Bananas over Bananas

And so mummy had deliberately delayed re-starting you on semi-solids after your gastroenteritis (god its a mouthful) episode. Well I had initially wanted to put it off till you were at least 7 months (at least that's what Dr Cheng had suggested) but judging by the way you drool when daddy and mummy eats, I'd say you're more than ready!

Previously, we tried giving you spinach and pumpkin. You took the vegs in your stride, but I could see you weren't exactly crazy about it. Little wonder, spinach has never been my thing either, not olive material definitely.

So this time round, we decided to let you try some fruits. In case you were wondering why you're eating out of a jar, mummy did get one of those steamer cum blender gadget. We have one of those munchkin food processor too. BUT, I'm really not too confident about preparing fresh food for you, yet. Many things can go wrong with that many steps and fingers involved. Remember uncle murphy?

So in the meantime, mummy has been refueling at the four seasons organic market. That's where all your stash come from. They have a good selection of organic baby food and good folks there to pester talk you through their products and give useful tips on preparing your foods.

I don't believe in giving you your puree on the rocks, so usually it gets mixed with your rice cereal and some breast milk/formula.

Oh yes, organic is the way to go. Not that there is any scientific/anecdotal evidence it is in any way superior to conventional foods but well, it makes me feel like a better mum. And I need to feel like a better mum. Really. But seriously, something so au naturel has gotta be good for a baby right?

You love the concoction! Especially version 1.3 (bananarama).

Baby boy is definitely exponentially gaining interest in food (other than his milk milk). He's actually starting to reach out his hands to grab daddy's burger and giving us the doe-eyed, puss-in-bootsie, please give me some of those, look.

On another random note, I have discovered the antidote to "heatiness" caused by formula milk (yes we dope your milk with formula, mummy can't be nursing you every other hour).

Good old BARLEY. 

1. Rinse em out.

2. Boil em for at least one hour.

3. Leave to cool.

4. Feed the boy. 

note: skip the sugar.

Ok, more on your food adventures as we go along. Baby steps =)

Remember those nights daddy was missing in action?

He was working on this sincere and inspiring production =) Paying tribute to the men and women in the navy who have gallantly defended our peace.

Dream big my boy. Go beyond horizons!

Post purchase dissonance (not)

Mummy splurged on toys for you today. Splurged. Like had difficulty carrying the lout to the car even with daddy's help, splurge. ISETAN GOT SALE. Good buy, must buy.

I was never one to believe in toys. Much less to say, spend tonnes of money on plastics which really ain't gonna last that long. I mean, it'll definitely last past your attention span but yeah, you get the drift. I vividly recall how I got an extremely rude shock when I first checked out the kids department at takashimaya when I was pregnant, you know, just to recce. Like my god, somebody replaced the price tags on all those toys while I wasn't looking (granted, they were hardly the same entity and I hadn't been looking for 20 years). I was convinced my baby wasn't gonna need all those  cause I will be the most entertaining mother, ever. Like discovery channel, disney tv, okto, rolled into one entertaining.

Well, I wasn't wrong. It did happen that way and stayed that way for the first 4 months. And then, something happened. You started going through this "phase", you got tired of playing on the floor, tired of sitting in your rocker, even getting tired of sitting on mummy's lap. You were suddenly becoming acutely aware of your lack of mobility and getting very impatient your psychomotor development was not catching up with your cognitive development.

I mean, look at the kid! HE IS OBVIOUSLY BORED. The kid, is bored.

In a desperate attempt to relief your mounting boredom...may I present, your very first "extravagant" toy. The EXERSAUCER: Splash marine series. This, my boy, is a stationary play centre which bounces when you bounce, rocks from side to side when you shift your weight, and swivels a full 360 degree allowing you to choose your preferred activity at any one time! Unlike traditional walkers, this is safe and does not require constant supervision. WHICH MEANS...buying mummy some much needed reprieve. Laundry anyone?

Mummy was half expecting daddy to protest when I insisted on buying you one of those activity centers. Daddy's the "check and balance" guy around the house. "We have no space at home for this! He doesn't need such an expensive toy! He is gonna use this for one month and we will end up chucking this aside!" Yup. But not this time round, he didn't. In fact, he even picked out a very futuristic looking musical mobile, tummy-time play mat and caterpillar for you! We are now officially fans of Fisher-price and Lamaze toys!

Mummy turns 28, and you enjoy your first sea breezes, in that order

I demand you remember my birthday, kiddo!

Mummy was hatched on 8th Sep in 1983. It was a thursday. Daddy thinks that is the only reasonable explanation why mummy has always had a 'thing' for thursday. Besides that Castiel from "Supernatural" is super hot and is the "Angel of Thursday". If unfortunately you have a little brother who happens to be born on a Thursday, he shall be named after that super hot dude. 

So, let's talk about what you're gonna be doing for mummy on this special day every year. You are gonna wake up bright and early, slip into mummy's bed, give mummy a bear hug and a very wet kiss, tell me I am the person you love most in the whole wide world, and wish me happy birthday! And then you can spend the rest of the day treating me like Kate Middleton. I can consider giving you discounts, maybe it doesn't have to be a VERY wet kiss. On second thoughts, maybe not. No bargaining! After all, mummy does all that the rest of the 364 days!

I'm not sure the fruit will be what it is today as it would be in ten years since Steve jobs has decided to retire and return to Hogwarts this year. But, for now, it is still THE fruit to have.  And your daddy has decided to spoil mummy with this...

My very own Macbook! Complete with the pinkest cutest external disk drive daddy could find! I am thrilled to announce, this is the first post I am writing on this new toy!

I am not looking forward to the day you start fighting with mummy for our turns to launch angry birds from said device and its likes. 

So anyway, that was mummy's consolation for turning 28. Daddy knew exactly how devastated that would make mummy and came up with the perfect plan to cushion the impact. Good thinkin' hubs! 

Oh and the following day, you were treated with a fun-filled (at least I think so) morning at the beach! We were having our annual department family day activity at east coast park. It was your very first close encounter with the sun, sand and the sea! (No, mummy is not asking you to join us to serve in the navy. But of course if you would like to, I will gladly oblige...) 

We could safely conclude you were not a fan of the sun. Not surprising considering your low tolerance for heat. You were squinting your already beady eyes and your tomatoes were starting to ripen after barely an hour. You could have inherited mummy's 'dracularitis' too. No worries, mummy will hunt down the most highly acclaimed SPF 200+ baby sunblocks and make sure we empty half a tube of that before we bring you outdoors next time. 

Infant eczema aka atopic dermatitis

In case you grow up having nice skin, mummy just wanted you to know, there was a time during your infancy, you suffered from severe eczema and it was so bad you were gonna be scarred for life, should we not have taken extreme (relative) measures to keep it under control.


I am quite obviously no guru at this parenting business, so even though I risk being accused of meting out unsolicited advice, I shall go ahead and share my two cents worth anyways (guilty as charged). So if a baby ever happens to you (one with above mentioned condition) you would know exactly what to do.


Firstly, infant eczema usually shows up between two to six months of age (for conrad's case it started when he was around three months). It will resemble a nasty, itchy rash and will commonly start from the face, spreading behind the ear to the neck, torso, arms and legs. You may even find some on your baby's scalp. The affected skin in the affected area is typically very dry and irritated, this may cause your baby to start scratching that area and it may start becoming wet and consequently be even more prone to infection. Unlike baby acne, this is not something you can leave untreated. So please, for goodness (vanity) sake, do SOMETHING about it!


Infant eczema can be caused by an array of factors, or a combination of some. Conrad is a victim of bad genes (its hereditary, from yours truly), your baby could be too of course, or he/she could have been exposed to a host of other triggers e.g. moisture from milk, saliva or sweat, heat, dust, chlorinated water, scratchy fabric like nylon cloth, detergents and soap, or other food allergies.


 Of course, you should ensure your baby is indeed suffering from eczema (a pediatrician should be able to confirm your fears) before embarking on any course of action. Once you have been reassured, you may begin building your ammunition to combat those flare-ups. 


The most commonly prescribed medication, would be for external use. For more severe cases like conrad's, the pediatrician gave him BioGaia (probiotics drop) which will constitute a two-prong approach to help relieve the symptoms. Otherwise, steroid cream (hydrocortisone 1%), a very good moisturiser (like physiogel or mustela), and soap-free cleanser (think cetaphil or you could use your $200 dermalogical ultra-calming cleanser, which I do not advise) should work pretty well to minimise the skin damage. 


The steroid cream will work like a charm. But resist the temptation to keep using it cause it thins out baby's already delicate skin (with prolong use). Give baby a good dose (usually one or two weeks, twice a day, morning and night), and then stop. By then baby's skin should be clear and you should continue the moisturising through the day routine. MOISTURISE MOISTURISE. Like smack on moisturiser on your baby every two hours. Like smear so much your baby's skin starts to shine back at you. No perfumes in those please, physiogel is by far the elixir of all moisturisers for people with sensitive skin, at least I think so. Expensive, organic soaps are no good here ladies. Paying $40 for a small bottle of che-che sexy organic baby body foam does not make it any less of a soap. NO SOAPS, period. 


And oh yes baby, besides inheriting the no-good genes from mummy, your sarong seemed to be aggravating your skin condition too. You see, in mummy's time, sarongs are no longer hand made from soft, comfy sarong cloth. They are machine sewn and mass-produced pieces of nylon cloth with holes sold on the innocent looking shelves of Kiddy palace. Your "wai po" took the trouble to source out one of those "near to extinction" cloth retail shops, you will never find in a mall, to buy you proper sarong cloth. Despite being busier than mummy, she also took great pains to finish sewing three most adorable sarongs overnight, for your sleeping pleasure. You are very loved, my boy. 


Conrad's eczema is now under control. I hope you sniff out those suspicious buggers and successfully excavate them from your baby's environment. I do not wish this upon any parent though. Good luck!

You are now handsome, again. 


p.s. the shine is from the ten sessions of moisturising daily.