It was a perfect evening. Gabe was eating his dinner without fuss. Rou was lying quietly and contentedly on her bouncer. Derod and I were actually able to finish our dinner like normal people.
I cleaned up the dining table and was halfway through the dishes in the kitchen when derod made a short trip to the loo. Gabe was instructed to stay in his highchair for just another moment, before papa comes out to take him down.
When derod came back out into the living room, he went straight to fulfill his promise. That was when Gabe went, "What happened to meimei?"
Meimei had, apparently, and rather quietly regurgitated a fair amount of milk, soiling her clothes, the bouncer and the floor.
Our big brother here has on a few occasions, kept us informed of little things like that. Not bad, I'd say, considering that we wouldn't have discovered many things sooner if not for his information.
Well, so much for a perfect evening.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Two Months Old
Rou is two months old!
Her mittens were off by the 5th/ 6th week.
She could put her hands together by 1.5 months.
She could smile in response to you when you talk to her. In fact, she loves to have you talk to her and will look longingly at you in attempt to engage you in conversation.
She could lift her head and chest up with the aid of her hands.
Her eyelashes have started to grow out and they are quite long for a two-month old. Ok, I may just be biased.
We took some pictures of the siblings dressed up in coordinated outfits to mark her two-month-day.
Rou's a Fox Baby, compliments of uncle etphonehome.
Pat pat, sayang sayang.
Let's hold hands and take a picture!
Hmm... meimei doesn't look too pleased being woken up for such a trivial thing.
Now let's attempt a picture with gorgor holding meimei.
Poser Gabe giving his attention to the camera, regardless of meimei's disagreement.
Her mittens were off by the 5th/ 6th week.
She could put her hands together by 1.5 months.
She could smile in response to you when you talk to her. In fact, she loves to have you talk to her and will look longingly at you in attempt to engage you in conversation.
She could lift her head and chest up with the aid of her hands.
Her eyelashes have started to grow out and they are quite long for a two-month old. Ok, I may just be biased.
We took some pictures of the siblings dressed up in coordinated outfits to mark her two-month-day.
Rou's a Fox Baby, compliments of uncle etphonehome.
Pat pat, sayang sayang.
Let's hold hands and take a picture!Hmm... meimei doesn't look too pleased being woken up for such a trivial thing.
Now let's attempt a picture with gorgor holding meimei. 
Poser Gabe giving his attention to the camera, regardless of meimei's disagreement.Friday, March 20, 2009
Rou and the Kids
Our cell group is made up of four families, three of which have very young children. Char, En, Ryan, Gabe and Wei are now joined by Rou (and two more little ones by the time 2009 ends).
The kids were very excited to see Rou when we returned to cell meetings after my confinement and they took turns coming over to observe her. Their curiosity was coupled with much affection and very often, you'd either find them asking questions about her or patting her and even kissing her.
Char, in particular, has some interesting comments about Rou that made me laugh. Once, she observed that the baby "has a lot of pock pocks [pimple-like rashes]" on her face and asked me if it was because Rou has been "eating a lot of Pocky". On another occasion, she was watching me change Rou's soiled diaper and upon the sight of her greenish poop, asked if Rou had been eating vegetables.
Thank God that the little ones in the group are so receptive of the baby. Oh, did I mention that Rou's first kiss has been taken? Wei simply bent over and planted a determined kiss on her lips. He'd have a second go at it if she wasn't that difficult to reach.
The kids were very excited to see Rou when we returned to cell meetings after my confinement and they took turns coming over to observe her. Their curiosity was coupled with much affection and very often, you'd either find them asking questions about her or patting her and even kissing her.
Char, in particular, has some interesting comments about Rou that made me laugh. Once, she observed that the baby "has a lot of pock pocks [pimple-like rashes]" on her face and asked me if it was because Rou has been "eating a lot of Pocky". On another occasion, she was watching me change Rou's soiled diaper and upon the sight of her greenish poop, asked if Rou had been eating vegetables.
Thank God that the little ones in the group are so receptive of the baby. Oh, did I mention that Rou's first kiss has been taken? Wei simply bent over and planted a determined kiss on her lips. He'd have a second go at it if she wasn't that difficult to reach.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Noise Machine
It's amazing how one little Rou can be the source of all sorts of sounds.
Every night, before Rou falls into deep sleep, she must spend some time squirming on her cot in preparation for slumber. During this time, the sorts of noises that come with those stretches are of quite a variety.
Grunts of a pig. Gobbles of a turkey. Snorts of all sorts of animals out on the farm or at the zoo for that matter. Scowls of the wildcat. E-brakes of a car. An engine that refuses to start. Something that wheezes. Something that giggles. Something that screeches. Anything ranging from the farm to the zoo to the mechanical workshop, it can come out from Rou.
So if you happen to be around, don't pick her up thinking she's upset. She just needs some me-time and that may just involve some honking around.
Every night, before Rou falls into deep sleep, she must spend some time squirming on her cot in preparation for slumber. During this time, the sorts of noises that come with those stretches are of quite a variety.
Grunts of a pig. Gobbles of a turkey. Snorts of all sorts of animals out on the farm or at the zoo for that matter. Scowls of the wildcat. E-brakes of a car. An engine that refuses to start. Something that wheezes. Something that giggles. Something that screeches. Anything ranging from the farm to the zoo to the mechanical workshop, it can come out from Rou.
So if you happen to be around, don't pick her up thinking she's upset. She just needs some me-time and that may just involve some honking around.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Diaper Log
Rou graduated from newborn size to small size by the third week of life, which phased out into medium size by her 6th week.
I know of some babies who went straight to small size from birth. Rou's not that formidable, but I thought medium by 6 weeks is really quite fast, don't you think?
I know of some babies who went straight to small size from birth. Rou's not that formidable, but I thought medium by 6 weeks is really quite fast, don't you think?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Dedicated to the Lord
I returned to church after one month of confined rest and this time, with the latest member of our family, Rou. She was to be dedicated to the Lord and the church scheduled a time during service to pray for her and our family.
Much to our pleasant surprise, the Rideouts were in town and we were very privileged to have uncle Ken bless us with his exhortation as he came before the Lord with us in prayer. He asked both derod and I, as parents of Rou, to stand before the congregation to give our commitment to bring Rou up with love in the Lord. He also reminded everyone that children are not brought up solely by the parents but that the church and its members have a responsiblity to nurture them as they grow. In much jest, derod and I responded to his "will you..." question much like how we were taking our wedding vows, but deep inside I was very touched and affirmed by his words. I've always felt very strongly about the content of his sharing, and to have the authority with which it was spoken, and on my very own child, was a precious moment and message for me.
Nursing Rou during service. The cover a gift from Jemmy's mummy.
The Boonite clan before the congregation, with Uncle Ken and Pastor Colin.
Blessing Rou.
Much to our pleasant surprise, the Rideouts were in town and we were very privileged to have uncle Ken bless us with his exhortation as he came before the Lord with us in prayer. He asked both derod and I, as parents of Rou, to stand before the congregation to give our commitment to bring Rou up with love in the Lord. He also reminded everyone that children are not brought up solely by the parents but that the church and its members have a responsiblity to nurture them as they grow. In much jest, derod and I responded to his "will you..." question much like how we were taking our wedding vows, but deep inside I was very touched and affirmed by his words. I've always felt very strongly about the content of his sharing, and to have the authority with which it was spoken, and on my very own child, was a precious moment and message for me.
Photo credits: Livingjoyfully
Nursing Rou during service. The cover a gift from Jemmy's mummy. 
The Boonite clan before the congregation, with Uncle Ken and Pastor Colin.
Blessing Rou.Uniquely Rou
Rou was born with
- A sacral dimple on her back, just above her buttocks.
- Very long fingers.
- Two little extra lobes of flesh on her right ear. Derod and I refer to them as her antennas.
- A really round head, such that she can hardly sleep with her face looking up very comfortably. She tends to sleep on either sides of her face when she's put down on her back.
She's also got
- Two red lines that appear on her forehead, between the brows, when she cries aggressively.
- A typical baby cry that goes "orh air orh air".
- A tendency to pee or poop during an aggressive howling session.
- A really strong neck. She started showing signs of holding her head up properly even during the first few days of life. By the end of the first month, she can already hold her head up without support during bath times.
- Really strong legs. She's a kicker. I found her digging her heels into the cot mattress and kicking her way upwards. The confinement auntie found her face pressed into the bars of the cot even though she was placed in its centre. On another occasion, the auntie found her sleeping parallel to the width of the cot when she was placed parallel to its length i.e. she turned her body a whole of 90 degrees. Diaper-changing has also proven to be a challenge sometimes, even for the experienced auntie.
Rou turned one month old a few days ago.
- She focuses on faces but hasn't gone very far in terms of cooing.
- She smiles.
- She can lift her head to to change the side of the face she's lying on, when she's placed on her tummy. She can lift her head up to look around before placing it down again gently.
- Like her brother, she will take a smile break during feeds.
- If she falls asleep while feeding, she's start sucking again if you call her name to remind her to finish up her meal.
- A sacral dimple on her back, just above her buttocks.
- Very long fingers.
- Two little extra lobes of flesh on her right ear. Derod and I refer to them as her antennas.
- A really round head, such that she can hardly sleep with her face looking up very comfortably. She tends to sleep on either sides of her face when she's put down on her back.
She's also got
- Two red lines that appear on her forehead, between the brows, when she cries aggressively.
- A typical baby cry that goes "orh air orh air".
- A tendency to pee or poop during an aggressive howling session.
- A really strong neck. She started showing signs of holding her head up properly even during the first few days of life. By the end of the first month, she can already hold her head up without support during bath times.
- Really strong legs. She's a kicker. I found her digging her heels into the cot mattress and kicking her way upwards. The confinement auntie found her face pressed into the bars of the cot even though she was placed in its centre. On another occasion, the auntie found her sleeping parallel to the width of the cot when she was placed parallel to its length i.e. she turned her body a whole of 90 degrees. Diaper-changing has also proven to be a challenge sometimes, even for the experienced auntie.
Rou turned one month old a few days ago.
- She focuses on faces but hasn't gone very far in terms of cooing.
- She smiles.
- She can lift her head to to change the side of the face she's lying on, when she's placed on her tummy. She can lift her head up to look around before placing it down again gently.
- Like her brother, she will take a smile break during feeds.
- If she falls asleep while feeding, she's start sucking again if you call her name to remind her to finish up her meal.
1st Month Celebration
Rou's 1st month celebration was held on 28 March. We managed to squeeze in some close friends into our guest list since we were combining this celebration with Gabe's 2nd birthday, hence a larger crowd.
For Gabe's 1st month celebration, we had pictures of practically every relative carrying him as an infant. Well, relatives constituted the entire invitation list and being first time parents, we were pretty much trigger happy. This wasn't the case for Rou. This is my list of reasons in attempt to explain the lack of pictures with family (including the grandparents).
1. Entertaining the 100+ people who turned up
2. Looking out for Gabe, who's the other half of the reason for the party. Doesn't help he's an active, running toddler.
3. Entertaining our friends. Face it, you'll always yak non-stop with friends.
4. The baby was "missing" most of the time, in the arms of somebody somewhere in the compounds.
So we apologise if we didn't take a picture of you with Rou. But if your moments with her were captured, here are some shots for your keepsake.
Big yawn while posing with auntie Jiehui and Gugu
Super chic Mui Por
The 打电话 pose. With uncle and auntie alwayseeking
Tan Lim Khoo. Lim Tan Khoo. Tan Khoo (khoo). Choose your combination.
Auntie Pin
Uncle Ian and auntie Diana. Hee uncle Ian was the brave one here.
Uncle etphonehome.
Ling Tan
This is my favourite shot. The sisters Lam and their iphones.
For Gabe's 1st month celebration, we had pictures of practically every relative carrying him as an infant. Well, relatives constituted the entire invitation list and being first time parents, we were pretty much trigger happy. This wasn't the case for Rou. This is my list of reasons in attempt to explain the lack of pictures with family (including the grandparents).
1. Entertaining the 100+ people who turned up
2. Looking out for Gabe, who's the other half of the reason for the party. Doesn't help he's an active, running toddler.
3. Entertaining our friends. Face it, you'll always yak non-stop with friends.
4. The baby was "missing" most of the time, in the arms of somebody somewhere in the compounds.
So we apologise if we didn't take a picture of you with Rou. But if your moments with her were captured, here are some shots for your keepsake.
Big yawn while posing with auntie Jiehui and Gugu
Super chic Mui Por
The 打电话 pose. With uncle and auntie alwayseeking
Tan Lim Khoo. Lim Tan Khoo. Tan Khoo (khoo). Choose your combination.
Auntie Pin
Uncle Ian and auntie Diana. Hee uncle Ian was the brave one here.
Uncle etphonehome. 
Ling Tan
This is my favourite shot. The sisters Lam and their iphones.
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