Estella's Been Very Busy Lately

Dear Estella,

With greater independence and mobility, Mummy enjoys seeing you busying yourself with all sorts of activites. Let me show you what I mean. These are just some shots of you trying to get to different places, standing by the window to enjoy the garden view, banging on your green stool,... I have yet to capture those shots whereby you empty out a whole carton of toys, or move things from the left pile to the right, then back to the left again... (if you know what I mean...) That day you did this amazing act by crawling out of your room, with the air-con remote controller, and gleefully switched on 2 more sets of air-con in the living hall and our bedroom! It must had been such an achievement to you! Daddy had to give chase, you know...

I can see you are also trying to communicate more,in the way you know best now. Well, baby-signing has not been very successful so far due to lack of practice & consistency. Shall we continue with that?

And, you are definitely looking more and more adorable by the day. Mummy's verdict of course! I guess some aunties also feel the same...


You are going to turn 1 soon. Just 1 month 1 week more to go... Happy Babyhood, Estella! Soon, I can't call you baby anymore... You'll be a toddler!

To the uncles & aunties who frequently visit this blog...
If you wonder why photos are so rare nowadays.. well, it's true. Photographing her has got to be as discreet as possible. Once she sees the camera, she'll go after it. Perhaps Estella starts young as a techie. She's really quite into handphones, O2s, PDAs, and digital cameras. Whenever she sees them she loves to check them out. Please note however, there is no warranty of your IT products under Estella's Daddy's, or Mummy's name. In the event there is any malfunction, breakage, vandalism such as with the use of saliva, the owner shall bear full responsibility. :-)
(Darling, this note was prompted after Uncle Jiajun let you play with his PDA. He asked if we cover any upgrade as well!!!)

Till the next entry, with more photos hopefully!

Estella is past her 10-months' mark!

10 months - that's a long way isn't it?

Darling,
Mommy's taking this time to record some of your milestones. It has been such fun watching you grow, exploring new skills and chartering new grounds. All these are keeping you so busy that I noticed you willing compromise naps for more activities!

1. Teething... we are glad your 4 pearly whites are sparkling each time you beam that charming smile. More importantly, I don't see you rub your gum as often. I suppose that means it's going to a while before any teething discomforts visit again. Hang in there, we are with you, Darling! You'll get to savour more yummies as more teeth come along!

2. Cruising... standing up is no longer a challenge for you. You've gained a new perspective of everything, eversince you learn to make baby moves along the cot/wall/sofa. Good practise there! I see your eagerness to walk! One step at a time. But first, learn to stand firm.

3. Yet another new haircut! This one is done at the hairdresser (specially for children) located Suntec. It was a 'hefty' $16, considering the amount/length of hair actually cut. Haha, do you know your haircut costs more than Daddy's?

Mummy hopes to update your blog more often than this... :)

Estella's Finally Been to the Zoo!

This is another one of those delayed posts. Thank God for childcare leave! Comes in handy for a day of family outing like this!

It was an outing for 4 adults and 4 children. Unlike the other 3 older kids, Darling, you are the only who didn't voice out what animal you want to see. Your god-brother and his cousins were busy navigating us with the maps on their hands.
Though it was a hot and humid afternoon, nothing beats being able to spend time with you, as a family, with dear family friends!

Here are some shots:

On the way...

At the entrance...

With the white tigers...

Estella, you are 8 & 1/2 months old!

You've really lit up our weekends. No matter how tired the week may be, you never fail to energize us by putting the smile on our faces. :)

Shopping At Ikea
Remember yesterday's outing at Ikea, that was so much fun! Simply because we got to spend time together. Most of the shopping was done for you - new flower wall lamp as your night-light, power-socket covers, new containers to store your toys & knick-knacks... We were deliberating to buy you this igloo play-tent since you were having such a good time in there!

Though the restaurant was jam-packed, thank God we had our little corner. So while Daddy ordered lunch, you got to start first as usual. You are such a sweetie, and I love your cooperation during mealtimes, even when we are out. Of course, what we didn't quite expect was how you raised your voice -repeatedly- while we were eating. You discovered your decibel power right? That was also the reason why I had to bring you out of the chapel when Auntie Joyce & Uncle Yifan were exchanging wedding vows the other Sat. Sometimes I suspect you are trying to communicate with the older kids around.

A Little Gathering At Your Cousins' Place
Because of your older cousins, we are so blessed with lots of hand-me-downs. :) This day, we swung by to pick up your boundary-markers - a set of colouful barricade. Woohaahaa!!! Yes, your crawling skills had improved tremendously and it's time to cordon off the out-of-bound areas for you!

It was such a joy to see you playing with Elise & Evan. They were both so excited to have you in their house. Especially Elise, she was so helpful and kept bringing out toys to share with you. What amazed us all was - you were so warmed up to your cousins in the new place in less than 5 minutes! Months ago, your cousins could only 'sayang' you while you were lying down. Now, you have joined their rank in the Toy Kingdom!

A Quick Catch-up With Uncle Sam, Auntie Angela, & A New Playmate soon!
Girl, Uncle Sam & Auntie Angela were amazed at how big you are now versus 3 months back. It was a good introduction on baby's growth, since very soon, their little one will be here. You'll have a new playmate! It's so sweet of them to get you the present. I'll dress you up in the new clothes the next time we visit Auntie Angela & Baby.

Remember how you amused Uncle Sam? You were so persistent in wanting to chew his TV remote control! That's also the reason why Mommy have to keep the TV remote out of your reach. You practically put everything into your mouth now. How can I stop you? Your other favourites include tissue paper, handphones, daddy's keys, Popo's newspapers, many aunties' watches... (!!!)
That's you, Darling!
Mommy's looking forward to the next weekend with you! Hugs...

Love,
Mama

Estella is going places!

My little speedy crawler has sprung into full action just a few days before turning 8 months. Her playground has expanded beyond just the little cot and playpen. Unless her room door is closed, she has also learnt to venture beyond her own room to seek out adventures in other rooms. In instances when her door is closed, she will crawl to the door, stand up behind the door, and bang on it. It's high time to babyproof the whole house!!!

Oh, I witnessed a funny sight of how she went after the vacuum cleaner while I was cleaning the house last sat. No choice, her little fingers are capable of picking up little dust balls (and others which I wish not to imagine). I better get the vacuum cleaner to gobble down all these before Estella makes similar attempts. ;)


Here's a little gathering shot when we celebrated Kor's birthday. The little one is curious, and also a little restless as you can see... :)

Mum's into 2nd month of work. Blogging is truly a luxury...

Mum's 2 weeks into work...

So fast, it's been 2 working weeks for mummy now. To much relief, and really thank God, Estella is bonding well with her Popo.

We witnessed some new developments for Estella:
1) her 2 bottom teeth are really prominent now... teething rusks have become a good time filler for her whenever she wants to gnaw on something.
2) standing up in the play-pen and cot with support! Strong legs... The first encounter really came as a surprise: she was standing in her cot in the middle of the night, crying for someone to carry her! I mean, I used to find her lying down crying lor...
3) her new repertoire - new sounds, 'screams', squeals of delight, and new syllabus she's trying to make. Coming to a full range of baby-talk. Let a dear friend listen to a recording of her voice which I keep in my hp. Haha, the comment came back 'just like the mother - many words...'
4) a lot more mobile now... She's getting really good with leopard crawl now. Haha, she crawled out of her room to look for daddy in the study the other day! Amazing...

Blogging is gradually becoming a luxury, in the interest of so many other things. But will still try to update as much as I can. Thanks for taking time to read! :)

Her First Official Hair-Cut...

i.e. a haircut not done by Mama...

Take a look! More refreshed look, right?

Priceless Grin ;)

Toothless is priceless! Haha, in the context here... Estella's toothless days are over, with her bottom 2 mini munchers emerged just this week!

Estella's Got Her 1st 'Chop' on the Passport!

It was a long ride... our very first road trip... to Cameron Highlands! Thank God that Estella was really cooperative throughout the journey. She had definitely enjoyed the 120 hours of focused attention from both dad & mom. ;)
Climbed the mountain, sipped the tea, breathed in the fresh air, and enjoyed every minute of family bonding. :)
A scenic drive at the BOH Tea Estate! Very beautiful journey up and down the mountain. However, we were surprised that the teabags sold up at the mountains were more expensive than those we saw in the provision shops. Paying for the freshness? :x
Enjoying the cool climate and freshly-brewed tea at the teashop with a splendid view, 1500m above sea-level.
Estella definitely enjoyed the warm cuddle from daddy. Look at her blissful smile. :)
On this trip, we also witnessed 2 new milestones. For the 1st, she can sit up unsupported for quite long during her playtime! She also spent a fair share of time entertaining both dad & mom with her consecutive roll-overs and mini 'leopard-crawl' on the king-sized bed!
Two, this girl is fast! She can stretch and reach for toys she has eyed, like this!
Thank God for His protection upon us throughout the trip, and the beautiful nature He has created. Simply AWED... :)

Estella is 6 Months Old Today

Yes... Estella's 6 months old already! Guess what I discovered over the weekend? There is a tiny white sprout on her lower right gum... The little food munchers are emerging. That explains for the 'extra-wet' drool that some aunties and uncles have encountered. ;)No pictures to show yet.

... And oh yes, she's got her own highchair that she can sit pretty comfortably in now. Can you see her waving to you in the picture?:)

Estella's Outing to the Nature

Out in the nature! It was a really nice adventure that day. The slow drive through the 'Monkey Road' (i.e., road full of monkeys) followed by our little stroll at Lower Pierce Reserviour and a delicious yummy pizza. Estella's definitely enjoying these outings, as much as Mama does! One observation, Estella sure drew a lot of attention, from the waiter to the waitress to the customer buying a take-out at the pizza place...

Thanks to Auntie Nana for making these outings possible!!! More more... Hee...

Estella's Outing to Baby Luke's Place

Thank God for friends who move along the same season of life. It was our second visit to Pat & Pin's Place - once before, and another after Baby Luke's arrival. It's quite easy to spot homes with newborns. The floor space is easily dominated by toys and baby stuff, something which I can identify with back home. Thanks to Pin's wonderful tips on babycare, diet, lobangs for toy-rental, and simply the wonderful friendship in walking through motherhood together... Oh, Uncle Kenneth % Auntie Esther were there too! Look how at ease they are with babies! ;)

Energy Abounds!

With longer wake-time, our little darling has shown us a new side of her :) Her energy abounds! Playtime has become her favourite now. Mummy caught some of these shots recently.

There she goes... she managed to make her way from the mattress to the ABC mat. It's amazing seeing how she'll inch her way towards the object she has set her eyes on. Crawling soon?


Sounds and light intrigue her most during this period of time. A handy toy to keep her occupied. Her saliva's all over too. Ha ha!


"Darling, please don't eat the worm" - Can u see the caterpillar springing out from the book? She loves tugging at, and oh well, munching it!

Praise God! She'e getting stronger by the day. Her first attempt to sit up and read. *Applause. Applause from mama* Keep growing, girl! :)

Yummy World, I am ready! :)

She seems all ready for the makan world! Once again, she's enjoying the cereal. Latest - she's trying out this new organic brown rice cereal from Earth's Best, recommended by Auntie Pin2. And... she's quite strong really. It's not that easy to get the spoon back. Haha... Yummy Time Wrestle :)
"Estella, give mummy back the spoon..."

Studio Shots

Our first family outing at the studio! On this day, we were invited to do a complimentary photo-shoot. After a series of makeup, poses, coaxing Estella for her precious smiles, shoots, photo-selection, ... TA-DA!!! We've picked these 2 pics, completely free-of-charge! Hmm... I must say it was a rather emotional decision not to buy the rest of Estella's pics. Afterall, the salesperson sure knew how to slant the sales-speech to first-time parents for their first-born!

Beating the cold at Expo

May look a little over-sized for now... but well, we really don't know how soon she'll outgrow that... Let's just wait and see. :)

Babe, what're you watching?

This is my first DVD session. Mommy hardly lets me watch the TV unless it's Hi5. Title of movie: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Well, it's my daddy who managed to find this title. I can see that mommy enjoys the movie a lot. Wondering who is the one liking Pooh Bear...

Moms & Babes

After many attempts to arrange for this meet-up, it finally happened! Wow, the babies have already grown so much... The oldest babe of all is Eljiah (Jan baby), followed by Estella and then John (both March babies with the same EDD initially!!!).. Hmm, just realised it's in alphabetical order as well. BUT, if you just look at the hair alone, you might think Estella is the oldest...

Wow, we have all moved on from the Preggo-Club to join the Mommy-Club already. These 2 wonderful ladies are fellow colleagues from the same company, same department. Imagine the amount of excitement that was brewing when we saw how our bellies swell. Ha, not forgetting the loads of info exchanged during those periods which we went through... ('pukey' mornings; appetite changes; clothes can't fit anymore!;shopping, shopping & more baby shopping!!!)

Thank God for the great companionship! Let's watch our little ones grow... :)

Tasty Toes!!!

Well, what can I say? This is also a new milestone for a baby! At this stage, any exploration is mostly done with the mouth, well, toes included... Aren't you amazed at how flexible babies are?

Yummy Time!

Estella has started on her semi-solids the moment she turned 4-month-old… Looks like she is learning to enjoy her cereal (with her toy as well…)Thanks to Auntie Yushan for the recommendation & starter kit.

Haha, just some recollections...

Day 1: Every spoonful in, there'll be half a spoonful out. Half the time I was 'catching' the food that coming out from her mouth. Thinks she's also enjoying the new experience... Afterall, mummy has been trying to keep things out of her mouth all these while. Finally, it's the other way round...

Day 2: Still playful with the cereal... Was very helpful, and she helped to smear the cereal all over her mouth.

Day 3: Even the bib is not spared... She begins to help herself with the bib too... "No, no.. Estella, eat the cereal, not the bib!!!"

...

Week 3: Very helpful lately. She wants to hold the spoon herself, and she absolutely enjoys 'biting' on the spoon. Mummy is still looking out for the little white sprout. On the way soon?? :)