Then it was 6 for Eskimo Boy

Look, I'm ready to fly now

Dear Aidan,

To think Mama was afraid you wouldn't ever learn to sleep.

Not without crying a little and without a swaddle for your mid-day nap.

These days you chew your nappy cloth (sort of your pillow for now). Quietly contemplate for a while. And let the luxury of rest take over.

Yeah, this would be my 'good' side.

Admittedly, just as you were hitting the 6th month mark, you woke us up earlier than usual.

5.30am to be precise.

Is it a growth spurt? (You weren't really hungry when we tried feeding you.)
Is it part of the teething process? (You'd just grown two bottom ones.)
Is it just a phase? (please let it be a phase!)
Looking back, we think it was and still is.
Sometimes as your body changes, everything else does, too.
The way you sleep, eat and play.

Speaking of play, you definitely are one active little mountain goat. Mountain goat because when we hold you up, you'd trek upwards, from our tummy to our throat (cough, cough).

Me, active? I'm just enjoying a lazy Sunday arvo

And then there are the attempts to cover land with your paw marks. You began your lesson in crawling at about 5.5 months. But in a flash and a dash, you'd quickly progressed to sitting with one hand on the ground and the other holding a chew toy. I'm guessing you'll be trying to stand up in the next month or two. No rush, Aidan, because crawling's just as fun. Although, Mama's knees would disagree.

All right, here we go

Afternoon naps have been tough on Mama. I haven't yet figured out why they're fraught with disruptions for you. After 30 minutes or 50, you'd stir, crying, having squirmed yourself out of Aunty Audrey's swaddle. I know you have strong reflexes and maybe they keep telling you you're falling when you're actually safe in bed. I've been speaking to Aunty Su-Lyn in Brisbane about this. I think it's time to invest in a few more swaddles and think of better ways to wrap you nice and tight so you'll nap better.

I don't know why, but it always ends up out there

You're starting to like books now. Chewing them, at least. But hey, that's interest. Hopefully, you won't eat up the pages because we need to know how the story goes. This month sees you getting a taste (pardon the pun!) of simple bible stories. Thanks Uncle Brian for this cute little pictorial book!

Ok, let's see what the bouquet is like...

Food-wise, it's been an exciting time. Month #6 is the month most babies try their tongues and taste buds on solid foods. So Mama bought some Heinz baby rice cereal and prepared it for you. I'm happy to announce that you didn't spit it out or chuck it back at my face. Or worse.

I've discovered...baby rice cereal, woo-hoo!

This month, I also bought some fancy ice-cube trays in which to to steam-then-freeze your tomatoes, broccoli, apple, pear and carrots. Papa thinks I'm going crazy but you know, he's been known to be wrong before. Sometimes.

All I'll say is, Bon appetit, Aidan!

Eskimo Boy's First Holiday at 5 Months

Dear Aidan,

I forgot to log in your first holiday on planet Earth. You were 5 months and we plonked you in Papa's car, Dukie, and drove ourselves to Singapore. A journey that would normally take 3.5-4 hours, took us almost 8! And yup, it was the milk stops.

Wake me when we get there o'right?

I'll tell you, though, that you almost, maybe, got kidnapped. We were at one of the stops in Johor Bahru, a state down south. Mama had just fed you milk. Papa had gone to the toilet. An elderly Indian couple who sat at the table next to ours, turned around when I got up to burp you. They said a few words in Tamil to each other and then the lady just took you straight out of my arms. She carried you, started cooing to you and began walking away. I had to raise my voice twice and put my hands on you before she would give you up.

Now, that was scary.

Meanwhile, journey-wise, you were good in that you slept most of the way. Once we got into Singapore where there were loads of traffic stops, you near took our ear drums out! So, we get it:

NO STOPS, MAMA/PAPA. JUST KEEP GOING, EVEN IF IT MEANS WE KILL OURSELVES IN A HORRIFIC CAR ACCIDENT.

As the official bed-tester, I say...PASS.

Our 5 days in Singapore was lovely. We had come down to attend Papa's friend's wedding. So the night we had to be at the dinner, your cousin Dillon's help, Fran, popped over to our hotel room to look after you for a few hours.

We also visited HMV (or rather, your Papa visited HMV and we had no choice but to follow), had coffee at Spinelli's and lunch at Border's.

What are those green and brown things above my head?

One afternoon, we had lunch at Pierside with Uncle Khin, Aunty Swee Lin and Dillon. On another night, we had dinner with Uncle Thomas and Aunty Elise at Valentino's, a cosy little Italian restaurant near Clementi.

These parent grips are...amazingly tight

Papa,  has Mama told you you're a clown?

Hey, where's my food?

I really just want to play with that fountain

Talk to the jeans, thanks

Mama can't remember much of the ride home except that you were really bawling with hunger by the time we arrived back at our condominium. So while Papa unloaded, Mama placed you in the middle of the double bed in your room and quickly dashed off to make a bottle of milk.

And then, horror of horrors. You screamed your lungs out.

When Papa and Mama rushed to see what had happened, we found you on the floor! I guess you're early in many ways - rolling over, included.

You must believe me when I say that I cried more and longer than you did. In fact, you stopped after 3 minutes to look at Mama crying. I can only thank God now that the bed-frame is pretty low and close to the ground.

Not the best ending to your first trip ever, I must say. But lessons are learnt via pain. In this case, I learnt through your pain not to take things (or you, rather) for granted. Safety is really more important than a bit of hunger.

Tummy Time Takes Off in Month #4

Dear Aidan,

Heya, it's a great day to...move!

These days in June, your smiles are like rain in South East Asia. You don't really know when they will come but they'll come for sure. I think they show up more often when you manage to roll over or sit up with some help, balance on your tummy or when Mama and Papa pull a silly face. I suppose boys like action and daft comedy and between Papa and Mama, you're bound to get a nice balance of both.

Eh, aren't you gonna give me a real one, you cheapskates?

Ok, ok, I'm ticklish!

Don't tickle when I ain't looking!

And boy, are proving to be a restless little bum. "Toys? Bah. Give me 2 minutes and I'll have them figured out, Mama." "Milk? Bah. Why can't I look around, swirl it in my mouth a little before swallowing? Wine tasters do that!" ADHD may be unheard of at this age. But if it was, you'd have it, honey. Every time I check though, I don't see bees.

Let's see what Red tastes like

Wow, Coochy's nice and cuddly. Can I taste him?

Steady...and hey, I'm onto you, Tummy Time!

You could be an early starter for those pearly whites, though. Because half your toys seem to end up inside your mouth these days. If not your hand and fingers. I know you're partly learning about your world by tasting its contents. But trust me, you'll need those in the future so don't eat them, okay? You can thank me later.

Err, this looks factually wrong, Papa

Papa and Mama have also started reading a lot more to you. This month, apart from Sandra Boynton's books, we introduced you to good old Mother Goose, a lovely collection of favourite rhymes Uncle Suresh got for you. We know it's hard for you to sit up just yet. It's cool though that you can't move anywhere. At least you'll be getting something into your system for sure.

Curiosity and Chuckles Strike Eskimo Boy

Dear Aidan,

Expecting me to puke? Mama's got a burp cloth ready, nyah nyah!

You're 3. Months old, that is. You're growing a little longer. And our little neck is getting stronger too. Soon you'll be able to hold your head up high. Even when you've done something naughty.

Just a few days ago, you gave us your first noisy chuckle. It's good to have a sense of humour, son. Because one day, you'll find this blog and you'll need that sense of humour to help you get through the entire thing. Without slitting your wrist, that is. :)

You've also developed some dryness to your skin. The doctor says you just need some aqueous cream and you'll be fine. I suppose given that since both Papa (eczema when he was a kid) and Mama (Queen of Hives) have some form of skin sensitivity, this is to be expected. None of that porcelain-smooth pageant-standard skin for you then.

You're sleeping better these days, thanks to the swaddle from Aunty Audrey in Australia. Now, Mama simply wraps you up like a spring roll for your naps and you're out for at least 1.5 hours each time. Well, right now, you're still enjoying 3-4 naps. They give Mama a little time to do important things. You know, like breathe and pee.








In terms of sleep styles, you're like a little baby salmon who likes to swim upstream. You always start out nicely in the middle of the crib. But hours later, you're all scrunched up in the top corner. The helicopter spin is classy, too, by the way.

Ok, gotta stretch a little here...

...jiggle a little there...

...and Bob's your uncle!

"C'mon, c'mon...talk to me, talk to me"

We're beginning to see signs of curiosity. It's not just the roaming hands. Your intense stare is now usually put to good use. When you're playing with a burp cloth for instance, you like to stare at it for a long time, as if persistence will lead to (1) the cloth bursting into flames (2) the cloth starting a conversation with you or (3) the cloth revealing the mystery of life to you.

I suppose you know what you're doing.






Meanwhile, those little sensory gym mats are proving to be just a temporary relief in boredom for you. A swipe at a bell here. A death stare there. A questioning gurgle here and there.  And that's that. It's take-this-away-from-me-now, thank you very much.

"Watch my eyes,  squiggly wormy thing there: I want you to explode right now"

This month, Mama's started reading you the books Aunty Daphne got for you when you were born. Sandra Boynton's 'Moo Ba La La La' seems to be catching on as your eyes would look intently at Mama when I read it to you.

Sandra Boynton gets me, Mama!

What is that thing in my face?

A last word and it's going to be about your hair. There are high bets that it, when IT so chooses to show up with more presence, will take after Papa's curls. This might happen when you hit puberty. But right now? All I see are straight lines.

2 Months it Is for Eskimo Boy

Dear Aidan,

You're 2 months old. And Mama just turned 70!

(Just kidding.)

But at the rate you're experiencing colic, acid reflux and a very real difficulty in napping, Mama will soon be dead. (Kidding a little less, now.)

Ack! My hands! Gone!

You're still waking up at 11 pm, 2 am, 4.30 am and 7 am for your milk. And because you're usually too sleepy to drink continuously, Papa and Mama have resorted to undressing you and putting a bag of frozen peas to your face to wake you up.

While it can be awfully lonely sometimes to wake up a few times in the night with only deadly sombre silence for company, I'm just so glad I can be there for you. I'm so glad that I can provide for you.




Papa tries very hard to support Mama, too. But one day, he'll tell you about that one incident where he jumped out of bed upon hearing your banshee's cry at 2 am.  Only to switch off the baby monitor so he could go back to sleep and snore...which he did.

See, I do smiles too

I'll say also that burping you after a feed is nearly impossible. I don't think you appreciate being slapped on the back. Or bent forward. After all, your neck is still jello. And it must suck being so helpless. But all my weariness and uncertainty melt away when I see your smile. That's right, this is the month you gave us your first smile!

Ah, I kinda like being naked

Anyway, we are fortunate to have Aunty Lilian, the confinement lady, agree to stay on another month to help Mama. Aunty Lilian cooks really well. In fact, I suspect Papa agreed for her to continue so he could have more of her cooking. She's also good with changing your nappies, showering you and teaching Mama how to do both.  When you grow up, you must call her and thank her for looking after you so well.




You had a fever scare in your 6th week, actually. It's funny how first-time parents can sometimes panic at the slightest change of whatever. It turned out that you were just warm from swaddling. But Mama doesn't regret rushing off to the hospital to have you checked out. Yeah, paranoid android is my middle name.

On the 19th of April, we took you out on your first outing when we visited the Church of the Assumption for your baptism! All the important members of your extended family came for it. Well, except for Uncle Khin (Mama's brother), his wife, Aunty Swee-Lin and cousin Dillon, anyway. They live in Singapore, you see.

Zzzz...what's going on, Mama?

Ok, so that's what Grandpa and Grandma look like

But I've already had my hair washed!

(L-R) Uncle Victor, Grandpa, Amachee, Poh-Poh, Kung-Kung,
Mama, Papa...and Grandma! It's like a Mensa test!

Oh hi Uncle Brian...Aunty Angeline....yawn

You slept throughout the entire solemnisation, of course. But just so you know what you missed: it was a beautiful, tender and meaningful event. From the lighting of your little candle, to the anointing of oil by Father Phillips, to the baptism by the font. It left Papa and Mama feeling secured in the knowledge that you'd be in safe hands, always.

After it ended, the entire family went for brunch at D'Canter in Damansara Heights. One day, you'll know where this is. But you'll still need to ask for permission before ordering the stiff drinks.

Just saying!

Are You a Month Old Already?

Dear Aidan,

You're officially 1 month old today and we can already see that you're going to be quite an intense little guy. Your banshee cry apart, there's always this death stare and frown I only usually see on really old and grumpy people.

Whatcha lookin' at?

Should I even be here in the first place?

Time really does have wings. But with the wings, comes lots of new little adventures. Well, some of them aren't very positive from Mama's point of view. But I'm sure, in hindsight later, I will be able to 

grin about it and maybe wonder what all the worry was all about.

Firstly, I'll admit that  I'm nervous about possibly not being able to breast-feed you for long. What mother doesn't want the best for her child, right? And yet, God has different plans for different people. 

It's 2 am and there's a...light

Right now, I'm already supplementing your meals with a little formula. I've decided not to be burdened by guilt and to just enjoy the moments I have watching you grow, day by day. After all, the entire Breast-Feeding Advocacy Brigade can't see how Mama pumps furiously in between waking up to feed you from the breast directly. It's depressing to see tap drips against the effort I'm putting into this when a Niagara Falls would've been a lot more encouraging.

I know I'm staring but it's not personal

Secondly, I'll also admit that you're one baby with super-strong reflexes. What I'm trying to tell you, really, is that you're a horrible napper! And Mama, Poh-Poh and Aunty Lilian, the confinement lady, are witnesses, too. Your eyes would close but once your head drooped ever so slightly, you'd awaken and bawl. And what a bawl too. I get it. You're angry that you can't sleep properly and you just want all of us to understand - the neighbours included.

I'm really sleepy as you can see; I just can't seem to sleep is all!

I must say though, that it's pretty difficult for Mama to function with this much sleep deprivation. (Which is not as bad as the thought that a little baby like you are functioning with a total of just 30 minutes of sleep in a DAY, of course.)  It's not like Papa could take over breast-feeding duties, you know. What? Never mind, one day you'll understand. At least when it's time for the Lesson entitled 'The Birds and the Bees'.

Anyway, to celebrate your 1st month here on Earth, we had a little Full-Moon party for you. Quite a few of Mama's and Papa's friends came. Not that you gave a toss. You just wanted your milk on time. Plus a little help cleaning up the post acid-reflux-attack mess you made.

I'll tell you though - and this is something else I'll admit - I was pretty glad when it was all quiet again, and all I had was you, in my arms, falling asleep. Well, trying to, anyway.

And You Arrived

Why, hey, you must be my milk-supplier

Welcome to the world, baby Aidan.

You were born a few hours shy of Valentine's Day - 9.35am, 15th February 2009, which we guess you'll be glad about when you're older. No jokes about being a Casanova, Valentino, Cupid or Romeo!

Mommy can't believe all 3.54 kg of you were inside my tummy, too. Wow. Do you want to know your features? First of all, you're pretty fair (for the moment). Your little eyes, when they're open, look a bit Chinese. And you've got a pointed, square jaw like both Daddy and Mommy. As for your nose, we all think you have Daddy's nose which looks like Grandpa's too. You remind me of a little Eskimo, actually, especially all bundled up in a furry blue wrap. I guess we'll be referring to you as our little Eskimo Boy for a while.

Although we'll learn more about you over the next few years, what immediately strikes us right now is your cry. Ha ha. Let's say you have a pretty healthy set of lungs, quite unlike the typical newborn!

Did you know that Mommy tried to bring you out naturally? But in the end, God decided to have you arrive by surgery. It's okay. It doesn't matter how you come, really, as long as you come safely. Daddy didn't get to cut the umbilical cord too as a result. But he told Mommy all about the procedure.

In this case, if you ever hear that babies come out of their mommies' tummies, it's correct.

By the way, you got us a little worried on the 3rd day because you had jaundice. Dr. Azizi, your paediatrician had to put you under ultraviolet light to treat it and make it go away. It was sad to see you, all naked except your nappy and a cool cloth visor over your eyes, lying on your tummy and being "sunned". But you did look rather comfortable.

We think you're going to like the beach. (Did we already mention that Daddy followed the nurse to bathe you and you didn't cry when you were placed in the water?)

Do. Not. Disturb. Baby. Asleep.

Many people came to visit you in the evening: Aunty Hsian, Uncle Srihari, your grandparents. In fact, daddy's mom came thrice, bringing different guests each time - Angeline's parents, her sister and brother-in-law, and of course with your grandpa, great-grandma, Uncle Victor, Uncle Brian and Aunty Angie.

When you're older, you must go to Damansara Specialist Hospital and say hello to the nice midwives and nurses there.

They all loved you and when Mommy and Daddy were really tired, they took care of you in the nice, warm nursery. They were especially helpful in teaching mommy how to feed you. So remember these names: Nurse Hazura, Midwife Khairol, Midwife Balwinder, Midwife Siew Poh!



Anyway, we're awfully glad to have you in our lives, Baby Aidan. It'll be a tough few months ahead but we're parents now and like any new profession, we gotta start somewhere!

Man, it's tiring just trying to keep my head straight!