staycation weekend

We checked in at the Amara Sanctuary Resort in Sentosa over the weekend. It was great to finally get away--even if it's just in Singapore--from all the busy-ness of home. I really loved getting the chance to relax and just be with my husband and son. I didn't have to worry about chores that needed to be done, which was wonderful.

Aside from eating and taking naps, we hung out at the pool. The water wasn't heated though. Since it wasn't severely hot that Saturday, it was quite uncomfortable to get in and stay in. 

Ziv wasn't thrilled at all! His lips turned bluish after a couple of minutes in the pool so we parked our butts on the deck. We were surprised that Ziv tried walking on his own without any prodding from us. 

 

It's amazing to see him bravely put one foot in front of the other and move. I know it takes a lot for him to do that and we're just so proud of him.

doctor doctor

All three of us saw doctors this past weekend. 

On Friday, I took Ziv to the pediatrician to have his lungs checked. He has been having runny nose and dry cough every morning but none during the day and evening and I wanted to make sure there's no underlying infection. The doctor said Ziv is okay, thank God. So I guess it's an allergic reaction or the air in our room may be getting too dry. We're considering getting a humidifier because even my nose gets too dry at night.

Then on Saturday morning, ze hubby had his annual physical check. We'd be getting the results in two weeks. We're praying he'll get a clean bill of health.

That afternoon, I went to see the dentist. I cracked one of my fillings last Wednesday evening and for a couple of days, there was a huge hole on one of my left molars. I was so stressed out by it. What if a chunk of meat or whatever went in there and caused major pain? I wanted to avoid having a root canal at ALL cost! Luckily, I didn't feel any pain. As the dentist said, my tooth has behaved well.

Seeing doctors freak me out! They're scary! As much as they exist to help us with our health issues, they are harbingers of doom too! They're the ones who tell you you have cancer and you only have so and so months to live or you need root canal or you've gained too much weight. I'm grateful for doctors but I just don't want to need to see them because that means something is not right or something may not be right. 

And don't get me started with the costs! 

I'm telling you, the only doctor I want to see right now is House.

mommy's day off

I had my monthly day off yesterday. Ze hubby was left here at home to take care of Ziv. It's the second time I left him on his own to hold the fort so he was more confident. All I had to do was write down Ziv's schedule so he'll know when to feed solids, bottle-feed, put Ziv down for a nap etc.

Click to see Ziv's schedule!

Ziv fell on this pattern on his own but also with a little coaxing guidance from yours truly. See, I'm a stickler for routines/schedules. I get easily stressed by unpredictability but since Ziv arrived, I had to let him be in his own time, whether or not it was convenient for me and his dad. I had to learn to be more relaxed and just follow Ziv's lead. But I'm so glad we now have more or less predictable days, making it feasible for mommy to have a day off.
 

Oh and I need even just one day off baby caring duties. I love being a stay-at-home mom but one day in a month when I can just be on my own does wonders for me. I've only had two days off so far but each time I come back from my solo outings, I feel refreshed and ready to take on another month of everything. 

Don't think I indulge in spa treatments or go on expensive shopping sprees. My outings are far from being grand or luxurious. Last month I had a doctor's appointment, had lunch at the food court and the only thing I did which can be considered a treat was to have coffee and muffin at Starbucks. Yesterday, I went out and had lunch at the food court, shopped at the 2-dollar store and had my hair cut at an express cutting outlet. After that I stopped by the supermarket then went home to my boys, whom I missed so much. I do miss my boys. Whenever I'm out I sometimes wish they were with me, but then I get distracted by the shops. Haha! But I'm glad I'm able to take a day off and just regroup. 

I'm also thankful and happy I don't have to worry about my baby. His dad did a wonderful job at taking care of him.

weekend highlights

Saturday was mainly spent here at home. We went to market and bought fresh chicken and veggies. I cooked tinola for lunch because I wanted and needed to eat something nutritious. I had a plugged duct.

Again.

This time on my left boob. The first one was on the right breast a few months back. I think that was July.

Anyway, I woke up with tenderness and lumpy engorgement on my left breast last Friday morning. It was painful, but not as painful as the first time I got a plugged duct. I pumped as usual (30 minutes, thrice a day) and it got better but then it would go back. I managed to get through the whole of Friday and even got some sleep despite the discomfort. I worried about it progressing to mastitis though so I planned to stay home and tackle it the whole of Saturday. This duct needed to be unplugged!

I took a hot shower that morning then I applied a hot compress before pumping. I also massaged the area so I could encourage the milk to flow. I pumped and the lumps would get smaller but the plug was still there.

I managed to get a two-hour nap after lunch, which felt really good. It's been a while since I had that. After that, I pumped again.

Then, we left for Thomson Plaza. We had meryenda at Wang Cafe. We had mee rebus, kaya toast with soft boiled eggs, kopi and teh. Afterwards, we shopped for groceries at Fairprice Finest then went home.

Clockwise from top left: kopi, soft-boiled eggs, kaya toast, mee rebus and teh

I wanted to resolve the plugged duct situation before going to bed, because I seriously didn't want it to develop into mastitis. I took a hot shower again, massaged it with a large-toothed comb, applied hot compress before pumping then massaged it while I pumped. It didn't seem to get better this time so I inspected my nipple.

There it was, in it's white, pimply glory. A bleb. I was happy to find that bleb because then I knew what I had to do to unplug the duct.

I took a needle, sterilized it with alcohol and then pricked the damn blister. Thin foremilk oozed out of it immediately and then came comfort. Mission accomplished! I slept well that night.

We woke up to really fine weather on Sunday so I told my boys we'll be having a picnic at the park. I packed peanut butter and mango jellly sandwiches for me and ze hubby, filled a thermos with coffee and brought pear puree for Ziv. We went down and sat at one of the park's benches.

There weren't many people in the park, unlike during weekdays when it's filled with seniors exercising at the elderly workout area or doing tai chi. It was quiet and peaceful; perfect for an impromptu family picnic.

Then right after Ziv's morning nap, we made our way to Orchard to search for the perfect workout bra for moi. I needed a new one which will fit my lactating boobies. But before embarking on what turned out to be an epic quest, we filled our tummies at Food Republic, Wisma Atria. We had Korean food and dim sum! We then hung out at Starbucks since ze hubby wanted to use the voucher for free Christmas coffee.

Clockwise from top left: Chapchae and Kimbap (Korean sushi rolls); Dada and Ziv at Food Republic; yummy dimsum; chicken briyani; Ziv drinking his Starbucks (nah, it's empty); Dada and Ziv hanging out at Starbucks

After a hearty lunch, we headed to Paragon to check out Marks & Spencer. I thought of getting a workout bra from there since they usually carry big sizes, but turned out they had limited sizes and stock. From that branch, we walked to the Centrepoint branch. I still didn't find my size so I decided to take a look at Triumph at the department store. Still no luck.

I wanted to give up and just eat ice cream but ze hubby said we should check out Stadium at 313@Somerset. There I tried bras from adidas, Nike and Reebok. Fortunately, an adidas bra fit me so we purchased it right away. To celebrate, we headed to the food court to grab meryenda. We ended up eating chicken briyani!

After all that food trip, breaking in the workout bra is a must!

weekend highlights

The past weekend was about getting shots, lots of food and zombies.

On Saturday I went to see my gyne so I could have my last shot of HepB and Gardasil. I left Ziv and ze hubby home because I didn't want to disrupt Ziv's napping schedule. Besides, I wanted to spend some time on my own, to take a breather, if you will.

So. At the gyne. As usual, my appointment was at 9-10am, but I was called in at around 11:30. Before giving me my shots, Dr. Ang gave me copies of my medical reports. One was for the pap smear, which was negative for any "intraepithelial lesion or malignancy." Even before mommy passed away of cervical cancer, I made it a point to get a pap smear annually. One can never be too careful when it comes to health.

The other paper my doctor handed me was a histopathology report. She told me she removed a cyst from my left fallopian tube when she performed the C-section. I was taken aback by this information, even thought she's reading someone else's report because she failed to mention this to me when I was still in the hospital and neither did she say anything in the two instances that I went back to her clinic. *Rolls eyes* But I was relieved when she told me the cyst was benign. That's what matters.

She then gave me a sermon about my weight. She said I should be losing weight, not gaining. According to her records, I gained 4kg since I gave birth to Ziv. Well, I've been eating like a breastfeeding mother so I'm not surprised. Haha. The doctor told me to cut my carbs. " I know you Filipinos eat rice for breakfast," she said. I told her yeah that's true but sometimes we eat wholemeal bread and oatmeal too!

Then I get my shots. Dr. Ang told me to give her my left arm. So I did. She nonchalantly poked me with the syringe, then I feel the viscous liquid penetrate my flesh. Ouch. It was painful! I don't know why but she got the idea to check my blood pressure.

She said, "Your blood pressure is still high you know." I thought, "I just got a shot lady. I think my BP's supposed to be high (due to the pain)" but I just told her I periodically check my BP at home and it's always normal. Optimal actually. She doesn't seem to believe me. She told me I had to go back to the waiting room because her nurse was still getting the Gardasil shot.

One patient later, I went back in. I get my Gardasil shot, also on my left arm. It burned when it went in. And it hurt for a while. But I was happy it was all over. Once I get out of this clinic, I don't have to go back. Ever. I'm done with overpriced expensive medical care.

From the clinic, I went to Wisma Atria at Orchard Road so I can have my lunch. I went up to the Food Republic and ate Korean chicken barbecue. It's one of my most favorite meals to eat in Singapore! I was tempted to order a serving of chapchae but I held back. That would be too much food for one person who needs to cut carbs.

Korean chicken barbecue for lunch, and Starbucks for dessert!

After lunch, I went to Starbucks. Ze hubby told me to treat myself and this was it. I ordered a tall caramel macchiato and a blueberry muffin. I drink coffee everyday but to drink it leisurely, with a muffin and while reading a book? That's a luxury. I lingered there for a while, and relished my time alone until it was time to go home. And I was happy to get back to my boys. I missed them! 

They were both napping when I arrived. I was so glad they were both okay. Ze hubby managed succeeded in taking care of Ziv on his own, and Ziv was a happy baby. No one was hurt! Haha. That afternoon, we walked a couple of blocks down to have dimsum for meryenda then stopped by the grocery store to buy some cook-ables. I cooked pork bistek and pinakbet for dinner while dada ended Daddy Care Day by giving Ziv a bath, reading to him, feeding him and putting him to bed.

Ze hubby giving Ziv a bath

The following day, we were too lazy to get our asses out so we stayed in. Ze hubby and I had a The Walking Dead marathon, all of season one and episode one of season two. I'm duwag so when I saw the promo for the series, I knew I wouldn't want to watch it. But ze hubby's interest piqued my curiosity. So when he said he downloaded all of season one, I decided to watch. The show's really well made. I was impressed with the cinematography and I found the writing solid. The acting is good too.  

Ziv eating his puffs; glutinous rice balls and yam paste; black carrot cake; soya milk

 After finishing five episodes, we decided to take a walk and have meryenda at the nearby market. We had glutinous rice balls and yam paste first, but since parang bitin we had black carrot cake. This carrot cake is not a cake and doesn't have carrot. It is actually made of steamed radish and flour batter, and is stir-fried in dark sweet sauce. We knocked them down with cold soya milk. Yum! All this while Ziv snacked on Gerber Graduates Puffs. He loves those!

And that's how we spent our weekend. :)

weekend highlights

We had fun this weekend!

On Saturday morning, we walked to Ang Mo Kio Town Garden West because I wanted Ziv to ride the swing. It was around 7:30AM, early by Singapore standards, so we had the playground to ourselves! After that, we headed to McDonald's and had a hearty breakfast.

That afternoon, we went to Nell's apartment to celebrate her birthday. The actual party wasn't going to start until 6PM but since Ziv will be asleep by then, Nell told us we can come earlier. So we went there after Ziv's afternoon nap, around 3PM.

From left: Face-to-face with Ninang Nell; posing by the Christmas tree

Ze hubby and I over-ate again! We couldn't help it, the food was delish! Nell and her housemate, Kat, prepared baked Pinoy-style spaghetti for us and served leche flan for dessert. Yum yum yum!

Ziv was thrilled to see his first Christmas tree! He kept looking at the balls and watched the lights blink. It made ze hubby want to set up our Christmas tree. Till now though we're still thinking of the best spot to set it up. We don't have much space left in our living room!

Then on Sunday, we headed downtown! It's been a while since we've been there. Sometimes we think of going but then the hassle of traveling comes to mind. It's either we take a cab, which is expensive, or take the train, which can be stressful due to the crowds, or the bus, which will take us forever! But yesterday, we decided to take the train since it was faster and cheaper.

Our main mission was to deliver Ziv's onesies to the lady who bought them. But before we met up with her at Suntec, we had lunch at Raffles City then did some shopping at Marina Square. I bought Ziv new sleeveless bodysuits because his old ones are too short for him already. I bought the very same ones though, plain white from Mothercare. Since we were going to pay with vouchers, I decided to throw in stacking cups to add to Ziv's toy collection.

I reminded ze hubby that he wanted to treat me to TWG so after meeting up with the buyer at Suntec, we took a cab to Marina Bay Sands. It's been a while since we had something so fine because having a baby in tow doesn't really go with fine things. But it was Sunday and I thought what a perfect day to have tea! Lucky for me, ze hubby agreed.

The TWG Tea Salon and Boutique at Marina Bay Sands sits beautifully on the bridge, close to the canal. It had this refined but cozy vibe, and is a perfect place to relax after you've shopped at the high-end stores there. We didn't do high-end shopping though; we just wanted to sample their teas and pastries.

I was really impressed with TWG's tea menu. It was a BOOK! There were a lot of teas listed there and it seemed impossible to pick just one! Thankfully, ze hubby pointed me to the daytime tea list, from where I chose the Smoky Russian Tea. It was described as "a gentle smoky tea inspired by the opulence of the Russian tsars, this TWG Tea blend of black teas is perfect for a relaxing afternoon." It got me at "perfect for a relaxing afternoon."

Ze hubby decided to randomize by putting his finger on an item without looking at it. Lady luck picked the Caribbean Voyage Tea for him. It's a "warm and enticing TWG blend of cocoa beans, green almonds and a full-bodied red tea from South Africa."

We also got a slice of cake (chocolate sponge with blueberry cream) and a couple of macarons, which were served on a tiered plate rack. It's wonderful how the simplest things can look posh when they're on a tiered plate rack. Haha.

We waited a few minutes before our teas and pastries were served. Unlike Starbucks or CBTL, teas at TWG aren't served in teabags. They brew them for you and serve them in nice, shiny, rounded teapots. You won't drink them in mugs either. They have proper teacups. Not the fancy English teacups though.

So I take a sip of my tea. Oh. My. Goodness. This is what quality tea tastes like! The flavors were really pronounced, not like the mass produced teas which hardly have any flavor in them. My Smoky Russian was indeed smoky and was quite bitter, but it paired perfectly with the sweet pastries. I had it straight up, no milk, no sugar.

Ze hubby's tea was really interesting. It was the first time I tried a tea that almost tasted like chocolate. It was milder than my tea but it was good too!

We had these macarons: Napoeleon Tea and Caramel, Camelot Tea and Praline, Earl Grey Fortune and Chocolate, 1837 Black Tea and Blackcurrant, Bain de Roses Tea and Lemon Bush Tea. The macarons at TWG are infused with their teas thus the names. I'm not really a fan of macarons but they were good. They were not too sweet but I had a coughing fit after I choked on the Bain de Roses Tea variant! Haha.
 

So what was Ziv doing while we were having tea? Well, first let me say that he was sleepy already and was a bit cranky so we were doing our best to distract him. I tried feeding him so he could fall asleep in my arms but that didn't work. He was too interested in the surroundings. I sat him on my chair where he played with my red bead necklace for a few minutes, until the shiny teapots grabbed his attention. I tried feeding him his peach puree, but he wasn't interested either. I passed him to his dada, who had the brilliant idea of putting Ziv on a chair of his own. That was a stroke of genius because after that, the kid happily played for a good few more minutes. Just long enough for us to wrap up our TWG afternoon.


*****

We started a tradition this weekend: Daddy Care Days! Haha.

Since ze hubby is the breadwinner, most of the baby caring duties fall on my shoulder during weekdays. So in the spirit of co-parenting, last Saturday I asked ordered ze hubby to perform all the activities that made up Ziv's bedtime routine: give him a bath, massage him, dress him, read a story to him, feed him and put him to bed. I'm lucky ze hubby obliged.

The whole routine started at 5PM last Saturday. Ze hubby undressed Ziv in the bedroom and on their way to the bathroom, Ziv peed on him--twice! Haha. We had a good laugh over that while Ziv had a puzzled look on his cute little face.

Ze hubby then gave Ziv a bath, massaged him and dressed him up. He realized how challenging it is to put on Ziv's diaper, onesie, pajama and socks. He read HUG to Ziv, fed him and put him to bed. I gave ze hubby instructions and watched but I tried not to step back. It was his moment. It was their time to bond.

I'm happy to report that ze hubby was successful. Well, he got peed on and Ziv cried before going to bed, but both are part of parenting. I was thrilled when he said he liked doing it and volunteered to do it every weekend and public holidays.
 

Seeing ze hubby be a really fantastic dada made me love him more. My son is lucky. Just like his mom.

weekend highlights

We hung out at our neighborhood, Ang Mo Kio, this past weekend. 

On Saturday, we all woke up early and headed out for a brisk walk. We went around the block then did a few rounds at the park to cool down. It felt great to have exercised again! Our 2.3km walk gave me the energy I needed the whole day. I hope I/we could do it again soon. It's quite challenging to find the time to go out and exercise but I know it must be done. We have to be more conscious of our health now that we have a tiny human being who is completely dependent on us.

After Ziv's morning nap, we made our way to Ang Mo Kio Public Library. I returned some books and picked up three new ones. I've begun reading two of them and I find both really interesting. One is about infant brain development and the other is about Magda Gerber's parenting philosophy aka the RIE approach.

From the library, we walked to the post office to mail some stuff and then to AMK Hub for lunch. We celebrated Ziv's seventh month with fish and chips and Hawaiian burger at New York New York. The food was good! I fed Ziv peach puree, which he loved, while we were having lunch. Before heading back, we stopped by the supermarket to grab some Huggies and a bit of food.

Ziv fell asleep on the way home, poor kid. When we got to our flat, we laid him down in his crib so he could nap, but unfortunately (for us) he woke up after half an hour. He was a bit cranky the rest of the afternoon but calmed down when he took him for a walk in the park. He was so happy as he rode his dada's shoulder. We spotted a black cat and Ziv was so fascinated by it. He also had a grand time sitting on his own at one of the benches.

After our walk, I gave him a bath - in the bathroom for the first time - then put him to bed so he could rest.

Ze hubby cooked his version of pork adobo for dinner. It's been a long while since he cooked it last. He simmered the pork first then stirfried it together with some potatoes. It was soooooo good and is just as sinful. It went so well with steamed white rice.

We just lounged at home the whole of Sunday. Ze hubby and I decided to bring out all of Ziv's old stuff, take photos of them and sell them online. If our three-room flat is a person, then it seriously needs to go on a diet. It's overweight verging on obese.

Like me. My goodness. I need to start watching what I eat and really exercise more! I'm actually taking a cocktail of antibiotics and asthma medicine now because the doctor said there's some strong wheezing on my left lung. I've had this cough for a week now and it's not getting any better. I hope with the new drugs the doc prescribed this morning, I'll recover fully. It just sucks to be sick.

weekend highlights

Ze hubby and Ziv at IKEA; Ziv having fun eating at McDonald's; me feeding Ziv at Old Town; Ziv and Ninang Nell

We had a busy, busy weekend. 

Aside from the cleaning and the laundry, we did a lot of shopping! For Ziv's stuff! Who else? Hehe.

Our mission was to look for a more cushioned play mat for Ziv. He's attempting to sit now and the carpet + blankie set up isn't cutting it. When he attempts to lift his torso a bit higher than usual then crashes, he ends up crying. I had those numbered rubber mats in mind and we found them at Carrefour. It was only when we went back home that we realized we got a set meant to be used a piko (hopscotch) mat. No wonder one piece was shaped like a half circle. Haha. That is parent-not-reading-the-label booboo number 1.

We also went to Mothercare to get some weaning bibs. The plastic backing on them makes a difference especially when it comes to liquids. Regular bibs can't protect Ziv's onesies from getting wet.

On our way to Marina Square from Suntec, we passed by Payless ShoeSource. I didn't know they had a branch here. I remembered ze hubby mentioning he needed new shoes so we went in and checked out their offering. Ze hubby ended up buying a handsome pair of driving shoes. No, we don't have a car and he doesn't drive. It was comfortable though and we figured he could wear it to work or during weekend walk-a-thons at the mall.

Then on Sunday we went to IKEA to get Ziv a highchair. The lover-of-pretty-things in me dreamt of owning either the Stokke Tripp Trapp or the Baby Bjorn highchair, but the housewife in me knew practicality trumps design. Those nifty highchairs cost $519 and $399, respectively. How could that beat the magnificent 25-dollar value of the IKEA Antilop highchair? We also bought the Barnslig support cushion ($9) and the Antilop tray ($4). The result? Happy, happy baby. And happy baby makes mommy happy too.

While we were at IKEA, we also got a bath mat for Ziv. I also wanted to buy these building beakers for him, and I thought I did until we got home. Turned out I got the wrong box! I got the shape sorter! I wasn't aware they were both called Mula so when I got a package marked Mula, I thought I got the beakers. Yun pala it was the shape sorter. That is parent-not-reading-the-label booboo number 2. Haha.

During the weekend, we also met up with Ziv's Ninang Nell. I don't know if Ziv was just hungry or sleepy but he cried the entire time he was in his Ninang's arms. Separation anxiety? Maybe. But yesterday, while we were at the Mr. Teh Tarik hawker center, Ziv was friendly with the cleaning lady! In fact he was too friendly for my comfort. He was laughing and touching the cleaning lady's arms, even allowing her to kiss him! Ze hubby and I were shocked. This little boy keeps us on our toes talaga.
 

A lot of face stuffing happened during the weekend too. Nasi lemak and chicken curry for lunch at Old Town. Burger and fries at McDonald's. Pasta and fried seafood at IKEA Cafe. Cheese prata and teh tarik at Mr. Teh Tarik. Then tinola for dinner last night. 

Ziv also pigged out on milk and pear puree, applesauce and rice cereal. He really enjoys eating with us. :)

Had so much fun with my boys! Can't wait for Saturday.