That Time of the Year Again!

We went back to Pan-Pac for a one-night complimentary stay on 23 Dec. I have to say that we manage to "accomplish" alot more this time round... including Matty. Matty as usual wasn't too keen to take his afternoon nap amidst all the excitement and the oh-so-many-buttons-in-the-room-to-press and the oh-so-many-drawers-to-pull-out . We had to resort to strapping him to the stroller and push him around the shopping mall to rock him to sleep. In less than 10 minutes... it was a total knockout for Matty. Mummy and Daddy took this opportunity to get some shopping done and enjoyed an afternoon cuppa while Matty snoozes away in his stroller. It was great that he managed to recharge during the afternoon because we had wanted to take him down Orchard Road that evening.

The weather played a big part for the evening programme. It had been extremely wet for the past one week... raining almost incessantly on most days. We didn't think that we will be gung-ho enough to brave the downpour along Orchard Road and still need to squeeze through the crowd. It was good that we finally saw a bit of letting up on that day itself... so we hopped on the MRT from City Hall to Orchard Road. It was Matty's first train ride and we could tell that he was a bit apprehensive. But his "inactiveness" was only good for 4 stops... by which time he was struggling to get off our laps and ready to explore the train.

We didn't manage to walk down the whole Orchard Road as planned... only survived the short stretch between the train station and Ngee Ann City. Firstly, the walkway was congested (as expected) and the booths by the side of the road made it worse... taking up almost half of the passageway. People stopping by the booths contributed to the problem further. Secondly, there was no way that Matty this short can breathe or walk in the crowd (actually he pretty much refused to walk and preferred to be carried even while we walk through Suntec, City Link Mall towards the City Hall station). So Daddy had ended up carrying Matty most of the time. Definitely not a joke to carry such a big sack of rice.

Matty got his new bed at Takashimaya that night. It was high time that he move out from his existing cot and make way for Baby Elaina.

By the time we made it back to the hotel, Mummy had a pair of really sore legs from the amount of walking with a big tum tum and Daddy had a pair of really sore arms from carrying Matty. Despite the really really long day... Matty was still wide awake after his milk. Attempted the same trick again by strapping him to the stroller and pushing him around the mall again. Slightly after 11 pm, we finally got our "lights-out" and thankfully Matty slept through the night this time round until the next morning when he got woken up by the alarm clock. Not much explanation needed as to why the alarm clock went off... obviously somebody was fiddling with it earlier that afternoon.

Christmas eve was pretty much a family affair with everyone over for dinner. I think Matty finally figured out the purpose of those nicely wrapped boxes under the Christmas tree. Christmas Day was just a slow day with Mummy's side of the family here for a visit.

Now that the fun is over... its time to take down the tree this coming weekend and let it hibernate until next year Christmas.

(And here's a cheeky photo of Matty...)

Mummy's Survival Guide (Window Shopping With Toddler)

Mummy has finally conquered my fear of venturing far out with Matty alone. It has always been a daunting thought having to deal with a demanding baby all by myself outside the comfort of home. At least if it is in a familiar surrounding... things will be more manageable.

We decided to drop by Takashimaya last Saturday as Matty took a long nap at 7.30 in the morning for 3 whole hours... after he was up and about at an unearthly hour of 4.30 a.m.. Daddy was invited to a wedding luncheon at Meritus Mandarin that afternoon and so we took the opportunity to while away the afternoon in Orchard since the likelihood of Matty taking another nap in the afternoon is as remote as the sun rising from the west - in other words not going to happen at all!

Here are a few pointers on how to survive a shopping trip alone with a toddler in tow:

(1) Always stick to places where you are familiar with.

This is important because you basically don't have the luxury of looking for amenities like the washrooms, lifts and escalators at your own time and tide. You can easily plan your route when you know what is at where. As it is... it can be frustrating having to deal with a toddler, so you need to learn not to add on to the stress level unnecessarily.

Know where exactly the toy department is. It keeps your toddler occupied and happy. A happy baby has a happy mummy. Besides... you can take a breather while your toddler fiddles with all the buttons and switches... and it doesn't cost you a cent (unless of course if your toddler knows how to demand that you buy the gadget after the free trial).

For some energy boost... it is also vital for you to know where to get some quick-bite or a drink to fill yourself up. Don't expect to yourself to be a wonder-woman. It is no joke having to handle a food tray with a toddler both at the same time. Secondly, your toddler is not likely to have the patience to sit in the restaurant with you while you enjoy a meal... which explains why you often see one parent keeping the toddler entertained while the other one ferociously gobble up the food as though he or she hadn't had a drop of food for days. Fast-food is usually a good choice... unless if it is extremely packed and almost impossible to accommodate the stroller (if you had brought one along). Food like bread or pastry which allows you to eat while on the go is probably the most ideal.

(2) I love baby-friendly malls.

Let's face it! Not all places are suited for a fun-family outing. It is definitely no fun (or not funny) when you cannot find ramps for the stroller to breeze through or diaper changing stations when your baby soils his or her bum.

The best is still a shopping mall that has a clean and spacious nursing room readily available for a diaper change or milk-feed. Have always been sceptical of how sturdy those plastic diaper changing station we often see in public toilets. The thought of seeing your 12kg toddler come crashing down with the changing station isn't a very entertaining one. On top of that, you can hardly find any space to put your bag and necessities while changing your toddler.

(3) It Helps to Have a Smiling Baby on Hand.

Although it is a universal truth that babies suffer from mood swings like everyone does... nobody wants to acknowledge that fact and be close to a brawling brat. I have seen parents entering lifts with an inconsolable baby only to be greeted by other disapproving passengers who cannot wait to press the "door close" button on them. On the contrary... with a lovable baby, strangers are more than happy to open the door for you, hold the lift, help you with the stroller up and down the stairs. You can even get away when you accidentally bump your stroller into them (but remember to be gracious and apologise profusely as well).

(4) Freebies for Baby.

Freebies like balloons and flyers can come in useful when you need to keep your toddler entertained and busy for whatever reason... and most importantly it is FREE. .

(5) Fear is Self-Generated.

Like driving, venturing around with your toddler alone is only fearful because of own fear. Sometimes it helps not to think too much, worry too much and go with lots of guts.

A Princess By the Name of Elaina

After many many rounds of searches, deliberation, self-debating and discussions... Daddy and Mummy have finally decided on what will seal Baby Junior's fate - her name.

Mummy eventually came down to three names for Daddy to choose from "Elena", "Elaina" or "Leyna". Not sure why... but the three names actually sound rather alike. Maybe it is because I have subconsciously decided on how the name should fall on the ear when called. At least the three names are not commonly use, easy to pronounce, sounds nice, retains the original spelling and not likely to be made fun of. The few (or should I say many) pre-requisites which we have set ourselves up with since day one.

Daddy made the final decision and chose the name "Elaina" over the other two.

I hope our little princess will live to love her name because we really did put in alot of effort and time trying to decide on one for her. In any event... she can always get a deed poll done if she really feels otherwise about her name later on in life... but I do hope it won't happen.

A Different Kind of Pain

It hasn't been easy on Matty (which invariably means Daddy and Mummy as well) for the last 2 nights.

Matty woke up crying rather badly on Saturday night due to two mozzie bites on his left sole. I can fully understand how irritating the itch is when it is at the sole and can feel quite swollen as opposed to bites on the other parts of the limbs. Initially we thought that he was frustrated with the pain caused by teething but realised that it was otherwise when Matty kept rubbing his feet. As it is... it has never been easy trying to coax him to go back to the la-la land once his sleep is interrupted. It was made worse because not only do we need to make him sleep... we had to distract him away from the itch.

The whole family ate something that didn't agree with our tummy yesterday and all of us suffered from mild food poisoning late at night. Matty was not spared and pooped twice. This time round we thought it was the mozzie bites that woke him up... but turned out that it was due to the tummy-ache. It was a pretty rough night having to clean up for Matty and getting him to doze off again... and with Mummy and Daddy taking turns to sit on the throne when we could have use those time for something more worthwhile - sleep. Resilient like he has always been... Matty was up at 4.30 in the morning after a round of loose stool and refuse to go back to sleep. He seemed to have recovered alot faster whereas Daddy and Mummy looked so worn out today.

I think I just got attacked by the Zee Monster and can hardly keep my eyes opened. If I can... I would very much love to take the rest of the day off work.