En Xi's Very First Vacation

Apart from the cruise that En Xi went with Mommy's side of the family earlier. This is the first official overseas trip for her. Good thing Grandpa & Grandma came along, the extra luggage space sure came in handy. There were so much to worry about, from the availability of milk powder to the pampers; and of course the countless amount of clothes for En Xi's fashion parade.


Then, there's another worry, record breaking heat waves have been set in Melbourne of recent. It has been bush fire after bush fire with the highest temperature recorded above 40 degree celsius.


Somehow, Daddy kept having thoughts of En Xi crying hysterically on the plane. But after some tips from friends, we decided on the game plan. The plan was simple. (1) Wear En Xi out before take off, so that she could sleep through the flight. (2) Time En Xi's feed for take off, so that the air pressure doesn't get into her ears.



The result? I'm an energiser baby! Me not gonna sleep on my maiden flight. Fortunately, the milk feed did her some good. Nonetheless, En Xi couldn't get any rest, which means Mommy didn't get much rest either. In the end, Mommy had to hold En Xi throughout the flight. Not too bad, at least for Daddy.. :P



Apart from having her first vacation and first flight on a plane, En Xi also had the privilege to miss her 2nd flight. Luckily, there was a connecting flight in an hour's time from Sydney to Melbourne


Our initial fear of harsh weather were quickly dispelled when we stepped out of the airport. Weather was great, going between 18 - 24 degree celsius. As the taxi pulled into the city, we were greeted to the after effects of the scotching weather. The parks were filled with a sea of hay, nothing like the famous greenery so many have spoke about. 45mins ride from the airport and here we are at the service apartment. The apartment was not too shabby, in fact, it was better than we expected.




One of the best thing about visiting another country from a cooler climate is the option of dressing up in clothes you will never don in Singapore. En Xi is a HOT baby, a really really hot babe and I literally meant hot cos she's always sweaty. Never had a chance for her to put on those leggings. Looks pretty neat huh?

First Night Out at Flinders Railway Station

Crown Entertainment Center (aka Casino)

Getting around the town was a breeze with the free tram ride. The trouble was getting En Xi to sit still. You see, Mei Mei is a really busy body, she likes to poke at every new thing and has such a fiesty temper. Anything that does not go along her way is a sure way to be greeted with her highest octane screams.

One thing we appreciated about Melbourne is the endless amount of cafes along the streets. Very relaxing indeed, great place to chill. Mon - Wed are really quiet, not much happening. But the moment it's Thu, the nights never seems to end. Everyone is drinking like they are celebrating the new year.

Our first trip out of Melbourne was to the famous 12 Apostles along the Great Ocean Road. It was quite a thrill driving down those winding roads by the coast. Daddy thought the car was great, an 8 seater Toyota Tarago, or in S'pore version, an Esteema. However, Mommy beg to differ, as she threw up at a certain point of the trip.

First stop along the Great Ocean Road was to Geelong (pronouced as Cher Long). Nothing much here really, except for the scenic wharf and a traditional merry go round with hand made wooden horses.

We stopped by this light house (which I forgot its name), its free, so we stopped for some pictures.

This Cape Otway Lighthouse was just crap, must pay money, so Grandpa & Grandma jst took pictues & pretended that we actually went inside. Then, finally, we reached our destination...

Daddy & Mommy struggling to take a family picture with En Xi.

There's also the penguins parade at Philip Island. This one, a total rip-off. Total waste of money. You see the word parade brings to mind, a march, an assembly; but "NO" the little penguins had other ideas. what we saw were just drips and draps of little penguins making their way to their homes.

After close to a week in Melbourne, the grass had finally turned green and we decided to head to the parks. En Xi obviously had a great time; and it was a challenge trying to get her back to the apartment.

At the end of the trip, En Xi was most well rewarded. A pretty baby is a happy baby.

Daddy just bought a DSLR in the recent IT Show. More picture perfect photos coming in the future, but first, Daddy must learn how to tune the settings.

Marina Barrage

Didn't realize that I have this as a draft since 09, I can't recall my thoughts at that time.  So, here it goes as a photo blog.

Daddy's New Year's Resolution

Dear En Xi,

Daddy is committed to 3 things to you this year.

1. Be More Patient.

In my earlier entry in Dec 08, I mentioned that you had me found inner peace. But, I realised that it was short lived, my patience with you did not translate to any change to my irritable personality. Patience did not exude from within me. Though I was always calm with you, I did not show that to Mummy, Grandpa, Grandma and all the people that meant everything to Daddy. I'm regretful and is now committed to be more patient, not because I'm obliged to, but because I want to.


2. Blog More.

As it stands now, for every 4 entries, only 1 is written by Daddy. I want to contribute more, to be more involved in your life. I want you to know how you grew up, who took you to your first day at school, what sacrifices did Mummy made, where was your first vacation, when you had your first tooth and why I started this blog.

In future, if you ever had kids, you will know how it felt like being a Mom, who needs support the most, what were the highs & lows, where can you find courage, when to show compassion and why we had you.

3. Read More.

I had bought a fair amount of books for you, but not invested adequate time to read to you. Learning should be fun, but can only be fun if you make it look and feel fun. Not only that, Daddy feels that language skills can make a definite difference to one's life. I hope to achieve that for you.

Yours Most Faithfully,

Daddy

1st Birthday Bash

This birthday bash came as quite an impromptu decision. Initially, we reckon that Mei Mei will be too young to realise what's going on, so was thinking to keep it simple with just a birthday cake.

Well, being a first-time parent, i just couldn't bear to let this special day of her lifetime, to be just another usual day. We decided to keep this affair simple with our immediate family (as their kids are Mei Mei's playmates). Also, it it should be a day that Mei Mei will throughly enjoy herself, same for the kids who will be attending this party.

We started off with nothing but a contact for the caterer, and it just sprouted to more ideas like birthday decor, goodie bags (i love this part), converting her room into a playground and finally choosing the cute icing that goes onto her birthday cupcakes. I definitely enjoyed myself from the planning, and can't wait for the her 2nd birthday to happen! As for Mei Mei, well, her photos just explains it all.

wah! wah! wah! wah! am I in heaven?

lagi excited..

super excited....almost want to flip

The place that kids call "home"

The best shot after a challenging 10mins of getting a bunch of kids to pose at the same time (with Mummy always ready to "strike" smile)

The best shot of the day!

En Xi's first tast of whipped cream.

"Princess En Xi's throne" from Uncle Sam & Auntie Sophia

Birthday wishes from Mummy's best pals - who wasn't invited as it was exclusive to those 7 years old and below.

The traditional "chicken drumstick" ceremony (which must be complete with a new pair of walking shoes and clothes to mark her new beginning as a toddler")

Another cake-cutting on her actual day - In fact, the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" song became her fav song after her party, never fails to make her clap in joy.

don't play play..I'm 1 year old already you know!

The Many Faces of Ong En Xi

Just a random post by Daddy before heading off for another overseas trip for 2 weeks. This year sure is busy with plenty of overseas trips coming up. Mommy is still trying hard to piece together your 1 year anniversary entry and as well as your birthday entry. Meanwhile, Daddy was just browsing through your pictures and can't help laughing to myself when I saw the latter series of pictures. Behold, 4 different facial expressions in a matter of seconds.....

The "I'm a really bad ass and Give me all your $$$!" look


The "Wait, don't tell Mommy I was naughty" look


The "Heh... I was just joking..." look

The "Somebody, call the police" look

Photo of the Day:

I'm a rich babe

Rewind back to 14 Jan 08

A year ago, I was still wondering how this little one in my tummy will look. Does she have my eyes? Would she be as cheeky as Daddy? When Mei Mei was born, I remembered that I was so overwhelmed with this little miracle of life that I broke down instantaneously. And thou she was only seconds old, it felt like we have known each other for the longest time.

Although the past 12 months has been filled with highs and lows, but it has also brought a new dimension to the family, especially our couplehood. Daddy & Mummy may have lesser time for each other now, but it has also made us more appreciative of the exclusive “dating” days (which we used to take for granted before we were parents).

Mei Mei also made me realized that how being a mother is the most rewarding job in the entire universe. No matter how work has compromised my time for her, she never fails to reserve her biggest smile of the day for me.

This posting will re-collect some of the most memorable trivia about Mei Mei, to commemorate the growing up pains, laughter and sweat for the past 1 year.

Medicated top-to-toe
By her 1st mth birthday, the amount of medication she had was astonishing . A nasty case of cord stump, infected BCG wound, and a allergic-prone baby, it's seriously too much to handle for a newborn. When she was 10-day old, the doctor had to put a pipe into her nose to drain the excess mucus that was trapped in her nose pipe (resulted by her sensitivity to environmental dust). That's the 2nd time I cried since her birth, but because I was really upset having to see her go through the ordeal. The first 3 months was indeed a difficult period for a first-time mother like me. What kept me going was something that Daddy said; "This period might be very trying period for us, but it will definitely make us more appreciative of the good times ahead."



Got milk?
During the initial months of her birth, Mei Mei was suspected to have a milk allergy. As she was a fully breastfeed baby, I had to be particularly careful of with my diet, and scrutinize all the food labels of whatever that goes into my system. She was so sensitive that any slight presence of milk will trigger a bad case of ecezma on her cheeks. That period was probably my worst low since her birth. The 10cm high hair
Mei Mei was blessed with a lot of hair when she was born. For the longest time, her hair was constantly standing. Everyday, she looked like she had a bad hair day from her nap.



Daddy's video
The video starring Daddy (made for Mei Mei before Daddy went for his 1 mth overseas training) never fails to brighten the day up for Mei Mei. No matter how cranky she is, this video always manage to bring on the smiles on her face. I remembered that there was one night that Mei Mei woke up in tears for no reason. We are all at our wits and trying all possible methods to calm her down. The crying drama went on until we flashed out Daddy's video, and she instantly gurgled with joy!



Friso Baby
Mei Mei has been starring in Friso TV commercials in the past 1 year, due to a coincidental opportunity when she was born. She is now proudly known as the "celebrity" baby. All thanks to her, Mummy and Daddy manage to save on 1 year worth of milk powder.


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Miss Congeniality
Mei Mei has always been an extrovert. Whenever she sees a child, she always attempt to "strike a conversation" with them. She is also a very spirited and happy baby, and it's never a challenge to capture her smiles on the camera. Looking at the photos we took, we realised that there are so many facets of expression on her face, and she can depict so many different interpretations of being happy!

Blink blink
This is another iconic signature of Mei Mei, when she was about 6 - 8 months old. For some reasons, she always blink with her right eye when the camera flashes (which we only realise later that it's due to a microscopic scratch that resulted it to be highly sensitive to high beams)


Sleeping Beauty
We took this photo when she concussed while watching her favorite "Baby Can Read" program.