to the swimming pool and the zoo!

Spent some good quality time with as a family during the March holidays. We had a 3D2N getaway at KSL City at JB. Brought little PJ for a swim at the swimming pool. It was her first time swimming in the real cold pool and she quite enjoyed it!

Seems like she generally likes swimming!

Then, we also brought her to the zoo, thanks to the corporate pass by SIL. So we had a family outing with dad, mum, the bro, SIL, niece and nephew.

She was very curious about what she saw. But i thought she was still a little too young to understand, plus she had to nap in the afternoon, so we couldn't accomplish too much either. But nonetheless, it was very interesting to see the niece and nephew interacted with each other and with her.

Looking forward to more holidays for more quality time together!

updates!

It's been a long long long quietness here. Little PJ has met some milestones over these 2 months and here's what:

Pulling to stand

Holding her own bottle

While we rejoice with her in these milestones, it also means that the side of the cot must always be up and we must be extra vigilant about her activeness. We also must make sure that she is drinking the milk and not swinging the bottle in the air (which she is very keen to do...).

My little baby... she is growing up.

my little baby sits up!

This is little PJ on 19 Jan, trying to sit up on her own. 

And this is her this morning.

The hubby sent me this video while I was at work today. So happy for my little baby!!

my little baby starts to crawl!

Oh my god this is so exciting!!

little PJ's first flight experience!

Little PJ went on an airplane to KL last week! She was pretty fine on the plane, and even during take-off and descend. The flight was just an hour, so she didn't fuss too much. Overall, she managed the flight well. The next challenge will come when we go to Perth in June next year! 

We stayed at Berjaya Times Square Hotel and boy, the room is big for the price we paid! It has a small kitchenette, a separate toilet and bathroom, a couch area, and of course, the sleeping area. 

The couch area

The kitchenette

The bathroom - with a bath tub and a standing shower

The big comfy bed!

We requested for a baby cot for little PJ, but the mattress was too soft for her liking. She couldn't flip or turn in the cot, and would wake up crying most of the time. In the end, Hubby and I had to put her on the bed with us. We never liked the idea of co-sleeping, but had to give in this time because she simply couldn't sleep for long on that soft mattress. I didn't dare move much on the bed though, for fear of waking her up or suffocating her with my movements. But thank God, I think she slept quite well on our bed. 

Little PJ in the cot with the sunken mattress

Travelling with a baby and as an EP mum also requires some thinking through and planning. 

- How many bottles of ebm to bring?

- How many empty milk bottles to bring?

- Is ebm allowed onboard due to the restrictions on liquids?

- What if I am asked to dispose of the ebm at the customs?

- How to make sure my ebm stays fresh in the hotel's mini bar?

- Will the mini bar's temperature be good enough?

- How to refreeze my ice packs for the ebm?

- How many feeds of solids to bring?

- What if little PJ, erm, constipates while at KL?

- What to do if her feeding time is during take-off/landing/when we just touched down etc etc etc etc..

- Solids can be quite a messy affair sometimes. How to avoid the mess in public..?

- What clothes to wear? Would it be too cold/hot?

- Where can I express bm while outside?

These are just some of questions I considered while packing the luggage. I thank God, because all the 4 bottles of ebm and 4 small tubs of mashed carrots got through the customs, without questioning by the custom officers. *yays*

With a little baby who needs to feed every 3.5hours, and with just the 2 of us, we actually couldn't go too far. I'm glad that we chose to stay at Berjaya Times Square Hotel. Most of the time, we just walked around in the shopping mall or in the Bukit Bintang area. But nonetheless, we ventured to the 100 Doraemon Secret Gadgets Expo. I say ventured because of the many flights of staircases at the LRT stations and the walk to the Expo. I carried little PJ in the carrier while Hubby carried the pram and bag. It was the first day - and a Saturday - of the Doraemon expo, so it was rather crowded. Little PJ woke up from her nap when we were halfway through the exhibition, so we could take some photos with her. 

 
 

The Doraemon Expo was the most exciting and happening thing for the trip.

Overall, this trip was good. Little PJ managed it well, we bought some thicker clothes for her (for next year's Perth trip), I bought a dress and a bag for myself, and we got to spend extended time together as a family. Looking forward to our next trip to Perth! :)

om nom nom nom..

Just some videos of little PJ having her cereal, pumpkin and broccoli. :)

-cereal-

-pumpkin-

-broccoli-

She's been finishing up every portion, every meal. Think she really loves eating...!

little PJ's first swimming contest!

During the preliminary round

I signed little PJ up for a Baby Spa swimming contest in November. The preliminary round was on 17 November and I brought her to the Changi City Point outlet on my own as the Hubby was working that weekend.

The babies competed for 10 minutes, with 4 babies during each time slot. They were judged according to their facial expression, posture, techniques and parent-baby interaction. (not easy ok....) Little PJ did pretty well for the preliminary round. She was pretty active and kicked happily in the pool. 3 days after the preliminary round, we received a call from Baby Spa that she's one of the 16 finalists!

So we went for the Finals at nex on 24 November. Even grandpas and grandmas went to support little PJ! She wasn't very active during the Finals, just kicking occasionally and more interested in other parents than the Hubby and I. She received the consolation prize but nonetheless, we were very proud of her. :)

Getting ready!

Crossing her legs to rest

Trying hard to get her to kick her legs



little PJ's first food!

Little PJ started on cereal some 2 weeks back!

Mama, I am ready. Can I have my cereal please?

 The runny cereal (I thought that's what we should give for the first time, right?), coupled with her saliva, dripped all over her mouth and bib. She was licking the cereal off the spoon more than she was eating it.

Messy, messy, messy.
I had to remember that she needs to learn to eat.
I haven't been very diligent in feeding her actually. Just once a day, and I would skip it if I feel too tired to accept mess for that day. My mum's the one feeding her diligently every day.

2 weeks have passed. It's time to move on to other foods. Next up will be pumpkin. Stay tuned! :)

day out with my little girl

Today is my first attempt to bring little PJ out on a pram, all by myself. (Usually I am accompanied by the Hubby and chauffeured in our little Honda Fit.)
Brought her to City Square Mall because:
1. It is only a 7min train ride.
2. I wanted to go to Daiso.

And so we set off after her 11am feed. She was still awake by the time we reached the mall, so I had to pat her into lalaland first before I could settle down for lunch. I realised I was chomping down my food halfway through my meal. Perhaps instinctively I wanted to finish my food before little PJ wakes up. But hey, I thought this is really one of the rare occasions that I can enjoy my lunch slowly, and even if little PJ wakes up while I am still eating, she probably would not make noise too, since she already had her nap. And true enough, she woke up only after I finished my meal.

After the lunch, shopping at Daiso and feeding little PJ, we left City Square Mall to come back to Nex for little PJ's swim. Today, she had the big pool to herself again. Hohohoho...

Quite thankful that she always enjoys her swim. Even if she was to cry, it would always toward the end, where she cries because she is tired.

It rained when we were about to go home and I had no umbrella with me. So I had to walk around Nex to wait for the rain to stop. With all the constant pushing of the pram, little PJ fell asleep. Even when the rain became a drizzle and I kind of ran home with her on the bumpy road, she was still sound asleep. zzZzzZzzzzzzzzzZzz. And she remained in lalaland for 2 hours. She, who seldom naps longer than 1 hour in her cot, can nap for 2 hours in her pram. Maybe I should just sell her cot and buy her another pram.

Today's been a good day with my little girl. Looking forward to more time together during the December holidays! :)

19 weeks - swim BIG!

Little PJ has taken her first swim in the big pool on Tuesday.

 

Not afraid of the big babies

She was the youngest baby in the big pool. Despite that, she was very calm and active throughout the swim. Although she wasn't as responsive as the other big babies in the pool, she was quietly swimming along, and occasionally turning her head to look at us. She had a good 30min swim.

Hubby and I were rather proud of her that day. :)