We're moving!!

After quite a good deal of work, we've finally managed to move this blog to its new address

We’ve decided that having our own domain is the way to go to give us a little more control of the site and to open it to only family and friends. For privacy reasons, we’re requesting that readers log in to read future posts.

You should have already received an email from either Kale or myself with some info on a user name and password, or if you’re an LJ user on my friends list, you’ll have received some info there. If we've inadvertently missed you out, if we don't have your email address or if you've been lurking, leave a comment on this post, and we’ll get in touch with you about accessing the new site.

I realise this means a little more work for you in order to read your blog, and I do apologise for the inconvenience. But I hope this won’t deter you from continuing to read!

- Denise, Kale & Meredith

little flipper

ok, so i think i've finally figured out why meredith's been stiffening her whole body ever so often and arching her back all the time. i think she's trying to learn how to flip. so far she's able to do it part of the way, ie get over onto her side before she gets stuck.

the whole arching of the back thing is getting a little annoying, especially since it makes her impossible to hold on to, especially when she's trying to latch on... and then it hurts when she's actually latched on and tries to take my boob with her in her mouth while she arches. ow.

this new-found skill of hers also means that she now has a means of protesting against being put in the swing/car seat/rocker, etc. she stiffens up, arches her back and it is IMPOSSIBLE to seat her in any of the abovementioned gadgets. especially with a bum left wrist. =(

let's hope she figures this flipping thing out soon so she'll cut down on her antics during nursing!

Terror of a week

It's been one loooong week. Meredith's been a little uncooperative this week, to say the least. On one hand, you can't really blame the poor child. After all, she's been dragged through 6 time zones twice in the span of a week and each time she takes a nap, she wakes up in a different place (changi airport, airplane, tokyo airport, airplane, on pavement outside rental company, restaurant, hawaii house, restaurant, car, more airplanes, more restaurants, more airports, in the car again, etc etc). No wonder she's cranky.

But seriously, she's been a terror - wanting to nurse ALL THE TIME. And not napping or sleeping well. Which means she's cranky in the evenings again. But I'm trying to be patient cos I realise she's probably confused. I mean, on the trips there and back I basically forced my boob on her when we were taking off or landing to mitigate the pressure change.. even when she was half asleep. And then whenever she so much as let out a peep, I'd nurse her so that she wouldn't disturb the other passengers. No wonder now she expects to be nursed all the time. I mean, I would too after all that.

As for her sleep routine, that's gone out of the window. We're back to waking up 3 times or more during the night, and me taking an hour to nurse her and finally convince her to sleep. She's been sleeping in our bed cos that's the only way she'll sleep, which again means restless nights for me. I was worried about this happening. We finally had a good thing going before we left for Hawaii - where she was only waking once during the night and was sleeping in her crib on her own. =( But I guess it's to be expected. I'm more concerned about her adjusting after our December trip to Hawaii. Not only does she have to adjust to the time zone and being back in Singapore, she'll also have to adjust to me going back to work. And I'm wondering if all that all together will be too traumatizing for the poor baby.

So yes, I'm a walking zombie these days (which explains the few posts). I hope Ms B decides soon that she wants to get back on Singapore time otherwise I'm going to be completely useless soon. =(

On a side note - I finally went out for a run. A measly 2.5k run, 2 weeks before the 10k run I'm supposed to do. Sheesh. And I almost felt like dying. I'm aching all over. I'm so screwed for the race, I tell you. Why oh why, did I let the hubby convince me it was a good idea to sign up for it?

A meme, just because

From Pei Fen.

Featuring the letter "H"...

1. the Hula - it's graceful and calming
2. Hot dogs - especially the kind with the crunchy skin
3. Holding Meredith when she's asleep, and inhaling her wonderful baby smell (that's when she's not stinky and smelling of poop and spit-up)
4. Heaven - cos it gives me hope. and that's where i hope my loved ones and i will meet up eventually and be happy ever after
5. Hugs- cos they're the simplest way to comfort someone and to tell them that you care
6. Hawker center food - delicious and cheap. Am sure to miss it when we move to the US
7. Hotties - cos who doesn't love 'em? heh heh
8. Haircuts - cos I feel so much more put together after them. Altho I almost never like my hair when I walk out of a salon
9. Honesty - self-explanatory
10. Hotcakes - mmmmm... only craving during my pregnancy!

Comment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter. Afterward, post this in your journal and give out some letters of your own.

back home

we arrived back in s'pore late on friday nite... meredith was, once again, a trooper and did really well on the flights back. she had one minor meltdown on the way back from tokyo but nothing major.

we received news on friday that kale's grandpa had passed on. the news was totally unexpected. i had just heard kale's mom talking to him on the phone a few days before while in hawaii.

i'd only met him a couple of times back in 2004 when we were in charleston for our wedding, but Grandpa Tracy was an inspiration to me, and dare i say to the rest of my family who was there. here was a man in his 80s, sharp as a tack, with a wicked sense of humor (and i mean wicked) and capable of driving on his own through the dark, windy roads of charleston at night. he drove out to meet us for dinner, and then proceeded to drive himself home in the dark of night. he poked fun at kale and i during dinner and he really was great company.

he was a doctor, and as recent as last month, we were on the phone with him seeking his advice on meredith's jaundice. he's always been the one that kale turned to for any medical advice, and during my pregnancy, kale kept on reminding me that should i have any niggling questions, i could always check with Grandpa. i honestly cannot believe that he's no longer with us.

i can only imagine how hard this must be for kale, i know how much he adored Grandpa. he's said it more than once in the past - it's times like this that it sucks to be living so far away from his family. and i can totally see how that is. one of my regrets is that Meredith never got to meet her Great-Grandpa Tracy. kale's mom had called him a couple of times when she was out here visiting and he said it was great that he could look at meredith's pictures (which kale's mom had sent over) and hear her cry over the phone. i just wish they could have met in person.

i read dave's entry, and it touched me to no end. i know that i can't ever wax as eloquently as that but i at least wanted to say a little something about Grandpa, despite my only having known him for a short while. he's a huge part of Kale's life, and hence a part of mine and i know that we'll both miss him. but i do know that he's in a good place with His blessing.

Island hopping

Tomorrow we leave Hawaii for Singapore. 2 island destinations that are so very different. I'd almost say they're as different as night and day.

I'm glad I came to Hawaii this time around. My last visit here didn't leave me a very good impression of pacific paradise. It was rainy and cold and when it rains in Hawaii, there's not much to do since everything is outdoors. This time around tho, I got a chance to experience Hawaii as it should be - crystal clear waters; azure seas; sunny days with pleasant trade winds.

In some ways it feels like we've been here for a long time. The days have melted into each other and I can't honestly remember when we arrived. I've managed to do a little bit of everything I wanted to do - beach, pool, eat (big-time) and even shop. So I'm a happy camper. But then again, it also feels like time has just flown right by. I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow. Feels kinda surreal.

I kinda don't wanna head back - well, obviously cos this place is beautiful, but also because the peanut has been really good this whole trip. I'm sure part of it is that she's well past the 3 month mark and EVERYONE has told us that it gets easier from 3-4months or so onwards. But I have a niggling suspicion that the laid-back atmosphere out here, the beautiful temperature and the sleep-inducing weather may have something to do with her angelic behavior. As Kale said, we have about 8 million shots of her passed out somewhere or the other! hah.

The other thing is that this trip gave Kale and I a chance to spend some time together. We really don't spend much quality time together back home, what with work during the day and a screaming baby at night. So it was nice to just chill and enjoy each other's company. And needless to say, it's been nice catching up with Kale's family and having more than a few laughs. Really reminds me how lucky I am that my family is all close by in Singapore and we see each other so often. I often take that for granted. The good news is we'll be seeing everyone again at Xmas so that's not too far away.

ok lah.. time to go pack (actually hubby's packing while i'm slacking off blogging.. hah)

Pictures of paradise

Here's the first instalment of pictures from the first few days here.. not going to be too ambitious cos blogger is notorious for giving me problems when I'm uploading pictures so I'm not going to push it.. (edit: as a matter of fact, i only managed to get pictures up on the 4th try.. sheesh!)

We're all loving Hawaii! The weather is just perfect.. none of the rainy crap we encountered the last time we were here. Meredith's a true island girl.. just chillin' out, enjoying the trade winds!

Chillin on the beach with grammie
Meredith's first dip in the pool
Protecting that baby-soft skin from the sun. Doesn't the sea look heavenly???
The 60th big bash
Hanging with grammie and grampie
Dr B soothing the peanut...

Quick update..

Quick one before we run off to the beach. Yes, I know, life is tough.. hah.

Hawaii sure agrees with Meredith- she's been napping REALLY well during the day, and generally been pretty angelic during the day. Of course, this means she doesn't sleep that much at night, but it's not too bad.. think the black-out curtains in our room really help her sleep better at night. Something to consider for our room back home.

The hawaii-based grandparents are having a blast with her and so is Aunt Tita. And of course we're thrilled at having willing babysitters who are sooo good with her! They seriously don't believe us when we say she's not an angel all the time cos she's been really good for them. They rock her for a little bit and then she's content to just nap by herself next to the pool. Man, perhaps we should move to Hawaii!

Will put pics up soon... when I can tear myself away from the pool/beach/tv.

Footnote: Having a baby suddenly makes going to the beach that much more an operation - gotta bring towels, sunscreen, umbrella, video camera, camera... etc etc.. phew! =p

Guess where we are???

Heh heh.. we're in Hawaii. Yes, you read that right. Hawaii.
It's Kale's mom's 60th b'day today so to surprise her, Kale's dad secretly arranged for the kids to fly in to spend the day with her.

So we flew with the peanut for the first time yesterday.. 2 longish flights. She did really well!! I nursed her for most of the trip, but to give her credit, she did sleep through most of the flights. She got a little cranky in Narita, but nothing major.

She did, however, have a major meltdown when we strapped her into the car seat... and was cranky for a good hour after. She finally settled in for a long nap (technically it was still part of her night-time sleep) and woke up in a much better mood. Guess she's entitled to a meltdown given the fact that she really has been a trooper.

She's passed out on the couch with Kale right now. We're waiting for the dinner festivities to start. This house is amazing - but more on that later...

Aloha!