Jordy Turns Seven Weeks, or A weekend of Walks, Bouncers and Ukeleles

We had a relatively restful weekend, though the same can't be said for Singapore, which is going completely crazy with Grand Prix fever. As I type, D is watching the final laps of the race (I still cannot fathom the allure of watching identical looking cars go round a track 61 times! Tho I must say the organisers made Singapore look real pretty at night).

We took Jordy to McCafe for a laid back lunch on Saturday. He fretted a bit halfway through (Great World was slightly manic) but was good as gold once we popped him in the Baby Bjorn. Did a great big grocery shop, and then came home and went for a lovely walk - it was Jordy's first time in his ultra-funky sun hat that his Mama Maree got him. I'm sure all his NZ rellies will be proud that their little boy is sun smart!

We also got Jordy a baby bouncer at Great World. So far, he seems to enjoy it. This morning he sat in it for a good length of time - enough for me to make lunch and for D and I to sit with him and eat, picnic-style in our living room!

Little Jordy reaching for one of the itsy bitsy spiders on his bouncy chair toy bar. Is it me, or is there a sparkle of mischief in those eyes?


Another milestone this weekend - our first Sunday dinner back at my parents' place! We hadn't been since the BIRTH! Gosh, feels like seven months and not seven weeks! Jordy loved being with his cousins, aunties, grandaunty and grandparents. He especially loved it when his ah gong played the ukelele to him. He fell right to sleep with a smile on his face! And he even got a free rocking service courtesy of his youngest cousin Baby T :)

Wonder what this next week will bring? Can't wait!

He SMILED!

Jordy smiled most absolutely and truly today! Just as we were leaving for my former CEO's place to hang out with her daughter and four-month old granddaughter! This was what I managed to capture seconds after the smile - the after-smile if you will.


Jordy also managed a teeny tiny cat nap at my CEO's place. What a little gem!

A Day of Firsts!!!

All of us by the Singapore River

Historic day in the Turnip household! Today's firsts include:

1. Jordy's first bus ride - bus no 175, then on the 100

2. Jordy's first MRT ride - Harbourfront to Clarke Quay

3. Jordy's first social appointment - afternoon tea at Ya Kun with a visiting group of travellers from Dunedin, who are all into trains! Long story about how this happened, in a nutshell, my sis got to know one of them after she and her family came over to Dunedin for our wedding in March 2005, seeing as the boys are all train afficionados!

4. Jordy's first outing where he was solely in the Baby Bjorn, no stroller or car seat for him, thank you very much!

Us on the MRT! Sorry Jordy, only managed to get the top of your head, but what a lovely head.

All in all, very successful day. Jordy was a little gem the whole trip and only started a little "eh-eh-eh-ing" just as we were opening our front door three whole hours after we had first ventured out! Well done Jordy :)

The Top 100 Books

Here are the Top 100 Books as rated by the Telegraph (thanks to Lauren for blogging about this). For some reason, I'm rather heartened that most of my favourite books are listed there (like the sublime Cloud Atlas), and that I've read 69 out of the 100, and the ones I haven't read, I probably will never get through (sorry, have tried to get into Moby Dick at least three times and never got past the first few chapters).

I have just started Great Expectations though - so in a few weeks (my reading pace has slowed down since a certain little friend arrived in our lives!) I can check 70 of the list!

The happiest inclusion for me must have to be The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton. I still recall vividly the land of eat-all-you-want. That chapter partially shaped my world view. I mean... they got to have their seven cakes and eat them all!

Part Baby, Part Sour Squirm (Episode 2)

Bath time. Jordy gave a few almost-smiles! No crying at all, despite him being like the last little piggy - i.e. crying all the way home from the hospital today (mummy's turn for a check-up this time)! Poor Mama Daisie was quite heartbroken!

Jordy really is rather hard to photograph, what with all the squirming! Think he gets that trait from his mum :(

Let's try again! Err, nope, not quite...

Heaven is...

a napping baby...

This is an old pic, but since Jordy is napping this afternoon with scarcely anything on save his diapers, I thought I'd use a more modest picture.

Major milestones today:

1. Driving alone with Jordy for the first time while he was doing his signature rattly cry at the top of his lungs. I discovered that singing my favourite a capella songs loudly to him managed to
calm him and put him to sleep (songs that worked include James Taylor's "Lonesome Road", Billy Joel's "And So It Goes", Scottish folk song "The Water is Wide", Buddy Holly's "Everyday" and The Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere")

2. Managed to put dinner on (chicken stew on the slow cooker) while being on my own with Jordy. Phew!!! Am slowly realising that it's ok to sometimes just let him cry a bit for a few minutes if I need to attend to things...

3. First post-mama Maree leaving day. Jordy was really missing his mama Maree today (especially her finger that he loves to grip while in the car)... his parents were too :( I tried to sing the songs she sings, but only she can do them the way Jordy likes, so had to think of a new repertoire of lullabies!

What goes on in between photos

My first post-Jordy swim at the club! H-E-A-V-E-N. Thanks to the two mamas and ah kong who took turns looking after Jordy. But turns out he didn't need much looking after as he slept peacefully through our swim and dinner!

Like a motion picture, where only a fraction of the total footage makes it on screen - carefully edited, set to music that resonates with the content - looking at the photos we've taken so far, it would seem that parenthood is one big fun ride!

Jordy's first cultural experience - the "Post Doi Moi - Vietnamese Art After 1990" at the Singapore Art Museum. He was so good and even allowed mum and mama maree to have a lovely lunch after at Dome!

HAH! Of course, what doesn't make it to the blog includes the diaper mountain that we are sadly contributing to the landfill (sorry, convenience wins this round, but we do not use air con at home so I guess that lessens our carbon footprint?), the crying and resulting rocking sessions, the marathon feeds, and of course, the seemingly endless household chores that need to be done!

The whole family at Jumbo Seafood - Jordy's first night out! He was good despite the clanging cutlery, regular crunch of crab shells, and bad karaoke emanating from the so called "private" dining rooms!

But honestly, in totality, the last few weeks (Jordy turns six weeks old tomorrow) have gone by in a tumultous blur, sometimes manic (think feeding baby, ringing the bank, and sipping a milo all happening at the same time), frequently joyous (when Jordy opens his big wide eyes and stares seriously at us, or when he does something new), occasionally upsetting (usually when exhaustion in parents and crankiness in baby collide) but always challenging!

With moments like these, who needs Minties?

I'm still trying to figure out this mummy business, but if it allows me moments like the ones captured here, then I guess it can't be all that bad :)

A to Z, by Jordy

"I like to sit in my thinking chair and ponder..."

A is for Ah Kong, who'll teach me fun songs
B is for Booby, my favourite (and only) food source!
C is for Crying, err, right now the main way I communicate when I'm not frowning or wide-eyed
D is for Daddy, who loves me just the way I am (even when I'm squirmy!)
E is for "Eh-eh-eh", my favourite phrase when I'm tired or uncomfy,
F is for Fenugreek, the funny herb my mum takes to make more food for me!
G is for Gilmore, the girls my mum watches some times when she feeds me (I like the theme tune!)
H is for Humming, lullabies especially make me happy
I is for Islands, Singapore and New Zealand
J is for Jordan, the river, the country, and my namesake
K is for kisses, which make me all squirmy, but I'm sure I'll grow to love
L is for Love, which everyone showers on me
M is for Mama, my two favourite ladies in the world (after mummy of course!)
N is for New Zealand, my other home
O is for outing, my favourite past time (when I'm not eating that is!)
P is for piano, Bach please, and hold the Gershwin
Q is for Quiet, which I'm told I can be, especially when I'm watching the world go by
R is for rattle, or rather my rattly cry which I've been told is both heart rending and cute at the same time!
S is for smile, which I'll bestow on my fans only when I'm ready!
T is for Tummy, which is growing in girth every day!
U is for Umbilical Cord, which fell off on the 5th day after I was born (the nurse told me I was a clever boy to do that)
V is for Volume, my lungs are getting stronger day by day
W is for Walkies, which I look forward to every afternoon
X is for X-factor, which I'm pretty sure I possess
Y is for Ye Jie, my heroic Chinese name
Z is for Zzzz, my other favourite past time (though I don't do it quite as often as I should!)

Jordy: Part Baby, Part Sour Squirm

As a tribute to my favourite gummy candies (sour squirms of course!), I hereby declare my son gold medal material in any squirmathon. It took us a few tries just to get a decent shot of him this afternoon, and it still didn't do him (or his cute organic cotton outfit bought from Invercargill, New Zealand) justice!

10 Tell-Tale Signs That We've Become New Parents

Tired as anything, but Labrador Park still elicits smiles all round (ok maybe not for Jordy but at least he stopped crying!)

1. Our days (and nights) are broken up according to three-hourly feeding cycles.

2. Our dining table has disappeared under two waterproof mats, and three different packets of diapers.

3. We've traded in The Economist and the newspapers for books with great big black and white pictures and NO words.

4. We can sustain a ten-minute conversation around the frequency and consistency of Jordy's poo.

5. I can't remember what toting around a little handbag feels like.

6. We've started mapping out accessible toilets and changing stations in all places of interest.

7. "Dimly-lit" is now a major factor in choosing which cafe to frequent - all the better to hide my hooters when I feed I say. (ps: Thanks to Sheri for lending me her Hooter Hider - I'm getting rather adept at using it! Last count: KK Hospital's Delifrance, Cafe Beviamo, Home during Jordy's one month party, and at Coffee Bean in Great World City today)

8. We take naps at 8.30pm on a Saturday night (!)

9. Our TV volume is permanently down low.

10. Our lullaby repertoire has greatly expanded!

25 Days and Counting

"What a circus the American presidential campaign is turning into. Morgan Freeman for president I say!"

The little man is 25 days old today. As a tribute to us getting this far as a new family, thought I'd upload some photos showing him in his various guises.

"Though I haven't been to Egypt, I can still walk like an Egyptian!"

Little Jordy has had a busy few days - milestones include first ride in car with his mum driving, a trip to IKEA to look at furniture for his room, a good walk on the Southern Ridges walkway, and this afternoon, a very exciting trip to Island Creamery for his first frozen dessert experience, made all the more special with Uncle Andy (who is in Singapore competing in the Singapore Ironman) visiting from New Zealand.

"If it wasn't for my trusty bat mobile, I would be stuck at home all day!"

"Finally! Some fresh air. Hey, show me some speed here, Mama Maree!"

A Tale of Two Grandmas

Once upon a time, there lived a wee man named Jordy. One morning, Jordy's mum woke up and declared, "We simply must go out today and purchase a musical mobile and play gym for little Jordy. He is not being stimulated enough!"

Alas, Jordy's mum was not at her best and was too exhausted to drive herself to the land of Robinsons. So she clicked her heels twice, twirled round thrice with Jordy and wished for his grandmas to appear.

And lo and behold, Mama Maree from New Zealand was spirited away from her hometown of Dunedin to the tropical kingdom where Jordy ruled, and Mama Daisie from Singapore came whizzing round as fast as she could!

The two grandmas delightedly picked Jordy up, and before you could say "where's the 20% discount section?" had transported him, buggy and all to the land of Robinsons! It was wee Jordy's first trip out on the town, and with the help and love of his two amazing grandmas, had a lovely day.

Isn't Jordy a lucky thing? His mum thinks so!