Morning activities for the kids

Early last Saturday morning, Mummy brought Lleyton and Leanne to the garden area for a morning walk. Lleyton also took along his new tricycle he received on his birthday.

He had a few attempts at it but was not able to pedal hard enough to move the tricycle forward. He probably needs a few more training sessions to get the hang of it.

Meanwhile, Leanne was enjoying the scenery and the breeze in the garden for about an hour, while Lleyton gor-gor continued to "work out" in the fitness corner.

6 weeks old!

Apart from feeding and sleeping, Leanne was able to stay awake for a longer period of time and respond to Mummy and Daddy when they speak to her. She will listen intently and attempt to interact with them, occasionally giving a little smile.

Look at how comfortable she is in her car seat and rocking high-chair.

Leanne's funny sleeping poses

So noisy! Don't disturb my beauty rest.

Swaying in the sleep

Dozed off while watching TV?

2 sides to every coin - Judge for yourself

Is this a case of Lleyton bullying Leanne, making her cry?

Or a case of Lleyton trying to soothe an already crying Leanne?

Guess who?

It's not difficult to guess who needs the long-awaited haircut the most. This activity was number one on the to do list during the one week break before the arrival of Leanne. Due to Leanne's eagerness to see the world, this haircut has to be postponed. In view of the hot weather these days (though it has just been turning cool), it's time to snip the messy bush away!

Grocery shopping list

It's time to stock up on groceries. Given the fact that Mummy has decided to refrain from bringing Baby Leanne out too often, she has to make plans for her own lunch (and domestic helper) and the family's dinner.

Here's the list:
1) Rice
2) Sesame oil
3) Soy Sauce
4) Potatoes
5) Carrots
6) Vegetables
7) Chicken
8) Fishballs
9) Beancurd
10) Fruits
11) Fresh milk
12) Bread and cereals

Noticed that most of these ingredients are mainly to accomodate Lleyton's diet. Recently, he prefers to having rice with soup rather than his usual porridge. Hope the family can find some time on Sunday to make a trip out to get all the groceries to last for the next whole week.

More manageable

Yesterday marked the 2nd day after confinement. It was relatively more manageable, partly due to the nice cooling weather which put Leanne on a sleepy mode the whole day (except that she was wide awake from 11pm to 1am). On top of that, Grandma gave a pleasant surprise visit in the late morning! She helped to coach the domestic helper to cook a few basic dishes and watched her while she cooks. In the afternoon while Leanne was still sleeping, Mummy continued to guide the domestic helper on preparing the dinner. Mummy was pleased when Daddy commented that he was very satisfied that he could have a proper dinner at home after work, a short time to relax before he goes to school.

Today, Mummy already had in mind what to cook for lunch and dinner - Japanese Curry Rice. While carrying Leanne in her arms, she verbally told the domestic helper to prepare the ingredients and the step-by-step instructions on how to cook. Both had a simple version of that for lunch and will whip up more side dishes for Daddy's dinner later in the day.

Mummy will also get her day off to meet up with her girlfriends for dinner. Yay! She will be bringing Lleyton along while Daddy has kindly agreed to babysit Leanne for the evening. Great for Father-and-daughter's bonding.

First day out of confinement

Ok.. the first day of "freedom" was disastrous! Without Grandma around to help, Mummy suddenly felt so lost, no knowing when she should take her shower and her meals. Of course, the timing should revolve around Leanne but she was so unpredictable!

Needing a solution, Mummy decided to put the MIM sling to good use as it could at least freed up her hands to do some simple stuff. After great efforts trying to put Leanne to sleep, this girl finally took a nap in the sling. That was when Mummy managed to take a quick shower and her lunch.

For the rest of the afternoon, Leanne just refused to nap, either requesting to be latched on or be carried. Mummy thought it may be a good idea to stroll to the nearby mall to buy some stuff and also dinner for all. Leanne was probably not used to the spacious stroller that was used for the first time. Upon reaching the mall, she started wailing loudly at the payment counter. A "kind" auntie attempted to touch her. Upon seeing her intention to pacify Leanne, Mummy responded that it was ok and she could handle. This auntie suddenly turned "crazy" and started using vulgarities to scold Mummy, claiming that she should thank her. As the auntie was making a nuisance of herself at the mall, Mummy quickly apologise and "thank her" and make her way out of the shop before things turned unpleasant. After giving Leanne a comfort feed at the nearest nursing room, Leanne was happy and awake when they made their way home. It was indeed a demoralising first attempt for Mummy to bring baby out by herself.

Daddy and Lleyton reached home at around 5.30pm. Mummy quickly took her dinner with them (and Leanne in sling) and settled down for the evening as Daddy left for his class.

Leanne is one month old!

Leanne is one month old! Same as Lleyton's first month, there was no major celebration held except for a simple family dinner over the weekend.

On the actual day, Daddy, Mummy and Leanne went around a few locations to distribute the first month cakes to colleagues and friends.

Here's baby Leanne on her first month!

Recent photos of Baby Leanne

Many have commented that Leanne looks like her brother, Lleyton. Indeed, they do share certain similarities, in terms of facial features and even some habits.

As she is approaching one month old, she started to develop more distinctive "girly" features and characteristics. Some proofs as captured here:

1. Oh.. I love to pose for pictures

2. See my small "cherry" mouth


3. I have chubby cheeks too


4. Don't I have bigger eyes? Let me attempt to give a shy smile here..