Elise-abeth, Queen of W(h)ales

11:00 AM
Say hi to Queen Elise-abeth of W(h)ales. 

After more than 5 months, with repeated requests from my husband, we finally brought her swimming. We packed a few things for her very first trip to the pool. The best time to go is on a weekday afternoon where you can get the entire pool to yourself.

Baby Swimming Checklist
  • Baby Float x 2 (Neck float & huge baby seat float, both from Watercolours)
  • Reusable swim diaper (Charlie Banana)
  • Baby swimsuit (Thermal swimwear isn't really necessary) 
  • Towel
  • Spare clothes & diapers 
  • Waterproof camera 
I was particularly concerned about the chlorinated pool water, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't as bad as we thought as the smell was barely noticeable. We knew Elise was comfortable in the water as she likes splashing around during bath time, but we weren't sure if she would take to the large pool. 

We started off in the medium pool, because the baby pool is for babies. Actually, it was because it was really cold in the baby pool and there wasn't much for Elise to do - there were water fountains and a large slide which she couldn't enjoy. 

Interestingly, the medium pool was maintained at a warm enough temperature, so we put the float around her neck and plonked her into the pool.


She hated it and was obviously uncomfortable, so we clipped it around her waist like a standard ring float instead. 
Much better now!
Since the neck float wasn't meant for use as a ring float, it tended to topple forward, causing water to go into her mouth. She kept trying to lick water off her float, like some puppy. She especially liked it when we carried her around in the pool. 


We got stopped by the lifeguard for using our waterproof camera because apparently, some sicko used a waterproof camera to take underwater photographs of women's bottoms. -_- Perverts ruin everyone's lives. 

Splash splash splash. I can't wait for her to learn swimming properly, so we can all swim together. She seems to like it! My husband wanted to dunk her underwater after watching a video of infants swimming with their heads underwater, but I didn't want to play with the risk of her drowning in front of our eyes. 

The thing about public pools is that there's no warm water in the shower area, so I could only give her a quick rinse under the icy cold shower before drying her off. 

Babies really let you relive your childhood. You get to play with blocks, sand, paint, dolls, pretend food and role play all over again. 

baby e's growth

This M word

1:01 AM
I've been a mother for close to 5 months now and it has already been a tremendous ride. I'm so blessed that Elise is easy to look after - she drinks her milk well, sleeps well, rarely cries, laughs a lot and generally doesn't cause us much worry. 


She can play quietly by herself in the cot without making noise and sit in her swing while we have our dinner for about 10 minutes. Once, I was using the computer and assumed she was sleeping. When I turned around, I saw her propping herself up in a tummy time position, staring at me quietly. It actually creeped me out a bit because she was so silent. 

 At a tender age of 5 months, she has gotten herself into a fair bit of trouble. Just a few days ago, I was carrying her whilst using the computer when she suddenly flung and smashed my cup full of orange juice onto the floor. 

Then she made a face as if to say, "That's what you get for ignoring me". 

This evening during her bath, she also slipped underwater for a second and drank a mouthful of bath water, (no) thanks to her father who insisted that she would be able to sit upright in the bath tub without support. She kicked and splashed, leaned back and slipped into the water. Of course, we immediately took her out, soothed her and now I have one win over my husband. "Told you to listen to me, right?" 

 We also bought her a small swimming pool which she hasn't learnt how to use properly yet. She does this instead: 

She makes us laugh a lot and we have definitely been a lot happier since she came into our lives. For one, my father smiles a lot more now and there seems to be more motivation for him to live.

Before she was born, I don't think my dad and I had too many interesting things to talk about - I'm not really interested in stocks and shares and he tells me about neighbourhood news like how the uncle living in our block has an unfilial son who made him pay money for a broken computer and how the neighbour's daughter-in-law is pregnant. We make each other bored. 


Over in Seoul where her paternal relatives are located, I hear they are only too excited to meet her. Apparently, many good things have happened since her birth, like a rise in the price of their land and a promotion. When I asked if they would attribute the recent bad event to her existence, my husband just shrugged me off. Only believe in the good things. 

Having a child distanced me from most of my childless friends. I can see why. Impromptu and spontaneous overseas trips which were a leave application and flight booking away have now become unthinkable. Late night chill out session at a bar listening to live music? The best place to chill out is at home now. Even weekday dinners are extremely difficult to commit to. 

On the bright side, some old friends came back and it made me realise how certain friends have been with me through all the ups and downs. I've also made more new friends, but unsurprisingly, most of them have children. I suppose it's like what they say - birds of a feather flock together. It's just easier for mummy friends to understand terms like BLW, MOTN, SIDS, DL, FM (not the radio frequency), EP (not a record), LO and talk about the colour of baby poop and brands of baby carriers and bottles. 

Everyone joins a band in this life. You are born into your first one. 

As life goes on, you will join other bands, some through friendship, some through romance, some through neighborhoods, school, an army. Maybe you will all dress the same, or laugh at your own private vocabulary. Maybe you will flop on couches backstage, or share a boardroom table, or crowd around a galley inside a ship. But in each band you join, you will play a distinct part, and it will affect you as much as you affect it.                     
- The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom 


When I announced my pregnancy, I had a (now ex-friend) friend comment that it was a very bad choice to have a baby because my career was non-existent and I was not "stable". I was so worked up arguing through WhatsApp with him. That's why he was kicked out of my band. 

 I don't regret it one bit, for the littlest member of my band welcomes me home like this every day:
review

Review: Pigeon Newborn Pure range

11:34 PM
Bath time is Elise's absolute favourite time of the day. She smiles when we brush her gums and tongue and splashes in the water with her chubby arms and legs. She used to kick even more vigorously, but now she just tries to eat her rubber duckie. 
Ever since she started bathing, her morning bath is usually a diluted milk bath (~100ml of breast milk for a tub of water) where I use a pea-sized amount of baby shampoo and no soap at all but recently, I've noticed that some parts of her skin feels dry. The doctor at the polyclinic also commented that her skin was dry and advised me to apply more moisturiser for her. 

Just as I was contemplating on the brand of soap to use on her skin, I received some products from Pigeon's Newborn Pure range - the purifying body wash and moisturising lotion. What's interesting is that it's Natulayer formula claims to offer double layer protection by using ingredients which vernix (protective waxy layer found on newborn babies) and ceramide (moisture-capturing lipids which maintain supple skin. Sounds good. 

Credit: Pigeon Newborn Pure
I have already have lots of Pigeon baby products like their nose cleaners (bulb type for the boogers, tube type for runny noses and a nose tweezer for the dry, flaky type which can't be sucked out), nail clippers and scissors, comb and brush, bottles... but I've never tried any of their toiletries before. 

The lotion and body wash came in pump dispenser bottles, which were a relief. Some baby products still come in flip caps which are really difficult to open. I almost broke my nails trying to open a bottle the other time. This is way easier to use and can be dispensed with one hand.

Ingredients






  • WATER, SODIUM METHYL COCOYL TAURATE, LAURAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, PHYTOSTEROLS, CERAMIDE NP, GLYCERIN, POLYGLYCERYL-10 OLEATE, LECITHIN, ORYZA SATIVA (RICE) BRAN OIL, GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS, CHOLESTERYL ISOSTEARATE, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) LEAF EXTRACT, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, DISODIUM LAURETH SULFOSUCCINATE, PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE TRIISOSTEARATE, LAURAMINE OXIDE, COCAMIDE METHYL MEA, TEA-COCOYL GLUTAMATE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM CITRATE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SODIUM BENZOATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TOCOPHEROL, FRAGRANCE

    • The body wash is a clear watery liquid with a light, pleasant fragrance. It glides well on Elise's skin and doesn't foam up. 

    Most importantly, her skin feels clean but not stripped dry of moisture. Baby approves! I'll use my stash of frozen milk for a full milk bath one day instead of diluting a tiny bottle into the water. Less work for me to do! 



     Before I received the moisturising lotion, I was using a spray lotion from another brand (because I'm lazy and it's easier to spray) but it had a distinct smell which I couldn't quite call fragrant. It smelled earthy and I usually use about 5 sprays to cover her entire body. 

     Pigeon to the rescue! I like the smell of this one and I just need about two pumps to apply on the whole of Elise's body. If I use this on myself, will I get skin as smooth as hers too? Hopefully it'll help to keep her skin baby smooth for as long as possible! 


    Ingredients





  • WATER, GLYCERIN, CETYL ETHYLHEXANOATE, STEARYL ALCOHOL, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG-100 STEARATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, STEARIC ACID, SORBITAN STEARATE, BEHENYL ALCOHOL, CHOLESTERYL ISOSTEARATE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, PHYTOSTEROLS, CERAMIDE NP, POLYGLYCERYL-10 OLEATE, LECITHIN, ORYZA SATIVA(RICE)BRAN OIL, GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS, OLEA EUROPAEA (OLIVE) LEAF EXTRACT, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, DIPOTASSIUM　GLYCYRRHIZATE, SODIUM CITRATE, CARBOMER, TOCOPHEROL, DIMETHICONE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, FRAGRANCE

    •  



    It must be really comfortable, because she dozed off after her bath. 

     Pigeon Newborn Pure is available at Guardian, motherswork and Takashimaya. Check here for the full listing.

    *I received the above products for review purposes. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.