What Ridiculous Charges!

We brought Ethan to see Dr Yong again at Pantai MC this afternoon. He is suffering from VERY BAD rashes - his chin, his neck, his chest and even his back. Heck his left arm near the elbow also is dotted with the nasty rashes!

Of course I was glad that the doctor could fit us in at around 230pm. First disappointment of the day: Ethan's weight. From 16/3 till yesterday 7/4, almost 3 weeks' duration, he had only gained 200g (and I am rounding it up HOR). WTH.

Ethan has been waking to feed at least twice e'night and even in the daytime, I am with him most of the time and he feeds I would say at least 50% of his waking hours. hahaha. So now, I am forced to reconcile with the fact that it could be the quantity or the quality of my milk ! :P

Anyway, the wait in the queue was short and again Dr Yong was patient n kind. He examined Ethan and prescribed Travacot and some Anti hystemine for his 'red and angry' rashes. Then, we left to pay and collect the medication.

Once outside and at the payment counter, the saga started. APparently, the nurse had forgotten to charge us some 'consultation' fees from the previous encounter. The charging system in this hospital (or maybe for this doc?) is SO WEIRD. He will charge his normal consultation fee to see you. And then if you hv brought your child for a vaccination, there's an additional CONSULTATION FEE for jabbing Ethan in the ass. And ON TOP OF THAT, there's also ANOTHER procedural fee just to carry out the injection. And please, we have not even mentioned the charge for the MEDICATION in the freaking syringe!??!

OMG, I don't think I've ever encountered such an absurd charging system? Moreover, it's PANTAI MEDICAL CENTRE and not even Gleneagles!!! The previous doc at Gleneagles (although he's pretty flippant about Ethan's needs) charged us SO MUCH LESS and he was from Gleneagles! Needless to say, I was very disappointed at being forced to change a peaditrician again for Ethan. *sigh*

Mommy's Little Monster @ Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall

Because Ethan was so well-behaved and such a sweetheart on Friday evening when we brought him to Bangsar, we were excited to bring him out again. This time, we wanted to go to Sunway Pyramid for brunch and also a little bit of shopping.

We left the house late, at 130pm, after settling some unpleasant stuff and then made a beeline for SP. Deciding to try something new, instead of going for a meal at our usual haunt, the Vietnamese restaurant near the ice-skating rink, we tried out the Hakka restaurant which had lured us in with their advertisement posted in the car park.

Surprisingly, I wasn't very hungry and stopped Alan from ordering to feed an army again. We had a huge claypot toufu with meat patties, a plate of braised pork with black fungus, a plate of Shuan Pan Zi and each had a bowl of soup - I had a very salty scallop soup (of minute portions)and he had a bowl of tasteless herbal chicken.

Ethan was still v well-behaved and in a good mood when I took these pics.

The portions (excluding the toufu) were very small and that was a good thing because before we ended our meal, Ethan started fussing. We then tried to get him secured in the Baby Bjorn harness but he refused. And then we tried the stroller and of course he rejected that too. :P *sigh*

Finally, he settled down in his harness and Alan carried him whilst I pushed the stroller. We went to the Children's department and I bought some cotton wool / nursing pads in Annaku. Then, we went downstairs to Pets Lovers Centre. Ethan seemed enthralled by the rabbits hopping around in their glass cage and reached out trying to grab them. haha.

We headed into Giant to pick up some groceries and necessities, such as diapers :P After 10minutes or so, Ethan started wailing loudly. *sigh* Alan continued to shop whilst I pushed him in the stroller (still wailing and turning red) into the ladies to change his diaper. :P

As I calmly maneourved the stroller into the loo, everyone turned to stare (and give me the DIRTY LOOK) as Ethan continued to scream and kick his legs. I carried him up and he quieten a bit but once I placed him on the changing table, he commenced again to screech and kick in fury. The loo was as silent as the graveyard (sans Ethan's violent tantrums) and the tension was rife. I had my back facing the people (as the changing table was in the corner at the far end) but I could feel the eyeballs boring into my back.

I guess people were thinking "what kind of mother is she, can't even control her baby". Hai. Finally, once the (literally) dirty deed was done, I turned around red-cheeked to face the crowd and wheel him outta the loo. One Malay lady looked into my eyes and gave me a shake of her head as if to say "oh my dear,I truly sympathize with you for having a Monster as a son" and then I noticed another Malay lady QUIETLY changing the diaper of her daughter who was of course lying SILENTLY in her pram and very compliant with her mother's actions and wishes. The rest of the loo-goers's expressions were are mixture of pity, disgust and bewilderment. (A far cry from the looks of admiration we had been bestowed with on Friday evening in Bangsar!)

That very moment, I silently asked myself (for probably the millionth time since 26/10/09) why I had gotten myself into such a permanent fix. *big huge sigh*

Anyway, after I emerged with the screaming Ethan from the loo, Alan was about done getting our groceries and then we headed for the car. On the way, Alan popped into the loo himself and once he came out, Ethan had falled into a slumber already. The poor fella probably was v irritable because his diaper was wet and he was hungry and exhausted. Oh well.. This is making me think v hard whether I want to bring him to Australia or not. But if he doesn't come along, how am I supposed to leave? I don't have good and trustworthy help and the worst thing is, I am breastfeeding! :P

Enough of grouses- I digressed. Once Alan came outta the loo, I popped into GNC to replenish my calcium tablets and then we left promptly for home, exhausted and moody because of ETHAN TAN EE HOM!

note: This was the first time that Ethan had put on his new romper (given by Auntie Julia) that proudly printed "Mommy's Little Monster". I have made a mental note NEVER to let him wear this romper EVER AGAIN!

Family Friday!

Last evening, after tuition, Alan and I brought Ethan to Bangsar Shopping Village. We wanted to try out the new Baby Bjorn harness that we had paid a hefty SGD299 for in Takashimaya, SIngapore but brought his stroller along, just in case.

Once we arrived at BSV, we harnessed him and boy did he look cute! :D Many passersby gave him lingering glances and smiled at him and one Indian lady pushing a pram with a toddler inside did a detour around Ethan and us just to take another look! hahaha

Dinner was a meal at Fish & Co. I opted for the healthier choice of grilled dory fish with coriander sauce and Alan had his usual Best Fish & Chips in Town. We shared a drink and a cream of fish soup and a platter of cheesy mussels.

Ethan was a good boy and sat quietly in his stroller for around 3/4 of the time we spent in the restaurant. However, once he got bored and restless, he started to fuss and then we had to carry him AGAIN.

After the meal, we went into Toys R'Us and Ethan was enthralled by the wide array of toys. He posed cutely with the Martian family and stared at the colourful display of fun things. We wanted to buy him a small swimming pool to sit in (in our garden) but I've decided to wait till he can sit up properly by himself instead.

We left Toys R'Us empty-handed but discovered that window shopping can be fun too - esp since baby's in the harness and both our hands are empty! :) I'm so glad we invested in the harness. :)

Next stop: The Village Grocer. I wanted to take a look at the baby foods and etc. And also bought two packets of white fungus for our soup in the evenings. I had thoroughly enjoyed drinking soup at my inlaw's place recently and wanted to replicate Gina's soups.

Whilst we were browsing, two kids ( separately ) pointed Ethan out to their parents. One even mentioned loudly, " Cute little baby". hahaha. Such nice compliments to hear. I am thankful that Ethan is such a loveable boi (esp since he has lost his jaundice and his horrid tan). Ethan helped Mommy to carry her plastic bag of white fungus after we left the supermarket! Such a helpful boy! :D

After short visits to Ace Hardware and the Organic Food Shop, we made our way home contentedly. :)

Our Busy Trip Back to Spore

Wow. The recent trip back to Singapore was indeed hectic and tiring. I think Ethan lost a bit of weight there... :P

Friday 26 March 2010 (Ethan is 5 Months old today!)

We left for home at around 245pm today. The drive was painfree and we arrived at around 6pm. First stop was NUS Temasek Hall to pick up the princess of a younger sister. And then, next stop was Tiong Bahru MRT station taxi stand to pick up the Empress of a Mother. Then, we all headed hurriedly to my inlaw's place for dinner.

The after-dinner plans included a family biz discussion and also viewing of the successfully rented central kitchen with some contractors. Then, it was home to 110B where we all collasped.

Saturday 27 March 2010

Alan had stuff to do in the morning so I took care of Ethan at home. Then, at around 6pm, we went to fetch my mom and all gathered at the Changi airport T3 for a good dinner.
We decided that Dian Xiao Er was a good choice and waited for almost an hour (it felt) for a suitable table to accomodate two baby strollers.

Dinner was a big clay bowl of soup each and their famous roasted duck, cod fish, toufu, vege, pork ribs etc etc. YuMZ! After the good food, we decided that some dessert should be enjoyed but everywhere was PACKED. T3 seems to be the new hang-out for all Singaporeans - especially those with young children. :P T3 car park even has this amusement area for little kiddos to drive around in big giraffe / tiger floats! I am amazed.

Anyway, I digressed. We ended up having a light 'dessert' at Jollybean - not that delicious but a healthier option definitely- and then heading home.

Sunday 28 March 2010

Again, Alan headed out in the morning to meet with some people. Ethan and I slept in a bit and then I bathed him. It was then off to Azlin's to see Baby Danial. :) We drove and drove to Bkt Panjang area (OMG so far) and reached her place at around 2pm.

It was almost like a mini-CGS gathering. Elaine, Leo and Wanhui were there and soon after we arrived, Zhao Fang, Alexis, Eileen and Mas popped over. After we went googoogaga over Baby Danial, Ethan started fussing and we left promptly so that I could feed him in the car.

Next stop: Waterina. We met up with Ester, our friend's housing agent who had just sold his unit for him. She was to help us in the sale of Waterina also. We brought her over to our unit and enjoyed reminiscing about the past. I quite miss living there. It's a really nicely done-up place (Alan has an eye for detail and we share the same tastes.) and I was a bit sorry that we were to let it go. But hey, must take adv of the soaring property prices, right? hee hee.

Anyway, after Esther left, Ryan (our other marketing agent and my long-time friend )came over and brought 2 other potential buyers. I went over to Keekiat's house to give Baby Ethan a wipe down as he was sweating profusely and very uncomfortable indeed. Little Raeann helped - she's such a dear. :)

Once all the property-stuff was attended to, we met up with the rest of the family for dinner at Furama Hotel for a buffet dinner.

Monday 29 March 2010

Today was designated for SHOPPING! We initially had wanted to buy a walker for Ethan but at the last minute, after conversing with a friend, gave up the idea. :) Don't wanna impede Ethan's developments. Let him progress naturally :)

First , we headed to POSB on the 4th floor of Takashimaya to open a bank account for Ethan. Finally, all his angpao money can be deposited! It took us quite a while to do the necessary and after we were finally done, we were all famished!

Lunch was at Central (HK cafe) at the basement of Taka and Mum joined us there albeit suffering from a mump-like syndrom. We polished off beef horfun and fishhead beehoon soup and 4 layer toufu cake and a polo bun before washing all the grease down with tea and coffee.

We had $200 Taka vouchers to spend. Sad to say, the day before was the last day of the Baby fair which was held in Taka atrium :P Alan wanted to invest in a coffee latte maker but could not find the specific model we had been searching for. After a while, a call came in---

ESTHER HAD SOLD OUR WATERINA CONDO!! :O My goodness, this girl is super efficient! She had sold the condo in barely 24hours! *claps* She then arranged to come down to taka to pass ALan the cheque and get him to sign some papers.

Before Esther came,we popped into the baby section of Taka and bought mustela shampoo and facial cream for Ethan again. Ye Ye also picked up 3 (for $10) cotton tops for Ethan's home-wear. Another DVD and a set of Baby Einstein flash cards went into our shopping cart as well. :)

At Cedele, Alan signed away his beautiful condo unit (sob) for a good price (cheer) and we all enjoyed our drinks and chatted with our efficient housing agent.

After a short discussion after biding Esther farewell, Alan and I decided that we had better not save the $300 and invest in the Baby Bjorn carrier. :P We are going on a holiday soon and carrying Ethan out and about gives me great aches and pains (arms / shoulders/ back). So if we are going to enjoy ourselves in Australia in the near future, better invest in a proper carrying equipment! :P

Soon, it was nearing 5pm (time really flew by that day) and my MIL strolled over in the rain from Mt E where she works, to join us in Taka. My Mom left for home to rest and recuperate. We all went to my inlaw's place again for a home-cooked meal and Ethan and I fell promptly asleep before dinner whilst the rest of the family headed to the central kitchen (in the flat nearby) to do some measurements and calculations. ;D

After dinner and discussion, we all watched Ethan on the video cam and laughed at his antics.

Tuesday 30 March 2010

We woke up at around 830am and got ready to leave for the beach. I wanted to show Ethan the Singapore beach and had promised Ash that we would bring him along that morning as well. :D
The weather was lovely and a tad cloudy and there was a soft breeze that ruffled the leaves of the trees.

It was fantastic too that it was a Tues morn and there were very few people to crowd up the place. We greeted an AngMoh lady with her 2 year old son. She was very interested in Ash and less so in Ethan. ahahhaha.

Ethan enjoyed his walk but started sweating a fair bit even with his portable fan pointed directly at him. haahha. Alan and I wanted a late breakfast but realised Mac's would not allow Ash on its premises. So we bought Subway instead and brought it back home.

After eating my sandwich, I proceeded to shower Ethan whilst Alan spoke to Esther who had arrived to finalise the sale of the condo. Then, we bade Mum farewell and left to Tai Sing for Alan to pick up more spare parts for his RC car AGAIN!!!!!!!!

I tasted out the Baby Bjorn sling and it was certainly appreciated as I could have both hands empty to shop around. There were many toys in the shop and Ethan and I had a great time. An Iranian lady was very interested in Ethan and talked to him and asked for his name etc. hahaha. He charms people from all walks of life, hor?

Well, once Alan was done. I decided that I was too tired to go to Raffles City to check out the baby foods section as we had initially decided. So we headed for the causeway straightaway w/o lunch.

After hours of smooth driving, we stopped at KFC at around 345pm to grab a bite and fill our ravenous bellies before zooming back home to Bangsar. :)

Yam Cakes & Macademia Nut Chochip Cookies!

It's thunderstorming now. The kiddo's asleep. He woke up briefly, startled by the thunder and lightning. He opened his eyes big bigggg.. Then, realising that Mummy was lying beside him and patting him, he promptly decided that the weather was too good and fell right back to sleep. I just sneaked away from his bedroom.

Nowadays, we have naps and playtime during the day in Ethan's bedroom, surrounded by lotsa fun things - e.g. baby posters, wall stickers, lamaze play gym, ABC mat etc etc. And then, at night, he will sleep in Dad and Mom's room on our bed. I hope to wean him off slowly from sleeping on our bed but the fact that I nurse him to sleep doesn't give me the incentive to do the former. hahaha Lazy Mommy!

Yesterday, I made steamed yam cakes for our dinner and Alan's breakfast the following day. They turned out quite yummy, I must say! And because the servings were huge, Alan brought the cakes into the office to feed his staff this morning! hahaha

The day before, I also baked Macademia Nut and Choco Chip cookies for Alan and Jean. But sad to say, the hubby thinks they are 'as hard as doggie biscuits'!! (Ethan doesn't seem to think so though!)

IT'S MEESIAM MONDAY!

En made her fabulous meesiam today for dinner. It's my Mummy's recipe but too bad she's not here to cook it or it would have been tastier. :( But still it was good :)

Something Different

To continue in the theme of doing "something different", Alan and I and Ethan took a walk this morning in the neighbourhood. Actually, I had woken up at around 8am and toyed with the idea of going for a stroll for at least 15minutes... Then, the son and husband stirred and so I mooted the idea.


It was indeed a lovely experience. There were clouds in the sky and it wasn't hot at all. Jay Jay and Coco formed the entourage as well. I had slapped on mosquito repellent for Ethan as I know how vicious the mozzies are in this neighbourhood.


A few months ago, when Ethan was even "littler", ALan and I had taken him on a walk. We placed him in the stroller and immediately he started screaming his head off. Needless to say, our walk did not last very long. :P


Today was different though. Ethan squinted in the sunlight but did not protest as we placed him in the stroller. He proceeded to stone his way around the neighbourhood and after a few minutes, the movement of the stroller lulled him into a deep sleep again. hahaha. What a babe!


After the walk, Alan and I left to have bf at our usual coffeeshop. I decided to have toasted bread instead of my usual noodles. And then we went to TMC to pick up some items. Along the way there, Saw Hoon called and they wanted to pop over to bring us the toys they promised.


We hurried home and strawberry tea, strawberries and kiwis were served to our guests. :) We had a great time laughing over the videos of our previous Morib Beach day trip. :) The Tan family gave us a few wooden jigsaw puzzles, a toy lawn mower and also an 'egg'citing toy that sharpens the child's counting skills. They also gave me a book on what toys are useful ones to buy from the birth to two years of age of your child. Their son is a future doctor and their daughter is a future dentist... I think I shall get Ethan started on the toys in no time. hahahah. Joking lah.



In the evening, Ethan was all tired out and he fell asleep next to Daddy on the rocking sofa. How cute! hahaha