feed me the salmon and rice. I started to play with the rice, and turned around to feed Mommy instead! Its the first time I did that, and Daddy Mommy were tickled by what I was doing. Mommy felt secretly warm inside, as she find it so sweet that I am feeding her. She gave me some rice in my little fingers, and I brought it to her mouth. sometimes I feed myself though....
After dinner, our little family walked back to the B&B. Such a nice little day!
Day 2
Brought Jovann to Melbourne Aquarium!
When we reached town, the notti boy is napping, so we had a lunch at Crown Entertainment Centre. I had some really nice spinach and ricotta dish, with him still sleeping...
Crown Entertainment Centre. HUGE.
Jovann is awake!!! He wants his LUNCH!
Walk back to the aquarium after lunch. :)
The weather was very very windy today. Very very nice!!! Jovann is bundled up so no fear! see what fun he has at he aquarium. He saw jellyfish after jelly fish...small crabs, HUGE crabs....all sorts of fish, and SHARKS!
**
**
Back at Crown, tried to cover the whole plc from end to end, but I dun think we did it. Its huge. But we managed to find the much recommended Greco Cafe. Thanks Jenny! Only thing is, I thought it was Gecko...as in lizard. But when we pass by this cafe selling gorgeous desserts and cakes, and the spelling is similar, i tot maybe i heard wrong hehee.
This is the honeycomb cheesecake. I am a sucker for ANYTHING that LOOKS like caramel...
my goodness, how to resist?????? chunks and chunks of nougats, long long shelves of lovely little morsels of delights....I cannot resist. I ordered something call NOugalita...but found its out of stock. So happily changed to HOneycomb cheesecake which look heavenly....but was kinda dissappointed. coz its too rich to last more than a few bites. even hubby's Black Forest is a let down.... and the staff is rather stuck up....hmmm.....verdict, nice to look at.....not so nice to eat lah...
For dinner, we initially wanted to have Chris cook for us, but I forgot I have to tell him in advance, like, during breakfast. So, booked him for tomorrow. for today, its pizza day! We had it at Gidarno Pizza...yummy minstrone soup! added some carrots and soup into Jovann's beef stew... :)
We strolled leisurely along Glen Huntly Road, dropped by at Timothy's Fine Foods recommended by our host. And Mommy order a cabbage roll for the first time in her life, with grape salad. thats her lunch! Then they realised I had fallen asleep in my stroller. Cool.....
They called back home to report safe arrival, and after lunch, we strolled to the Elsternwick train station, and Daddy asked for directions to get to where we wanna go. Paid for a full day pass as the 1 hour pass won't be enough for us to get back on.
I woke up on the platform when the train about to pull in, because Mommy transferred me from the stroller to Daddy's arms, in case the train step is too high for the stroller to be pushed safely up. We sat near these 2 ang moh girls who kept smiling at me, even though I did not bother with a return smile as I was still in a half asleep state. with the movement of the train and in Daddy's warm arms I soon fell asleep again.
We finally reached Melbourne City station, and Mommy quickly did a reconnaissance of the shops. Daddy too, but no damage for the next 1 hour. We went to Myers nearby too.
I was awake, and Daddy Mommy decided its time for my afternoon milk. They sat down at a cafe and had afternoon tea while Mommy nursed me.
Life is good......they were rather amused how I enjoy my milk as I kept shaking my legs......
**
**
Soon after this, we went home on the train, and changed to a tram that brings us the 2 stops down Glen Huntly to somewhere opposite Parkside St where we stay. We dined at Sushiya Jap Restaurant, another place that Uncle Douglas recommended. For the first time, I was fed baby jar food, its Healthy Times Little Bears Chicken Stew, with Healthy Times vegetable stew. Mommy pour both into a VIA cup and asked the lady to microwaved it for me. It was with apprehension that she fed me the first spoon, but I surprised her by eating it all up! She still wasn't convinced jar food contains the necessary nutrients, so she asked the restaurant to cook some steam salmon and steam rice for me. When it came, it turn out to be stewed salmon, which tastes good Mommy, but I didnt like it much.
Daddy and Mommy enjoyed their bento sets, and towards the end Mommy carried me in her lap and continue trying to feed me the salmon and rice. I started to play with the rice, and turned around to feed Mommy instead! Its the first time I did that, and Daddy Mommy were tickled by what I was doing. Mommy felt secretly warm inside, as she find it so sweet that I am feeding her. She gave me some rice in my little fingers, and I brought it to her mouth. sometimes I feed myself though....
After dinner, our little family walked back to the B&B. Such a nice little day!
Day 2
Brought Jovann to Melbourne Aquarium!
When we reached town, the notti boy is napping, so we had a lunch at Crown Entertainment Centre. I had some really nice spinach and ricotta dish, with him still sleeping...
Crown Entertainment Centre. HUGE.
Jovann is awake!!! He wants his LUNCH!
Walk back to the aquarium after lunch. :)
The weather was very very windy today. Very very nice!!! Jovann is bundled up so no fear! see what fun he has at he aquarium. He saw jellyfish after jelly fish...small crabs, HUGE crabs....all sorts of fish, and SHARKS!
**
**
Back at Crown, tried to cover the whole plc from end to end, but I dun think we did it. Its huge. But we managed to find the much recommended Greco Cafe. Thanks Jenny! Only thing is, I thought it was Gecko...as in lizard. But when we pass by this cafe selling gorgeous desserts and cakes, and the spelling is similar, i tot maybe i heard wrong hehee.
This is the honeycomb cheesecake. I am a sucker for ANYTHING that LOOKS like caramel...
my goodness, how to resist?????? chunks and chunks of nougats, long long shelves of lovely little morsels of delights....I cannot resist. I ordered something call NOugalita...but found its out of stock. So happily changed to HOneycomb cheesecake which look heavenly....but was kinda dissappointed. coz its too rich to last more than a few bites. even hubby's Black Forest is a let down.... and the staff is rather stuck up....hmmm.....verdict, nice to look at.....not so nice to eat lah...
For dinner, we initially wanted to have Chris cook for us, but I forgot I have to tell him in advance, like, during breakfast. So, booked him for tomorrow. for today, its pizza day! We had it at Gidarno Pizza...yummy minstrone soup! added some carrots and soup into Jovann's beef stew... :)
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
I LOVE MELBOURNE - Part 2
Part 2.
FOOD!
How did I prepare Jovann's food during the Melbourne trip? my grand plan was to prepare some b efore the trip, store into VIA cups, and bring them with us into Melbourne, where it will last him for 2, 3 days before I cook another batch. But this grand plan was dashed into a million pieces when some experienced mommies told me Aussie is extremely strict on food stuffs. NO way will I be allowed to bring in cooked food. For that matter, I can only bring in NEW sealed boxes of biscuits, cereals and unopened tins of FM. WHAT?!!??!!!
Well, but alls not lost. Melbourne is famous for their fabulous markets and fresh produce, so Jovann will not go hungry for lack of freshly cooked food! hehehe.
Once we reached the B&B, after 1hour plus drive (we kinda got stuck in CBD once we made a wrong turn), we were warmly greeted by our host Douglas, whom showed us around the big house, the kitchen, and gave us some directions on how to drive to the places we wish to visit. He shared with me where to buy groceries too, which is super convenient as we stay like 5 mins WALK away from Glen Huntly Road, a vibrant stretch of cafes, dainty shops, green grocers, butchers, book shops, restaurants, supermarkets, chemists, you name it. Tram stops and train station are all within easy walking distance. But what made me most excited is the prospect of shopping at a REAL green grocers and a BUTCHER! cool! I mean, you always read about such local shops in those storyboooks but I have yet to visit any. hahahaa.....
So, once we settle ourselves in,
Douglas kindly offered to drive us along Glen HUntly Rd, to show us which green grocer sells the freshest produce, which BUtcher is the best, which bakery bakes the best bread etc. I love staying with LOCALS! at the end of the tour, we asked him to drop us at Dorritos, the recommended Green Grocer, where I started shopping to my heart's content.
I bought a fat sweet potato, 3 fat potatoes (seems like everything there looks fat and juicy), 3 juicy looking pears, 3 apples, 2 ripe avocadoes, 6 Free Range eggs, half super sweet juicy honeydew, 1 broccoli (their broccoli tastes great, without the vege green green smell of us back home!), 1 zuchinni, 1 bunch of fat asparagus. everything feels cold to the touch though theres no aircon in the shop, coz the air temp is cool! so nice! natural aircon. keeps everything fresh. I also bought a big tub of yogurt, but later found something even better at Coles supermarket, esp for babies abv 6mths. it even contains Omega 3. How will we find something like this in Singapore???
Wow, my groceries came to a lot of $$$. but its worth it!
Next, the butcher. I was taking my time, savouring the feeling of standing in front of a cold storage of fresh meats, cuts, beef flanks, what nots. wow..... so fun! i Settled on the more expensive beef (recommended by the butcher of course, "best for babies" he said), and some pork. Don't think I see any fish there.
Yeah, now to cook!
Did I mention that Jovann is asleep all this while on Glen Huntly? He fell asleep in Douglas car, in my ergo. :) so we quickly took a walk back to our B&B, which we will call HOME for the next 6 days. Dropped the things in the fridge, and went back to the room. Hubby slept with Jovann. I pumped milk then quickly slept too. It was around 10am then.
2.5hours later, i woke up! time to cook his lunch! Father and son woke up shortly....i disappeared to the kitchen to cook. I cook beef stew (red potatoes) in bulk, with zuchinni, brocoli, bit of asparagus. around 4 feeds worth. at the same time, I cook beef porridge with zuchinni, brocoli and egg for his lunch. The beef stew is kept in VIA cups for his meals the next 3 days.
So what I usually do is, after his breakfast of cereal, fruits and yogurt, I will cook his lunch (porridge), and either feed him there or bring out in thermal food jar to feed later. Will also pack his dinner, either the VIA cup of beef stew, or once of twice we used baby jar food. My theory is that hot food cannot keep till dinner else it may turn bad. BUt cold food can, coz we keep it in Avent Bag with dry ice packs we brought from home.
Day 3, me hard at work cooking while HUbby and Son took a morning nap.
But of course, I took a much earned cosy time with my book later, in the drawing room, while father and son STILL napped.
My things are scattered all over their kitchen work top table. Love their kitchen, so spacious, neat and tidy. UNTIL we came. I peppered it with Jovann's feeding bowls, spoons, FM tin, cereal box, Ulike Blender, pack of RICE grains, VIA cups, ziplog bags. Douglas and Chris, thank you for never once complaining.
So, when we went Queen Victoria Market on Day 4, we ate Macdonalds (that was the only warm looking place along the stretch that day hahahaa), while Jovann ate his porridge. :)
As for jar food, well, a word of advice is to try out what jar food your baby likes before your trip. Jovann has never tasted jar food, and I have no time to test it out on him before the trip, so we just grabbed some Heinz from cold storage, and hubby went down to Outram to buy some Healthy Times Little Bear Stew, Healthy Times Jasmine Chicken Luau, some vege stew and fruit medleys. When we tried Healthy Times on him on Day 2, surprisingly he likes it! But on another day, he refused the Heinz one we offered him. This boy is into organic man.....
And on Day 5, I cook another batch (the first batch can last 3 days after which I don't feel comfy feeding) of pork and beef stew with zuchinni, apples, xiao bai cai, red potatoes and a bit of broccoli this time. To vary the taste in every VIA cup, I place beef into some and pork into another. Apples into some and no apples in another. in this way, Jovann get to have different taste of food every cup/meal.
Jovann behaves rather okie during mealtimes for first few days. Then he started making a lot of noise and actions when eating. But he still open his mouth for the food, but just have a lot of actions, movements, hand waving, talking and complaining. sometimes even shouting. Funny boy lah....so, sometimes have to give him something to distract him during meal times.....
Think he miss Gong Gong and Ma Ma......
This video taken (Day 3) when we had our lunch at this Vietnamese Restaurant called New Wind Viet and Thai Cuisine at Chapel Street, a street known for their branded labels and nice cafes.
**
**
FOOD!
How did I prepare Jovann's food during the Melbourne trip? my grand plan was to prepare some b efore the trip, store into VIA cups, and bring them with us into Melbourne, where it will last him for 2, 3 days before I cook another batch. But this grand plan was dashed into a million pieces when some experienced mommies told me Aussie is extremely strict on food stuffs. NO way will I be allowed to bring in cooked food. For that matter, I can only bring in NEW sealed boxes of biscuits, cereals and unopened tins of FM. WHAT?!!??!!!
Well, but alls not lost. Melbourne is famous for their fabulous markets and fresh produce, so Jovann will not go hungry for lack of freshly cooked food! hehehe.
Once we reached the B&B, after 1hour plus drive (we kinda got stuck in CBD once we made a wrong turn), we were warmly greeted by our host Douglas, whom showed us around the big house, the kitchen, and gave us some directions on how to drive to the places we wish to visit. He shared with me where to buy groceries too, which is super convenient as we stay like 5 mins WALK away from Glen Huntly Road, a vibrant stretch of cafes, dainty shops, green grocers, butchers, book shops, restaurants, supermarkets, chemists, you name it. Tram stops and train station are all within easy walking distance. But what made me most excited is the prospect of shopping at a REAL green grocers and a BUTCHER! cool! I mean, you always read about such local shops in those storyboooks but I have yet to visit any. hahahaa.....
So, once we settle ourselves in,
Douglas kindly offered to drive us along Glen HUntly Rd, to show us which green grocer sells the freshest produce, which BUtcher is the best, which bakery bakes the best bread etc. I love staying with LOCALS! at the end of the tour, we asked him to drop us at Dorritos, the recommended Green Grocer, where I started shopping to my heart's content.
I bought a fat sweet potato, 3 fat potatoes (seems like everything there looks fat and juicy), 3 juicy looking pears, 3 apples, 2 ripe avocadoes, 6 Free Range eggs, half super sweet juicy honeydew, 1 broccoli (their broccoli tastes great, without the vege green green smell of us back home!), 1 zuchinni, 1 bunch of fat asparagus. everything feels cold to the touch though theres no aircon in the shop, coz the air temp is cool! so nice! natural aircon. keeps everything fresh. I also bought a big tub of yogurt, but later found something even better at Coles supermarket, esp for babies abv 6mths. it even contains Omega 3. How will we find something like this in Singapore???
Wow, my groceries came to a lot of $$$. but its worth it!
Next, the butcher. I was taking my time, savouring the feeling of standing in front of a cold storage of fresh meats, cuts, beef flanks, what nots. wow..... so fun! i Settled on the more expensive beef (recommended by the butcher of course, "best for babies" he said), and some pork. Don't think I see any fish there.
Yeah, now to cook!
Did I mention that Jovann is asleep all this while on Glen Huntly? He fell asleep in Douglas car, in my ergo. :) so we quickly took a walk back to our B&B, which we will call HOME for the next 6 days. Dropped the things in the fridge, and went back to the room. Hubby slept with Jovann. I pumped milk then quickly slept too. It was around 10am then.
2.5hours later, i woke up! time to cook his lunch! Father and son woke up shortly....i disappeared to the kitchen to cook. I cook beef stew (red potatoes) in bulk, with zuchinni, brocoli, bit of asparagus. around 4 feeds worth. at the same time, I cook beef porridge with zuchinni, brocoli and egg for his lunch. The beef stew is kept in VIA cups for his meals the next 3 days.
So what I usually do is, after his breakfast of cereal, fruits and yogurt, I will cook his lunch (porridge), and either feed him there or bring out in thermal food jar to feed later. Will also pack his dinner, either the VIA cup of beef stew, or once of twice we used baby jar food. My theory is that hot food cannot keep till dinner else it may turn bad. BUt cold food can, coz we keep it in Avent Bag with dry ice packs we brought from home.
Day 3, me hard at work cooking while HUbby and Son took a morning nap.
But of course, I took a much earned cosy time with my book later, in the drawing room, while father and son STILL napped.
My things are scattered all over their kitchen work top table. Love their kitchen, so spacious, neat and tidy. UNTIL we came. I peppered it with Jovann's feeding bowls, spoons, FM tin, cereal box, Ulike Blender, pack of RICE grains, VIA cups, ziplog bags. Douglas and Chris, thank you for never once complaining.
So, when we went Queen Victoria Market on Day 4, we ate Macdonalds (that was the only warm looking place along the stretch that day hahahaa), while Jovann ate his porridge. :)
As for jar food, well, a word of advice is to try out what jar food your baby likes before your trip. Jovann has never tasted jar food, and I have no time to test it out on him before the trip, so we just grabbed some Heinz from cold storage, and hubby went down to Outram to buy some Healthy Times Little Bear Stew, Healthy Times Jasmine Chicken Luau, some vege stew and fruit medleys. When we tried Healthy Times on him on Day 2, surprisingly he likes it! But on another day, he refused the Heinz one we offered him. This boy is into organic man.....
And on Day 5, I cook another batch (the first batch can last 3 days after which I don't feel comfy feeding) of pork and beef stew with zuchinni, apples, xiao bai cai, red potatoes and a bit of broccoli this time. To vary the taste in every VIA cup, I place beef into some and pork into another. Apples into some and no apples in another. in this way, Jovann get to have different taste of food every cup/meal.
Jovann behaves rather okie during mealtimes for first few days. Then he started making a lot of noise and actions when eating. But he still open his mouth for the food, but just have a lot of actions, movements, hand waving, talking and complaining. sometimes even shouting. Funny boy lah....so, sometimes have to give him something to distract him during meal times.....
Think he miss Gong Gong and Ma Ma......
This video taken (Day 3) when we had our lunch at this Vietnamese Restaurant called New Wind Viet and Thai Cuisine at Chapel Street, a street known for their branded labels and nice cafes.
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