Thank you Aunty Leong, for the love you have shown to Bryan

Heres a tribute to our confinement nanny Aunty Leong, who has shown us the joy of caring for an infant child, and even more, our son. Above is a picture of one of Bryan's feeding time, and Friskie our cat watching attentively. This picture does little to show the dedication that Aunty Leong has put in to taking care of Bryan, and we'd like to thank her so very much for sharing this time with us.

Confinement period ends,

Last night was the first night that we let Bryan sleep between us on the secure sleeper, and it worked out pretty well, both of us got relatively sufficient rest. On my first night sleeping beside Bryan, i couldn't resist but did a little sketch of him sleeping soundly after the first day of being on our own, just to remember this moment.

This picture shows contented Baby Bryan after a refreshing bath, which didn't come easy, cos it happended after Bryan peed on Ade, and then she goes on to bathe him. Its like off-loading yesterday's dirt plus pee on the person who refreshes him. Tsk tsk tsk. Like that also have.

Bryan gets pacified

This is Bryan crying on his rocker, wanting milk, wanting love and warmth.

After feed, mummy picks Bryan up and places him over her shoulder, a position which we have found to be his choice of comfort.

Daddy then waits and admires this position of close intimacy through his lens, waiting for the moment above - that sweet smile of satisfaction.

Mum and child both enjoy each other's gratifying cuddle.

Bath Time!

ahhh.... water.. oooh cold

ok slowly damnit, super wet, easy lah..

Awwwww.. shiok

I could do this all day..

Eh daddy, you stink, go shower

Bryan 2 weeks

Bryan moments

These are some super huge pajama granny pants that daddy bought. So huge that it is pulled up to the chest, and that kept us laughing non stop when we saw him wearing it.

Bryan after shower looking like he's strapped on daddy's hairstyle.

Now this is priceless. After a nice wipe down and change of clothes and diapers, i put Bryan on my lap and started snapping pictures of him. This expression was during the exact moment when he managed to pee on my pants without wetting his diapers at all, as though trying to say "Daddy go shower you stink", now how did he manage that feat, so early demonstrating the agility of his gifts!

Homecoming pics

1 week old Bryan

Couldn't bear to leave him at the nursery another day so
we rented the PEP BED to treat his jaundice. It proved
effective after he was cleared by our paed today.

Birth Account (Chronological)

6.30am Checked into the labour ward observation room. Change into the hosp gown, took urine sample and CTG reading plus cleared my bowels.

7.00am Moved into Delivery Suite and started the induction via IV. The insertion of the IV needle was so blardy painful.

8.00am Contraction readings starts to climb above 100 but I don’t feel any pain at all

8.30am Gynae came to do the 1st cervix check and I was still 0.5cm dilated. So she allowed me to have my breakfast (some miserable sandwich)

10.30am Gynae came to do the 2nd cervix check and I was now 1cm dilated. Good thing was that she did not tell me that she was going to break my water bag and I was surprised when she told me she did. No pain experienced. Instead, hubby noted pained expression when fish porridge was announced for lunch.

11.00am Contractions started to get heavier after the breaking of the water bag.

1.30pm Gynae came to do the 3rd cervix check and I was at 3cm dilation. At this time my contraction was still bearable but the backache was getting intense. Checked with gynae to get an estimate of how many hours to go before i can reach full dilation. The answer was 8-9 hours

2.00pm The backache was reaching an excrutiating level while my contraction pain was still bearable. At this point HB’s wrist was getting really tired from the heavy massage on my back so I decided to opt for Epidural as I don’t think I’ll have the energy to push if full dilation can only occur after 8-9hours

2.30pm The anesthetist came in to administer the epidural. At this point, the contraction had gotton really intense and my backache was at a point of no return.

3.00pm Epidural started taking effect and my legs were getting numb. The right leg was more numb than the left and that is a normal symptom.

4.00pm Gynae came in to have the 4th cervix check and disappointingly I was only achieving 4cm dilation.

5.25pm Gynae came in to have the 5th cervicx check. At this point I was thinking to myself how far i could go, expecting most probably 5cm. However the look on the gynae’s face told a different story. So in my heart I thought ok, maybe i got further into the 6-7cm range. She then gave me the best piece of news, I was fully dilated and ready to push!

At this stage the midwife started the preps to get me pushing and at every contraction, I will have 4 attempts to push my baby out.

6.05pm I was getting really breathless from all the pushing and baby has yet to move. At this point I asked the midwife to check if my gynae can assist with vacuum. Gynae arrived within a minute, administered the vacuum and I started pushing again. Each push took ounces of energy from me and i’m sure i burned hell lots of calories too!

6.30pm Bryan finally made his entrance. Gynae took about 1 hour to stitch me up due to the massive tear I sustained despite having an episiotomy.
The reasons for such extensive tearing were:
• that my vaginal was already swollen from all the pushing way before the vacuum was administerd.
• Baby’s head was facing up towards the ceiling instead of facing the anus.
• I have very delicate skin

Birth Account

While it is still fresh in my head, i better put all these thoughts down.

9-Nov-08 (Birth eve)

The day just before delivery is a day all couples should cherish, because as obvious as it may seem, being together as a couple alone would change forever, in many good ways of course.

Both Ade and myself had a pretty good day like many other Sundays we had before, going to IKEA to buy some last minute baby stuff, hanging out at the cafe, looking at kids running about, we even chanced upon Maureen and her husband and ended up having lunch together. That night, i was nervous as hell. Ade was calm as the wavelets in the koi pond downstairs. She said "its like packing the travel bags and going for a holiday".

10-Nov-08 to 14-Nov-08 (Hospital leg)

I probably will not describe in chronology the birth story, because Ade has probably done that, and it will be included in a separate post. So i will zoom straight to the birth of the child.

At the end of a really difficult 12 hours, it felt very strange to be hearing the sound of our baby coming from 4 meters away as he was getting cleaned up. We have always communicated with him through the tummy walls without ever getting much of a response. This time round, you hear cries being projected from his lungs, probably one of the most striking reminder that life is kicking, and a completely independent human being has been created from you and your loved one.

The contrast of feelings on this day was extremely overwhelming. Being in the birthing room from the first second to the last put me through the lowest and the highest of moments. Seeing Ade in such pain, desperation and vulnerability gritting her teeth in such prolonged periods of agony made me feel like crying, and almost a second later, seeing the baby out safely hit me with a tsunami of emotions at the other end of the scale. That extreme emotional polarity was impossible to describe. I came out of it feeling the goodness of a hundred feel-good movies, with the body in total exhaustion. Dads-to-be, if you wanna try this, bring muscle rub, if your child delivers at thomson medical center, the petrol kiosk next door sells 'counterpain analgesic balm' which really works. Having said this, I do really recommend going through the entire experience with your wife. If you are afraid that this experience might put you off sex for good, believe me, the only thing it does is that it will only make you love her more.

That night, the baby was wheeled into the single bedded room the first time. It was amazing, we were going cuckoo about him, getting real whacked about how we fumbled while calling him "our son". It was so strange to suddenly have an offspring, calling someone your child really takes getting used to. After numerous attempts saying things like "move IT there, change ITs diapers", we finally gave up "IT" and got used to "Our Son". Quite funny really.

I think it was great having a single bedded room. The first 100 hours of your time with your baby is a 100 hours you'll never have again once missed, because he changes almost every 5 hours between the time of birth and end of the hospital stay. Everytime the nurse brings him in, he looks different i.e. his head starts remoulding back to shape, theres a new smell, his hair fluffs up a bit more, he gets less crinkled, his eyes expand, the puffiness decreases, he looks around for the first time, he starts making wierd expressions. These things i feel, should never ever be missed, and though we got one of the older single-bedded rooms, there was nothing like going through these first moments in complete privacy with your wife. That slight difference in price between the single/double bedded wards does not measure up to this at all, if you should be able to afford it.

21-Nov-08 to 23-Nov-08 (Home leg)

As im writing this now, things have settled in quite a bit. We have gotten used to the confinement nanny's ways. Also, after a whole day of nervously orienting ourselves, we have started allowing normality to seep in. If i had to draw a chart of chaos/calm, before birth it was a mid range chaos, when you first hit home, there will be surge in the graph towards high chaos (emotionally, logistically), then it will slope down gently to a calm which is lower than that during pregnancy, because finally, the headcount of 3 in the family has become a concrete notion. I would encourage most dads to be as empathizing as possible, because that does help in arriving at the 'nomality state', that we ourselves are still trying really hard adjusting ourselves to. Its not easy, we fumble a bit, but childbirth is certainly the most rewarding experience i've ever had.

Bryan 3 days old

4am breast feed attempt

Daddy's first swaddle after his 3rd diaper change
no longer bed-ridden after 2 full days!

After feed.

Bryan

5 min after birth

4 hours after

morning after

Ready for Bryan's home trip

This is the day, before 2 becomes 3, before couple hug becomes group hug, before sound sleep becomes sleep walk. But hey, truth is, we both cannot wait to see this room filled with our son's lively sounds. We are both ready, in less than 24 hours, Ade will be in the delivery room, hoping for a quick induced delivery. Tomorrow is the day of delivery, all this because the amniotic fluids have dropped to low levels, low enough not to risk waiting any longer for natural signs of labour. However this is ok, because Ade will be 1 day away from 38weeks, comfortably into full term, and we no longer have worries about Bryan's growth maturity, because our gynae has ascertained that he has sufficiently matured to live in our world and breathe our air. Ok, will follow with more live updates.

Tummy update at 36 weeks

We are a few hours away from full term. The last picture at the bottom of the series was taken last week.

Progress at 35/36 weeks

Last week, we did a scan and this time Bryan showed his head sideways, and hes also grown to a size too big for the ultrasound range that we cant see his whole body. So this is his skull from the side profile. At the time of ultrasound, he was 2.65kg.

Just yesterday, we went for another checkup and hes grown to 2.8kg, we also discovered that the amniotic fluids are getting quite low. Funnily enough, just when our gynae mentioned that, he peed and kinda upped the level of amniotic fluids!! its almost a direct response to the water situation. This is sustainability guys, you drink and process your own intakes. Errgh. Well, so now we have a slightly delicate situation. Adeline is getting increasingly achy and immobile, and shes trying her best to hydrate herself as much as possible.

After having not done so for quite some time, this morning i decided to press my ear against Ade's tummy, and amidst a chaotic symphony of fluid sounds, i heard a regular rhythm, a heart beat that i later verified was not Adeline's! Super duper happy. And then shortly after, he started having hiccups and i heard that too. Its like a mini percussion concert happening inside. ahahahaha

Nervous Friskie in pressie bag

Friskie started having bald patches near her lower back on both sides, and that started us worrying until Eileen told us that when her cat had a similar problem, the vet asked if there was anyone expecting or a newborn is around. Reason is that cats get nervous about the new member of the family. Incidentally, as i'm about to blog about this, Friskie climbed into the paper bag which Eileen brought the new presents in, shown below.

green tea red bean cake

For me, this wins the Cake Awards hands down. All the baking that Ade has done so far culminates in this slice of exquisite pastry. You wouldn't imagine green and red to go so well in taste, but the japanese red beans and green tea flavours were so well resolved together that you would have wished these two never separated. Its so good that though it is chilled to perfection, somehow i feel so warm inside eating it.

Peanut butter with Jelly Muffins

Ever had peanut butter and jam with toast? That is one of my favourite spread combinations for bread. This bake is a manifestation of that delightful marriage of taste in a muffin. If you focus on the center muffin in the above picture, you can see the raspberry jam oozing out of the peanut-buttery muffin crust. The taste is simply awesome.

34 week tummy pic update

Its week 34. Last Saturday, Bryan was 2.38kg. From what it seems during the last ultrasound, he is maturing i.e. heartbeat slowed down to a stable rate from the fast foetal heartbeat/ fat has started forming at the right areas. What this means is that he is getting close to being ready. Oooh. At this rate of growth, our gynae predicted that our baby will arrive earlier than the expected date of 25 Nov.

Choc Muffins

Heres the chocolate muffins baked at 10, finished by 10.30, whalloped by viva familia, many of their happy and satisfied faces are seen below. The first picture shows them in their freshly baked state, while the bottom ones are dressed up with cream-dip-your-fingers-into-the-stirring-bowl-and-suck cheese, mine with a special carrot topping.

These lovely friends came to check out preggy Ade, whom they haven't seen for a long time. It was nice catching up. Cheers guys.

Pandan Chiffon

Remember the orange chiffon? This is one up from that in several ways. It is fluffier and lighter, more holey and so delightful. When eaten, you experience the great taste but none of its load on the stomach.The amazing thing was that it was baked at 12midnight, and ready at 1am, where baking passion has no bounds.

MRT train tip for pregnant women

For pregnant women who are near the 30 week mark, or those who experience a lack of oxygen when a place gets too crowded, and have difficulty breathing, heres a useful tip we just learnt from Maureen and her husband - When the MRT is crowded, the carriages in the middle of the entire train has the most ventilation (the train has 6 carriages, so its carriages 3 and 4). This morning when we verified, it worked, Ade has no problems breathing even thought the train was packed full.

Baby room light no. 2

IKEA flower lamp. The alternative to the main pendant lamp we have in the room as seen in the previous baby room post. Turns out giving the room a nicer ambience than we expected. Furthermore, the lamp costs less than the energy-saving bulb it holds.

Orange Chiffon

I've always been asking for the chiffon cake ever since Ade started baking these days. Just like the japanese cotton cheesecake, the chiffon cake is a light cake, nice to hold in the hand and munch away. Its a different sort of cake from the kind you carefully carve with your fork and scoop bite sized portions like you are sculpting, like the black forest cake for example. This is the hold and stuff in your mouth and chomp casually kind of thing. Yumminy yumminy yumminy.

Tomato Pork Chops

This week, the cravings have changed from pastry to savoury. The whole of yesterday, our dear mummy-to-be kept chanting "Pork Chop Pork Chop Pork Chop Pork Chop" like it wards off the pain and breathlessness that shes feeling during this period.

The flavor of the pork chop brings Ade the memory of her late mum's cooking. The familiarity of that taste makes her feel all at home again. Mother's love. From mum to daughter, and now daughter to son. I'm sure Bryan will find the taste familiar when he tries it next time. Slurp.

Bryan's new clothes!

Last Saturday, Adeline was ironing the clothes* that we are bringing with us to the hospital, so that Bryan can wear them on his way back from the hospital. Now check out the size of that body suit compared to her hand! So small its so cute!!!

*all clothes were washed by Pigeon laundry liquid detergent and softened with Kodomo Softener.

Lychee Muffins!

Deliciously juicy lychee muffins. Wow, i want chempedak next darling. Please please please

Japanese Cotton Cheesecakes

This cake is one of my favourites. So fluffy and airy, light yet compact, you dont feel guilty eating it. And its cheese. cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.