My First Toes Tapping Savasana

Today's power flow class was sweat drenching. Weather was unusually warm, 19 degrees during winter! Top off with an intentionally created hot studio. Literally when I took off my tee shirt, I could wring sweat! It was BLISS! I have NOT had this euphoria in AGES!!! I was so looking forward for the last pose, corpse pose. I was expecting the normal zen music to be play in the back ground.... But I heard this song from the famous movie back when I was a teenager... Pretty Woman. Gawd... I've lost count of the number of times I've watched this film! It was just 2 weeks ago, this film was show on TV. I watched from the beginning to the end and I still have the same feeling when I first watch the film 10 years ago :-)

The song Fallen by Lauren Wood was dedicated to Val's hubby, Dave, today is their wedding anniversary. Oh... so nice... :-)

My First Post Pregnancy Yoga

It has been a long long time... I have not been in touch with my yoga roots since getting pregnant. I've been contemplating on joining a yoga studio for quite awhile now. Audrey can vouch on this. ;-) She has been inviting me to join her in class. But I've to travel by train to get to her place. I think fate came knocking on my door. A new studio just open late last year just a stone throw away. I've been walking pass that busy intersection so many times and I didn't take notice. But one fine day, I was going through my junk mails, normally hubby will bin it immediately. I came across a brochure of this small studio tuck away from the hustle and bustle of Chatswood CBD.

It's winter time and I really need to regain my flexibility and strength. This heated studio is just PERFECT! The classes are small enough where the teachers could give me the attention and the little extra push (and posture correction) :-)

I feel so ZEN.... aaaaahhhh....

Baby Eliya @ 10 weeks

Who does she look like? Me or her Dad?

One of her (mommy's and daddy's actually...) favourite past time is having a bath. I think this water baby will grow up to be a swimmer... ;-)

She is now just shy of 6 kg and 60 cm in height (or length... since she can't stand yet... hehehe). True to her chinese name, Hei Yee ("happy child"), she laughs and smiles in bucket loads ! No matter how frustrated we get caring for her, our stress simply evaporates immediately when she beams us a toothless smile. I guess this is one of the joys of being a parent.

Besides smiling heaps, she is also a very verbal baby, just like her daddy, she likes to "talk". Cooing and goo-goo-gaa with her grandparents especially. I could expect a very emotional situation when we bid goodbye my in-laws. They have grown so attached to her.

Just a couple of days ago, we tried to teach her to say daah-dee and mah-mee. Hubby was trying to get her to imitate "daddy" and she responded, ah tiew ! At first we were in such a shock. OMG! Where did she learn to curse ?!?!?!? Then it don on us that it was just accidental and laughed our heads off.

Hubby celebrated his first birthday with Eliya. And I baked him a chocolate banana birthday cake. Yes, I BAKED a cake. My first cake !!! It's a bit lop sided, but HEY! It's my first cake. And YES, I'm learning to be a bit more domesticated these days :-)

Next week I'm resuming work after 3 good months of maternity leave. Initially, I thought this is going to easy getting back to a routine which I've been very comfortable with before Eliya arrived. Now... I think I'm going to miss her so much when I'm at work !

My First Le Tour De France

This week I scored a 7 day free pass to Fitness First. Yes I've canceled me membership since my last trimester, thinking life will be totally uncertain and chaotic when the baby arrives. After 9 weeks since delivering Eliya, my derrière was itching for a workout. I have not had a proper workout, the sweat-dripping-from-the-chin kind, since my second trimester.

First day, it was Sunday. I wanted to test my stamina. So, I jump on to the treadmill and did 5km in 40mins... put it this way, at least I managed to complete it given that I've laid off exercising for so long. 

Second day, legs and hips were sore. So, I did and upper body workout... B-O-D-Y-C-O-M-B-A-T.. Yeay! Technique still there... hehehe...lower option ;p

Third day, went for RPM. Hmmm... completing the class without pushing over the limit was an easy task... kekekeke....

Forth day came by, I needed the rest. The kiasu in me, told me to maximise the pass. I listened. Went for a recovery run. Did 3km on treadmill.

Fifth day, that's TODAY, I went for a special RPM class, a "Le Tour De France" 90 mins RPM class !!! It was worth the effort, I feel on top of the world! 

Tomorrow I'll know the CONSEQUENCES... What should I do... probably a good stretch? ;)

Baby Eliya @ 8 weeks

Caught on camera !!! Eliya smiling in her slept :-) Such a daddy's girl, every night she needs daddy to cuddle her to sleep. I hope we are not spoiling her to bits :)

She could entertain herself now. She doesn't demand CONSTANT attention. Mr. Caterpillar, Ms Worm and Mr Giraffe have been such an amusement lately. I guess Eliya is fascinated by their colours.

We have settled into a so call routine now. Eliya needs her milk usually around 8am, 11am, 2pm, 4pm, 6.30pm, 11.30pm and 4am. Sometimes she skips a feed for a longer sleep. How I wish she could skip the 4am feed SOON... !!! We have not had our precious 6 hours straight sleep since Eliya arrived.

Eliya is learning to talk... hahaha... not so soon. She is just trying to imitate the way we talk. I wish I could understand what she is trying to say. That will be SO COOL !!! Her baby talk is so darn CUTE ! She voice at the beginning is like a sweet little angelic tone. Now, her vocal cord went up a couple of notches! Her yehyeh and mahmah are so smitten when they "chit chat" with Eliya.

We went for our first Mother's Group at a nearby community centre. Most babies in that group were about 4 weeks and 8 weeks age. There were 11 babies, and Eliya was the center of attention (and we were the beaming proud parents... hehehe). She was the most alert baby and the only one who was smiling during the whole session. However, Eliya was the only baby who was bottle fed, while the rest had their moms whipping out their boobs filled with milk whenever a feed was needed. I had a short moment of depression, not able to perform a simple task of breast feeding my baby. Not able to provide her the best nutrient. My mom and Kyle were very supportive. Formula milk is not that bad. ( but it taste AWFUL!) Hey, I grew up with formula milk too and I turn out ok  ; p

Baby Eliya @ 6 weeks

Baby Girl is growing leaps and bounds. Every since she started on formula milk (my boobs are not working efficiently as it suppose to, such a depressing time, but I got over it), she is getting chubbier! Her cheeks are so puffy like the softest pao. I can't stop myself from giving her kisses. Her hair... just smell so NICE ! I can't describe the smell but I wish my hair smells like this. I even tried using her shampoo. It doesn't work the same :-( She is beginning to have folds on her thighs like Mr Michelin.

So how did we managed the 6 weeks?

Life was like on day-to-day basis. Nothing like I have envisioned, new parenthood as a tranquil scene from a greeting card or a TV commercial (a contented mom and dad sitting by the fireplace, smiling at tiny bub who sweetly coos her love in return) or like caring for a puppy. Life was not like the misery tales I've heard, describing endless sleepless nights, relentless fatigue, and no life at all away from the 3.5kg tyrant who demands attention every second. My life lies some where in between actually. I had my mom, yeeyee and in-laws. However frankly speaking, it was just too many voices around. Little Eliya is now so accustom to busy chit chats around her. A good thing? I don't know... 

At 6 weeks, Eliya was beginning to fuss especially during feeds. Earlier, whenever we offer her a bottle, she'll be gulping down like no tomorrow. Winding up or burping still needs more practice. Fortunately the air comes out from the behind... hehehe... I can't imagine this tiny baby has so much gas!

She is also developing a character now. Now she knows how to manja daddy. I was carrying her the other day. She was calm. When daddy came to talk to her over my shoulder, her facial expression changed instantaneously! Pin Hao ! Like this :( UNBELIEVABLE ! Such a Daddy's GIRL.

Diaper Duty.... ohmigawd... in the last few weeks, we have gone through so many packs. I'm no longer squeamish about changing diapers. Luckily she is not a boy otherwise we would have give the fetish golden shower a new meaning ;-)

She had her first major immunisation jab a last week. She seems to have found new vocal cords ! We were praying so hard that she would not get any fever. But she was fussier than normal (funny that we some how know what is normal.. hahaha). And her cries, were extremely louder. 

I'm not sure whether carrying her all the time is a good or bad thing. When she was born, she had; pohpoh, grand-yeeyee, yehyeh, mahmah and her daddy happily taking turns to hold her. So now putting her down on the bed is a more time consuming task. Every dinner time, one person has to hold on to her or feed her. Her hearing is super sharp in detecting when we were having our meal! At this age, we need to spoil her lar. After all it is winter time, if I'm her, I would like to warm cuddles from my love ones : ) Hopefully as she gets older we could train her, FINGERS CROSS.

Pacifier or the dummy or teet teet as we call it back home.We tried not to use it... however, it is a GAWD SEND gadget! She could happily lying on the bed sucking the dummy until she dozes off.

Eliya sleeps with us. Luckily we have a king size bed, she squeezes in between us. We blame it on the weather. It's WINTER TIME... getting up in the middle of the night for feed is FREAKING COLD. She is starting to sleep longer blocks during the night... 4 hours max !

Okies... break time over... back to feeding routine :)

My First Birthday with Little Eliya

Looking back, this my forth celebration in Sydney. Away from my hometown, Kay-al. Away from me family and friends. This time round was rather special, I had my tiny bundle to celebrate with me while she was sleeping.

Birthday dinner with me in-laws, Jana, Moh Har and Audrey. We had steamboat. Unbelievably good especially during chilly winter weather. We ate to our hearts' content with absolutely guilt free feeling. After all steamboat is super healthy, is all about boiling soup.

So what did I get? A cake and a card from hubby. And I got myself a yoga introductory pass from a new studio in Chatswood. I really need to get back into the yoga groove. Practicing at home is all good, nice and relaxing. However attending a class gives me a little caffeine kinda kick :)