Project Tofu #1

Wx's having lesson tonite, and Jarrett's at grandma place. So I thought to make the tofu I had been telling everyone I'll be making heh..

Pre-soaked organic soya beans
Blended soya bean Soya Milk. Yumz... Lemon juice added. Florets of tofu appeared.
Ta da! Homemade tofu!

Result: Weird tasting tofu. It's sour! I am sure it's safe to eat, but definitly too acidic for baby.

Will not keep this receipe for tofu making BUT........will keep it for making soya milk!

Homemade Organic Soya Milk

I was "smart" enough to save some of the soya milk before my attempt to make the tofu. It was really smooth and good. Could be more creamy though. I'll make note to use more beans the next time.

Long day...

It's 3.26pm, 3 more hours to home and I am missing Jarrett. Life sucks sometimes

See what I found in Jarrett's box of cereal

The black dots you see in the cereal are not brown rice..if that is what you are thinking.

Wx opened Jarrett's box of Healthy Times' Barley Cereal on Sat and to our horror, we found little bugs crawling and flying around. We are talking about a premium brand of baby food..organic some more ok..and we got bugs flying out of the box!!! Tsk tsk..you can be sure I will not be buying from them in the future.

I called up the supplier and spoke to the guy in charge. He sounded nice, friendly and (lucky for him) apologetic. I think I would have kick up a big fuss if he had sounded nonchalent about the whole thing. Imagine if the bugs were hidden deep inside the box and we fed Jarrett with the cereal. I would be ready to commit murder! But well, I didn't have to resort to such drastic measures. The guy offered a very..........long explanation and will be making a trip to my office to replace me with a new box of cereal. Nice...good customer service which is how it should be.

Look who's standing!

You should have seen the way we went scrambling for the camera, or rather the way I did. Wx was sitting near to Jarrett, ready to catch him should he fall, but he was just as excited. Man..we were both bursting with pride. ahaha.. parenthood..
It happened quite unexpectedly on Sun. I was in the kitchen preparing his snack and Wx was sitting next to him, doing his own stuff and suddenly, Jarrett was standing. He managed to pull himself up by grabbing on to the sofa and pushing himself up. We didn't manage to take that pic cos the camera went dead. The above pics were taken when Wx let go of Jarrett and he managed to stand by himself for quite a while.

From then on, the little one has been trying to stand whatever chance he gets. He has also learnt how to sit from the standing position yesterday, by leaning his head into the sides of the playpen and then slowing sinking down to sit. Quite a funny sight. Since last night, he has been cruising along his playpen and cot, having a ball of a time. Wx commented Jarrett's indeed 1/8th of a teochew, looking very smug whenver he managed to pull himself up and cruise. heh..

the boy's 8 mths old now

It's a amazing how fast they grow.....

Do boys play with dolls? This one does

This is one of those things you either love or hate, like Crocs. My sis hated them and thought they all look hideous. But me? I like........these Dooodolls are so cool!
After much pondering (cos they all look so darn cute), decided to get Jarrett this alien looking one. Heh...and boy does he love it. It has since become his buddy, next to his smelly bolster and we have named it Kaka.
Kaka drying from his "bath". Jarrett's been munching on his ears and thighs..so poor Kaka has to take frequent bath.

An evening off

I've got a bad......throat. Lost my voice since Friday and have been coughing here and there with a heavy head. Wx's off to take his paper tonight, and we didn't want to risk Jarrett getting the bug from me, so we sent him to the in laws' place for the evening. Which means.....I get the evening off.

It's been so long since I could take a stress free shower. What bliss. Long hot shower with a scrub, leisure hair wash, unlimited time to condition the hair and most importantly, not worry about a hungry baby.

On a normal day, one of the most stressful time for me is when we get home. Jarrett is often sleepy by then and all ready for bed, but hungry too. Which means we need to get him ready and settled for bed (clean and change) the moment we get in, me rushing like mad to get a quick shower, and then nurse him before he KO for the night. All these must be done A.F.A.P. So for months, I have not been able to get a relaxing shower, not even when I was travelling. But tonight....ah.........i feel good.

I could have opted to take care of Jarrett myself tonight but try wearing a mask with a baby at the stage of grabbing and throwing. Not very fun I tell u...I've taken to wearing a mask when I am with Jarrett since the cough started, but each time he sees me with it, he'll start trying to pull it off my face. So with Wx not around, it's much better to have him with grandma. No fun if I pass the cough on to him.

Jarrett's "horrified/puzzled" look when he saw me with the mask.

KISS ME! KISS ME!

This is what you'll hear when u see us with Jarrett these days..because the little one has learnt how to KISS!!! It happened so unexpectedly that the first time he did it, I thought it was pure accident. He was leaning against my shoulder, with my face right beside his. He turned his head left and brush his lips against mine. So I was thinking "ok...not bad..not a kiss but I can pretend he's kissing me", and then it happened again. By then, I got a bit excited...and waited with impatience to see if there would be a 3rd time and he DID! i almost fainted with delirium! And he didn't do it thrice, he did it 5 times!!! Wx went sulking around the house, mad with jealousy for days before the little one gave him a peck!

So that was 2 weeks ago...now, whenever we hold him, we'll go "Kiss Mama", "Kiss Papa", "Kiss me! Kiss me!" I think we must have driven him crazy with our irritating, incessant chants. He doesn't "bless" us with his kisses freely (so smart, he knows not to overuse this), only when the mood strikes and when he does, he totally melts our heart. The cutest thing is the smile he gives us after his kiss. He'll look abit shy and very pleased. Now, he has couple the kiss with a hug too, he'll lean over, place a kiss on our chest and put his head where he kissed. Aww......is that a new toy u want Jarrett? Mummy will get that for u!

New food, new dishes

It has been really fun, introducing Jarrett to new food, taste and texture. Each time I feed him with something new, his first expression is always so priceless. He'll usually show us his "ewww.." face and then proceed to gobble up everything. Strange..I always thought eew...goes with pui!
Thus far, he has shown no real dislike for any food, except for avocado (maybe I should try again next week). If he doesn't like the food, there's no way to get him to eat it. He'll keep his mouth firmly shut no matter how hard you try to shove it in and even if you manage to get a teeny bit in, the next thing you know, you'll have food splattered all over your face and floor when he goes "Boooooooooo.....". If he loves it, you better be fast cos if you are abit slow, he'll start yelling at you!

Last Sat, I cooked him tofu with egg yolk and he seems to really like it. I tried abit of the food myself and can finally understand why mashed tofu with egg is often used to replace mayonaise in many healthy receipes. It's really quite good and creamy. I will be adding this to my receipe notebook and replace the Jap. mayo which I always use for my wraps/sandwiches.
Another of his favourite is Potatoe, carrot with brown rice. Tried mashed potatoe with brocoli & breastmilk and he likes it 3! He definitly takes after his pa & ma when it comes to food.
This weekend, I'll be cooking him millet & brown rice porridge and introduce him to golden kiwi.
Can't wait!

Oh btw, Jarrett's 2nd tooth is out!

Happy Birthday Ah B/Daddy! (backdated post)

Wx's first birthday as a daddy! With loads and loads of love from his double Js.

pool..........

We got Jarrett his first swimsuit and float and brought him to the pool. Honestly, I didn't know if the father or son was more excited. Wx had been so anxious about Jarrett's first swim since his last jab and he was going on and on about when to bring Jarrett for his 1st swim.

So last thurs, which was also Wx's birthday, I took the day off and together with the in laws, we headed off to the pool.
The little one wasn't too enthusiastic. The dad was though... Overall, Jarrett had not much problem with the water. He seemed abit bored at times, and at one point, excited...he was kicking and kicking and the float was jus turning round and round the same spot, so funny.
We brought him back again on Sun and he showed more signs of interest. I think we have some potential there.

The cute mushroom float was a hit at the pool. All the kids were drawn to it. I like it that it provides a shade for Jarrett. Can keep cool eh..but of cos not very macho like some of the submarine floats I saw. Maybe I should get him one of those arm floats soon.

@ the spa this evening

Got myself some "me" time this evening and pop over to the spa. When the masseuse was about to start the scrub:

Masseuse: Will you like your chest area to be done as well?
Me: No.
Masseuse: Oh..ok
Me: I'm still breastfeeding.
Masseuse: Oh....

30mins later when the massage just started and she was working out the knots in my shoulder and back:
Masseuse: So when I press like this (proceed to press down on my upper back), will the milk squirt out?
Me: erm...no...(DUH!!!)

Another 30mins later when she was massaging my arms:
Masseuse: so how come you can go around without feeding the baby the whole day and still no milk will leak out.
Me thinking "OMG KILL ME"
Me: Erm..I'll express the milk at work.
Masseur: Oh...........

A day of unfortunate happenings

Jarrett had a bad.......day. 1st he fell off the bed and then he had his thigh clipped by the high chair. It was no wonder the moment he saw me, he got all whinny. Poor baby...
In the morning, Wx got scolded by the folks for leaving Jarrett unattended on the bed, thus resulting in the fall. By night fall, Ah Mah was the one feeling darn gulity for clipping Jarrett's fat thigh.
See...ugly bruise. heart pain!

Happy Jarrett

Jarrett loves to play with us in our bed. He's generally happier when we are both with him over the weekends, or so I like to think. haha...



Jarrett having so much fun playing soccer with his dad. No prize for guessing right who was the ball.

Baby Jarrett met Baby Kayden (backdated post)

Jarrett with Aunty Brenda
With Uncle Mervyn & Aunty Brenda
To see if a man's taken, pass him a baby
Jarrett with Kayden!

Spinach Porridge

Jarrett had his last 6 in 1 jab on Wednesday and right aftert that, we brought him home, only to realise his cereal was at grandma's house. Since my trip, Jarrett has moved on to 2 cereal feeds a day, something which he really enjoys.
So with no cereal at home, I decided to give Jarrett his 1st home cooked porridge. This is actually something which I have been dying to do. I have been planning for weeks what to cook for him, how to do it, etc. People who know me will know I love to cook so cooking for my baby son is something which I am really looking forward to. I don't aspire to be the next gastronomy mummy, but I do hope to give Jarrett wholesome, healthy food.

A handful of "new" rice, a small bunch of organic spinach and I had the porridge done within 15mins or so. By right, one should cook the porridge longer to achieve the really smooth, congee like texture, but I had to be fast. It was already 7pm and Jarrett needed to eat soon. So I used another method - puree.
I pureed the porridge and added breastmilk to make it more creamy and to help Jarrett get used to new texture and taste.
Jarrett's first taste of home cooked porridge.

Response: Lukewarm, didn't help that halfway through his meal, he had to break for a poo poo. Btw, Jarrett has been "toilet trained". He sort of know how to indicate to us when he wants to poo. He'll make this cute "urgh..." face and wait for us to bring him to the potty. Of cos, if we are too slow, the little one still can't hold for too long. Credit goes to my MIL who has been most diligent in helping Jarrett.

Back to the porridge, I think Jarrett will need time to get used to the coarser texture but I don't see any major problem here. He did seem eager to have more after a few spoonful. If he's anyway like his pa and ma, he'll soon be eating faster than I can cook.

On the menu for this weekend - brown rice porridge with tofu and veg. Not sure what yet, have to go grocery shopping tonight!

doink...doink...doink...

The jumperoo is one of our best investment so far. The first time we put Jarrett in it, he loved it so much that when we tried to take him out, he screamed with so much anger. Though a tad expensive, the moment the little one squealed with laughter, I thought it was all well spent. Strange how parents figure out the justification in expenditure when it comes to their babies..or maybe it's just me. ha..

Well, Jarrett didn't look too happy in this pic cos I was sitting right in front of him and he was still pissed off with me for going off to Italy without him. Took me two days to pacify him and he is now finally back to his smiley face when he sees me. Phew..for a moment or two, I thought I was going to be totally rejected FOREVER, which got me pretty upset. Due for another trip end of the month (short one), and the Mr. laughed and said this time when I return, Jarrett will not want me anymore! Boo.....

Coffee date with the little one

looking so serious and grown up
I'm big enough for coffee now...
i'll have the latte...and a slice of cake to go with it?

I survived!

and I am so proud of myself. Seriously. It's not easy to go on a long trip as a nursing mum, especially when you are with a tour which cannot accomodate your needs. The first day was the toughest, on my 2nd pump on the plane, I felt really sorry for myself and I was plagued with worries on how to survive the rest of the trip when I got into Rome. So the first day was a bumper, jet lagged and stressed out. I even felt like going home, didn't help that I was missing Jarrett.

Surprisingly, it got easier from the 2nd day onwards, I just got into the swing, and had no problem expressing on the coach or anywhere else. It helped that the tour pace was relatively ok, sometimes with breaks in the day where I could hop back to the room for an hour or so. It also helped that my travelling companion, aka my sis was very supportive. She even helped me to time when would be the next pump and was very accomodating when I said I would need to return to the hotel every 4-5hours when we were on our own in Florence/Rome. The huge problem I had was when we got into Venice. There was some screwed up with the schedule and I had to go without a pump for 7 hrs. You can imagine how sulky I was and I went around whinning (ya..again). Poor sis had to endure with my black face. Apart from that, all went relatively well. I got a few weird looks now and then from the people sitting around and near us, and the tour director looked really curious when she came round our seats when I was in the mist of expressing, and the air steward who looked really shocked when he saw my bottles of milk (with no baby?!?) when I went to the gallery, asking where I could wash my bottles.

The tough part about the trip was missing Jarrett and worrying whether he was okay. Wx said he was really fussy the whole time I was away and drank so little milk. When I got back, the 1st time he saw me, he broke into a smile and then he got really angry and started shoving me away but at the same time holding on to me (does it make sense?) and wailing. The little one was showing me he was really angry I was away for so long, leaving him behind. I felt so gulity! While a part of me feel good knowing that my baby missed me when I was away, another part of me feel so bad that he had a really tough time and wasn't eating and sleeping well. For the rest of the day, Jarrett would follow me with his eyes whenever we were in the same room. This morning when I left him for work, he showed me his pissed off face again. Argh............I don't think there's going to be another long trip anytime soon! If there is, he's going to have to come with me.

So i'm off to gucci and prada land

My first long trip away as a mother. I wonder how I'll cope. Already this morning, I was hugging and kissing Jarrett like a mad mama and I have not even started towards Changi airport yet. Duh...

Motherhood really changes one's perspective. Pre/post marriage, I wouldn't have hesitated to go on a trip, long or short. The moment my boss says "Wanna go.." I was already lugging my luggage out of the storeroom. It's not that son is more important than bf/hubby, but you know hubby's a grown man and he can take care of himself. The most is I'll wonder what he's up to and of cos miss him like hell. But a baby...that's different. A baby's so dependent, so helpless!

Another worry...the boobs! Sorry if I sound cruel, but travelling as a nursing mummy can really be a pain! Did a short trip last month and boy was it stressful. Looking for nursing rooms, failing which, washrooms which is not a really nice place, seriously... especially when you have people banging on the door. Having your travelling companion/business aq waiting for you, lugging the pump everywhere you go, engorgement...argh...
This time round, I'm bringing both my electrical and manual. KS? YES! But vs painful boobs and the fear that I'll come back a dry cow, I'll willingly lug them around. Got my shawl ready and this time I'll have to express in public. Nursing rooms are almost unheard of in Italy (based on my research/travel forums) and public toilets are not easily available..maybe I need to bring a potty too! hahaha....anyway, breastfeeding for half a year, one will get used to the idea that the boobs are no longer personal assets.

2 weeks later. ciao!

Overheard between father and son

Wx: Jarrett.....you will be a gor gor (big brother) next time. If u have a little sis, she will be called Cheyenne...u noe

Jarrett: eh...eh...(baby talk)

Wx: If you have a di di (younger bro), he'll be called Nathanial. You must be a good example ok. Teach your sis/bro to be good.

Jarrett: eh eh....eh....

in case you are wondering, no..I am not pregnant with no. 2 but the mr. has been talking about it, and so are both our parents! hello.......

my brief stint as a SAHM

The in laws were away on a holiday and so were my parents. At exactly the same time, so my initial plan of bringing the baby to work was dashed. If grandma's not around, mummy cannot get any work done with little Jarrett in the office. So next best plan? Work from home.

6 days with the baby and hubby at home was.......blissful. Really! Taking care of Jarrett, making lunches/dinners, playing with baby, going out for dinners knowing there's no need to go into the office the next day...I certainly can get used to this. Of course I did some work from home. To be honest, not as much as I would in the office but I certainly did what was necessary and important. boss...if u are reading this, know that I did the budgeting and planning.
this is what we wake up to on some mornings..

We call this "Jarrett's ostrich game"

Cool dude

minus the bib of cos!

the thing with over enthusiastic grandparents

Once the grandparents heard Jarrett's starting on solid, they couldn't wait to start giving him treats. Last Sun, we all went out for dinner to celebrate my niece 15th birthday. Boy was it a stressful night for Wx. We ended the meal with a really cute watermelon cake (tasted and looked like one). Now, before the cake, the grandparents had been cooing over the baby and kept saying Jarrett's a big boy now, and should be given bits of food to try. Hello!!! Little Jarrett is only 5.5 months old! To which, my Mum very proudly insisted I was fed with porridge at 3mths! Horrors!!! No wonder I grew up a fat kid! My stomach probably never had enough time to mature before it was stuffed with food and it was all left in there to rot! And when I asked her when I should introduce meat, she said "Don't know. When you wanted to eat, I just fed you" Argh...and was told I went on to rice when I was 9mths old. Let's just say I am glad I am the one in charge of Jarrett's diet now. Oh ya..my dad also very proudly claimed he introduced me to my 1st sip of beer when i was in my toddlerage, which probably explained why I love my drinks..but strangly not beer and probably why I didn't end up in Harvard cos I lost some major IQ points there.

Ok, side track too much, back to the cake. So the birthday song was sang (3x) and the cake was distributed. This was when the stress started. My dad started saying Jarrett should be given a taste of it since the little fellow had been "licking" his lips the whole night and sticking out his tongue whenever he saw the adults eating. I, of course said no. My sister kept quiet but kept giving me the look. I'm guessing it was the "oh o...." look. Then my mum chipped in and said a little wouldn't harm and it would be fun for the baby to try. I again said no and explained very patiently that Jarrett's not ready for butter, cream, sugar and food colouring! He had only started on rice cereal and pumpkin thus far. My dad picked up his fork and dug out a small piece of cake and proceeded to shove it into Jarrett's face! Ok, it was war time! I yelled no, covered Jarrett's mouth and shot my dad murderous looks. Poor Wx was just caught in the middle, cause Jarrett was seated on his lap while me and my dad went on a tug of war. Lucky for him, Jarrett was due for a feed, so we packed up and left before the others did.

I'm not surprise if I'm named the "VERY DIFFICULT MUM" now. Yes, I'm fussy but I'm not sorry about it. I'm just being the mother hen, taking care of my little one. I'm also not saying my mum did a lousy job taking care of me, cos she certainly brought me up well. It's just that time has changed, and with it brought new knowledge and methods of parenting. With my family history of allergies, I have to be more diligent than the other mummies. So folks, sorry if I had offended you, I'm sure I loved your porridge when I was 3months old and I now know why I can hold my drinks so well!

Baby Jarrett's 1st cereal

At 5mths day 2, Jarrett got his 1st taste of rice cereal. I would have preferred to wait till he's 6mths old, but I need to get him ready for solids in case he doesn't take to frozen breastmilk when I'm away. Anyway, don't think the little fellow will have problems eating solid, he gulped down his cereal in no time and was screaming for more.

Baby Jarrett Meets Baby Aidan Monster

Chic babies meet at the Marmalade Pantry for Sunday Brunch..of cos all they had were breastmilk...maybe that was why they didn't look too excited....and looked a tad disgruntled too, I think....

lazy afternnon at Coffeebean

The little one had lots of fun at coffeebean last Sun. All everyone heard at the little, cozy outlet was Jarrett's screams of laughter. And dun yell at me, I swear I had a decaf.

I left my brain at home this morning

I have been trying really hard to get to the office earlier, so I can squeeze in more work. But it all back fired this morning. Woke up at 6.45am to nurse Jarrett and thought I could start preparing for work right after tucking him back to bed. Wrong....I fell back in bed myself and didnt' wake up till 8.30am. Still alright I thought. On the way to the office, I stopped at Caltex to fill up the tank....only to realise I LEFT MY WALLET AND PHONE at home! Too late to drive off as the aunty had already started the pump! Argh...............panic panic.........went into the station hoping to borrow a phone to call SOS but staff said phone is strictly for staff only and for work! Darn!

I think I must have looked darn desperate cos the aunty in Old Chang Kee (right in the station, yum yum) took pity on me and offered me her personal HP. So sweet of her. I am so going back tomorrow and buying lots and lots of curry puff from her!

My colleague Jack was depatched as the SOS guy! 10 mins later, petrol paid and I rushed off in my blue wheels! So I didn't turn up at work earlier, and got into more trouble instead. Sigh......the brain's not working too well I tell you and I heard it's a common problem shared among all mummies.

Someone sexy's waiting for me in bed

Breastmilk cheap?

I have been stuffing myself with food since baby was born. I kid you not when I say I am eating more than Wx now "GASP"! And for people who know how much Wx can eat, it's scary isn't it? The amount I am eating.

I do not eat huge servings (thou the servings are definitly bigger than what I used to eat) at one go, but I am constantly snacking along the day, right up to before I hit the bed. Sometimes I even grab a snack when I wake up at 3am to express milk. It has reached a point where even my bro-in-law couldn't help but made a remark on it. Wx has been quite concern too and put it very "nicely" that maybe I shouldn't be eating so much.
Well, honestly, I think it's terrifying too but I really cannot help it! I am constantly hungry! If I don't prepare snacks for work, I'll be going round looking for (others) food. I'm like the starving dog in the office. My energy level will also dip all the way down. No food, no energy.
My sis has taken pity on me and has been bringing me snacks (so sweet of her.. infact, she has been doing so since I got pregnant). My mum always let me have the first pick whenever she brings snacks over, which also means I get to have double servings!
I used to share my food with Wx, half of it would go to him. These days, he's lucky if he gets a taste of what I am eating! If I share, I'll end up telling him "Know what? My tummy feels empty" and I am the one who has to keep hinting for supper. The poor dear simply can't keep up with me.

So people who think breastfeeding is cheap, think again. Wx will have to rob the bank soon to feed me, and with my investments in 2 electrical pumps, 1 manual pump, over 2 dozens of milk bottles, hundreds of milk bags and tonics, I really don't think there's much savings at all. Infact, I think we may be spending more. Now..don't get me started on why THEN I want to breastfeed. Seriously...