More photos from my sister's camera! :)

My sister uploaded some of the pictures in her facebook. These are clearer pictures of the birthday cake (from Pine Garden at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10).

My colleague jokingly quoted me saying "I want bees and ladybugs on the cake!"

The top view...

Here are more photos of my little girl: 

The happy birthday girl. :) Who was she laughing at?

"Eh what is that glowing thing? Can it be eaten?"

In picture: Daddy, Baby, Mummy! Baby Nic is cutting the cake!

A picture of the super-sized ANG KU KUEH!

The 1st Birthday Party!!!

6th December (Sunday) was little girl's 1st year birthday party. We had to celebrate it one week early as my parents were going overseas and hubby and I each have a function to attend on the following Saturday and Sunday.

The Invitations...
The invitations were sent out to close friends (esp those with kids) and relatives (most of them were hubby's relatives from Malaysia). Hubby made an invitation card for me to give out. It was sized on 4R photo paper and folded into half. The invitations sent out via facebook and emails was an adpatation of hubby's card (see below). Thanks hubby for coming up with such a nice concept for the card! : )

The food...
We catered our buffet from DeliHub and it was a good deal as we got the 20% discount for booking a month early. Thanks to Jowinbaby for telling me. :) Good thing is no food was wasted, left overs were packed up and taken back by hubby's relatives...

The cake figurines...
Hubby suggested that we use the Slyvannian Family. It was something special other than the usual Pooh or Mickey/Minnie theme ( I wanted those usual theme, because it's easier to get party supplies). Originally, we wanted to get the mouse family. But we couldn't find a nice one, so we chose another rodent - the Walnut Squirrel. :)  We bought the outdoor table set and hence the concept of "Garden party with flowers" was born.

The cake...
This was my greatest worry because 1 week before 5 Dec, I was still in the midst of confirming the design with Pine Garden. Luckily for me, Shi Hui was helpful and we manage to confirm the cake's flavours, size and design.

The design was adapted from one of those in their catalogue. As I was crazy about bees and ladybugs, I requested for them to be placed on the cake... This is the best photo I could find of the cake... Until I get a better one, this is how the cake looks like...

The cake is 3.5kg (1kg on top, 2.5kg below). The top tier is Moutain Cat Durian flavour while the bottom is Chocolate Hazelnut crunch. No doubt that the cake did burn quite a hole in the pocket! But! All was worth it when the kids and adults Oooohed and Ahhhhed about how beautiful the cake was... And of course, the adults who LOVE durians raved about how fantastic the Cat Moutain Durian (or is it Moutain Cat Durian?) cake was! The adults who didn't like durian and kids loved the Chocolate Hazelnut crunch and even the icing (yes, they asked for 2nd serving. And they even asked me "Auntie, can I have the (alphabet) please?"). The kids also did not forget about those chocolate bees and lady bugs and the icing that were in cubes!

As you can see, the little one just recieved 2 angpows from Ah Tai and she's not letting go! I guess she must be wondering why everyone is "crowding" around her.

The door gifts...
Hubby and I spent an entire afternoon hunting for special door gifts. I had already planned to give the kids things that can be eaten. While walking around Bugis, we came across these nice little Disney Pooh PVC jars (there was Pooh - purple, Piglet -pink, Tigger -yellow and Eyeore - blue). There were those strips of paper inside for folding stars. And since it was within our budget, we bought 16 of them (luckily, we bought extra because we realised that it was just enough for the kids). See this was when I told hubby that if we chose the "Pooh" theme, then the PVC jars will gell nicely (oh well too late to change anyway...).

3 days before the party, I sat in the living room packing in the goodies which included : 1 mini lollipop, 1 Ferror Rocher,  1 pack of Neon Gummy Worms (hey it's a garden party lor...), 1 small pack of Healthy Times Organic teddy Puff and 3 pcs of Healthy Times  Organic Arrowroot Cookies (It's flower shaped! Maple or Vanilla Flavour packed in a small zip lock bag.)

The kids were excited! Especially the older ones who were in kindergarten because the strips of paper provided entertainment and they started to fold "stars". Even the parents join in the fun. Too bad I did not take a photo of the kids and parents folding "stars"...

PS: The kids also got to choose water-on-tattoos! :) Bee or lady bug. Hubby found them at the party store while we were getting the birthday candle and banner. These were originally for the kids but the adults wanted too! Too bad the some of the lady bugs got wet and there were only a few left. (You can see the photo below, the kid on the right side of the photo has a "bee" tattoo on her right arm... the gal on the left had one too but hers was covered by her shirt...) :P

The main part of the party ended and the tradition begins... Little girl ate her chicken drum stick with one leg stepping out of the door. It signifies 出外不愁吃.

And of course the "Dah Ku" ceremony where she steps on the super sized ang ku kueh. To me it signifies a life with progress while my hubby's grandma says it's a ceremony to ensure that she grows well and safe. I can't seem to find photos of this part... After the ceremony, little girl gets to wear her first pair of shoes. The "old people" believe that babies should not wear shoes too early (i.e. before 1 year old) else they will "run away". I do not know how true. But hubby and I picked out a new pair for her and it's cute pink Disney Baby shoes!

Photos (posed) with the birthday girl
PS: The balloon deco was proudly put up by hubby and I the night before. Thanks hubby for blowing every single one of them and of course a pat on my own back for tying them together into flowers. :)

A BIG THANK YOU! 

Sadly, I missed taking photos with many of the guests and not to mention my own family (sobs...). I was too tired and the whole party was too big for me to handle. Perhaps if I ever have such a huge party, I will call for a professional photographer to take photos of the entire event...

I have to say a BIG thank you to:

Hubby - for being the only photographer (and entertainer to the kids - teaching them how to fold stars). And putting up with my naggings on invitation cards, invitation list, etc. And of course, the brain child for the cake figurines which I love too (since I was looking for something special too... although it's difficult to pull it off).

My parents - who came super early with our breakfast and helping me get the "chicken drumstick" and prayer items for the day. And of course sponsoring little girl's Ralph Lauren red dress (which I got from the US store when they had sale) and the pair of shoes...

My sister's boyfriend Jeff - who came with the much needed stools and of course a video camera. ;)

My grandma + aunt - Who also came with the much needed stools too and entertained Xi En when all the guests have left.

AND ALL THE GUESTS!!!
Who came despite busy schedules (like going for another party and rushing to mine, coming to my party although brother was getting married, coming all the way from Malaysia, dropping by despite busy wedding celebrations - you know who you are!) to celebrate with us this special occassion.

And on behalf of little Nicole - THANK YOU for the generous gifts and ang pows!!!

Coming to 12 months old...

The little girl is going to be 12 months old really soon... A year just flashed by and for me it's interesting to see how much she has grown and progressed. :)

Here is a photo which we took at Pasta Mania today. Hubby was pretty amused by how determined she was! I took a slice of the Banana Dessert Pizza to eat. When she saw it, her whole face lit up and she reached for my wrist! Guided the slice towards herself and started to "chew" off the edge of it. When she got some of the pizza, she would soften her grip on my wrist. When she wanted more she repeated again. I proclaim: "Never underestimate the "power" of her 2 bottom tooth!" :p

PS: Her 8th tooth has emerged on 27 Nov 2009!

And this is my new method of bathing the little girl. Hmmm, it saves water!!! :p

 Look at how delighted she is when it's "pong-pong" time! :)

My little "Astro-Girl"...

 

Ahhh... nothing beats sitting in the tub! *Bliss*

Okay, hubby finally caught her on camera. It's her "inside" the coffee table. When she sees something she's interested in, she'll not hesisate to crawl inside to get it! There's no stopping her... :p

 *opps... caught by daddy!*

"Hmm... let me mark my territory!" (using her drool which is still at it's peak...)

 

"To mark my territory, I have to spread it thinly on the surface..."

A tribute to breastfeeding...

Yes, I have officially bid farewell to breastfeeding. My little girl had her last feed of breast milk mixed with formula milk when she is 11 months and 2 weeks.

Why did I stop pumping? It was after a series of sickness - flu (due to the flu jab), then a big dose of headache and body aches (due to lack of rest) and then a ulcer that appeared suddenly. The ulcer was what made me dropped even the very last pump I had for the day. 3 days after the ulcer appeared, it became bigger and super painful when I ate, desperate I used the cream in the fridge. The cream had steroids so I decided to just not pump. Since the cream was applied in my mouth, I would have ingested some. Won't want to risk passing some of that to the little one.

So what made me give up on breastfeeding? The major reason is that I was mentally beaten. My little girl rejected EBM for 5 days in a row. I actually threw away 200ml of my EBM during those days. Yes, you could say I was heartbroken. I felt unappreciated and that my effort was all in vain. The little action of using the steroid cream for my ulcer just made way for me to stop breastfeeding. It was a bitter-sweet decision.

However, having breastfed for so long, I did see a lot of advantages. It was not only monetary (I saved a lot on formula milk after seeing how fast my little girl depletes the milk powder now). I did see benefits in terms of her health. It's something that I am proud of and never regretted doing for the last 11 and 1/2 months.

Goodbye to all the breastfeeding acessories (like breast pump, nursing bras, breast milk storage bottles and bags) for now! Till my next child will we meet again (hopefully next round I can feed direct instead...)! Live goes on... And I am looking foward to wearing those strapless underwired bras! *Yippie!*

Precious moments!

Recently, the little girl has been making lots of different expressions... And it's not easy to capture all of them in photos! So here are the treasured moments that has been captured by papa, the official photographer...

I love to POUT! (because mama refuse to let me have Starbucks coffee...)

See I can point towards my back! (U can just say that I am flexible...)
Mama and Papa are always trying to figure out what this action really means...

I like cosy little corners... NOT!!! (It's not fair... I could squeeze in... how come I cannot come out?)
Evil daddy went to get the camera to capture this moment... And mama was not home to save me! Mama shared with papa that she likes to do this when she was as small as me...

I look and feel like a pretty angel! Watch out, I have a powerful wand in my hand!
It's one of those magical days where mama would thank heaven for having me. Sitting in the high chair to finish all of mama's porridge without fuss.

Lastly, thank you papa for capturing these precious little moments!
Papa just told mama that she chose the wrong photo... was I smiling or not?

1 more month to 1 year!!!

Little girl is going to 1 years old! As a mother, I am both happy and stressed up... Happy because it's a milestone worth celebrating! Stressed up because this mother realised that her little girl's birthday party is still in the "thinking stage" (i.e. no invites... only caterer is booked)! *OH oh...*


That aside, here are some of little girl's recent "first": 


Taking (more than) a step forward!
Yes! Amazing isn't it? From just 3 wobbly little steps about 3 weeks back, she is now able to take 6 to 7 steps (3 small ones and 3 to 4 hurried steps to reach mama or papa). And with lots of encouragement and praise, she seem to improve (in the number of steps taken) by leaps and bounds! It'll be fun if she can walk well by Chinese New Year next year (which happens to fall on Valentine's Day too!), both great-grandmas will be totally amazed! However, I note that her motor developments have been pretty fast.

Drinking from the straw!
To this, I would say "FINALLY!!!". I have been trying so hard over the past 2 months on and off to get her to drink from a straw. Yesterday, she finally drank from the mag mag straw! That was after my dad's suggestion last week to feed her water using a real straw. i.e. put a straw into a cup of water. With one finger on the end of the straw, lift it up and put it in the baby's mouth. If she bites, release a little so she knows there is water. If she  drinks from it, release the pressure from the end. The first few times will be messy, i.e. the water will leak out from her mouth. But who cares... 2weeks later, she's drinking from a straw! :) I am so proud of my little girl...  

And another update!!! 

In the "good books" of the Tooth Fairy
Yes, she is one of tooth fairy's well loved child. Since my previous post about her teeth... I am updating that post again! She is having her 7th tooth! Explains her crankiness and excessive drool... And, "sa jiao"-ness (reads whining all the time and wanting people to carry) and not to mention the whatever-I-have-in-hand-goes-into-mouth behavoir... While it's great to have teeth, having 3-4 cutting at one go can be distressing for her (and for me too!). I have been brushing her teeth and gums using the Banana-Apple Flavour First Teeth Toothpaste religiously! This was even before her first tooth emerged.   

Updated chart: 

 

 Ref: http://www.diyfather.com/files/baby_teeth.jpg
*left refers to her left  

Little girl at ION Orchard!

Hubby and I decided to go Orchard to buy some of little girl's party toppers on 2 to 3 Saturdays back. I told hubby to try parking at Ion Orchard and we were lucky to get carpark lots at the lowest floor. We went to Takashimaya then Mac'donalds... And we met little Summer there! I was feeding little girl when Xue came up to me... 

I was glad that little girl was able to finish her HT jar (which I mixed with HT cereal). After that we headed back to Ion Orchard... And yeap, there was a human "traffic jam" because of Wisma Isetan's sale. And because of that, the little contented girl fell asleep in her pram... I was especially happy because I would like little girl to learn to let go and sleep while outside. This will allow hubby and I to have some little time to spend together (while pushing the pram down the aisle of the shopping centre).  

Anyway, I found that Ion Orchard is a breastfeeding friendly place/ or baby friendly place. The diaper changing room has a chair (for breastfeeding mums), a dispenser (with hot n cold water for making milk) and even a Pigeon warmer! I was pretty wowed by the faciliites. However, the door to the room could not close (it's automated... but somehow do not work). Maybe the management is afraid of people abusing the room. 

Here is a photo of my girl:


















Little girl: "Mummy, what's that in that HUGE cup???"

ARHHHH........

Since my last entry about little girl's teeth in June, it's time for an update!

Little girl now has six teeth! Two at the bottom and four at the top. Other than the bottom central incisor, the top central incisor and lateral incisor is on-the-way. When she smiles, you can see the top and bottom central incisor most clearly! :) 

So here's a snapshot of when I could feel the little bits of teeth poking out from her gums! The dates are approximate because I dare not stick a finger into her mouth everyday to check! She bites really HARD!

Ref: http://www.diyfather.com/files/baby_teeth.jpg

When two of her teeth cut at the same time, she would get really cranky. Other than placing everything she can get her hands on into her mouth (including her fingers), she will have a hard time drinking her milk and of course a hard time trying to fall asleep.

Being a curious mum, I read up and found the reasons for those difficulties. Apparently, sucking milk from a bottle would cause blood to rush into the gums, thus causing extra discomfort! The solution is to increase the teat size or flow to allow the baby to drink comfortably without sucking too hard for the milk. The baby might have a hard time falling asleep because of the discomfort from the gums. As they are trying to get to sleep, there are lesser distractions hence the gum discomfort would get more apparent! 

After doing some reasearch, I found that the following can be useful:
1. Cooling the pacifier in the fridge (to act as a cooled teether)
2. Give the baby a cool teether or a piece of chilled fruit (such as apple)
3. Wetting some small towels and placing them in fridge (to act as cooled teether)
4. The medical option: Dentinox (this is widely debated since it works on some babies and not others). I usually use this together with cooled teethers for better effect
5. The soothing touches of the mother/soft soothing songs which reassures the baby can help placate them too! :)