A little spot of happiness

I love it when life gives you a little bit of a surprise sometimes. A little spot of a rainbow hidden in an overcast winter sky may just do the trick.

Those were the days...

Thankfully, the above isn't our routine anymore. He was just over a week old. No more of that 2-3 hourly feeds!  Look at my scribbling towards the end (or rather the beginning of a new day which I wasn't ready to start). I was losing it. I never slept more than 3 hours at one go. Geez, how in the world did I manage that! Sheer Supermommy power!

And of course, due to my pregnancy brain which is still hanging around, I didn't realise it actually takes a baby some time to get used to not being breastfed anymore. So instead of stopping the breastfeeds at 6 months as I had preferred, he stopped at 7 months.

In the times I was weaning him off, I still wake up several times in the night. Right up until perhaps 2 months ago I was still doing that. I remember even when Kayden actually slept for 3 hours straight in the early days, I STILL woke up anyway, just to check on him. I was afraid he was starving, but was just too hungry to even cry. I know of other moms out there who jump out of bed in the middle of the night because they thought they heard their baby cry. When you are a new mother, every little sound makes you think your baby is awake and needs you. When I went into his room, of course I found my baby fast asleep, sometimes doing a little baby snore. It was just silly me waking up for nothing. He was fine.

I still jot the times down in the sleeping diary till this day. I don't do it every single day like I used to, but often enough. I like going through it and marveling at how far my baby has come along since.

Today, he sleeps through the night. But he is still like clockwork with his routines! Check back again soon, it'll be for another post later on.

Kayden 9 months update

My baby is growing up right in front of my eyes each day. 9 months! Wow. Where did time go? 

Kayden is doing the commando crawl. To his delight, the treasures stored under the coffee table is now well within his reach. Or the remote. Or my feet. Or better yet, a FULL bottle of water that I stupidly left uncapped on the far corner of his playmat because I FORGOT he can now crawl. Thinking I will be back to claim my bottle in no time, I left it where I was sitting close to Kayden on the carpet right before I walked off . I was right in the middle of preparing Kayden's dinner, when my husband let out a shout and was scurrying around frantically, saying "Need some cloth!!!". He had found Kayden with a bottle of water which he was waving around in the air, the water still splashing out around him. The bottle was almost completely emptied out! Thank god it was not a bottle of red, and just water!

He also has a toy train which he loves. He's only had the train to play with for the past 2 months or so. His idea of 'play' is leaving his finger on a button which plays a tune for as long as he presses it.  Earlier today, I left him playing with his train and all of a sudden he lets out a frustrated cry. Tears and all. He looked devastated. Turns out that he has played with it so much, that it has finally gone flat. When I approached him, he lifted his little finger off the button and put it back on again, and then looks at me and back at his train as if to say "Mom!! It's dead!". I almost melted! Haha! I was amazed he actually knew how to communicate! 

My little baby used to be the length of my arm. Now, he is half my height! No kidding! People think Kayden is a one year old. He looks and behaves like it, except for the walking bit! No hurry with the walking, I am quite happy to cuddle my baby for now.

In denial much?

My real life emoticon

=P

I heart Sydney

 

Last weekend, our little family went on a little trip to Sydney. It was Kayden's first time on board a plane! He was a dream to be with. When he was not sleeping, he would be winning over the hearts of other passengers with his winning gummy smiles and baby laughter. He was happy and hardly fussed throughout the entire trip.

We had a blast during the short trip. The forecast was for possible showers for the weekend. But what are the chances that it was overcast when the plane touched down to only open up to big sunny clear blue skies when we stepped out of the airport? And started drizzling only when we were seated in the plane ready for take off, on our way home! We indulged in going on hunts for fresh food, lots of happy laughter, long brisk warm walks along the harbour, the breeze on a water taxi ride and at the end of the day, long warm relaxing baths to soothe the body and soul.

We all left our hearts in Sydney! Can't wait to head up there again soon one day!

Finding myself a little lost

I have a confession. I haven't always been the person I am. As a teenager, I was impulsive. I make stupid and rash decisions. BUT, I acted on how I feel and followed my heart. I can honestly say I don't have regrets in my life during my teenage years. However moronic my actions were. And back then, I had all the freedom and time in the world. Nothing was too hard or impossible! I did what I did, and I learned not to make the same mistakes again in future. But those mistakes to me, were very valuable lessons in life.

As a young adult fresh out from university, I got married at a young age. We were both just starting out in life. And as a young adult, just starting out life in the harsh world of reality, I found myself having to be alot more accomodating to others because I was inexperienced in life. There was lots to learn. So, I watched. I listened and I compromised. A LOT. So the person I am now, is mellowed out so much, I have come to realise just only recently, that I think I have lost a big part of me.  And I need to find MYSELF again.

Becoming a mother and then turning 30 has been a huge milestone in life for me.

I want to live my life the way I want to. It doesn't sit well with me right now thinking that when I am 50, I am telling Des "I should done this", "I should have done that" or "I should have said that". By then, my life is far from over, but it might be too late to do things a certain way with the same gusto at a time like now.

But, I am not too sure how I am going to go about finding myself while having to juggle being a mother at the same time. I feel like I have taken a backseat in life when I gave birth to my beautiful little man 8 months ago. I desperately want to be a good parent, but I yearn to be a unique individual with a spontaneity for life. I know I have to do and say things with caution, after all I am his role model! (for now anyway)I  have blinkers going on in my head doubting whether it is still possible. I am at a crossroad in my life and I need to think about which direction I want to head toward for my years ahead.

Or is this just my post pregnancy hormones playing up? Tell me! Oh, just don't tell me I am heading towards a mid life crisis!

If you are a parent, or a busy individual, I would love to hear how you prioritize your life, to rediscover you.  Am I making any sense here today? Send me an email, or leave me a comment, I would love to read and learn from your experiences or suggestions!

A first for everything...

Kayden threw his first full blown tantrum yesterday. He picked up an old roll of tape I had dugged out to close up some boxes earlier. He was having fun with it, he held it in his hand, passed it from one hand to the other, wore it as a bracelet and shook it in the air (he loves doing that with anything new to see if it makes a sound).

I had my eyes on the TV, and he was on my lap doing all that contentedly. And then, I realised HANG ON, he's hardly moving much anymore and he has gone all quiet.

Now, as a parent, u instinctively know that something isn't quite right when your child  goes all silent at times. This one one of them.

I peeled my eyes away from the TV, looked down and he was having a ball gnawing away at the dirty old roll of tape. Of course, a game of tug of war ensued when I tried to take it off him.

I pried it off his soggy hands. Kayden took a deep breath and let out a piercing loud scream. The type of -NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!GIVE IT BACK TO ME! I WANT IT! type of cry.

You should have seen the look he gave me! The look of sheer stubbornness and mischievousness! To be honest, I wanted to laugh! Instead, I handed him back the other toy he was playing with before the tape. He forgot about what just happened and continued chewing on that instead.

Babies.

Souffle cheesecakes!

A teaser photo. The other day I baked some souffle cheesecakes! Taste wise they were to die for! They tasted and felt exactly like the ones I used to buy back in Singapore.

Everytime I bake it so far, the cake fairies devour it really quickly. I love it when people (and fairies) love my bakes and ask for my recipe. I have never said no, I always share!

I am still going to play with the recipe abit more because it didn't keep its height after I took it out of the oven. I am about to go and try another batch sometime soon with cream of tartar in it. If anyone knows the trick to the problem, please email me and let me know.

One day...

When I was standing there taking this picture, I imagine the day Kayden will be tearing through playgrounds in the parks like this one.

Ninja Chickens

Talking about pets one day in the car.

 -  -  -

Kel: I don't think we are going to end up with any pets after all. You and Kayden have eczema. Can't have a dog. Maybe we'll have chickens instead.

Des: No way. Who's going to clean up the chicken poop?

Kel: We don't really have to clean it up much .. we'll just have a dirt floor.

Des: We can't do that! What about the foxes?

Kel: There's no foxes in the area.

Des:  Ok, maybe no foxes, but there might be feral cats or even just normal cats. We might end up having foxes, feral cats and cats sitting outside the chicken coop playing JAN- KEN- PON (ala HxH) to decide who gets the chicken. The only way we can ever have a chicken is if its a ninja chicken, hiding in the shadows and waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting predator.

Kel: *imagining what a Ninja chicken would look like* Hahahahahahahahhaaaa!!! Ninja Chickens!

-  -  -

*Insert picture of Ninja Chicken here... if either of us could draw lol*

Winter afternoon walks

I bring Kayden out for afternoon walks fairly often but, I must confess we go less often in winter. But if the sun is out, chances are we are out for a nice long afternoon walk. Just the boy and I.

 

 

 

There is some parkland next to home and we take long slow walks through it. Kayden loves it when I point out birds on the treetops, or show him the swaying leaves, the water running through the creek and sometimes we stop and try to spot a Koala. There is a little log book where people contribute their observations, we don't have any luck yet!

When we stop for a little break and a sip of water, he tries to make small talk with me. He goes "daaa da dah da da!"  Then he looks at me, and waves his hands as if to be describing to me what he saw before.

And on our way back home, he falls silent, most of the times because he dozes off in his seat.

Sometimes I wonder who was really doing all the walking....

A foodie in the making

To date, at 8 months of age, Kayden has tried a variety of foods. Mostly purees so far, but I have been told by the maternal nurse to stop doing that now. Instead, I should try mashing them with a fork if needed, and to give him finger foods.

I am glad she pre warned me that when some babies first eat non pureed food, they tend to gag. But we will BOTH get used to it I am sure.

He has been eating solids for 2 months now, and he has tried these foods (not in chronological order):

1. Commercial rice cereal (which he reacted to)
2. Pumpkin
3. Apple
4. Pear
5. Banana
6. Avocado
7. Broccoli
8. Corn
9. Chicken
10. Porridge
11. Sweet potato
12. Carrot
13. Cheese
14. Broccolini
15. Fish
16. Wholemeal toast

At his most recent allergy test, he had a positive reaction to eggs (u poor thing, I hope you grow out of it quickly, you won't know what you are missing out on!) and dustmites (who doesn't?).

So I read the labels carefully when purchasing commercial baby food for him and avoiding contamination of it via common utensils we use to serve and prepare his food at home. 

Until recently, he was quite happy with any combination of the food above. But I get a feeling he has finally realised that the steaming hot food we are eating from our plates and bowls are not quite the same as the colourful moosh I am stuffing into his mouth! We don't feed him with the usual food we eat. I think it is abit young to introduce seasonings to a baby's diet at the moment.

Over the past week, he seem to have lesser interest in his baby food. Many a times, he would rather go hungry than to have it. Talk about stubborn!

But the other night, Kayden decided after 3 or 4 spoonfuls of his chicken and potato moosh, that he wanted something else! He got sooo cranky and whiney, and if he could talk, I am almost certain he was screaming " I don't want to eat this! I want McDonald's!". Haha, maybe not quite. But it was that look in his face and his cry that meant he wanted to eat but just not what I was feeding him.

Then, a lightbulb went up in my head. I made him a grilled cheese toast.

I know. Not exactly 'dinner' type food. He loves cheese. And, he gobbled it up. Close to 3/4 of a whole slice of  grilled cheese toast. So he obviously enjoyed it.

He even smelled like cheese afterwards. Much better than regurgitated milk.

Hey! Kayden?

At a cafe one day, Kayden was quietly observing a table of little kids next to us. 

I kept my camera pointed at him and said, "Hey! Kayden?" and got this sweet smile!

Kayden at 8 months

My little munchkin is 8 months old! Over the past month, Kayden's development has progressed somewhat quite quickly.

Within the space of a week, he learnt how to sit up on his own. He is however still wobbly, which I am not concerned because I was advised by his maternal nurse that children learn to crawl before learning how to get into a sitting position themselves. Propping them up with cushions is apparently not advised! So we have stopped creating a pillow fort around him now.

And speaking of crawling, when on his tummy like above, he scoots backwards during tummy time.They go backwards before they go forwards. But to get him used to the idea of going Forwards, I place him with his feet against the side of a wall so he launches himself forwards when he kicks.I have caught him balancing on all fours doing a rocking motion a couple of times this week already, so I think it won't be too long to see him in action!

This little man loves his vegies! I have also started giving him finger foods to feed himself with. Carrot sticks, toast fingers, chicken cubes, cheese, cruskits, and pieces of fruit are on the menu here. At the moment, he LOVES broccolini (a cross variety of chinese broccoli-gai lan, with the normal broccoli). He stared at it when I first put it on his tray, then he gingerly picked it up, swung it around in the air for abit, then mooshed it in his fingers before putting it to his lips. A minute later I hear loud sucking sounds and the florets on the broccolini were almost all gone!

These days I am starting to realise my baby isn't such a baby anymore! I visited a friend's new baby girl earlier this week. It was the first time I held a newborn after I had Kayden. It took me by surprise how teeeeeeeeeeeeeny tiny newborns are! Was Kayden ever that small I thought out loud. And my friend and I realised that there was only 200 grams difference for their first weigh ins!

I am making a more conscious effort to cuddle Kayden alittle more these days. It won't be long until his first birthday!! It's going too quickly!!!!!!!! Somebody slow the time down!

Cold winter nights

The mercury has dropped. So scarves on. Winter coat and boots on. Storm cover on the pram during our walks. So sick of winter already and we just only got past a month of it. And you know it is cold when you hear people swishing the ice off their windscreens when they go to work in the mornings.

Even sleeping in a sleeping bag under 2 layers of blankets, his hands are still icy cold (he sleeps with his arms out in a 'I surrender' position). It's no wonder he fusses and screams to be picked up to be put into the big warm bed with us.

I've resigned to the fact that the tiniest person needs the most space on our bed. Now, that I can deal with. What I cannot deal with, is that the Koala insists on being pinned next to me while he is sleeping, and having his hands on my cheek/eye/ear/nose/lips the whole night! And under the doona, he is spread eagle with his foot resting on top of my thigh.

Then in his subconcious state, he fiddles with my hair and pulls it! If i shuffle away from him, he shuffles towards my direction and stretches his arms out to try and reach me. He tosses and wriggles until he touches me.

It goes THE WHOLE NIGHT. My whole body is aching because of bad sleeping posture.

So, last night, before I put out the lights, I said "We're all going to sleep now. No pulling Mommy's hair. Now, go to sleep. Night night!!!" I  reach for the lights and with my back to him, I stay in that position. He screams out in frustration because he can't reach me. Eventually, I turn back, his hands find me. And he is quiet again.

ARGHHHH!!

Who's wide eyed, cheery and awake in the morning?

 Yes, as you can see, his cot is only meters away from our bed. 

Why oh why won't you sleep on your own!?

Not me.

Recipe: Crepes with a berry and chocolate sauce

 A handful of leftover frozen berries in the freezer was calling out to be used. And so I did.

Before Kayden, these soft warm crepes made regular appearances as impromptu after dinner desserts. It was my thing to make for a special occasion . The norm was with just a drizzle of lemon and sugar on top, or for a special day I would be organized and will usually have a more decadent strawberry chocolate or banana caramel sauce to go with it.  But really the options are endless! You could even try filling it with ham and pineapples, or a bolognese sauce for a savoury take on it (which I may try someday).

To me, these crepes remind me of my maternal grandmother, because she was the one who taught me how to make them. I don't know where she got the idea from, it certainly isn't an asian thing to do. And I am sure she knew nothing about those lace like french crepes they serve at posh restaurants at the other end of the world. I never asked, but I am guessing it is one of those things you make from the most basic of ingredients you can get your hands on during hard times. World war 2? I am not sure.

But I remember I used to look forward to my school holiday breaks because I get to go and stay with my grandmother. Both my parents were working long hours and I was in mama's (hokkien for maternal grandmother) care during the weekdays for the first 7 years of my life. Not surprisingly, I was extremely close to her and up till today, I still remember that floral powder scent she puts on, the feel of her soft skin, her laughter and stern words, and of course the many dishes she used to cook.

I digress.

On some days, very often while I am still napping, I am awoken by a very distinctive sweet fragrant smell. I wake from my slumber to find on the dinner table a pile of these soft golden crepes on a plate, protected under a netted cover like in the older times. She would spot me up and awake, appear with a cup of hot Milo and sit down with me to eat them. Mama likes to eat them plain, none of these fancy schmancy sauces we see served at restaurants. If I asked nicely, sometimes she gives me a small saucer of sugar to dip them in and I am as happy as can be! Ahhh... life's simple pleasures!

Sadly, she passed on nearly 13 years ago. But I have managed to watch her make it a handful of times.

I don't have a recipe for it because as most seasoned cooks do, she told me to use 'some' eggs, a few spoonfuls of plain flour, a pinch of salt, and to 'thin it out' with milk. They always make it sound so easy. AS IF!

After enough crepe disasters to set off a choking cough from burnt pans, blackened, thick cardboard tasting or soft soggy limpy crepes, I think I finally got the consistency she was trying to tell me. Today, I don't use measurements anymore, instead going by what she first told me to add some of this and a few of that!

 This time round, I put a dash or two of cinnamon in, hence the brown specks.  

You want to achieve a maple syrup like consistency.

My crepes usually end up crisp around the edges, but I like them that way.

But before I mastered that, I used to go by these basic measurements and thin it out with more milk to get the right consistency for soft velvety crepes almost like what mama used to make. Make or prepare your sauces or condiments first so you have them ready to serve as soon as your crepes are ready.


                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Crepes with a berry and chocolate sauce


Berry sauce

1 cup frozen berries
6 tsp sugar (or to taste)
dash of vanilla paste

Crepes
125gms plain flour
a pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 cup of milk (more to thin it out to the right consistency later on)
butter

vanilla paste (optional)
cinnamon powder (optional)
1tbsp sugar (optional - I use it only if I am eating them with lemon and sugar. But watch your crepes with this, because they will burn more easily)


Method: Berry sauce
On a low flame, heat up the berries until the juices start to flow. Add the sugar and stir it in until it dissolves. You may need more sugar depending on the tartness of your batch of berries. I usually prefer to use frozen berries because it means I don't have to thin out the flavours by adding water to it, the frozen berries produce enough liquid to make a sauce.

Method: Chocolate sauce
As how you would make a fondue. With chocolate and milk. That's how I do mine anyway. In a microwave safe bowl, put in the amount of chocolate (normal eating chocolate, not the cooking kind) u think u will need and about half the amount of milk. In my opinion, there is no such thing as too much chocolate sauce. You can make hot chocolate with leftovers anyway.

Zap it in the microwave until the milk is just hot enough to melt the chocolate, not too hot! If its not hot enough, just heat it up again. Its better under heated than over heated. Or you might end up burning and wasting your chocolate.

Stir the mixture until the chocolate fully melts, add more milk if you think it is needed.

Method: Crepes
1. In a deep bowl, break the eggs in and lightly whisk it. Pour in the milk and mix it in with the eggs.

2. Add the  flour in little by little, whisking them into the batter until it is smooth without any lumps. I know most chefs do it the other way around, adding the wet ingredients to the dry. But I find it easier to get a smooth batter this way, without the lumps.

3. Add in the salt, and your other optional ingredients and mix them well.

4. Heat up a small pan (mine is slightly bigger than my palm) on low, and add a small amount of butter (about 1/4 teaspoon). Use a spatula to swish the butter around so it coats the pan.

5. Using a soup ladle, pour in the first ladle of batter and swirl the batter around to cover the pan. Don't worry about making a perfect circle at this point. The first crepe never turns out good. I always throw out the first one. Then, without adding butter again, (the pan will have the tinest amount still left from the first crepe), take the pan away from the flame and add the batter, swirling the batter so it makes a nice round circle.

6. Place the pan back on the flame and a cook it until it is a light golden brown. Flip it over and cook it for another 10 seconds or so.

7. You can either fold your crepes like I did, or place your sauces onto a crepe (golden side down) and then simply just roll them up. Or really, if you can't wait to eat them, you can just spoon the sauce on top and eat it as it is. But make sure you serve and eat it straight away while it is still warm.


NOTES

• Halfway through using the batter, I always find that it thickens up, so I add more milk to thin it down to a maple syrupy kind of consistency. Too heavy a batter will result in a thick crepe with burnt edges, undercooked and mushy on the inside. 
• What you are after is a paper thin (as they say on masterchef!) crepe that is still soft and mallable enough to wrap or fold to contain your fillings or sauces.
• I don't put alot of butter to oil the pan, probably a tiny speck of it is enough, just make sure you use your spatula to spread it roughly around the pan. On a non stick pan, I find I don't even need it most of the times. It is however needed to produce that golden swirl pattern you see. Otherwise, it just turns out in 1 monotonous shade. Boring. So, I put a little bit of butter every 4 to 5 crepes.
• Lemon and sugar, banana, strawberry, chocolate, cream, honey,etc I could go on and on about what to go with the crepes. The list is endless, it all just depends on how decadent you want it to be! A splash or two of liqour wouldn't hurt either I am sure.
• Practice, practice practice! If your first attempt don't turn out good, adjust your batter and try again. Up till today, I still adjust it as I go along. 

The great shop shoe drop

 Photo from shop till you drop

 
If you haven't already heard, the shop till you drop team is dropping hundreds of pairs of designer shoes in secret locations in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia!

 Photo from shop till you drop

Now, which girl wouldn't want FREE SHOES!!


From the 14th of July, a scavenger hunt for pairs of Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Wayne by Wayne Cooper, Zu, Converse, Puma, Sportsgirl, Havaianas, etc! VERY NICE! I like! No wonder its one of my favourite magazines to date.


To try and get your hands on a pair, get a preview of the shoes here, and make sure you check their twitter account here starting from the 14th of July to find out where the drops are happening, and then RUN to it, because its finders keepers!


But, if you don't live in the 2 cities, you can still enter their competition to win a year's supply of Tony Bianco shoes. You will check out the August issue to get more details.


Good luck!!! And let me know if you score a pair of heels!


Read more about it here.

Sitting on the bench

Last Saturday, I thought it would be a good idea to start my weekend early by tagging along to hubby's basketball practice with a baby Kayden in tow. I sat at the benches with Kayden tucked snugly in his pram and we both watched them all play.


Kayden sat quietly in his pram, watching them dribble the ball and running back and forth.

 He looked up at the shiny lights.

And at the patterns on the windows.

Then back at me sitting at the sides with him, with a glassy look in his eyes.

 Slowly, his eyes drooped, and he drifted away to sleep again. It is naptime for Kayden, and it is only 8am!

Saturday brunches

For the past 3 months or so, hubby and I have been making it a point to head out for brunch every Saturday morning. At the start, it was because we had house inspections every weekend while we had our house on the market. It is a nice way to enjoy some quality time together as a new family, away from the distractions of the television and the Internet at home! We mostly head to a local nursery where we sit in the cafe, surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of the beautiful flowers, plants and chirping birds.


Eggs benedict is our usual order. The traditional ones come with ham, poached eggs sitting on english muffins, drenched with a creamy hollandaise sauce. We sometimes vary it by ordering bacon with it, or to have it with toast instead.  Then we spend the next 2 hours or so pouring over the newspapers or chit chatting about mostly nothing in particular.

 


Most of the times, baby Kayden is happy playing with his toys in his pram or the high chair and just watching what is happening around him. We take a slow walk around the nursery after and point out to him the ducklings in the pond and show him the birds in the aviary.

Is it Saturday soon yet? I can't wait until our next Saturday brunch!

Kayden the catnapper

 At 7 months old, Kayden is not expected to take as many long naps during the day anymore.

However, when he gets extremely tired out and out of energy, he is like one of those wind up toys that goes into slow motion towards the end of its run.

One moment he could be going "Da da da da Daaaaah " and fiddling with his toys, or bashing my laptop while I am using it next to him, chewing or sucking on his dummy or finger, the next moment I find him fast asleep in positions such as these!

Birthday celebrations

A BIG Thank You to all my dear family and friends who made this birthday extra special! I got spoilt all throughout the day with lovely messages, gifts and gestures right from the stroke of midnight!

The day couldn't have started out any better with baby Kayden waking up before I did and playing contentedly by himself, without having me jumping out of bed, startled from my deep slumber from his cries like most morning. (Usually because he is demanding a feed!)

A lovely surprise early lunch celebration was first on the agenda from the closest around me, right in the comforts of home. Warm and toasty, Roast duck, tulips and chocolate in my tummy!

And as you can see, Kayden was more interested in the candle flame than singing Happy Birthday to me. Oh well, at least there was no one else to fight with for the chocolate mud muffin.

Hubby and I stopped giving each other gifts a few years ago. No Christmas or birthday gifts. But certainly our 30th was an exception? I bought him a BBQ unit and for mine, he got me personalized car licence plates! So, really, I was not expecting him to arrive him early from work that day with more flowers and cake in hand!

That night, grandma and Aunty Stef babysat Kayden. Des and I had a reservation to a new restaurant in town called Maze, of the Gordon Ramsay fame.

All dressed up and about 10 minutes after kissing Kayden our goodbyes, we commented how we have not been out on a date like this for a long time. Just the two of us going out, because we can and want to, not because we have a friend's wedding to attend or errands to run! We held hands and smiled to each other in the car. And there's no baby in the back seat going "Da da da da daah!". Woo hoo!!!!

When first told I was up for a treat and going to Maze, I was beyond excited. We sat in traffic for almost an hour before we actually got to the restaurant. I haven't been to fine dining place quite like this. And, as we inched closer and closer to our destination, I got even more excited and even felt a little bit sick with anticipation!

What if I didn't like the snobbish atmosphere?

Or what if I didn't like or know how to tackle eating the food?

Or worse yet tip my glass over!?

I had read mixed reviews of the restaurant prior to going, and from what I read, I was probably going to be dead blind in there because it was said to be dim. (I have a bad night vision!)

But I am glad I was so wrong! The staff were friendly and welcoming. We were ushered to our table near the floor to ceiling windows. We sat underneath these lights and, Des commented that the lights look like dead
corpses hanging off the ceiling. Whatever, I can see what I am eating!

I relaxed. And the night went off without a hitch.

This was my favourite dish of the evening. I could smell the aromas of the applewood smoked kingfish even before it came to me! That white fluffy ball you are seeing is actually FAIRY FLOSS! Who would have thought it would pair perfectly with the flavours on this dish! IT WAS AMAZING!

We each had 4 dishes and a dessert. It obviously wasn't a cheap place to go to, but for the quality of the food and I might even add, a pretty decent portion for a place like that (they were pretty generous sized tasting portions), we were surprised and more than happy to pay 100 per person (wine and drinks included!) for the gastronomic experience! We will be sure to revisit Maze again.

When we got home, Kayden was none the wiser that we have been out for almost 5 blissful hours!

Turning 30

Today I reach my 30th birthday. WOW. In a small corner of my brain, I never really thought I would actually get to this point. And yes, I have decided it does feel alittle different. Not in a particularly bad nor good way. Grab a drink and a snack, this is going to be a long post.

When I was 12 years old, I was pretty sure I looked forward to turning 13. It was the time I became a TEENAGER. Partial freedom and coolness means I am allowed out to town with my friends (with a curfew of course), my first pager and mobile phone (which never fails to beep and ring whenever that curfew comes) and then later on, the roaring clubbing scene. It starts with waiting at the snaking long queues at the trendiest clubs, and then later on walking right past that same queue and cashiers and having the bouncers click open the red velvet rope line ushering my friends and I in with a nod, avoiding the accusing glares behind us. And then inside the clubs, the long island tea cocktails, killer heels, sparkly tops and dresses and of course... the BOYS! And of course they came with the nauseating hangovers (damn u long island teas) and all nighters every other weekends that 'made' me unwell so I call in sick for school/work come Mondays. 

21 marked the start of my young adulthood. My TWENTIES. That period to me, was in fast forward motion. Still dabbling in the night life, but alot more mellowed out having experiencing a raging night life a couple of years back. With a slightly disposable income, my friends and I bought the latest fashion beauty trends. I left home and did my bachelor and masters degree in a foreign country. Met my husband, took some short trips overseas, I graduated, got married and experienced our first few years of life as a young married couple. We wined and dined, went for regular trips to the movies, went for long drives along the coastlines, basically doing anything our hearts (and wallets) desired.

And then, now I turn 30. But this particular milestone, I found myself umming and ahhing about it. THIRTY. Does it mean I am middle aged? I certainly do not feel that way. I am now also a mother! But it means I am no longer a young adult. The 2s in my age disappear.I am a full fledged Adult now. I have important responsibilities in my life, I should not carelessly wave things off waiting for someone else or sometime else who will 'fix things up' for me. I have a little human being being totally reliant on me for his survival! 

Turning 30 is the start of another new decade in life so, I want to start it off by counting my blessings and highlights of my life to date.

Good Health I am extremely fortunate that I have never experienced a serious illness to date. I am physically well although alot left to be said about my fitness levels!


Good fortune A friend once told me I must have not one but three guardian angels watching over me. That same friend gave me a gift of 3 angel figurines which I treasure up till now. Call it luck or coincidence, things almost always seem to go my way every time. I must have collected unlimited good karma points in my past life! I seem to have the good things in life fall on my lap just like that.I don't mean the money side of things (although that would be nice!) although I don't count ourselves poor either. Am just extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy the many simple joys that life brings. I have a home, a loving environment, food and the many small luxuries in life (thank god for hair colours, pretty clothes and shoes, hot milo, wireless internet and mobile phones!).

Family & Friends I know I can count on them for when I need a listening ear to whinge to, seek advice and for some good laid back company. I am so thankful many are just within arm's reach or a phone call away.

My melbourne family and friends I cannot even begin to say how wonderful they all are. Most of my own family and friends live in Singapore, and in a way I am on my own here in Melbourne. But everybody I meet here welcomes me with open arms into their lives. I call myself a homebody, I like lounging in the comforts of my home but there are times I feel the need to hit the shops! Go out for a nice garden lunch! Do this and that. And these family and friends I know I can count on for great company always. THANK YOU all!

And being so physically far apart, those in Singapore interrupt their daily routines to help me out usually at the drop of a hat, to help me out as much as they can. I spent more than 2 decades of my life with them there. They are the ones I now hold many fond memories of. They moulded my foundations of my being, so cliche, but so very very true.

And then, course my very loving husband who thinks the world of me, even at the times where I think, felt and look horrendous. His support is what drives me to function, especially when things get tough. He rocks my boat, keeps me lifting one foot in front of the other, that keeps me keeping on.

So in short, I think my life is a dream. Baby Kayden is the icing on my rosy pink cupcakes! So with my feet firmly planted in the ground now, let's bring on the 30s!


If you got to the end of this entry, a pat on the back for you! U deserve a medal! =) Well maybe not a medal, but if you check back later on, I might post an entry on my birthday celebration dinner, which I am looking forward to immensely later today!

Jim's pancakes

 

 Photo taken from Jim's Pancakes

  

 

Photo taken from Jim's Pancakes

Hubby sends me random links about things all the time. But this recent one, I HAVE to share!  This guy Jim who is a graphic artist,  has been making some really cool pancakes for his daughter Allison. The bacon and eggs version is my favourite! He also made a 3D looking ferris wheel, a biplane, a construction crane, ones. And then there's also the JP sushi, pancake bling, the golden gate bridge, 'pancake cereal', etc.  So cool!  Be sure to check out his website and Facebook for more of his pancake creations! You know you want to!

It makes me wonder, after reading the website, what Kayden will get up to with Daddy when he gets a little older!

Kayden at 7 months

Kayden is seven months old today. He can now:

• smile and laugh at familiar faces
• grabs hold of his toys and passes them from one hand to the other
• he can also pull himself to an almost sitting position using his dangly toys while on his playmat 
• rolls over from back to tummy
• lifts his head up to do baby crunches!
• lifts legs to grab them (and then into his mouth)
• recognizes voices and faces
• turns quickly to minimal sounds
• puts almost everything to his mouth
• says dadada, lalala, bababa (where's the mamama!?!?)
• can hold his own bottle (if he feels like it)
• is able to grab his own dummy and pop it in and out of his mouth (or throw it out of his cot)

He is a happy baby most of the times, its very easy to get a smile or laugh out of him. But when presented with an unfamiliar face, he STARES. Like what you see above. And stays expressionless for a good 15 minutes or until he decides in his little head 'OK, you're not so interesting to stare at anymore...'.

Baby Kayden is growing up so quickly! 7 months going on 18! People always ask if he is between 9 to 11 months old. He looks tall for his age, he barely just fits into his size 00 jumpsuits. His poor little toes are squished when he stretches his legs.  He is still teething, although it doesn't seem to bother him as much these past few weeks or so.Still no sign of the tooth cutting through, just little white spots under his gums.

I love cuddling my little man! Don't outgrow your baby-ness too quickly! 

Winter 2010

Snuggle up and layer on, its winter time!