Crocs

I am fortunate enough to own 3 pairs of Crocs now.

I am even more fortunate to bought them at extreme discounted price. Thanks to Janette sis who helped me buy them from Singapore whenever they have factory outlet sales.

Cleo - bought them for S$20

Review
This colourful well-supported sandals is my 1st pair of Crocs.
Wore this the whole of my pregnancy. It has double cushioned comfort supports which is great. It also has enough space to cater for my swollen feet.

Rating: 9/10

Prima - bought them for S$10

Review:
This slim-fitting ballet-inspired prima is so comfortable. I like wearing this whenever I go shopping as it goes nice with my jeans and yet so comfy.
One bad thing is that it makes my feet sweat a little when I walk for too long (luckily there are holes at the front).
This type of 'closed-shoes crocs' are not for sweaty-feet people.

Rating: 8/10

Patra - bought them for S$25

Review
This colour is not so good as it is difficult to maintain as it gets dirty easily.
The design is a bit small and narrow and thus need to get one size bigger than your normal crocs shoes size.
Bad point for me is that it is the pricier crocs compared to the other two.

Rating: 7/10

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All in all, I love Crocs but I guess I would not pay full price for them - as they are priced too high. But at a fraction of the price, I don't mind owning them.

New Hair Cut & New Camera Canon Ixus 110 IS Review

I bought a new digital camera. Nah, nothing spectacular...just another new point-and-shoot digi camera. My faithful 6 years Canon Ixus 50 is still in good working condition but the image stabilizer is not so good - which is the reason why I buy my new Canon Ixus 110 IS.
I want to be able to capture all of Shern's expressions! ;D

Kids will be kids and Shern is always moving, thus difficult to capture his expressions without coming out blur. But my new Ixus 110 is spectacular. Pics are so clear even though he is moving all the time. I absolutely love it.

Furthermore, I got it at a bargain at the most recent PC Fair. So lagi happy!

One of the first few pics I took was of my new haircut...and with Shern in my arms. :)
Short huh? My hair almost reached my waist before I chopped it off.

Let me incorporate the review of my new Canon Ixus 110 IS in this blog entry as well.

Mine's PINK of course.... :D

Pros:
- 2.8mm wide-angle lens
- Good image stabilizer
- has Smart Auto shooting mode
- Takes good indoor photos with minimal lighting
- Has explanatory on-screen notes
- Relatively large LCD screen - 2.8" and is easy to see under any lighting conditions and with scratch resistance, anti-reflecting coating
- Create high quality movies
- Blink detection - A 3-second warning appears immediately as you reviewed the shots after shooting when subjects with closed eyes are detected.

Cons:
- Quite big for a point-and-shoot camera
- Don't like the glossy colours of the camera itself
- Slower response when flash is being used
- Expensive (Canon is always expensive!)

Rating: 8/10

Hot Wok @ Burmah Road

10 of us went to Hot Wok last Sunday...to celebrate the birthdays of Peter, Karen & Mich.

Taste of the food was good but was pricey. Drinks are expensive - RM2 for barley, tea, etc.
Rice are not refillable. They charge RM1 per bowl. Hot water is free though, so my drink was free! ;)

We ordered 8 dishes & 2 different types of deserts (forgotten to take pics of the deserts we ordered - Sago Gula Melaka & Sago Nangka).

I commented that I read somewhere in someone's food blog comment that the mango chendol desert is not nice. Because of my comment, we received the Mango Chendol desert FOC! ;)
Anyway, I must say that it tasted weird - mango taste overpowering and I could not taste the chendol at all.

Mango Chendol desert

We got an ice-cream cake from Maxim's. RM48 and I feel not worth it because I don't like the taste. The ice-cream is too milky and cake is too spongy. Haha. Maybe because I compare it to Haagen-Daz's ice-cream cake! ;P
Anyway, it is still nice to have a cake because what's a birthday without a cake, right?

ice-cream cake from Maxim's

The b'day boys & girl - Peter, Mich & Karen


Lastly a group picture to commemorate the outing!


l to r: Mich & Wai Min, Karen, Chun Hoer, Shu-Yin & Peter, Alan & Bee Wooi, Siow Sen & Justin

Yiu-Shern - week 11

Yiu-Shern's 11 weeks Milestone

Wellness
Peter has got boils on his arms. Then unfortunately, he spread it to Shern. So Shern has got boils on his hand! Sigh....
As Shern always put his hands to his mouth, I was so afraid that it will spread to his face. So I put a plaster over his boils. The next day, when I took out the plaster, the place was covered with rashes. It must be an allergy reaction. (but he always got plaster on after injection and there was no allergy...)

I quickly took him to see the paed and he confirmed that they are boils and it was an allergy reaction to the plaster. He recommended to air the affected area and he prescribed some cream to apply. It got better the following day. Ahh...the magic of medication...

Breastfeeding
During the day time, Shern is still drinking 3oz EBM every 2 hourly whenever he is awake. If he sleeps, it may drag more than 2 hours.
During night time, he still suckle at my breasts happily although sleepily...

Clothing
Shern is out-growing many of his clothes. He cannot fit into some of his 0-3 mths clothes anymore. So now I let him wear all clothings even though he does not go out of the house. It is such a delight to dress him up and then take photos of him!
I'm really amazed on how much he has grown. From so teeny weeny to such a big baby now.

Neck/Head
His neck is very strong and he can lift his head up 90 degree even before end of his 3rd month. He enjoys doing mini push-ups...lifting his head to see the world when he is on his tummy.

Fist Sucking
He loves to suck at his fingers and fist. He can now put his fist into his mouth - even his whole fist. I still make him wear his mittens to prevent him from scratching his own face. Therefore, whenever he tries sucking his own fist, his mittens are draining wet.

Smiles
No more rare, occasional smiles. Shern is always smiling these days.

16 Aug 2009

Look at his cheeky, sexy, seducing smile.......ahhhhh........*girls screaming from 10 miles away..fainting*

23 Aug 2009

How Is Mummy Doing?

Being able to fit into more and more of my pants now....phew....but this does not mean my tummy is back to pre-pregnancy size or my hips have shrunk. It just shrank a 'lil bit and am now being able to zippety-zip.

I have a huge appetite nowadays. I am not dieting because I am still breastfeeding (good excuse not to be on diet as I have never been on diet my whole life! :P). I love carbohydrates - rice, bread, potatoes.
Gosh....if you could just see me eat...you will be shocked! ;D

Review: Bepanthen® Nappy Care Ointment

Bepanthen^® is a product containing ProVitamin B5, which supports the natural recovery process of your baby’s delicate skin.

Bepanthen^® ointment works in two ways :

Aids Natural Skin RecoveryBepanthen^® ointment, contains Pro Vitamin B5 which gently aids natural recovery of sensitive skin while keeping it soft, smooth and moisturised. Additionally, Bepanthen^® seals in the skin's natural moisture, providing optimal conditions to allow gentle skin recovery without drying out your baby's delicate skin.

Protects
Clinically proven, Bepanthen^® works by forming a long lasting, transparent layer, protecting even the most delicate skin from irritants and rubbing. The water-in-oil formulation keeps the skin healthy and hydrated, while the ingredient Pro Vitamin B5 helps the skin repair its natural protective barrier.

Review:
During Shern's 1st month, he has some rashes so I applied a thin layer of Bepanthen^® to Shern's clean, dry bottom after every nappy change. The rash was gone after awhile.
(make sure you wipe dry before applying. If not the moisture will be trapped under the ointment)

Although Drapolene is a more famous nappy rash cream, I chose Bepanthen because it works for Shern and also can also be used to heal for sore nipples.

I also applied a thin layer to my sore, slightly cracked nipples. I find it works for me as the sore heals quite fast.

Until now I still continue to use it to protect Shern's bottom against the causes of nappy rash, but I dont use it at every nappy change now. Maybe once or twice a day, and usually after he poo-s.

Pros:
- Dual purpose - treats baby's nappy rash & mummy's sore/cracked nipples
- Cheaper than Drapolene (nappy rash) & Medela Purelan (nipple cream)

Cons:
- A little oily as it is an ointment and not cream.
- Not organic. You need to wipe it off every time before you feed baby if you use it as a nipple ointment

Rating: 7/10

Happy Birthday Dearest Darlin' Peter

It was Peter's birthday 3 days ago - 18 Aug 2009. It was Peter's first birthday as a daddy.

I wanted to get him a document bag (the one he is using now has holes!).

I rushed to Metrojaya & got him a document bag which can be used as a laptop bag as well.
Went to Ritz and bought Lychee Flan.
Rushed home before Peter got back and before Shern starts to scream! ;P

2 of us went out for dinner at Bella Italia.

Dinner there this time was so-so only.

We had the Spagehetti Alla Bella Italia recommended by the waiter. It was spaghetti with prawns, clams and asparagus in white garlic sauce. I didn't like it as it had some kind of 'fishy' smell. And the sauce was not oomphh enough. But the spaghetti was done nicely - not too hard nor soft.

The Lasagna Di Carne was as delicious as ever. The layered pasta baked with minced beef sauce, cheese and creamy bechamel sauce is to die for. It is the best lasagna in town

l to r: Spagehetti Alla Bella Italia, and Lasagna Di Carne

Had a mini cake-cutting celebration with family.

Peter with my present to him and Twisties from Min :)

Happy 29th birthday Darlin' Peter and I love you!

Weekend Smiles

Look at how happy he was last weekend when he was all alone with Mummy & Daddy? :D

Below 2 movie clips are all about Smiles and Goo-goo-gaa-gaa-s!

Just the 3 of Us for the weekend

Parents together with Min & Ah Yee went to Genting Highlands last weekend. So 3 of us stayed in our home for the whole weekend.

We had fun spending all of our time with Shern.

Shern & me - 17 Aug 09 & 16 Aug 09

Shern with Daddy & Shern with Mummy - wearing his 'banduan' outfit - 17 Aug 09

3 of Us on the Bed - 17 Aug 09

Shern was QUITE a good boy the whole weekend. Not much drama except for a poop-overflow incident.

You see, Shern did not poo on Saturday. I was quite worried then, coz that was the first time he missed a day. But on Sunday, while b/feeding him, I heard a loud woosh ploop sound. I quickly unlatched him and omg...it's a big mess!

His poop overflowed out of his lampin and let's just say it was a messy affair!

Yiu-Shern - Week 10

10 Aug 2009 - see how cute I am!

Yiu-Shern's 10 weeks Milestone

Poop
One thing I dread is cleaning up his poop. He poo-s large amount lately until it fills up his whole lampin up to his waist. It is such a mess to clean him up, so he usually ends up in the bath tub.
Sometimes I think it is his trick. He likes to bathe so I think he will keep all his poop and then poo-s them out in one go so that he gets to bathe.

Crying
He is such a drama. Many a time he will be crying and crying until he falls asleep. Then suddenly he will wake up and remember that he is supposed to be upset and then continues to cry.

Nails
His nails are so sharp. Actually they are so thin that they cut like paper. I am still so afraid to remove his mittens in fear that he will scratch his face in one of his crying fits. Not that he has not done that yet. He had scratched himself (especially his face) a few times and it hurts me to see scratches on his angelic face.

But if I do not remove his mittens, how is he going to feel the different textures and shapes and to start developing his motor skills?

from top left to right:
8 Aug 09 - dreaming about making my millions when I grow up
9 Aug 09 - smiling in my dreams
9 Aug 09 - oi, what you looking at? never see handsome boy before arr?
10 Aug 09 - y I don't have dimples like mummy when I smile?

Drooling
Shern has been drooling a lot these days. Maybe because he has finally know the existence of his hands and has been sucking his little drumstick hands whenever he has a chance,cause which is seldom because I always make sure he has his mittens on. Even so, he will still suck them 'til his mittens are all wet with drool....ewwwww......

9 Aug 2009 - what a drool!

10 Aug 2009 - tasty little drumlets

Playtime
As mentioned before, Shern absolutely loves looking at the mirror. He gets lots of opportunities to look at the large mirror in his Activity Gym/Playmat.

The fun part is he has absolutely no idea that the person he is staring into is himself!

8 Aug 2009 - who is that naughty baby in the mirror?

How Is Mummy Doing?

I am trying to teach Shern to sleep through the night. No idea which method works yet. Will try them out and update again when Shern successfully sleeps through the night.

As Shern is now drinking 3oz EBM every 2 hours, I need to increase my pumping time. Now pumping 3oz every 2 1/2 hourly. If my milk supply do not increase, I may not have enough milk for Shern. *worrying

Shern's Gifts

Look at the many gifts Shern received from all our friends and relatives.

Gifts received while at the hospital from Mindy, Mun Yi, Chiao Ju, etc

left: Carter's clothes from Carol
right: clothes from different brands from Chun Hoer, Janette sis, mum, Soo Huey

left: lime green Bumbo Chair with Tray from IDT colleagues
right: Vtech First Year Baby Walker from IDT colleagues

left: Lamaze Fly-Away Ladybug cloth book from Anita & Cynthia
centre: Lamaze pup squeak from say kor
right: Lamaze Eddie the Elephant from Angie


Hand-knitted sweater from Chin Peng

Besides the gifts mentioned above, Shern also received many hampers and baby gift sets from Amanda, Brenda, Estee, Steven, Patricia, Yi Ling, Yoke Yee, etc.

Chiao Ju's onesies and Mickey Mouse gifts are here.
Sue Mei's hand-made baby comforter gift is here
Mum's swaddle blanket gift is here.

And we also received loads of ang pows from many, many others!

All these gifts make Shern and his mum very happy! :D

Arigato.