Bye Daddy

Daddy is going to Cambodia for a few days. Poor Ethan will miss his Daddy. Plus he's been a bit sick the last few days. Checking in now early in the morning... Be a good baby and get well soon, and show Mummy lots of love.

Sentosa

In yet another first, Ethan visited Sentosa, the Dolphin Lagoon and the Underwater World! It was staff and family outing day for Barker Road Methodist Church, so Ivan and Ethan tagged along for the day. First, we all got on the bus. Because of Ethan, everyone insisted we take the front row!

At the Dolphin Lagoon, Ethan got on Dad's shoulders so that he could see all the dolphins putting on their stunts. But Ethan got distracted playing with Daddy's hair and ears. And Renata's friends got distracted by cute l'il Ethan. Some of them took more photos of Ethan than of the dolphins. Quote: He's cuter than the dolphins!

Up close and personal, Ethan was able to appreciate Underwater World much more. We would sit him next to the tanks of big fish and he would stare and stare at them and while reaching out to touch the glass. In the tunnel with the travellator, he was so fascinated that we went around 3 times! Except that whenever we pulled out the camera he would turn away from the fish and stare at the lens instead.

Ocean Views on the Boardwalk

Ethan went to the Changi Boardwalk the other day to watch the sunset and enjoy an evening stroll with Mummy and Daddy! It was also the first time Ethan has seen the ocean... actually it was merely the straits between Malaysia and Singapore, but it still looked really big for Ethan.

It was a bit cloudy so the sunset wasn't great, but we got nice pics of the family anyway. Look how happy Ethan is to have both Mummy and Daddy around!

Church Camp

Ethan went for his first Church Camp with Mummy earlier this month! (Daddy couldn't come because he was away in East Timor) It was a pretty special time as Por Por & Ah Gong came along too. We had a great time together and are particularly proud of Ethan who travelled very well for an 8 month old baby. Here he is at a pit stop along the highway getting some lunch on the way up.

Apart from meeting many friends at the camp, Ethan loved the bed in the hotel which was big, soft, comfy and a lot of fun to roll around. Unfortunately he also rolled off it onto the floor and had a nasty shock. Thank God he recovered soon after and even smiled bravely at Mummy to let her know he was OK after a good cry!

Bath Time with a Growing Baby

Ethan is growing so fast! He's more difficult to handle at bath times now cos he likes to move and splash around a lot. I've had to take out the insert so he sits upright most of the time. He loves to splash Daddy and also likes his bath toys. We keep squirt toys such as Mr Whale, Mr Crab, Mr Dolphin, and Mr Seahorse nearby and he always reaches for them and promptly puts them in his mouth, never letting go until he's out of the bath and on the change table!

Best Breastfed Baby

Ethan entered the "Best Breastfed Baby Contest" in the 7-12 month old category. He's healthy and huge! Just look at him! 9kg now and all thanks to mummy's milk. We'll be notified by post within 2 weeks if Ethan got thru to the finals which will be at IMM over a weekend coming soon!

Quinny 2nd Stage

Ethan is almost ready for the second stage of his stroller. This is where he no longer sits in the car seat but directly in the upright canvas seat of the Quinny stroller. It's a big undertaking to reconnect the seat back to the frame so we let Ethan try the same model in Toys R Us. The shoulder straps were still quite high, though he looked very comfortable. However, sleeping would prove more challenging at his small size now. Looks like we'll wait for a couple more months!

Mr Piggy

Ha ha ha... Ethan fell asleep in the car while biting on his teething ring. His hands fell away, but the teether was still there for a long time. Looks like Mr. Piggy!

Phuket Without Bubs!

We didn't blog about it earlier, but a few weeks ago we had a romantic 4D3N getaway to Phuket without Ethan. He stayed with Renata's parents and we almost cried when we left him in the early morning. We told him that it's actually for his own good that mummy and daddy spend time alone together.

The first day felt very strange and free... no baby to constantly think about. We enjoyed the freedom and missed him all at the same time. We stayed at this lovely and very reasonable place called Naithonburi Beach Resort . We love to go in the cheap off-season so they only had a few guests.

Renata hasn't ridden on Ivan's bike since getting pregnant, but we rented a scooter on one of the days. This fun little automatic scooter cost us about SGD$12 for 1 full day. Renata even tried riding it all by herself - first time on scooter!


Then Ivan took over and the 2 of us roamed the Phuket coast line taking a long ride up and down hilly roads, stopping at shopping places and roadside pad-thai in order to get to this snazzy restaurant that was well-rated. It's called Ratri Restaurant at Kata beach and the food was absolutely fantastic! Not cheap by Phuket standards, but neither very pricey at about SGD$30/pax and one of the most memorable taste sensations we've ever had! They have live jazz playing there too, but they weren't on that particular day we were there. It was great nonetheless.

On another day we took a snorkelling excursion. It's been years since either of us have been snorkelling and it was very fun. When we stopped at one island we were caught in a very blustery rain-storm for 20 min which quickly passed and we were on our way again. That's why it's off-season and our rooms and excursions were so cheap!

We had a great time in Phuket, spending lots of time with each other and forming new memories that weave us together. Ethan will enjoy a stronger family for it, so though we missed him we would definitely do it again if possible ... thanks grandparents! Ethan took to our excursion quite well, though on the last day he began missing us and wanted to go "home". The smart little baby communicated this by leaning towards the bedroom door indicating that he wanted to go out, then strained towards the stairs, then leaned toward the front door of the house, and reached out for our car. When he saw that the car was empty he settled down, realizing that he had to wait one more day for mummy and daddy to come home!

Music Appreciation

Ethan's been sharing our love of music in his own way. He enjoys cooling off in just his nappy and shirt and listening to the cool sounds of Mummy's Louis Armstrong Jazz CD (definitely much more complex than his own Counting Songs CD!)

Another favourite is his keyboard on which he can belt out his own tunes in addition to the ditties that Mummy and Daddy keep making up to add colour to his day!

Morning Games

After his morning bath, Ethan goes back into his bed for a few minutes while his bath is readied for him. Nowadays, he prefers to sit up rather than lie down so he usually plays with his musical keyboard while getting some back support from his portable sofa. Though he can stay seated on his own, he somtimes topples over and can't get himself back up yet!

On the back wall you can see some pictures that we put up to make his bedroom nook a little more fun...

Enjoying Toys

Soooo cute! Ethan is enjoying his toys more and more each day as his brain develops and skills improve. It's all very pleasing to watch him grow!

Gobbling Bananas

[PREVIEW IS BLANK BUT VIDEO WORKS!]

One of Ethan's favourite new foods is bananas. He gets it mixed in with his rice cereal and it sure makes everything yummy and sweet. We often pack his dinner when we do our dinner and grocery outings. One of our favourites places is IMM Jurong (but only on weekdays when it's not so crowded). Ethan enjoys his dinner and is a very good gobbler, finishing all his food so that Mummy and Daddy can enjoy some couple time over their meal later.

Little Boy

Renata took this picture a few weeks ago when Ruth came over to visit from Australia. She had a great time with her nephew. Both of them look so happy! Ethan looks more like a little boy than a baby in this photo. I think it's a sneak preview into his future toddler years.

First Flu

The flu bug has been going around and it looks like Ethan is experiencing the first of what will probably be a number of childhood sniffles to come. He had been having congested breathing for a few days but we were alerted to the possibility of a developing flu when Ah Mah noticed a fever while holding him on monday. Must have shared my flu with him because his cough sounds suspiciously like mine!