Baby's First Overseas Trip!

When Furqan just turned 3 months, I read that the best times to bring babies overseas is before 6 months. They are usually fuss -free - just the usual milk, diaper change, sleep.

I told the husby and we decided the June holidays would be a perfect timing as he turned 4 months. For 2 weeks, we toyed with the idea of Langkawi, Bintan , Bali , KL ...... Langkawi was at the top of my list as I pictured a rest n relax beach holiday.

One morning , while in the lift, I said in jest that I missed the Australian winter and if only we could go there.

And so that was where we headed to ...7 days in Perth!

Us with the lil one. He slept all the way to the boarding gate.

We brought my parents along and that was an added joy, definitely. How I wished the nephew could tag along as well !

He was quite good on the flight to Perth - lying in the bassinet and sleeping when the time came. However, he refused to stay in it when we were going home to SG. Totally refused to. 



Check-ed in at midnight! We didn't want to bring our stroller over so I googled and managed to find perthbabyhire.com.au where we rented a stroller and a bath tub! All we had to do was choose among the many models, pay through paypal and got them sent to the hotel concierge for a small fee. To return , we just had to leave them there too. It was very much worth the money.
We rented the stroller for AUS$40, cannot remember how much the bathtub was  (maybe about $20), for the entire week.
I really hope this service exists in other parts of the world!

One of those rare wefies with mom.

The Quinny that I have always wanted but totally impractical in SG cos of its massive wheels. 

Didn't plan to be matchy matchy ! My Armani jacket finally breathed its final breath right after the trip :( 

The mussels were supposed to be spicy but oh well, as expected, Maggi Chilli sauce is probably ten times spicier. Cannot make it lah  - their definition of 'spicy'!

Love  the fruits and vegetables at the Fremantle market! So so colourful !

We have rarely taken any wefies since Furqan came along.... this is precious ! 

Quinny was comfy enough for lil prince who, obviously, loved the weather too! Very nice to sleep!

I did try to make sure one of us will wear matching outfit with Furqan each time. I don't know, it just gave me that cheap thrill !



He turned 4 months then!

Crazily cute and adorable ! I wish we have winter here in SG. The jacket is from SEED ....and has been collecting dust ever since we came back. Either I try to sell it off on Carousell or we have another baby soon! Heehee

He looks so sad here. I think it was because no one was entertainig him on the bus rides. The buses in Perth were VERY baby friendly. There is a ramp for us to push the stroller onto the bus and practically, EVERYONE gave way to us!

I did not know this initially but some seats on the bus can be folded up. On one bus trip, a few extremely kind souls got up from their seats, folded them and signalled to us to move into the space by the windows!

GOSH! I was really surprised by their generosity and kindness - wonder if we can ever get that in SG, folded seats or otherwise!



So engrossed in watching a sheep being sheared at the wildlife park!



Not sure if you can notice but Furqan was all rosy over there. His fair complexion plus his pink rosy cheeks made him sooooooo adorable that he easily made friends with both the locals and tourists alike! JEalous much!

Everything he has on here was worn only in Perth! Sigh....kids' winter clothes are already expensive and they outgrow them almost immediately. Maybe I should rent out the clothes.

I must must must credit my TULA and my MCM backpack...hahahah! The TULA was really a big help for us to move around quickly without the stroller and when he needed to be hugged /  go to sleep. I had my Fidella ring sling as well but I only used it twice for 30 mins each as I found it quite a hassle. TULA all the way !  :P

And that backpack is just huge enough to store all his diapers, milk, toy etc etc while still ensuring that I did not look like a grubby , frumpy mummy !

Another 'adventure' of taking public transport! We tried out the train to go to Fremantle !

 

Overall, it was a fantastic decision to go to Perth while he was still very young as he was still unable to roll , crawl, walk , make lots of fussy noise ....hehehhehe.....it was pretty easy to take care of him overseas and also in the aeroplane. I am also glad that I could bring my parents over for a holiday after so many years - goal accomplished!

 

Now , I need to start saving up again ....hehehe... we may try the next hols on our own ( just the three of us ) although I am itching to bring my parents to Hong Kong or Japan . LOL

 

Just a recommendation before I end : Quins' Travel is the agency to go for if you are the kind who likes your trips to be customised to the T. We used them for Gold Caost in 2013 and for the recent Perth trip. Thumbs, fingers and all toes UP!  :P

 

Changing / Nursing Room

Ever since Furqan is around, I have had a slight obsession with nursing/baby changing rooms in shopping malls.

Haha...something that we have never bothered with before.

In fact, suddenly , everywhere we go, all we see are strollers, babies, baby wraps, diaper bags.... We used to study people's shoes, bags and all those fancy schmancy things in the shop displays. See how one's lenses of the world change with circumstances.

One of my favourites is the one at Tampines Mall. It is very roomy, brightly lit and it has got a very nice wallpaper. The only downside is that their hot water dispenser is always spoilt! That is a no no ...esp for mummies like me who bottle feed their babies.

Top of my list currently is the one in Takashimaya on the fourth level. We didn't check out the nursing rooms but they look roomy and adequate enough .... AndI like the diaper changing area.

There are about four or five changing stations and plastic bags are provided for soiled diapers (with the rubbish bin attached individually to each changing station).

Water dispenser works perfectly fine and I find it interesting and extremely considerate of them to even have a machine selling diapers! I thought that is pretty cool...if only every mall has this, I never shall have to worry again about not having enough diapers with me.

We shall continue to explore all the nursing/changing rooms in SG Malls.

Oh, how my life has changed! 

The Birth Story

Ok ...I know... this is way too late . Baby is 7 weeks now and I am just blogging about his birth.

Oh well...blame it on the sleepless nights. and always-busy-with-don't-know-what days.

Anyway I want to pen this down so that I would not forget how my first cutiepie (first because we hope to have more...hahaha) entered the world.

I had an Elective Cesarean. Elective Cesarean means it is a planned surgical procedure versus the Emergency Cesarean which some mothers have to go through when facing complications while attempting vaginal birth.

I have always hoped for a normal delivery but baby was in breech position for the longest time, all the way till I reached my 36 weeks. By that time, I was already having mild contractions and had gone on the CTG monitor to monitor the frequency of my contractions.

Dr Su, my gynae at NUH, did not want me to go into labour while my baby was still in breech position. First, they do not recommend vaginal birth for such conditions as there is a high risk of infant deaths . Second, she did not want me to end up going for Emergency C-sect as that carries 4 times higher risk than a planned one. For a planned one, a mum will be given medication and all to prepare for the major surgery.

It wasn't a difficult decision. 16 February (a Monday) was the chosen date.

So I had to take my medication on Saturday and Sunday and had to fast from 6am on Monday itself. My slot was at 3pm so by 1 pm , we were at Ward 2A at NUH to register. I was praying so hard that I would get the Coral Deluxe Suite as I have set my heart on it for the longest time . We got it but that will go in another post.

I changed into the hospital gown and waited for them to wheel me into the operation theatre at 2:30pm. Unfortunately, there was some delay ...I was getting a little frustrated by 3:15pm because hey, I couldn't wait to meet my man!

Finally they wheeled me in at about 3:45pm. I was feeling extremely nervous by then and kept reciting my prayers and visioning my little boy , in order to keep myself calm.

If you had watched Xiaxue's birth video, she was still pretty calm and collected. I wasn't... as my contractions were coming on stronger than ever!Perhaps if I had gone through normal delivery, 16 Feb would still have been his birthday.

In the theatre -  Contrary to the stories about epidural and its long , painful needle, I felt nothing when it was injected into my back. That is because they gave me an injection prior to that to numb the area so I really felt no pain.

They then proceeded to place an ice-pack at various parts of my lower body to see if I could feel the cold. When everything was in order, they called the husband in .

I honestly did not feel anything when they were ..well...cutting me up. I have read that one will feel some uncomfortable tugging and pulling but I honestly felt nothing. WIthin minutes, the husband was saying," They are pulling out his legs now...... ok , I see the buttocks now. Soon soon!"

A few seconds later, husby announced that his head was out ....I was waiting for his cries and I heard them very soon after. He was sooooooo loud!!!!!!

Immediately. husby left me on my own (oh wow...) to go see his precious son. When he was reciting the adzhan into baby's ears, little one was all calm and quiet.

The nurse placed him on my chest for some skin-to-skin contact and all I could feel then was heaps of love for our little miracle. He was so cute, so small , so adorable. At that moment, nothing else mattered in the world....all I wanted to do was to continue having him on my chest and holding his tiny fingers. That was definitely one of the best feelings I have ever had!

Everything was over in about 35 minutes. Hehe.... that is one perk of a c-section, I suppose. The cons come during the recovery period (oh boy! Don't get me started on that!)

They had to separate us after a few minutes of embrace as I had to be sent to the recovery unit. I stayed quite long there because my oxygen level was on the low side and they had to ensure it stabilised before sending me to the ward where my whole family and baby were waiting .

And that ...is my birth story :)  :)   :)

Furqan Haris

I know I have been missing for super long.

Well, it has been a super interesting journey.

I delivered my little prince almost two weeks back and life has never been the same again.

There have been moments of frustrations but the happiness definitely outweighs all all that.

I am still at recovery stage as I went through elective cesarean so have pretty much been very slow in everything I do.

Anyway meet my sushi roll, love of my life, heartthrob, boyfriend...Furqan Haris

Get your Selfie Stick @ bicycles.sg!

Sponsored

How many times have you encountered such a moment - everyone is feeling high and wanna have a group photo , get into a group pose and then realise 'Hey, who's gonna snap for us'?!?

I have been in such situations many times before. 

So what used to be the typical solutions?

1) One person has to be the sacrificial lamb and be the photographer for the group shot. The rest will feel bad and another person will volunteer to snap the next shot so that the first lamb will now be in the photo. Conclusion: Eventually, you do not get a complete group photo after all!

2) Get a passing stranger to take the group photo for you. Personally , I prefer Option 1 because I always feel awkward when I have to pose or want to make monkey faces in front of someone I absolutely do not know. Then, you will feel obliged to not to ask for more than 2 takes because ..you know... that can irritate the photographer. Bleargh.

3) Use a tripod. Yeah , right... how many of us lug around a tripod (and a camera) everyday of our lives?

4) Do a group selfie or a we-fie as we call it! Ok , this definitely sounds much much better! I can be wacky with the rest of the gang, do not feel self-conscious& we can have as many takes as possible! The only minus point is the photos may end up like this......

Hahhahaha!  Poor husband of mine.... he always ends up getting part of his face cut off the frame! Even the fact that he has the longest arms and is the tallest in my family didn't help! (This was taken  at my uncle's place...we were all in a rather hyper mood but hhhahahaa.....such a spoiler !)

I give u one more!

You cannot even see my mum here! 

SOLUTION?

Well, get a Monopod! We have always seen people carrying those weird-looking long sticks to take their selfies / we-fies and some people just swear by it!

One Monopod that you may want to consider purchasing is from http://bicycles.sg/shop/selfie-stick

Their model is compatible with all phones and cameras. Just connect your cameras or phones to the Monopod adapter using the tripod insert.

Here is my Samsung Galaxy S4 firmly attached to the adapter. You don't have to worry about your device slipping / dropping off - the grip is pretty strong. 

You want a wider angle? Simple extend the pole. This selfie stick is extendable up to 108cm. 

Carrying it is not a hassle since it is only 22cm at its shortest and weighs a very light 22 grams.

The Monopod at its shortest

Monopod fully extended. This is especially good if you have a big group of people in the photo or taking photos/videos of a pretty landscape. I haven't had the chance to do the latter due to the piles of work in the past few weeks. 

 You can slot it into most handbags with ease! 

 The Monopod from http://bicycles.sg/shop/selfie-stick is really easy to use. You just have to:

1. Fit phone into the phone bracket included
2. Open camera app
3. Adjust the selfie stick to the right angle/length
4. Set timer on your camera (5-10s)
5. Extend the stick and smile!

They come in other exciting colours as well - red , blue, yellow. I would definitely go for red, if given the option :P

For $13 only, this is absolutely worth the money! 

This Monopod is perfect for your photos and videos during your travels, at weddings, parties, the beach, sports events.... you name it, you've got it!

Hope you will be as happy with your Monopod as I am with mine!