Worm 2 - The Sequel

Here we are back at the ENT clinic where Ethan first came during the worm in ear incident. We are back because 2 days ago we noticed some spots of blood on Ethan's left ear--the same ear where they found the worm. With the memories of that incident fresh in our minds we were naturally concerned but as it was Chinese New Year we decided to use the antibiotics from the last visit until we were able to see our ENT doc today. Fortunately, there was no infection or damage to his ear, and turned out to be a case of long and adventurous fingernails! Phew! Click on "Ear Troubles" to see the collection of posts about his last ear saga.

Sydney Aquarium

We're back from our Sydney trip - our first overseas holiday as a family with Ethan! (not counting the short Thailand mission trip we took him on last year). On one of the days we went to Darling Harbour and visited the Sydney Aquarium. We remembered how much Ethan enjoyed Sentosa's Underwater World so we took him to see this place.

At one spot, a seal decided to come up the ramp and pose with Ethan!

The surrounding area is quite lovely. It was a sunny yet not-too-hot day and we enjoyed the bay views. Ethan and Daddy often wore their matching hats with printed nams "Ethan" and "Ivan" given to us by church friends Norman & Janet. It was perfect for Ethan as it shielded his eyes from the harsh Aussie sun.

After a tiring day walking around we settled into the Lindt Cafe for refreshment and Ethan's lunch by the bay.

This Little Pig Went To The Market

Ethan went to the wet Market for the very first time a few weeks ago when we had A Mary, U Abu & the family over for a poolside bbq. He helped mummy & daddy pick the freshest prawns and was fascinated by the swift work of the butcher on the kampong chicken!

Bath Moods with Shorter Hair

As Ethan gets older, his mood at bath time is changing. He's always enjoyed baths, but now he's more active and kicks around often splashing me a lot during the bath. Now he's also strong enough for me to sit him up which makes scrubbing his back a lot easier. And the great thing is that after bath and while he's being changed, he cries less. He loves being wrapped in his towel after his hot onsen!


He's thinking how nice it would be one day to go to a real onsen in Japan. Maybe one of those outdoor ones with the steam rising above the snow!

Have you noticed that Ethan's hair looks neater now? That's because he had his first haircut last week. We couldn't take pictures as it took both Mummy and Daddy to pull it off. Mummy sat him on the bathroom counter-top with his feet in the sink while Daddy trimmed his sides and top. Even more handsome than usual!

My First Holiday

It seems like every day is a holiday for our little baby. It's all play in the land of mummy's milk of jack-in-the-box bunny. Still, Ethan had his first official holiday using his passport for the first time when we went up to KL for a 3 generation holiday. Here's our first dinner all together. If you zoom in on the larger photo you can see Ethan sleepily peering at the camera with one eye!

It was a special trip not only because it was Ethan's first overseas trip but the first time U. Adrian and A. Ruth got to see their first and favourite nephew (Ruth is Renata's sister - they live in Sydney). We told Ethan to behave well and endear himself to his uncle and auntie so that he would spur them on "toward love and good works" (Heb 10:24 heavily out of context). We don't know if it worked or not, but the 3 of them sure got along well!

Of course we all had a great time together, catching up and eating together. Ivan squeezed in a meeting with ministry people in KL, and we also met Martin for 2 good dinners. No photos of all that, just this lovely breakfast in the morning.

Overall, Ethan was a good traveller and though we had to plan our schedule around his feeds and needs, he brought everyone much joy with his smiles and laughter. We're trying to decide where to go for the next family holiday that's baby-friendly!

Just Like Dad

We're back online after a very nasty power supply burnt two of our hard drives. We lost some data but the MOST IMPORTANT things - Ethan's photos - had recently been backed up! Phew! Thank you God...

The other day we went to church and Ethan dressed just like Dad. Actually to be accurate, Ivan dressed Ethan then decided to dress himself like Mr Cuteness. Here they are looking like Father and Son! Ethan even made an appearance giving announcements at WEFC, illustrating how we all need to become more like our Heavenly Father.

Ethan's Good Natured Self

Since my last post about being home alone with Ethan he has been SUCH a good boy. He's been so good that I often cuddle him and tell him so. We think he's developing godly character! Right now, he's sitting on my lap while I type this blog entry. He's had his morning bottle feed, and like the last few days (almost a week) he's been taking the bottle without any fuss. He'll coo when he's content, laugh a lot when we sing to him, and cry when he's upset or at night when he's trying to sleep. As a whole this last week he hasn't cried for an extended period. We're wondering if Jesus was like this when he was a baby! (no crying he makes...)

Ethan's also been bottle-feeding from our grandparents succesfully, which helps Renata's transition back to work. All of this is much credit not only to His Cuteness' good nature but also Renata's patience and persistence!

We're a bit short on photos recently cos they're all in Renata's PC which has gone on the blink a few days ago. Our home PC's are 5-6 years old now so Ivan needs to shop for a new mainboard/CPU and do some surgery. In fact, the picture above was taken during our first family holiday up to KL recently, but we can't blog it yet cos all the pictures are stuck in Renata's PC.

Home Alone

Today Daddy is home alone with Ethan for the afternoon! Even though I bathe him and feed him and play with him, it's quite scary to be home alone without Mummy cos she can always take him and calm him down if I can't. It's only the second or third time that we're home alone without Renata being around... hope it goes okay!

Ethan the Nephew

Uncle Roy and Auntie Ruth came for lunch with us. Ethan enjoyed hanging out and napped as well. Ruth is going back to Sydney soon but will bring back nice memories of time with Ethan!

Self Comfort

Ethan is realising that mummy can't be with him 100% of the time as she also needs to do things around the house, go to work and have some time to rest too! So he is learning how to administer Self Comfort by sucking his thumb and stroking his own head. Its his first step towards independence in this big and sometimes confusing world that he is learning to make sense of and we are proud of his little achievement. Happy sucking, son!

Super Eye Lashes

Ethan's growing quite a set of eyes - nice double eyelids and long eyelashes! I waited till his afternoon nap to capture this pic of His Cuteness.

End of 24.7

Ivan's finished the 24.7 Prayer Week at his church. This morning we went to visit The People's Bible Church (TPBC) who are continuing the unceasing prayer in Singapore for 365 days! After the service, Ivan dropped off Renata and Ethan at home before going back to WEFC. But first we stopped at Adam Road Hawker Centre.

Ethan's been really good recently - except for not wanting to take the bottle. He was very happy taking it from birth but recently has become a bit fussy, wanting Mummy at feed times. The funny schedule last week with Ivan going in and out during 24.7 Prayer probably confused the poor baby too! But he must get used to the bottle again as Renata is back to part-time work so Ethan must be able to drink happily at the grandparent's homes!

He's a real charmer, but look out when he's on a crying spree! Gosh...

Daddy's Home

Ethan's been missing his Daddy since he left for the Urbana Conference and is glad he is home! The boys have been enjoying warm baths and afternoon naps on the comfy sofa. Mummy is glad too. It was a little tough being home alone and having to transition to starting work again but thank God for our supportive parents who have made it a lot easier!

Pepper Lunch

We're having nice family time at Pepper Lunch today. Ivan's been busy at church with 24.7 Prayer this week so we have had less time together. He left at 5.30am but came back bathe Ethan before going for our family lunch. Renata is getting back into part-time work routine and also into her pre-pregnancy pants!

Happy New Year

Ethan looks very happy at home even though Daddy is on the other side of the world! Ivan has just finished Urbana06 and is preparing to fly home soon. He will arrive just after midnight on 3 Jan, so Ethan will be taking a late night drive to the airport to see his Daddy. Ivan had a great time teaching, ministering, and receiving at Urbana, but is missing home with Renata and Ethan. See you soon my son!