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The hardest thing…

One year!!! I can’t believe we made it – all three of us: the original two with our little plus one .   Looking back... I used to think think going through labour was by far the hardest thing I ever had to do…. contractions, pushing, stretching, tearing (sometimes) – not pretty at all. Whenever other girls ask me about it, I’m always sorry for sharing too much when I see them wince and grimace. In truth, it isn’t an easy task. There were moments when I could barely think through the pain, and I almost believed I could not go on. But I had to, and I did. And at the end as I found myself staring into a pair of small curious eyes peering inquisitively up at me, I learnt that I had it in me all along. And then I realised, all that was really not as hard as sleepless nights,  midnight nursings, growth spurts, teething, and everything else that came together with the little bundle. There were moments when I felt it impossible to get out of bed again for the tenth time that night. But I
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This year’s Christmas sweets

So what what’s cooking in your kitchen this Christmas? Well this year’s Christmas goodies from my kitchen are… Oreo Pops!!! An absolutely brilliant idea I got from here Dead simple recipe but requires some methodical planning for the assembly process. They are basically popsicle sticks stuck in Oreo cookies, dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled over with hundreds and thousands. Hubs was very nice and helped out with splitting open the Oreos for me. He gloated over how perfectly split they came out each time – all cream on one side and clean on the other. After the chocolate cooled and hardened, I went a step further and individually wrapped them in cellophane and ribbon. They’re dreadfully sinful, hence I’m imposing a quota of one stick per person.
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Doing Christmassy stuff

Christmas is just around the corner… Our Christmas tree is up (note the protective barrier around the tree) We’re singing Christmas carols… And experimenting with Christmas recipes… Everything feels so Christmassy… love this time of the year!
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Nathan using wheely-bin as a walker

Another video of Nathan… not an especially extraordinary one. This is just an ordinary everyday clip, this particular one showing Nathan using the little wheely-bin (containing dirty laundry) as a baby walker. I’m posting this clip up purely for the benefit of Nathan’s grandparents who are desperately suffering Nathan withdrawal symptoms. I know they will be ecstatic to see ANY new clip of their darling grandson’s antics. This video could have been better done, but it’s hard to be both the director and camera-man at the same time. So if you find this clip somewhat anti-climatic, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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Back from holidays

We’re finally back from holidays! Did you miss me? Or maybe you’re missing me already right this very second. I’ve got loads to share, but just like any post-holiday mood I’m feeling very lazy. Well they say a  picture paints a thousand words and I uploaded 81 of them here … so that makes 81,000 words worth. Beyond pictures, I also have some wonderful clips to share. It’s always my policy to ensure I upload only videos that are really worth sharing. So trust me: this isn’t any just run-the-mill mundane clip… this is ground-breaking stuff in babyworld! From standing ovations , we now have walking ovations. He still needs something to hold onto just to keep his balance but we definitely have upright mobility! You can see in the video the little guy can barely contain himself with delight. And then we venture into new elements… WATER! This clip is Nathan’s very first time swimming in a pool. I was expecting him to be a little scared and apprehensive of the new floating sensati
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My birthday month giveaway

So in just a few short hours we’ll be flying off for our family holiday to KL and KK. I’m so excited but also a little apprehensive of any unexpected dramas we might encounter with this holiday being Nathan’s first plane and trip he’s first venture outside of Perth/WA. I shall not be abandoning you all completely because as promised, I now unveil to you the details of the long awaited giveaway … If you didn’t know, November is my birthday month, and I sort of wanted to celebrate it with giving a little pressie to someone – something different and fun I guess. So I’m giving away this lovely Pea Pods Pocket Nappy Set The set comprises of a pocket nappy, a bamboo trifold insert, and a mini wet bag. The pocket nappy features a PUL outer, stay-dry lining on the inside, and a double row of snaps. It’s a size medium designed for babies from 6 months up to 3 years old or 8-16 kg. The trifold insert goes inside the pocket nappy or can also be used in a number of alternative ways
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Another sneak peek

Here’s another quick preview of the giveaway item… Just because I needed to do a test shot with my new camera ^_^ This is not the actual nappy I’m giving away of course, but it will be similar to this one. FYI, I’ll most likely be organising the giveaway over at The Bub Hub . But I’ll post an update over here when it’s out. I considered organising the giveaway here as well, but to be honest I have no idea what the actual demographics of my readers are apart from close family and friends. I get hundreds and hundreds of hits and an unknown number of RSS-feed readers, but most of you guys are pretty quiet. So I have no clue how many parents are among you guys who might be interested. Apologies if it bums some of you guys out, but I hope you understand.
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New foods and countdown to one year

Just a quick post on new foods and snacks I’ve introduced recently… Cheerios! His getting very adept at the thumb-forefinger pincer grip to pick up small objects. So Cheerios are now a favourite snack and a good way to keep him occupied. Vege sticks – either steamed or blanched. Here he’s munching on some blanched kai-lan stems (Chinese broccoli) and loving it! This week I tried giving him some fruity yoghurt shake which he expertly sipped through a straw. It was the first time he drank through a straw. I was so amazed. Other than that he’s already been enjoying cruskits, cheese sticks, Arrowroot bickies, apple slices and a variety of other foods . He’s now also progressed from soft lumpy food textures to eating rice with sauce or soup, mixed with chopped veges and meat. I now can sort of prepare some of our meals together by cooking his portion of the meat/veg first without salt/soy sauce, setting it aside and then continuing on with the remaining batch for hubs and me. He w
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Three alternative pocket nappy uses and giveaway sneak preview

So after that initial hint , I thought to give you peeps a little sneak preview of the nappy I plan to give away… A Pea Pods pocket nappy with a bamboo trifold insert and also comes with a bonus PUL-lined mini wet bag! I know a number of people who are not big fans of pockets. The biggest issue seems to be about the yucky business pulling out wet inserts from the pocket. So for the non-pocket-enthusiasts: just for fun, I thought to share three alternative ways to use the pocket nappy … #1. Lay the trifold on top of the shell and use it “insert plus nappy cover style”. I know folks who like using it this way so they can reuse the cover and just replace the inserts as needed. #2. Use the inserts “ prefold style ”. I discovered that these inserts are similar in size with a standard prefold and can be folded accordingly, wrapped around baby’s bum and covered over with the pocket shell or a nappy cover.   The texture of the insert’s bamboo material is also able to ‘catch’ hold of
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Octopus baby

It’s been a while since I posted a Nathan update. He is now at the 10-month mark. He has been moving so fast these days it’s been a challenge keeping up with him. Since that initial attempt at pulling himself standing , he’s now progressed on to cruising around on his feet, holding on to furniture and anything he can find. We’re now into the octopus baby mode where those hands just get into everything. We now have to be very conscientious at making sure we keep anything important far away out his reach. Our coffee table, side tables, TV bench, lower shelves are now so clutter free! (the clutter has been migrated elsewhere). Otherwise here are some examples of things that could happen… My sewing projects have slowed down also because of all this. I used to be able to sew whilst Nathan sits in his high chair watching on contently. But now he just cannot sit still. He wants to touch, see and taste everything. But after a long while, I’ve finally finished another couple of items es
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Jumperoo review is out

For while now I’ve been contemplating getting a activity centre or a doorway jumper for my son who’s now into his 9th month. He’s been getting increasingly active as the days go by with an insane amount of energy to burn. I considered getting a walker or doorway jumper, but was concerned over safety issues with such items highlighted in Choice magazine’s list of Ten Things Not to Buy Your Kids . Hence stationary activity centres appear to be the safer alternative for what I was after. So when Fisher-Price gave me the opportunity to review their Luv U Zoo Jumperoo, I was thrilled. My official review has been published on the Bub Hub Reviews section which you can check out here or read below: Jumperoo - the perfect hybrid between activity centres and baby jumpers I was impressed that the Jumperoo was not just a static activity centre, but doubled up as a baby jumper as well, which is a safer option to doorway jumpers. It’s the perfect hybrid solution between activity centres and ba
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Another job for the little product tester

Received another baby product to review – the Fisher-Price Luv U Zoo Jumperoo. Here are a few quick snapshots of the initial reactions it received upon it’s arrival at our house…:     The little guy burned off a lot of energy in the 20-minutes he was in it and slept super soundly for his afternoon nap. All part of the job of a product tester . FYI the review will be posted through The BubHub Reviews section sometime over the next couple of weeks. Will update on when it’s out. UPDATE: Jumperoo review is now out
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New fluff

Just a post to show off my new fluff from my cloth nappy party … Two Bitti Tuttos (the green and zebra print), a yellow Bitti Boo, an Ecobumba plaid print, and an Itti Bitti wet bag. Took the opportunity as I was changing Nathan out of his PJs to try out the fluff before I tossed them into the wash.     Pre-washed nappies drying happily on the line… it was sunny 35 degree Celsius day, perfect day for laundry. Thank you for indulging me, readers… it's just all part of my routine with getting new fluff.
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My birthday messenger

Today is my dad’s 60th birthday. Unfortunately we are all the way here and he’s way over in Malaysia and we won’t get to see him for another four weeks. Fortunately I had a brainwave and had the sudden inspiration to use my son as the key messenger using the wonderful world of digital technology. My idea was to get him to hold up a happy birthday sign, look straight at the camera and flash one of his brilliant smiles. So simple and clever right? I was sure my dad would love it. However as with most things, the practical application of an idea is where the challenge lies. Anyway I thought I’d share a little photo montage of our attempts to get Nathan to perform…         It also doesn’t help that I don’t have a great camera. However the idea didn’t turn out to be an actual failure. We I picked the last picture in the montage to post up on Facebook as a birthday greeting. With practice, I’m sure Nathan' will soon be an expert birthday messenger. Anyway, Happy Birthday dad! Lots
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Please give a standing ovation

My mum has been reminding me again and again to lower Nathan’s cot to the lowest setting. She was quite concerned about it because apparently my younger brother as a baby had somehow managed to fall out of his cot. It was especially unexpected because the sides of the cot were really very high for his size at that time so it was really a mystery how he managed to do it.  We certainly did not want anything like that happening with Nathan. So we definitely intended to lower Nathan’s cot as soon as possible but just never got round to it. There was a lower sense of urgency in our case as Nathan hasn’t really been showing clear signs of trying to pull himself up to stand or even pushing himself up to sit on his own (although he’s already an expert commando crawler ). However in the space of just a couple of days, Nathan can now push himself up to sitting position all by himself. This development should already raise some warning bells about doing something with the cot. But before we cou
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Saying good-bye to our furry friend

I have some sad news. After much contemplation and discussion, we recently decided to give our dear Mishu away. It wasn’t because of anything bad he did or any issues with Nathan. On the contrary, he’s very docile and easy-going with bub… However when we did a good honest assessment of how each ‘individual’ in the household was doing, we had to admit that Mishu had become quite neglected since Nathan’s arrival . It was never something we set out to do, nevertheless we knew Mishu would be much happier with someone who can give him more attention than we could. After putting the word out, we eventually gave him to a family with a 12-year old boy who according to his mother had been hankering after a cat for the longest time. When they came over to check Mishu out, his eyes absolutely lit up when he saw Mishu and hurried across the room to pet him. I was sure he would be well loved with them. So we packed up all his earthly possessions and said our good-byes. Farewell dear Mishu,
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