Louisa's 1st Birthday Party

It's been almost a year since I last blogged. So much has been going on...at home, at work etc.

 

Since I stopped when she was 11 months, I shall continue with her 1st yr party. :)

 

Here are some pics of Day 2 of her birthday party. We had 2 parties for both sides of the family. Too many people if put together. I haven't uploaded any pics from Day 1 of her party. heehee...

 

Venue: Sommerville Park Condominium - Function Room

 

Thinking back about it, it was fun. She had a great time. I still remember clearly, Lance & Kelly were there early and they helped blow and tie the balloons. The other kids had a great time playing with the balloons. I think all kids love balloons - boys and gals alike.

 

Louisa's cake was baked by Glad, and the cupcakes were from A Little House of Dreams (the 3-tier stand was handmade by Louisa's mai mai). Food was catered from Gustos. Although we had a not so good experience dealing with Gustos, I must say, their deco and presentation was not bad....

 

I'm not sure how much of her party did she even appreciate. Perhaps it was just a blur and flurry of activities, meeting everybody etc...but one thing she knew for sure, was....what are presents and what a handbag means. She wouldn't let go of her presents. Before the gifters could give it to her, she had her arms stretched out, ready to receive. And she kept eyeing the grandaunties' handbags, wanting to carry their handbags. hahaha. I remember she couldn't really walk yet at that time. She was still cruising....she only started walking independently on the 1st day of CNY (about 14 mths old). Hehs...the lure of ang pows, perhaps?

 

*nostalgic*....she's so cute then....awwwww....

11 Months Old

Yeah!! Louisa is 11 months old.

 

Wow, 11 months. That seemed like a long way to go, when I was still on maternity leave. hahaha. Now, looking back, time has zipped past me again.

 

I've been breastfeeding her for 11 months. How did I do it? I dunno. I just did. And, that just makes it more difficult to give it up. hahaha.

 

Her 1st birthday party is in a few more weeks...so exciting. Who to invite? We haven't sent out the email invitations yet...

 

But I've gotten most of the stuff ready:- the birthday banner, cake, balloons, food...what else is there to prepare? Oh yes, her birthday outfit. That's all washed and ready too. hehs...

 

Louisa is also cutting her 5th tooth. Awwwww~ no wonder she's been super cranky lately. Funny though...she cuts a tooth every now and then, and each time I see some "whites" on her gums, I'll go "oh...no wonder". Shouldn't I already be able to tell when her crankiness is due to teething?? Haiz....

My little angel

Aunty Piggy (aka my sis, who's also a pig) noticed that L has long eye lashes...oooohhhh....pretty pretty....Think that came from her father. But she didn't inherit his dimples though. hee... Here she is. (Photo taken when she's 9 months old).

 

 

My (Our) Lucky Star

My lucky star....Louisa.

 

I think Louisa is my lucky star...Well, not that I have gotten a pay rise or a promotion or anything like that since she's born...but rather, we've won (a bit) of lucky draws and Toto. heehee...

 

Just over the weekend, we've won our biggest lucky draw prize to date...a 3D2N stay at the Bayfront Villa at Banyan Tree Bintan. Yippeeee!!!!

 

Oh, I forgot to add....FOR 2 PERSONS. hahaha. But we'll bring Louisa along. ("huh??" you might be saying....)

 

Yes, it's supposed to be a romantic thing, but Louisa can't zzzzz without us (more like without me). So, how to go without Louisa? So, I think, there goes the couple spa etc...but then again, with the current economy the way it is, I doubt very much that we'll want to spend on any spa treatments too. Yes, we've saved a lot on accomodation, since it's the prize, but still, a spa treatment there can easily set us back by a hundred over bucks. Nah...not now lah. The dust over the financial crisis isn't settled yet. My take is that it still has some distance to go (in the US)...and it'll be a little while more before the effects cross oceans and become felt in this part of the world. So, while the Banyan Tree prize is timely (2nd wedding anniversary approaching, and we get to save some $$...heehee...), this is seriously still not the time to spend like that. Spa treatment? Aiyah, DIY lah! hahaha...

 

So...maybe we'll have a "made in Bintan" next? hahaha...

That Parenting Journey

Now that I've found a new way to post on this blog (via email), I think I'll be blogging a bit more than before. hehs....

 

The uncertain economic outlook and current volitility of the market is also contributing to slightly more "blog time". Nobody knows what to do at work. Write a report, make a recommendation, market is still crashing...hahaha. I notice more are just staring at their screens, checking out their Facebook, emails....but that also means one thing: the prospect of losing your job is also quite real. With the fall of Lehman Brothers, there are now more people out in the labour market looking for jobs. So, hey, quit watching the computer screen and get that spreadsheet out if you want to stay employed!

 

Ok...in a minute...

 

The parenting journey has been quite interesting so far. It is often fraught with opinions from well-meaning relatives. I've gone through the challenging initial stages of breastfeeding, of expressing while at work (oh, that IS very challenging), night feeds (not often, but bad enough to render me a "zombie" the next morning), trying to ensure that she has the right stimulation, trying to make sure she eats well and the right kinds of foods...through it all, I've learnt so much about myself - what my limits are, what I can achieve, how stubborn I can be (I realise I just don't give up, when it comes to L's things), oh and what a spendthrift I can be. hahahaha.

 

After a chat with a friend last week, I realise that I do need to let go some. I've been "holding on" too tightly to this role of motherhood. Not that I hate it. In fact, I pretty much enjoy it. Which is probably why I can't seem to let go. The downside of not letting go is not having enough time for myself. I don't get enough sleep, I haven't had a manicure in....months. Haven't had my hair done nicely for a looooong time too. Not that I would want to spend that money also. hehs. But the lack of sleep and rest is getting to me. I find myself falling ill often (and it's tough staying awake during office hours).

 

I guess I'm not one who would want to 'outsource' that parenting role (feeding, playing with, interacting with, bathing etc) to anyone just sao I can spend some time with the girlfriends or at the hair salon or spa, though, I DO need a spa treatment badly. I know of a couple, who leaves the kids with the parents and maids. While they do spend time with the kids and get their own personal rest time as well, it's just not me. I'm the mother here. I want to be the one in charge of my baby's things. It is very gratifying to see and hear your child squeal (coz she can't talk yet) for you and lean towards you or crawl to you the moment you step through the door or when she's in need for anything - attention, some comforting, cleaning up....awwww....I don't think I want to give that up for all the riches in the world. I cannot imagine how I would stomach it, if my child were to clamour for her grandparents or the maid instead of me.

 

That said, I do outsource some aspects to the maid - washing and sterilising of the milk bottles, washing the baby's clothes, looking after L while I'm away at work, feeding L while I'm not around. And that's during the weekdays. Being the one(s) to handle L's needs myself (or ourselves, when Daddy is around) allows us to not only bond with her, but to tune ourselves to her needs. So don't tell me to "let the maid handle, lah! so you can eat and relax...", especially during the weekends. My daughter wants to spend time with me too...

Over the past few months - Photo Gallery

Just some shots taken over the past few months...

 

 

9th Month Developmental Assessment

On Sat, we brought Louisa to the Polyclinic for her 9th month developmental assessment.

 

We had scheduled an appointment, hence, waiting time was minimal. Good...especially since it was on a Saturday morning.

 

Louisa weighed a good 8.1kg (but she doesn't look "ba-ba". Think she has the long and heavy bones from her daddy). That's at the 75th percentile.

Her height / length is 75cm (ok, she'll be a tall gal...can be a model next time...though I'd rather prefer her to do other jobs than modelling). That's at the 50th percentile.

 

All other tests and assessments went by smoothly. Louisa is progressing well and on track. That's good to know. As a parent, I find that we (ok, maybe it's just I) cannot be too lax over her care, cannot take things for granted. But I think it is this metality that is resulting in more stress for myself. I can't let go. Sometimes I ask myself, is there a point in it all? Stress myself out so much, only to cause more unhappiness.

 

It's been 9 months...time for some serious reflection on how I want to chart my parenting journey...some will say, let it be and it will come naturally to you. Others say, it's always good to have a plan...so what's my take?