Category Archives: Parenting
Ch-ch-Changes
I’ve been humming Changes these past few days. Time may change me, but I can’t trace time… 8 months have already flown by, and G is ready to pop at any time. May simply vanished as my one-month notice was too short to take care of last minute to-do’s. And now it’s June and we’re poised to see a host of changes, personally and professionally. The two biggest are the arrival of Junior and my new job. These were also the impetus for our dining and cooking rampage of the past few months. G and I both knew that there would never be the same freedom to go out on a whim (at least for the next few years), and so we celebrated the end of just the two of us.
We’re looking forward to family life and all of the changes that come with it. I still have a backlog of food-related posts to write-up (someday), but updates in all likelihood will be less frequent between parenting and work (I actually have to wear pants everyday).
Some random updates:
- Thanks Mom and Dad for shipping the baby care package from the States! We love the
adorablemanly one-piece outfits for Jr. - We’re in the market for a baby/mommy photographer. Food ≠ Baby. Any recommendations?
- We have a shiny new addition to the family to keep me company and help process all of the baby photos.
- I also have a new kitchen appliance – a Philips steamer/blender that I can’t wait to try out once Jr is old enough for baby food
Happy Mother’s Day!
It’s still Sunday in the States, so I wanted to take this opportunity to wish my mom a happy Mother’s Day! Growing up, this holiday was a subdued affair in our household given the lack of nearby relatives. Inevitably, we would celebrate with a traditional brunch buffet (ah the Broker Inn). Food, and not just Chinese is an integral part of my family. Weekends might be consumed with attempts at homemade chinese sausages, dumplings, etc… and when we could afford to eat out, mom always had a nose for good restaurants. Since about food, I thought I would share about one of the strongest bonds with my mom (and Dad also)- food.
Until meeting G, I wasn’t nearly as picky about what or where I ate, so long as it was filling. Ironically, my disinterest for and love of food can all be attributed to my childhood. I can still recall the many times that Mom would drag Dad and me to faraway restaurants just because she had “heard” they had great food. Driving at least an hour each way just for a meal, especially as a teenager (when there are more important social activities to attend to) created a strong negative reinforcement towards food. Outwardly I hated all the “time spent” with the folks, but secretly I loved the variety of cultural experiences, Thai, Korean, Moroccan, etc… so foreign to where we lived.
Baby names
“Have you chosen a name?” is now the most popular question asked by friends and family. Since we still have two months to go, G and I aren’t too worried that we haven’t come up with the perfect name. Technically, we also have two weeks after birth to pick a name and turn in Jr’s registration papers. So it may come to down to pulling an all-nighter before the deadline, furiously brainstorming over a pot of coffee (just like my college days).
Naming is an important task. In the hierarchy of ways to emotional traumatize children, I’d rank choosing the wrong name close to the very top. Other kids can be very creative in coming up with not-so-nice nicknames, so it’s no wonder that there are scores of websites and books available to help keep parents from inadvertently choosing names like Richard, Woody, or Fanny. In fact the last chapter of Freakonomics discusses the socio-economic impact a name has, and the importance of timeliness.
A lifetime of worrying
We’ve been worrying about the size of our belly/baby even though the gynae said that we’re within the average range. At the same time, we’ve also been wondering whether our son should be kicking more especially since we’re supposed to be monitoring his kicks regularly from now on. I guess such is the fate of parenthood; the beginning of a lifetime of worrying about everything and anything.
The app we’re using (BabyBump) has a kick counter that helps to record up to 10 kicks or 2 hours, whichever comes first. We’re planning to start counting at least every other day before or after dinner time.
In the meantime, we’re looking forward to our next gynae visit in Week 29. Our gynae, Dr Ann Tan, doesn’t have any packages so we have to pay for each visit as we go along. She also only operates at Mount Elizabeth hospital (not exactly one of the cheapest places to deliver) so we have been (and will continue) burning quite a substantial hole in our pockets. However, she is very recognized in her field of expertise and I feel more comfortable with her, despite her no-nonsense approach, than my previously also-renowned gynae.