Today is my godson - Ethan's 1st Birthday Bash! Lucky Ethan has 4 godmas who totally dote on him and who have been running around the past week getting ready for this day : ) Will post some pics of his party shortly.

We godmas decided to get him gifts from BW which will accompany him through his playing, reading & feeding time. The basket hamper contains cute toys (Sassy On-the-Go Vehicle Blocks and Pull & Go Elephant Pal) and books & flashcards from Baby Einstein, Sesame Street, etc which are bound to keep Ethan very entertained! The 2nd hamper which is cleverly wrapped using the Baby Bjorn Safety Seat as a base, contains the Baby Bjorn Plate & Spoon Set and Baby Bjorn Soft Bib which has a deep pocket to catch food spills! I thought this bib is a really ingenious invention! Now Ethan can eat in style and fully-color coordinated : )) 

An article was published in the Straits Times yesterday, highlighting how BPA lingers in the body longer than previously expected.  The research keeps getting worse and I'm glad I switched Marc off BPA free bottles months ago.  What shocks me is the lack of awareness in Singapore at how BPA is present in baby bottles sold here (and highest volumes are found to have leached into baby's milk for bottle brands that are MOST popular in Singapore).  Parents will spend loads of money on special infant baby classes and flashy clothes but are unaware about the dangers lurking in the baby bottle used.  Perhaps its my overseas education that makes me sceptical, but I don't trust government bodies that claim BPA is present in safe levels in baby bottles - why even expose your child to any level if BPA has shown to wreak havoc with their endocrine systems?

Here's the link to the latest article:

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Tech%2Band%2BScience/Story/STIStory_331487.html

You can find out more about BPA and baby bottles at our Handy Resources section:

http://www.babywishes.com.sg/BabyWishes/handyresourceshome.aspx

Do read up and make an informed choice for the benefit of your babies.

One of the fun things about being a toddler is how absolutely mouldable and impressionable a child is at that age.  We've noticed Marc's knack at all thing domestic - provided its related to food.  In Melbourne, he was kept occupied stacking oranges into the basket and removing them again.  He helped to sort out vegies from the fridge (of course, sometimes he tried to eat them), he selected fruits and vegetables during our supermarket trips and of late, he's learnt to help me pluck beansprouts.  I had a craving for beansprouts fried with salted vegetables and pork, so I bought the ingredients from the market and started to remove the roots from the beansprouts.  Marc comes running along and at first, he started throwing the beansprouts onto the floor.  I decided to provide him with a bowl and that did the trick! He started imitating me, plucking the beansprouts and placing them into the bowl.  Of course - he was plucking the heads instead of the roots, but I was pleased enough that he got the idea.  But the boy in him took hold eventually.  He started throwing the beansprouts onto the floor again.  When his bowl became full of sprouts, he put his pudgy little fingers in and started tossing them in the bowl.  He did however last a full 20 minutes just playing with the sprouts, which was enough for me to finish with the whole packet!

Chinese new year is round the corner and I'm excited.  We've been teaching Marc daily how to do "gong xi gong xi" and he's getting there.  He can do it the proper way and his own twist on gong xi gong xi is to wave his arms from side to side, instead of front to back.   But he gets the idea. 

A friend's boutique is running a clothing swap - a fantastic idea and great way to clear out the wardrobe while getting some new dresses.  Check it out at:

http://ilovetoswirl.com/events.asp

Another month has passed since I last blogged & thinking back of what happened over the month really makes me realize how fast time has passed! Thankfully, I have been faithfully taking photographs as Isaac grows so if my post-pregnancy memory fails me, at least I have these photos to remind me of his many milestones.

Isaac has grown heaps in terms of size & weight & he is now weighing a whopping 5.6kg! Carrying him for a mere 30 minutes would send my shoulders & lower back aching for the rest of the day. Worse still, he is now demanding to stand ALL THE TIME! Hubby & I are now familiar faces of Wang Yang.

One of the biggest event of the month is definitely Isaac’s first HAIRCUT! Did I say haircut? Hmm…actually it’s HAIRSHAVE! I have sworn that this would his first & last shave (of course unless army requires it next time). After much deliberation, I finally consented to making Isaac botak. This was after seeing another baby at a shopping centre one day with a whole portion of bald patch right in the middle of his head! Though I know this was going to be a painful process, I had to do what is best for my son, so I agreed. Afterall, they say that babies with shaven heads would end up a new coat of thicker & coarser hair. However, I must admit that watching your son’s hair being totally shaved off is every mother’s worse nightmare! When the barber did the first shave, I knew there was no turning back. Each time the barber started to shave a portion of his hair, I would feel shivers running down my spine.  Funnily enough though, Isaac seemed to be enjoying every bit of it!

 

We also enjoyed our first Christmas as new parents. It certainly brought a different perspective to the occasion as it reminded us once again to be thankful to God for all His blessings , even the blessing of our new bundle of joy. Isaac was also baptized at church where hubby & I committed ourselves to bring him up in a godly manner.  To celebrate the occasion & enjoy some family time, we booked a night stay at Swissotel Merchant Court. It was also a test to see if Isaac could sleep overnight in a different environment – a pre-trial before planning for our first overseas holiday! Well, he passed quite alright!

My 4-months of maternal leave is soon drawing to an end & I would be returning to work early Feb. I have definitely got mixed emotions as a part of me would like to go back to the ‘real world’ again, enjoy being in the company of colleagues & having some brain stimulation after so long! However, my heart is torn knowing that I would not be able to constantly spend time with Isaac. I just have to remind myself that it is not the quantity of time spent, but more importantly, the QUALITY of time. I am thankful that I am only returning on a part-time basis, so I will still have ample time with Isaac when I am not working. It is also comforting to know that he is in the good hands of his nanny, who adores him like crazy & treats him like her own grandson.

Last but not least, I must definitely say that 2008 has been a HUGE year, with GREAT challenges & changes! Baby Wishes have finally taken off & we have so far received quite a few orders from some supportive friends whom we thank so dearly. Please continue to help us spread the word around so more people will come to know about us!

 We've made it back alive from our holiday to Australia!  Suffice to say that the little one had the most fun.  Some firsts for him:

1) Riding on an airplane
2) Lapping up ice cream and enjoying it
3) Chasing a peacock around the Cataract Gorge Reserve in Tasmania
4) Playing with water in a fountain
5) Sitting in a car seat without screaming for more than an hour (with lots of entertainment from grandparents of course)
6) Learning all about Australian produce like Oranges, Apples, Cherries, etc...

Some firsts for us:

1) Surviving the holiday!
2) Changing a poo-laden nappy of a toddler standing up in an airplane toilet's changing table - TOGETHER (we barely fit in there together)
3) Balancing an 11kg toddler on your chest for 2 hours without moving because he won't fit in the bassinet
4) Packing all your stuff + shopping within the 20kg luggage restriction set by SIA

It was quite an adventure!  Marc knew right away that he was on holiday.  Despite having not slept much the night before, Marc started running up and down my parents' place once we arrived in Melbourne and was absolutely thrilled.  He remained that way the entire trip - partly because he had 2 sets of grandparents to entertain him and partly because he was going out everyday.  I don't think reality has really set in yet, as he came home and started bolting around the house, pointing at familiar objects.  We can't really understand a lot of what he's saying (it all sounds like 'Ah-Guh'), but we can sort of guess. 

Marc's sign language:

1) Hands together in prayer - he wants to eat or if you are eating, he wants to eat what you're eating
2) Coming up to you and grabbing your food off the plate - he wants to eat what you're eating
3) Screaming and hanging onto Mummy's legs - he wants to eat or he wants milk
4) Clapping hands - he's happy or he thinks he's done something very well
5) Bobbing up and down in a robot-like fashion - he likes the music and is dancing to it
6) Running up to something, pointing and shouting "Ah Guh" - he recognises the object/item/person and is naming it (he has been known to do this to shrubs and we think he may be scolding them, but we don't really know why)
And yes - half of his hand actions all relate to food.  This child is food-obsessed - he inherited that from me so I don't blame him.

We have also noticed that he has learnt so much on this trip.  The exposure and constant attention really does make a difference.  He's much more responsive and aware of his surroundings.  He's also started to chat up ladies and girls.  He points and shouts at the lady packing vegetables at the supermarket, the waitress at the restaurant, the air stewardess - as long as they are female, he'll try to get their attention.  I don't have any doubts that he's heterosexual. 

He also had his first kiss on this trip!  We visited C & E in Melbourne, who whipped up a real storm for breakfast at their lovely home.  Marc kissed their daughter, L, who is about 8 months old not once, not twice, but three times!  Marc's grandfather was quite impressed, needless to say, when we told him about it when we got home.

The next challenge?  Settling Marc back into his normal routine, and getting him ready for school as he starts playschool in Feb!