Jared & food (Charis feeds and writes)

Since our last post on Jared's first step into the solid world, he has since gone on other foods such as sweet potatoes, bananas, pears, rice cereal and rusks. Jared loves his food! Or perhaps he just loves the idea of eating and loves playing with the spoon and the food that is laid out on his tray. But we all know who he takes after in this, heehee.

After having sweet potato for the first time.

This has been a great way for me to have my lunch as well. In the past, I will wait till he's asleep and that's usually not at a fixed 12 - 1pm schedule. But now, we get to eat together. I'm trying to teach him to eat by himself so it can get really messy. Suddenly it seemed like a better idea doing this just before his afternoon bath. Took me a few laundry runs and major cleaning to realize that. Doh!

Here's what happens when you let Jared eat on his own.

Time is a luxury ever since Jared came and every moment he's asleep, I'll be scurrying around doing little things. One can never know how long his sleep can go so I try not to start longer projects. Usually I get to update this blog only when he's taking long afternoon naps, just like today. Otherwise, night time, when he has turned in for the day, is the only time I get to do serious work.

That's why I love whoever invented the steamer blender and the food feeder! Jared's grandma and grandaunt bought the Phillips Avent Steamer Blender for his foray into solids and it has not disappoint. So easy to use and most importantly, so easy to wash. As for the food feeder, it is hands-free, fuss-free and the boy loves it! Here's a vid of Jared eating frozen pear puree from his food feeder which gave me lots of time to eat my lunch and also lots of happy laughter for Jared.

Happy Half-year Birthday, Baby!... (Charis writes)

Jared, today you reach the halfway point of your first year with us. You have brought us so much joy and laughter, we cannot imagine a time without you in our lives. Each night, our prayer for you is to continue to be healthy & to grow strong, but mostly for wisdom on our part to raise you well. Oh, there were moments when we begin to doubt ourselves as worthy stewards of such a beautiful child! But whenever you look at us with those eyes, we see love, wonder, curiosity & contentment. So we dust ourselves off and continue on this journey of raising you once more.

I hope you will read this post someday 'coz these are the few special moments we shared together these past 6 months that I'd like us to remember:

1. Even before you were born, we already started worrying about you. The doctors here with their fancy machines told us you had imperfections and we should run more tests. What a blow to our faith! And naturally as new parents, we went with the worldly advice and we began to fear. Tests done after you were born showed nothing. NOTHING. The lesson here, son, is to trust in our Heavenly Father and rely on His strength.

2. You made your mother wait! Every morning in the final 2 weeks before you arrived, there was a heavy cloud over my head. It took a lot of strength & support from your Daddy and Grandma for your Mummy to keep sane & not feel inadequate as a woman. And I'm still working on that.

Now I make YOU wait for me while I hang the laundry
(but you get to play).

3. On the first night you were back home from the hospital, you made Daddy drive out at midnight (thank God we had a car then) to get a pacifier for you because you just wouldn't stop crying. Only the 24-hr convenience stores were opened and after going to 3 stores, Daddy finally found a pink one for you. It didn't help us that night at all.

Your first very pink pacifier.

4. On the very first day you were out of the house, we went to church. That evening, you wouldn't stop crying even after feeding you. And horrors, we forgot your pacifier! Again, Daddy had to run out and about to the whole stretch of Silom Road looking for one. This time there wasn't any and we had you wailing all the way home in the taxi.

5. Now you have 6 pacifiers and all you want is your thumb.

6. You have had 3 haircuts in this 6 months! The first time at 1mo at the barber's while you were sleeping. The second time at 3mo at Aunty Lin's and you were sitting quietly on my lap. The third time at the barber's again  at 5mo and you were sleeping again! Alas, now you are shedding quite a bit of hair.

After your 3rd haircut, you looked a little like Mr T.

7. You can hold your own bottle at 5 months! It can still get messy at times but now you've started showing off and started turning the bottle around like a steering wheel and holding it with one hand while facing one side.

You're a big boy now.

8. We share a silly but funny ritual now. Each time I carry you into the bathroom, you will start smiling as we enter and then laugh at our reflections in the mirror even as the lights began to flicker on. You do this every single time! And as I wash your little hanky, squeeze then shake the water out, you burst out laughing. Apparently you think that is funny :)

9. How amazed we were when we took you swimming for the first time. How nonchalant you were about it all and a face that said "no big deal!". If you could yawn at will, I do believe you would!

"Next! *yawn*"

10. How it took me 5 hours just to write this post. In that span of time you had pooped twice, took 2 short nap, played on your play mat, ate a banana and now you're back asleep again (and up again!). You're going to keep us on our toes, aren't you?

Happy half-year birthday to you, our handsome boy, Jared. Our prayer for you today is that you grow in strength and in good health. May you continue to be curious about the things around you and never stop reaching out your tiny hands to feel them and to learn. We pray that God will continue to watch over you and send tiny bits of wisdom to both your parents to bring you up to be a God-fearing and loving boy. We love you!

After your first half-year birthday celebration at Tony Roma's.
Yes, you dressed up!

Jared's first step into the solid world (Charis writes)

It's been more than a month since our last post on Jared. So much has happened! He's had another haircut since, flew on a plane again and has started sitting up on his own. Another HUGE milestone achieved is his first taste of solid food. Okay, second taste since he accidentally ate some tissue paper awhile back. Both of us were so nervous that day whilst baby sits in his booster seat happily unaware of what was going to happen.

After consulting Dr. Google for weeks, we finally decided on giving avocado as his first food since it is easy to prepare and is pretty tasty as well. I mixed it with some breast milk so it is runny, easily digestible and tastes familiar. We took close to 100 pictures and a video before our camera ran out of batteries. Alas, what goes in must come out and shall we say, what came out was ab-so-lute-ly NASTY. Ahh, Baby's Firsts are such memorable occasions. Here are some pictures of that day in actual order (warning: may be repetitive hence the captions and attempt at humour) and a short video at the end of it below. Enjoy!

The superstar of the day awaiting for what's about to happen.

After the first few spoons. "That wasn't so bad, mummy!"

"But I think it needs a little bit of flavour"

Daddy took over the feeding while Mummy took pictures.

"Mmmm.. yummy!"
Jared keeping things fast despite Daddy having Flash hands.

One spoonful.

Pinch of flavour.

Spoon.

Flavour (do you see a pattern?)

Jared's got his game face on. GRRR-nom-nom-nom

"Is that all you got for me, huh?" he taunted.

Getting the hang of it.

And loving it.

Got distracted with his monkey friend who's also smeared with green goo.

Oops! Someone was overzealous in either the eating/feeding!

"Daddy, I think I'm gonna throw up."

All done! Good job, Jared!
(He didn't throw up)

Where are we now? (Charis writes)

Since my last post, Jared has grown by leaps and bounds, in character, size and volume. Yes, he has discovered the use of his vocal chords and the attention he gets whenever he chooses to use them. I foresee a lot of talking in class with this young one. Jared is now 4.5 months old and he has delighted us with each milestone he achieves. Right now, we are waiting for his first roll from his back to his tummy. He always get stuck at the halfway point.

Playing with his toys.

Days with Jared are just like the weather now in Bangkok. Sometimes sunny in the daytime, then the next second it's pouring cats and dogs. And the next day, it's cool, raining the whole day but hot and humid during the night. Each day the test of character and patience (for the both of us!) begins but thank God it usually ends with flying colours. As he grows, his needs and demands grow as well and just when this mother has gotten used to taking care of a newborn, he has passed on to the next stage. Reaching 4 months also means it is time to chuck away the 0-3 months clothes and bring in the bigger boys. Alas, this mummy is a sentimental one and would still try her best to button up those cute onesies much to the dismay of her son.

Sunny days are here!

Years ago I wouldn't imagine myself being a SAHM, I was busy chasing "dreams" and climbing ladders. And yet, now I wouldn't imagine being anything else! Both sides of the grass has its challenges but truth be told, working on a portfolio of 30 clients might actually be easier. Sure, at work there are needs and demands (sometimes ridiculous ones) but they can pacified (pun intended) while you take a breather before working on it. With a baby, it's either now or NOW! or face the consequences. No annual leaves, no resignation allowed, no throwing in the towel and saying I quit!

But you know, the benefits are simply amazing. All the money in the world cannot buy the wet kisses, spit-ups, giggles, chitter chatter, belly laughter and warmth of a baby. Ever.

And that's why we're in it for the long-haul :)

MAMArazzi on the prowl!

You've heard of PAPArazzi, but have you heard of MAMArazzi? Beware! She's on the prowl...

CAUGHT! Bad hair day.

Jared's hair gets a lot of attention when we go out and no wonder, since he had his first real hair cut (in a barber shop, no less) when he was just one-month old! Despite the cut, his hair is still long and he does get some bad hair days at times. The out-of-bed look suits Jared just fine though!

CAUGHT! Thumb-sucking

Jared didn't use to suck his thumb or fingers in his early days, preferring the pacifier or the milk bottle during feeding. When he reached about 6 weeks, he learnt how to self-soothe himself but the start wasn't easy. He got knuckle-punched, poked his own eye and just couldn't find his mouth. But eventually he got it. First one knuckle, then a few fingers, a little twist and it's the little thumb. You can hear him sucking it for all its worth whenever he wakes up from his nap.

CAUGHT! Smiling at strange objects.

Now this is one thing that still amazes me. Sometimes I have to put him down on the rocker whilst I go about with the house chores. Initially, I thought he wouldn't like me leaving him alone but a strange thing happened. Jared found some "friends" in the form of the ceiling light and the ceiling corner. I'll leave him on the rocker and he is quiet and still but then I'll hear some "talking' going on. I caught him "playing" with the ceiling here. Who knew I'd have the ceiling and lights to thank in helping with the parenting?

Daily life with Jared (Charis writes)

Gone are the days when I can post up long narrations, and the next posts are going to be few and far in between. Bringing home a baby is a joy but once the novelty wears off, reality sets in. The first day we brought Jared back was probably the most hectic, upside-down day ever. And we thought we were all ready! We realized the bottles needed to be sterilized, his clothes needed to be sorted according to size, knowing what his cries meant the first few days, etc.. Samuel had to make a midnight trip out once to get a pacifier for Jared, who just couldn't stop crying despite being well fed. These 3 weeks have definitely been the longest (and I thought the waiting was longer!) but we've gotten used to having a newborn around now and a routine has somewhat been established (we're still fine-tuning it!)

First day home from the hospital

Sorry, baby! We're trying our best!

We had a lot of visitors for Jared, his great-grandmother and grand-aunt, along with both his grandparents were here to welcome this new arrival to the family. It was definitely very crowded but very welcomed as I was still "confined" and couldn't really go out much, so the company was great.

Jared's great-grandmother and grandaunt

Jared's Popo & Gung Gung - first time meeting each other

All the essentials that came along with Jared's Popo and Gung Gung

Jared's Grandpa

And of course, Grandma who has also been waiting patiently for Jared too!

We had our hands full getting ready for Jared's early Full Moon party but everyone chipped in and made it happen. We had it in our condo's game room and invited all our friends here in Bangkok. We were so busy we almost forgot the main star, who had to be cleaned and changed for his big debut. He was decked out in full I'm-so-cute-you're-gonna-want-to-hug-me gear, bought by Grandma.

Daddy making the pacifier candies.

Gung gung making the fabulous cupcakes.

Jared looks like such a big boy here :)

My confinement month is almost coming to an end, and that means goodbye Grandma and hello we're-all-by-ourselves-now. It is a scary thought but we're going to try our best!

Family picture taken after the party

Baby Jared has arrived (Samuel updates and Charis sleeps)

Hi, let me tell you a bit about myself. My name's Jared and I was born just 3 days ago, well I think it was 3 days ago since my daddy hasn't taught me to tell time yet.

Here are some pictures daddy took of me:

Welcome to the world, baby Jared. Love, your daddy.

Jared Yau Zhi Hao, born on 10 April 2012 at 8.30am in Bangkok Hospital.

What to do when you're still waiting... (Charis writes)

Ah, it is passed Week 40 now and baby Jared has decided to keep his parents waiting. I can't believe that it's been a month since we packed the hospital bag! That means we have been waiting anxiously for a month now :) Mum's here with us for 3 weeks now and I guess all of us did not suspect how long Jared will take to appear.

So what have I been doing while waiting?

1. Take long walks in the park (and watch Mum work out!)

Mum gearing up for the arrival of a newborn baby

2. Finally finish baby's quilt!

It took more than half a year :P

3. Sew Mum an apron to use in the kitchen.

It took only a day of intense concentration.
Proof I had been lazy with the quilt :P

4. Clean the house again and again.
5. Frequently go to a second-hand bookstore and rent lots of mystery novels and biographies.

Agatha Christie is my Mum's and my favourite.

6. Take time to enjoy Mum's company and home-cooked food!

This is just some of it! 

7. Daydream of what to do during Jared's full-moon party (I'm thinking baby blue cupcakes!)
8. Talk to Jared and count his movements - he's been rather active lately, almost like he's dancing inside!
9. Turning to social media always works.
10. Overall, trying not to be such a worry wart!

Not too long now ;)

I asked Samuel how he is feeling right now with all this waiting from the father's perspective. He said he's just "anxiously waiting". I think he's nervous as well 'coz when I called him at work one day, he picked up after one ring and said, "labour already-ah?!". Oh, Samuel :)