Holidays with a 1 1/2 year old

..Or possibly a non-holiday.

Jellybean went on a holiday-conference trip with us recently and good-golly is she a chase?! 

The lovely bunch in Holiday Inn gave us a great upgrade. So good - that Jellybean decided it would be her new home and she lurved staying in there, sitting on the sofa and closing the doors on us.

Exhibit A: Oooh slippers!!!Why don't I get these at home?! ...Note the holiday tummy she got from eating everything too!

Exhibit B: Now you see me now you dont...

Exhibit C: Look at the view mummy...

Exhibit D: Ooh space mummy, space!! Mind you, this was our second hotel stay which she hearted.

On occasions when she liked being out...we spent alot of times on cars. Car rides. Alot. Her photos were all in cars and the hotel. Very exciting. 

...Or..she would be doing her exploring and we'd need to hunt her down.

...And for 2 weeks- we chased her. A great diet scheme I tell you.

Of Late

I bribe my kid. Serious. It's bad, I know, but I do it.

You see, Jellybean has started to walk- sometimes by herself, sometimes falling all over the place and sometimes wanting us to walk with her. When we take her out, she chooses the later. So if you've ever been stalled by kid traffic- I apologise profusely as my bub does it too.

So sometimes, just to make a sit a little while before she leads us somewhere else, we buy her a food or drink. Her favourite is juice. Watermelon juice. Smoothies. Boost. Babycinos- where she only eats the froth.

Come weekends when we want a small coffee break, we have our drink and she has hers. Bad habit- cos one day, it's gonna bite me back. I know it. She will whinge for some sort of food and throw a tantrum to make me buy it. I can see it already.

But meanwhile, just to give us that 5 minutes of non-chasing time. We bribe.

Our First Family Road Trip

I was reading back on old posts and realised how much I miss blogging. It also made me realise why I started blogging in the first place- to pen (well, type) down snippets of my life. ..so here I am, letting you know about our first road trip- with Jellybean.

These photos don't do justice to how much we enjoyed it. They don't even document many of the places we went to. It just registers a brief description of our trip.

It was basically a 3 days 2 nights getaway to Margaret river with one of my bestie and her family- The Chongs. They were such great company!- It was H's first ever real road trip in Australia and The C's were not only great guides but really accommodating- making sure H got to see, taste and experience the highlights of Margaret River and things 'Down South'. We wouldn't of done the trip any differently-thank you! 


Margaret River is well known as a wine region and a surfers paradise in Western Australia. With thanks to the tourism industry, it now also boasts some gourmet eats and annual events. I personally love it for its cooler weather and lushy greenery (as compared to other Australian counterparts). Using Bussell Highway, it's around a 3 hour trip away from Perth.

We used around 5 1/2 hours to get there- stopping in between Bunbury and Busselton for meals and breaks- mainly to accommodate our little bubs- getting their tooshies off the car seats and letting them wriggle a bit.

I love watching H and Jellybean play- it just makes me go all warm and fuzzy inside. Naww. H has been away for a tremendous amount of time for the past few weeks and this break really just let them bond. I also missed the mass blues and vast greens- *deep breath in* *exhale*.

Jellybean loved the trip. I don't know whether it was just being out or doing something different, but I have to admit she was very well behaved- sleeping in the car, doing her own things and letting us disturbed her routine-constantly.

Could this be any more Australian?! H's first Margaret River wineyard stop- the first of many many....at Voyager Estate.

One of my favourite photos ...of their backsides. Yes, I perve, but I think it's cute. More importantly, I like seeing Jellybean being piggybacked.

Isn't this a nice stop? Geez I forgot the wineyard's name- someone remind me!! All I remember is that Mrs C. told me they had awesome toilets- which they did...oh! Lauren!!!!!....thats it! And just between you and me, I took photos of the toilet, but I shan't degress from the main objectives of this trip.

Gnarabup Beach-White Elephant. Breakfast by the beach before our trip back. I made the whole crew come here just so I could kill two birds with one stone- letting H see the beach- and eat a decent breaky.

Another sight I loved watching. Jellybean and Miss C just frolicking in the open greens. Coincidentally, we brought similar outfits for our girls to the trip!

..And this is truly one shot I love of H and Jellybean- at Yallingup...I don't know why. They both weren't smiling...but it makes me want to go on a road trip already.

Holiday encore...anyone?!

Happy Easter 2012

Happy Easter! About time I blog huh?!

If you look closely, you can see a vague outline of my toddler crawling up the stairs. 

...Where did my baby go?!

...This is going to be a jumbled post about my bemusements of Jellybean. Again, I'm a biased mother- being in love and awe of my child. Forgive me.

Jellybean's at that stage of character independance- she shows what she likes and more importantly doesn't like. She will gesture me to do things, mumble alot of words and understands easy instructions. Yet, she can also be terribly clingy- resulting in the absence of doing my other housewifely chores. 

I love the way she wakes me up in the morning- in a good mood- she will take strands of hair away from my face and smile when I open my eyes- in a cheeky mood- she will just stick her little chubba fingers in my nose and laugh. Grose and annoying! Sometimes I purposely fall back asleep, to which she'll crawl near my face and yell, then grasp one of my fingers, tug it and yell 'GOGOGO!!!'- to which she means she want's to get out of the room. 

Another mother's 'aww' moment- when she finally started playing with her push-pull along toys. [Though in this pic she's really using her ride along as a push-along!] Jellybean finally has enough courage to play and push these toys without any assistance from me. If she's somehow jammed the toy against something..she'll also yell 'GOGOGO!' as if to instruct it. So here she is, pushing her pig and holding her plum.

I also believe H's heart warms everytime he knows his little girl misses him. She'll hand me my mobile and say 'Baba'. If I don't call, she'll whinge and sometimes have a pout. If I do and we Facetime, she'll give him a wide grin and offer him her most prized possession- her stinky cloth. After which, she fails to be amused and goes elsewhere. -Atleast it lasted for a few seconds right?!

- And why am I writing all this? So I can remember it in times to come.xoxo I love you child.

My food, your food

On good days, I make myself a nice lunch and give something adequate for Jellybean's snack. By the time I have my lunch, Jellybean is usually well fed and had a period of rest before this 'snack' is given. Sometimes she's hungry, sometimes she's not and sometimes, she's just picky.

So today I made myself a nice Vietnamese Chicken Baguette- something I've yearned to try ever since I got this month's issue of Donna Hay. By golly, I loved the lemongrass, galangal...ginger..daikon ....everything.

..And I gave Jellybean this- bread and cheese- something which she regularly eats. Today, just for novelty's sake, I even shaped it- ships, trains,..cars and all. She's going through a 'brrooommm brrrooom' stage, very un-ladylike, but it doesn't bother me- not now.

What did bother me was that she placed all her 'transportation' on the floor, came up to me and asked for my food.  ...And when I didn't give it to her fast enough...she started picking off my plate!

What happened to baby food? She's growing up too fast.

What's occupied me

Jellybean and Partybaby.

In the past few weeks, I had another baby. Partybaby. Though I didn't have to go through nine months of pregnancy or nurse this little newborn, it has taken up any moments my real baby does not occupy.

Currently, Partybaby has a range of custom partyware and soon, some kitchenwares. In brief, you choose and place a order for a design you like, I receive the order and customise the invitation and partyware with your details. Then you can print it or even email it at your convenience.

So..lets say Molly's turning two, you give me your details and you'd get this...

 ..a digital invitation...

...a 'Molly' bunting...

...and party essentials which consist of thank you tags, canape/fork toppers party flags, buffet/name labels which tie in with your whole theme.

Then you just print it and party real hard.

Anyways...so if you'd like to know my other baby more..pop on to 

www.partybaby.com.au

Dear Jellybean- October 2011

Hey bub,

The last few weeks have felt like months!

Just before you turned exactly nine months, you got your first two beamers- yes, your two front lower teeth.

You were restless, whingy and in constant need of company.

Then, just two weeks ago, you fell sick for the very first time. You had a virus which has turned nasty- into a chest infection. Boo. So, you haven't been quite you.

You are restless, whingy and in constant need of company.

In summary, you've been a whingy, grumpy baby for the last month or so. Not nice. With the slight glimpse of better health, you do sneak in your cheekiness...your smile. And your smile melts our hearts. It lets you get away with things and makes your parents forget your two-hour crying sessions and all things alike.

If you get better now, we will buy you a new toy.

Just kidding. We aren't suppose to bribe you like that.

...Do get better.

xoxo

Fashion Problem Solving

Jellybean is currently undergoing a fashion crisis. I'm serious!

I love rompers on babies- they're easy for nappy changes, I don't need to think about all the mix and match stuff and they're very practical. However, Jellybean's currently at a age where dressing in a romper looks like her mum left her in in her pjs. And, we can't have you all thinking that can we?...You get me right? Ok, maybe you don't understand my crisis, but I insist.

Oh! In also have another issue; I hate how after my bub wears a onesie paired with pants, her tummy becomes segregated. Is it just Jellybean?! It's a big issue for at-home mums k? I have nothing else to think about but her tummy looking segregated.

And how about dresses for Jellybean you say? Well, I have this other ongoing issue about non-walking babies with dresses- it rides up when you carry them, then their nappy shows, then it rides further until their belly button shows and the next thing you know their whole chest is exposed. Ok, maybe not the latter, but you get the picture.

So a few months ago, I had this special liking for turning onesies into dresses- ala lazy mum way.

I took a onesie and some left over material, and combined it to make a skirt-onesie.

I was so relieved I solved my bub's fashion crisis. I'm currently hired to solve all her problems you see.

So here's bub, playing in her onesie dress. You might also notice my toes on the bottom right- but hey, I got a photo. [You have to excuse my poor photos as of late, getting a camera out seems like a daunting task when a fidgety baby is around.]

Something to think about...

Say, hubby has been outstation for the past three weeks and counting
Say, you get a bit bored and search for things to do with bub...
Say, you start dressing bub up in a funny tutu you made her a few weeks ago...

Say, you whip up the camera to give her a little photoshoot...

Say, you get carried away and even change venues and place her in the garden...

...you click, click, click, click...

And say, you see her eat grass. Click. Click.

Then you go Oh Sh*t! She's not suppose to eat grass.

You say...am I a bad mother? Or just a bit slow?

Dear Jellybean-August 2011

Babbaaa-boo!

Mummy's loving your vocab right now. Besides spitting on everyone and dribbling on everything else, its kinda cute.

Note: Just thought you ought to know, in the middle of writing this post at 12:30 in the morning, you've woken up, started babbling to your dummy, stuffed cloth in your mouth and wasted 120ml of milk. Just for your information.

Mama's also got a confession to make. You know how for many months, you had separation anxiety? Wherever Mama goes I go too?! Well, now its kind of reversed. And for the sake of blaming- I blame it on Baba.

You see, a few weeks ago, Baba started going outstation for work. During that time, you were going through a burst of suddenly cries in the middle of the night, so Mama put you on the big bed. From then on, we slept on big bed, you slept well which ofcourse meant Mama slept well and ah, the rest is history.

So now, Mama loves you on the big bed. I love seeing you fall asleep, watching you dream with your little snores. It's quite adorable. Come morning, you'll wake me up by patting my face, sticking you wee little fingers into my mouth, pinch my nose, make all sorts of weird and wonderful noises and last but not least, pull my hair. It's annoyingly cute- must be mother's love!

Between you and me, I'm tempted to kick Baba out of the big bed when he comes back. It's his fault that this started anyway.

Ps. Cheeky Bum, Mama is loving this phase you're going through- no crying, good sleeping, very playful and always smiley (to me anyway). Pls pls pls stay that way. I'm already missing my tiny baby.

Love you lots xoxo
Mama

Dear Jellybean-June 2011 + Mama's first shoe attempt

Oh Bubba!

The time has come again.

You're officially a yelling, kicking, grabbing, laughing, smacking, salivating... huggable six month Jellybean now. Time has sure flown by! Whatever happened to my little pocket sized baby?!

Just a few days ago, Mama made you a brand new pair of shoes. Pink felt shoes. Papa thought it was hysterical so cute he wanted a pair too. Really. Its Mama's first attempt, so don't be too critical here.

If you absolutely can't tell and need to ask me in the near future, my dear, its a rabbit and a carrot. Why does Mama insist on giving you such a weird unique dress sense? Because I think its cute. And I might as well dress you in whatever I like now 'coz you wont let me do that later on!

See, here you are testing your shoes. They're more comfy than Louboutins I tell ya!!

Lots of Love

xoxo

Mama.

Rustic Cheesecakes + Fathers Day

Life has really been more about baby purees and breastmilk lately. There hasn't been much time for intricate delights or extensive menus. Rather, meals have to be fast and simple- all because of my dear, dear Jellybean. With all else developing- her desire to have me within a 1 meter radius [if not sticking right beside my limbs] is still very evident. I mean VERY.

Just a few days ago was [Malaysian] Fathers day. As it's H's very first year as a kid-wrangling daddy, I wasn't sure whether we should celebrate ala Malaysian or go with the Aussie flow. At the end, I decided to have a mini celebration this time around and succumb to all aspects of commercialism when the Australian fathers day comes along. Ahh...Hallmark has definitely done it's role.

So these are my mini cheesecakes. The lemon cheesecake H insists on for every occasion. I must admit, they weren't intended to have such a rustic charm- but with a whingy-clingy-crying baby, the base had to be done at midnight and the cheese mixture was pretty much a 10 minute job. Plonk and go. [Sorry dear, but you do know that Bb comes first in everything now!]

So until then, its back to my Bamix- my new toy.

Dear Jellybean-May 2011

So mummy missed out a few months in between. But you ought to know it's all because of you. Somewhere down the line, you've learnt that mummy's the best walking bed, milking and playing machine in the whole wide world. Oh bub!

You give the best smiles and cheeky grins in the morning, then throughout the day you laugh at all sorts of weird and wonderful things. I'm still waiting for the day you roll. Yes, you still haven't mastered rolling. Rather, it's much more fun when mummy rolls you around like a spring roll. You've definitely learnt the art of screaming and distinguishing what you like and dislike. Oh bub!

For the first few months of your life, these are your favourite things:

1. Wrap Me Up- a zip up swaddle that gives you the freedom to put your hands up- and even in your mouth. Girl do you love putting your chubba fingers in your mouth. You love it so much that we've bought you three!!

2. Aden & Anais Washcloths- we bought a set of these to bathe you. Somehow, you love snuggling up to the soft muslin to help you fall asleep. It's ok, multiuse is good! You also love their swaddle wraps though you use it as a blanket.

3. Babybjorn Active - Ahh! What would daddy and mummy do without this little helper? Mmm..maybe you wont have a chance of leaving the house. Ever. 'Cos right now you're not a fan of prams.

So daddy might not look as hunky as this fella...shhhh!

4. Little Bamboo Cot Blanket- it's so soft! You've used it every night since being discharged from hospital.

5. Il tutto Nico Bronze babybag- Ok, so this one isnt your favourite, it's more like mummy's favourite. It holds everything in place, and that everything is yours [ milk, diapers, wet cloths, toys ] so technically it's your favourite too!

6. Sophie the Giraffe-  your squeaky teether that tends to entertain you though its embarrassing for your parents.

7. Tommee Tippee Dummy- this may not have been a good idea. One day we'll have to wean you out of it. But you love it. love it. love it. It's your sleeping tool. The dummy's getting a tad small for you though and it indents your chubby cheeks!

8. Alimrose Designs Rattle- you stare and stare and stare when this is rattled to put you to sleep. Only at night though, and only sometimes. But you stare, as if you're trying to figure it out.

9. Peg Perego Tatamia- this was the only chair/swing you'd sit in. Not long mind you, but long enough for your parents to swallow their meal.

10. Ikea Changemat - We haven't quite figured if you solely love the mat or if you are gonna be changed or bathed soon. Either way, you always smile here. Oh, and it's cheap.

11. Skeanie Ugg Boots - ok, this is totally for the cute factor! But you do look very comfy in them.

There you go bubba, a good life so far huh? Lucky you.

xoxo
Mummy & Daddy.