baby maths at the supermart

Going out with baby Joel always attract a lot of attention from aunties, uncles and even kids. It's not becoz he's cute. The kids in china look 10 times cuter than Joel - with their rosy cheeks and fine features. I guess china people generally loves children. Many are also curious about the baby pouch i carry him in.

The sun is out today, and i decided to go to the supermarket to grab some stuffs. (Yday was so cold - probably only 10 degrees) Going to the supermarket here is absolutely mind-bogging. For a single product, there's sooo many brands/models available. Eg. looking for a toothbrush or toothpaste also super headache.

I realised that many baby brands can be found here in Shanghai other than the "usual" popular brands like Pigeon. Japanese brands Nepia & Goo.N are also available here. (Nepia wipes are in HELLO KITTY design!!!) I think that having a kid in Spore is not cheap...truth is, having a kid in china is even more expensive!

Here's the maths:
- Diapers (eg. Huggies): Spore S$0.20-30 VS China S$0.40 a piece
- Pigeon wipes: Spore S$3.30 each ($10 for triple-packs) VS China S$4 each (no bundle packs)
- Formula milk: Enfalac A+ S$33.80 in Spore VS China Enfamil A+ (which is the same but no Salic Acid in it) S$38-$46

Imported baby brands like Avent also costs 20-40% more. =(

home improvement

Since we've dropped the idea of renting a bigger place (coz rentals have gone up sooo much), we wanted to make our current apartment feel more like a 'HOME'...and preferably with more storage space. We went to Ikea on Sat (with nothing really in mind) and ended up with a customised PAX wardrobe system. We didnt know what/how we should fit the interiors (and it was quite a headache to give it some thought), so we merely pointed to 1 of the sample wardrobe shown at the corner. LOL! The Ikea guy also didnt tell us that the wardrobes came in different heights. We got 3 combinations of wardrobes in 1m + 0.5m + 0.5m (totally 2m long) and height of 2.3m. Also got a huge bookcase to replace the existing one in the study. We went home happily.

BUT when it was delivered the next day, the wardrobe was 2CM TALLER coz there was a beam on the wall in our bedroom!!! One of the 0.5m wardrobe has already been fxed up, and we didnt wanna go through the trouble of exchanging the other 2. In the end, we placed the 0.5m + 1m wardrobe in the study...and moved the bookcase to the living room. The remaining 0.5m wardrobe fitted rather nicely in the hall to solve our bugging problem of the Elvis-Imelda Marcos shoe fantasy. Heehee... ;p (Our old shoe rack has already been stacked to 1.8m)


So now our study looks like a whole room of wardrobes! The sofabed in the study might soon have to go too, to make room for Joel's bed.

The funniest thing about this Ikea trip is the big group of touters in Ikea's pickup area. They offer next-day delivery at almost the same price - 4% installation and ¥80 delivery (Ikea charges 4% & ¥60 for 3-days delivery). We chose to do it "illegally". Well, this is after all f***ing china!

kids stuff

Last Sat we went to check out this "kids place" we've seen before behind Huai Hai Road (Shanghai's Orchard Road). It's an underground shopping area and WAH! lots of shops in there. The place feels very "local" but we saw many angmohs & Japanese who are also there for the good buys. We ended up with all these clothes for Joel (including the vest he's wearing). All are for Japanese export and the price ranges from ¥60-80 (approx S$12-16). The bibs - also from Japan - costs only ¥10/S$2 for 5 pieces!!! (The panda design is S$1 each) Hahahaha...

On Mon, I went to the supermarket opposite our house and bought a Carters long romper for Joel too. It can also be converted into a gown. Price??? Only ¥25/S$5. Hahahahahahahaha... ;D


P.S. Actually, Japan selling similar 5pc bib set at JP¥ 1,090 (approx S$14.50). I've been eyeing the plastic bib set above from Japan online (approx S$20 for 3pcs)...and I soooo wanted to get all 6 designs!!! Now I'm really giving it 2nd thoughts... Hmm... =(

what joel has been up to

smiling so sweetly:

wearing so much even at home:

looking at the playgym, but can only touch the 2 bottom ones:

behind the smiley is a mirror, so he likes to admire himself:

complaining (which i cant upload the video, so here's the still):

sticking out his tongue when he's awake...n zzz:

cute? i think joel likes the cat. this is a gift from aunty michelle (daddy's ex-colleague) when joel was 4mths inside mommy:

looking at silly mommy holding on to the baby mobile (coz no place to install it):
others:
drooling on mommy's tshirt (both shoulders are never dry), blows lots of bubbles and can even spit out his saliva (probably learnt from the chinese), sleeping very late about 11pm-midnight, waking up early about 7-8am, making mommy & daddy super tired...

my baby kangaroo

My friend asked me if i used the stroller or sling when i bring baby Joel out. My answer would be preferably both (lesson learnt from our 1st attempt). But when i'm alone, the sling is a MUST. In fact, i've got 3 slings/pouches. Heehee... Cant stop buying them. ;p

The first one that i bought was online from MomsInMind. It was good and i've become quite apt at using it. My sis complains of muscle aches after carrying Joel for like 30mins (!!!). Haha! So you can imagine how heavy he is. Carrying Joel inside the sling is a BREEZE (pun intended), but i always feel kinda warm with the sling on. Unless we're in airconditioned places like shopping malls, i'll usually be wiping my perspiration.

There's also babyslings designed kinda like "pouches" - with no rings to meddle with. Some from the US are really nice with beautiful prints, but expensive. Also, their S-size seem big for me too. I bought my first grey pouch from a local brand Pupsik, then another red one from LittlePods. I've come to love these pouches esp carrying Joel the tummy-to-tummy style or hip carry. Just pop baby in & out. ;)

The only disadvantage is that pouches cannot be shared coz its length cant be adjusted. To get your right size, the measurement is from your shoulder-to-(opposite) hipbone. Daddies cant possibly be the same size as mommies...so cant share the load. Pouches also tend to have less fabric, so the cradle-carry is quite difficult for a "well-fed" baby like Joel. But it also means having a smaller bulk to carry around in the diaper bag when not in use. And (huge) diaper bags are a headache to bring around too. I've just switched to a normal haversack which is easier to manage while carrying the baby.

So far, i can manage (1) carrying Joel in the sling/pouch, (2) carrying the huge diaper bag, (3) pushing/carrying the 5kg stroller, (4 optional) carrying a few shopping bags. But going out alone with the stroller can be quite a challenge! I'll need a bit of strength when closing the stroller, and this is especially difficult when getting on a cab. You cannot expect the driver to carry your son for u OR that they'll know how to close your stroller properly. But at least most Spore cab drivers do offer their help. I wont expect Shanghai drivers to do the same! So getting around in the sling/pouch is still the best alternative.

When Joel gets bigger/heavier (and refuses to walk on his own or sit in the stroller), this is what i hope to get. Heehee... VERY NICE, huh?! But i cant imagine carrying a >10kg toddler around!!! Look, there's even the baby version for dolls! Sooo kawaii!!! ;p

Click here for sling/pouch wearing instructions.

perfect solution

Today, I went for my medical checkup and left baby Joel in the care of the "Ahyi". That's what people here call their cleaning aunties. This is NOT the Ahyi we had previously who was lazy and slipshod in her work. This new Ahyi is very young (only 32 years old and has a 5-yr old son) and worked for us merely about a month. I first met her on Monday...today's only the 4th time. She didnt mind babysitting for me and even took leave for 5 hours. (Coz she's usually here for about 2 hours each time and rushes off to other places)

I was a bit worried that when i come home, my son will be gone. But thankfully, he's in good hands. When I came back (4 hours later), i asked her if she's almost going crazy. She said Joel only cried a little when he's hungry. The rest of the time, he kept talking (or rather cooing) with her. Phew... ;p She also managed to do the housework when he's asleep!

Actually yesterday, we offered her a fulltime job to clean the house, look after the baby and cook for us etc 9am-7pm/Mon-Fri (which we thought would be the "perfect" solution, and it's also good for her coz she dont need to run to so many houses to work 12hours/day). In fact, before i came over, Elvis & our friends said that we should employ a fulltime nanny to look after Joel (plus the cleaning Ahyi to do the housework), but i insisted that i can manage Joel alone...so just the Ahyi will be good enough. But after i saw her, i didnt mind getting her fulltime to do all the work. Heehee...

Anyway, this Ahyi turned us down coz she's been working for some families for almost 2-3 years now, and she said they wont let her leave for sure (coz she's good). She said to wait another 6 months lor. Actually, i need her to mainly clean the house (Shanghai is super dusty) and maybe cook my meals (or else I'll be ordering delivery most of the time which costs about S$5/6 for a meal of rice/noodle). I'll still prefer to look after Joel myself and watch his every progress along the way. Since she turned us down, it'll save us some $ for now...and I'm looking forward to the time when Joel start to learn how to play. This sounds perfect for me too! Either i'll put on weight from all the oily but yummy delivery food or lose weight looking after Joel 24/7. ;)

my two cents worth

Recently, someone googled about the baby swing we bought for Joel and asked me to tell him if it's good. Coz he's thinking of buying the swing OR the sarong cradle with spring for his soon-to-be-born baby girl (to rock her to sleep). He asked me how I make my baby sleep (since i dont use the swing). So we exchanged a couple of emails...and he asked me to post my "valuable experience" in my blog! HAHA! So here's one of it:

...Actually, I think u REALLY need to cultivate the "sleeping mode" from very young. For my baby, I will carry him (cradle style, on my left coz of the heartbeat thingie) & pat his buttocks/back with the pacificer when he looks somewhat sleepy...and within 5-10 mins, he will fall asleep. Then I will slowly remove the pacificer & put him in his bed. If he wakes up, I will continue patting his back/buttocks/thighs (when he's lying down) till he falls into deep sleep. If he cries, then no choice...need to start from square one.

I will also try to sit on a chair instead of standing+rocking. The latter is my mother-in-law's style which I REALLY HATE! It makes my baby super cranky for at least the next few days, and I have no way to pacify him. So, it makes me go crazy too. I only stand & rock him when I absolutely need to (i.e. when he's very cranky and crying like mad).

Lately, he doesnt like the cradle-carry anymore, so I pat him when he leans on my shoulders (without the pacificer coz he's not good at sucking it) and he falls asleep rather easily too. Maybe anything from 5-20 mins. And I'm a very happy mommy if it's just under 10mins! Haha!

My mother-in-law has 4 other grandchildren and ALL are made to sleep in the ROCK-LIKE-MAD style or push-forward-n-backwards-nonstop-in-pram (for the latest niece). I guess it's similar to the swing action for the highchair. But theirs is a lot more vigorous. Seems like the niece can only be made to sleep in this manner. She also sleeps in the pram the whole day (except at night). So maybe she's too used to the pram by now. One thing I feel not good about that is she always like to tilt her head (inside the pram), and they said that her scalp has become kinda "slanted". I think maybe u have to flip the baby sideways & switch sides when u make him lie flat lor. My baby slept on his back during the 1st month, and his head is already a bit flat at the back. (My friends say that for this, u'll need to massage his head when he's a bit bigger - to make it round again)

My baby always sleeps on his stomach (which my sister recommended) coz he's easily frightened in his sleep. The confinement nanny gave her approval too. Both my nephews (now 10 & 11yrs old) slept like that when they were babies, so I guess it should be fine. U can try this method if facing up doesnt work for your baby. My husband & I think it's better. But I know some people who oppose it (coz of SIDS). http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sudden_infant_death_syndrome_sids/article_em.htm

I hope sharing my short 3-months experience helps.


AND...this VERY hands-on dad has decided not to buy the baby swing or sarong cradle. He's going to try my method of making his baby fall asleep herself w/o any rocking/swinging. Kekee... (I'm so proud of myself!!! LOL) Also, a handbook he got from KK also changed his mind. Here's his quote from the book:
"It is best to put baby to bed when they are sleepy, but not asleep. This way, they are more likely to fall asleep quickly and will eventually learn to soothe themselves to sleep. Those who have become accustomed to parental assistance at bedtime, eg. rocking or nursing to sleep, will often become 'signalers' and cry whenever they spontaneously wake up at night."

shanghai day 1-4

DAY 1 - SAT
Hi everyone, we've reached Shanghai! Baby Joel was quite good on board. He cried a few times for a while, but not during landing & takeoff. He was sleeping most of the 5-hour flight. But he started acting up when we were collecting our luggages...till the time we reach home. It was a cloudy day and rained in the evening. So the weather was pretty cold.

When Daddy showed Joel around the house and he was very observant - looking around like he knows it's a new place. We ordered our sumptuous home-delivery dinner, and he was cranky again. So both of us had cold dinner.

will update more...baby's crying again... =((

DAY 2 - SUN
The sun's out. The weather's great! We brought baby Joel out for our favourite Crystal Jade dimsum brunch. Haha... Joel looks like a china baby all wrapped up!

Daddy did some shopping after lunch at UNIQLO (very nice range of tshirts now & on sale too. Check them out at the link) and we bought Joel his new bathtub! Wanted to go to Ikea, but better go to the police station earlier to "report our residence in Shanghai". Hmm...so troublesome coz they needed our new lease contract (which had already ended in 2005)...so gotta contact Mrs Zhang for it. So we went home and ordered our 2nd home-delivery dinner! Haha! It was so foggy and cold at night, we're so glad we can order delivery. Very yummy too! ;)

http://ut.uniqlo.com/

p.s. We thought that Joel was "doing his business" and I went to check out the toilet first for any of those "flip out diaper changing stations"...hmm...the janitor was stunned! She didnt know what it was. So, I brought him out to one of those waiting area bench/chairs outside CJ (but luckily it's not at the main entrance - for Joel's modesty)...and a waitress (who was going to the restroom) told me to change the diaper INSIDE the restaurant on the sofa!!! Mmmm... Is that what these people do??? Think we have to find a way to change diapers in public.

DAY 3 - MON

Our landlady Mrs Zhang was sooo nice to bring us to the police station to do all the super "mahfan" procedures. She even bought Joel a dinosaur colour-changing toy to play in the bathtub. As usual, she will say she bought this German TOLO brand coz she's afraid local ones not good. Haha... The price tag from Parkson was still there...WOW, Mommy sure wont buy it! So expensive! It costs ¥208/S$40+ for such a simple rubber toy. When we came back, Mummy let Joel play with the new playgym we fixed up last night. I think he likes it! After that, we just did our usual chores - feedings & wash bottles etc etc - then watched TV till Daddy came home (not too late today about 8/9pm). The weather today was very nice in the afternoon, and very foggy at night again. It looks very scary from our balcony. Cant even see any of the buildings opposite from us.

DAY 4 - TUE

Joel only slept at 12 midnight, so today he's pretty well-behaved. Maybe he's adjusting and tired. It's been raining and it's very cold today. The temperature indoors dropped to 20/21 degrees (with heater). Yday was 24/25 degrees which we felt was too hot we had to lower the temperature. I went out to run some errands just now, and it still felt like winter...sooo cold, no sun, raining, misty... Glad to stay indoors! Suddenly miss the sun in Singapore. Haha! ;p

Joel's been sleeping since 12.30pm (it's 4.40pm now)...so I could upload some pictures of him for everyone who's missing him back home. Gong Gong, Por Por, Aunty Yen Yen, Uncle Simon, Cousins Xan & Xavier, Aunty Audrey, Aunty Sandra... He looks like china baby, right??? I think Joel is adjusting well to the temperature. The times he went out, it wasnt that cold...so ok lah...dont worry about him. Indoors with heater is fine. He sleeps with us on a fleece blanket and covered with 4 layers (folded) of fleece blanket PLUS the final THICK silk comforter. So, dont worry, ok! Wind proof! ;)

serious business

new stuff

Yesterday, Mommy went out for dinner with good pal Janis, and bought baby Joel his new NUK pacifier (coz its "weird shape" might give a better grip). We tried it this morning...but it still kept poping out like his AVENT. Hmm... Baby, you really need more training.

Got him 2 pairs of new shoes too! ;)

flower?

my dear terry

We're leaving in 3 days. But before i leave, i really wanna write something about my dear Terry. Since Joel's arrival, he's become the new baby of the family. Even as i'm thinking of what to write about him (Terry), tears well up in my eyes. I just took 3 photos of him which i'll upload later.

I still remember how our whole family went berserk when Terry was lost July last year. When he was found 2 days later, it was so touching. Sob sob...

Terry's been sleeping at the back of the kitchen (washing area) for a few months now. Initially, he still roamed around the house as usual, and Joel is not scared of his barking too. What made us isolate Terry to the metal shelf is becoz he has ticks & fleas...and it's VERY BAD. He was "infected" after his visit to the groomer's. In fact, it has infested the whole house! We find them crawling on the floor, walls, beds, tables - even on our clothes! It's quite gross actually. And when my father scolds Terry, he'll hide inside a small corner (eg. underneath Joel's bed, or at the lowest rack of clothes) and wont come out. So, we've got no choice but to leash and confine him.

I'm on my feet literally for 24 hours/day looking after Joel that i dont have time for Terry - not even look at him or pet him. So, bathing him is left to my sis (who calls him BABY). At the most, i'll just call his name when i'm doing the laundry or washing plates (like in the picture). As you can see, he spotted me taking his photo from afar and even ignored me. =(

Actually, I'm more afraid of the ticks than fleas. The ticks are crushed easily and a lot of blood will splatter. They look very gross too. But the good news is that they have kinda disappeared from our house. Maybe the fleas have longer lifespan, and sometimes, we still see them around the house. They are kinda retarded now...crawling more slowly or curled up (their legs)...maybe coz no more blood for them to suck on. Most of the time, they look like a round brown dirt...so it's hard to spot on the wooden floor. But when you pick them up, they will run for their lives!

I guess we'll still continue to cage Terry up for a few more months coz we dont want the surviving ticks and fleas to host on Terry again.

When i went to Shanghai, Terry is the thing i miss most about Singapore. I hope he'll be happier when i see him again in October.

little feet

I bought more cute socks for baby Joel. But the "slippers" are too fair for his tanned skin! Looks like china-man wearing skin-coloured socks with slippers! Haha! ;p

Everyone likes the converse lookalike socks he always wear, but they're getting a little too small. Hmm...weird coz they're meant to be for 0-12months. Also realised that the "slippers" only came in 2pcs/box...hmm...a little overpriced, i think. Can buy real slippers!

celebrity blog

I was searching for some beauty products and came across this blog! Wow! I think it's the Taiwanese host Lan Xing Mei. Too bad i cant read. :/

Before i left Spore, i was so into these Taiwanese programs on health & beauty! Every Saturday morning also have to catch it at 11am, or else have to wait till the replay after midnight. It's actually very interesting. Haha! ;p

pooh diapers

These 3 designs are my favourite (of 6 designs) in the pack of diapers. So cute huh? I like to use the one with the nightcap for night. Have a good sleep, my little one. ;)

surprise suprise

Suddenly realised i was on the PC for so long! Baby Joel could actually sleep about 3-4 hours today!

I could eat a cake, wash milk bottles, change the water...

I just went to check on him, and he's still zzz... Keke... ;p
Tired but happy Mommy

tgi-sunday

Over the weekends, i brought baby Joel to my friend's house. Luckily he was well-behaved. We enjoyed our makan & gossip session. Aunty Linda's 2 kids were so funny and i almost chocked on my fishball laughing. Glad we had the chance to catch up before i left. ;)

The next stop was to Aunty BeeLing & Uncle Dave's baby Kaede's 1st month celebration. Surprisingly, Joel was very well-behaved too (especially since it's been almost 6hours since we've been out). In fact, he stole the limelight! Everyone said he was so cute! Aunty BeeLing said he looks like an NS boy with his crewcut and tanned complexion. Heehee... ;p

Mommy & Joel had a great day! ;D

-photos from Aunty JoLim-

cranky cranky

Baby Joel has been extremely cranky since early last week (till now). I've been so bad-tempered too.

Usually, he will sleep for at least 2 hours each time during the day after his feeding, and only waking up for his milk again. Sometimes, he can sleep for as long as 4 hours each time. So it's an 'eat-sleep-eat-sleep' cycle. Now, he wants to be carried all the time! Once i put him down, he will cry non-stop till he's almost breathless. It's heart-breaking to look at him.

And when he's finally very tired, he will fall asleep on my shoulder (for about 30mins) only to wake up again coz the 3-hours is up...and it's time to drink his milk (again). It's very exhausting for me, and I'm going to breakdown too.

God, please help me. Give me more endurance AND patience.

P.S. He's in a happy mood in the photo. It's NOT cranky mode.

zzzeee

This is baby Joel's customized sleep profile. Get yours here too. Sorry, it's only for babies/toddlers up to 36 months only.

So far, i've been relatively okay with making Joel sleep at night. But sometimes, he gets really cranky...and i'll have a super hard time. He'll cry non-stop for very very very long...till he can hardly catch his breath... making everyone in the family "worried"... and Mommy very frustrated.

Some days, he's such a darling...he can fall asleep on his own (but need to suck his pacificer lah), or just after patting him for 5 mins! These days, i'll be so proud of him...and myself! Haha!

O sometimes, he can be such a kaypo too. When he's half-asleep and i put him down in his bed, he'll wake up - with eyes wide open - to look at the toys (which i try to block with a pillow), and even the prints on his bedsheet! Haha!

confession

"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God" (Psalm 50:23). "A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof" (Proverbs 18:20-21).

Read all here