Akira Jap Buffet

I felt like eating Jap food and have been thinking of going to Akira cos it's nearby, and the food is quite decent. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the price of the lunch buffet was slashed to just $22++ per person (originally $35), and they also expanded the variety of dishes offered.

I thought of Akira cos it's not super crowded, and they have semi-tatami type tables (the kind that you put your legs in a hole under the table) where we could use Asher's Bumbo seat so that he could join us at the low table :)

It was adorable to have Asher sit together with us :) He was happily chatting with his pal Henry Hippo while Jon and I had lunch. It was a leisurely meal, and we just took our time ordering and eating. A great way to spend a lazy Saturday.



Asher & Henry









What is this thing Mummy keeps putting in my face?










Halfway through the meal Asher fell asleep, and when he woke up he had this look that said, "What are we still doing here? You mean you guys are still eating? *roll eyes*"


zzzZZZ...









(40mins later) Alamak! Still here??!







Anyway, it's definitely a family-friendly place we can visit again!


Going home full on Jap-food flavoured milk

Going to the Ritz

Headed out to Raffles City with Asher in tow to meet Jon for lunch. We both actually got to sit down and enjoy our meal properly cos Asher slept through the entire meal! I think he was lulled into deep sleep by the sounds from the nearby water fountain. He only woke up much later when I was wandering around the mall.

Was going to head to Ritz Carlton after lunch cos my parents happened to have a free stay there for one night, and they invited us to take a peek at the room to see the views (and for them to play with Asher!). Asher enjoyed the aircon (it's a treat! cos we don't use air-conditioning at home), the views and the company (cos he has his grandparents' doting attention :) ).

Talking to Gong Gong










Sofa sing-a-long









Taking in the view







On the way to Ritz I bumped into two sets of people - my cousin and her husband, and my secondary/JC friends with their babies! :) Such a lovely day! It's nice to have so many surprises in a day :)

Joanne, Baby Josiah, Joce, Baby Emma, Me, and Baby Asher :)







Jon and I had dinner at a fish place in Marina Square. I can't remember the name, but it's not quite worth remembering anyway. The service was a class act. When thed waitress asked, "How may I help you?" we asked for a table for two with space for a pram, and asked if we could be seated outside but away from the smokers. The waitress then scribbled down something hurriedly, ignoring us. We just looked at her for a few more moments, and when she was done writing, she looked up and said, "What did you ask for?" We then had to repeat the request and it took a while before she really understood what we were asking for.

We then asked about the promotion that was shown on a poster outside the restaurant, and the waitress said, "There's no promotion"

"But there's a poster outside"

"What poster? There's a poster?"

Subsequently, we placed our order but she still had to come back to double check our order :/

The food was not too bad, but you can probably find similar (and better) food for less. And with the service leaving much to be desired, we probably won't be going there again anytime soon.

Excursion to T3

Bo liao?

Well, we were initially planning on going somewhere nearer, but then Asher unexpectedly fell soundly asleep in the car and we thought it'd be nice to take a long drive. So since we'd not yet been to T3, we thought we'd make a trip there to just check out the place for fun.

Didn't do much there, just walked around to explore the place. Interestingly there were many students congregating at quiet corners to study (or "study"? :) ). Reminded me of my school days when we used to travel great distances to go to some obscure place to study. Don't really know why we did that, and I'm not sure how much studying we actually got done on those 'study trips', but I suppose we thought the change of environment and company would help us absorb more?

There were also surprisingly a lot of families with young kids there. As T3's check-in area is not entirely utilized yet, the empty carpeted area has become a wonderful playground for young toddling kids! It's really not bad - air-con (for a hot day), food nearby (foodcourt is downstairs), nearby toilets, carpets for soft-landings, space, and free!

We came across a giant 'flower' that interacts with the audience. It senses where there are people and turns to face them. Asher was very taken with it cos it was BIG, and RED, and MOVING :)












Dinner was at the foodcourt, which had pretty decent Thai food. Asher, not being allowed to eat the Pad Thai I was having, resorted to eating his hand :) A little while more, boy, and you'll be eating stuff besides milk! Patience!

Woo Hoo!

Asher and I paid a visit to the Woo household. Mainly for me to chat with my old friend, LMG, but also for Asher to meet a new friend, Austin! The two had actually met twice before (once at the hospital and once at home), but both times Asher was asleep :) So that day was the first time Asher was actually meeting Austin, who's 2 months older, good and proper.

It was a cute meeting. They shook hands, 'said' hi, and got a chance to play together for a while between Asher's nap and Austin's nap. Baby play dates need a happy overlap of feeding/sleeping schedules! Austin's at the 'grabby' stage and loves grabbing everything firmly and not let go :) One of the things he caught hold of was Asher's hand. It was really cute cos it looked like Austin was so happy to see Asher he didn't want Asher to go :) The start of a good friendship? :)


Asher taking a nap in his fav position








Austin has also discovered the gourmet pleasures of his feet! :) I joined in to see whether feet really do taste good. Hmm...I think I'll stick to regular food ;)









Little Austin was also generous in lending Asher some of his toys, sharing his cot, and letting Asher sit in his rocker for a while. It was adorable watching the two interact. But actually, one of the funniest things for me was how LMG and I were doing the 'mummy' bit and telling our kids not to do stuff. For her it was "Austin, don't grab Asher!", and for me it was "Asher, don't drool on Austin's bed!" I really found it hilarious cos I never imagined we'd be saying such things, and to our children! :) It's always amazing to think how we now have babies in our lives!

Studying each other









Cosy cuddle :)







Anyway, it was a good time chatting and catching up. This won't be the last! There'll be more meetings to come I'm sure :)

Valentine's @ Marina Barage

On a day when many (unmarried? haha) couples are busy getting ready for a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant, Jon and I decided to go for an excursion to Marina Barage. I've been wanting to go there for weeks to see what it's like ever since it was open to the public!

Pity it was a super duper cloudy and hazy day, making the skyline was yellowed and muted. And it was surprisingly hot! Still, it was a nice place to stroll about. There were many families there, and groups of (single?) friends gathering to celebrate Valentines together. (Ok, I'm stereotyping, but I'm sure I'm right!)

We started with the Marina Bridge from where you can get good views of our city skyline. When the IR is completed it'll obscure some of the buildings behind it and the skyline will probably become more homogeneous on the left, given the IR's three imposing towers. When I was taking this skylne photo I was thinking that this'll be one of those photos that Asher will pick up one day and say, "Har, Mummy, you mean the IR was not standing when you were growing up?" Or, if I get into a nonstalgic mood I might say, "Asher, see, last time there was no IR and the skyline looked like this. Actually, not too long before that there was no Singapore Flyer too"


The rooftop field seems like a nice place to picnic if only there were more trees. Without them, it's a bit too hot to do so, at least in the afternoon. But you can go cool off in the fountain below. as some people were doing :) Looks fun! If I didn't have to feed Asher soon I'd probably have run in myself for fun :)









We missed the museum there cos we were starved and needed lunch. But we might pop back there some time to check it out, hopefully on a sunny day! And if Asher can walk, I'll bring him to the fountain too :)

First Cut

Asher's hair has become so long it's getting a little bit unruly, even as I think he still looks cute with longish hair :) But it's become a bit hard to manage, especially after baths. If I don't smooth out his hair before it dries, he looks like Einstein the next day :)


I love my long hair Mummy!











Who has messier hair? :)







So anyway, cutting his hair needed some planning. He can't sit on his own yet, so I had to find some way to support him while cutting his hair. I tried to lay him on my raised knees but he kept turning his head this way and that. I didn't want to risk hurting him, so I scrapped that plan. Eventually I decided that I shall let him take a nap, and cut his hair while he's sleeping :) So he basically went to sleep with long hair, and woke up with short hair!

Devious, devious, wahaha.

He usually sleeps with his head to one side, so I cut the side that was facing me. Then I gently turned his head so that the other side faced me (all the while praying he wouldn't wake up!). That left me with the back of his head which I couldn't cut properly while he was lying down.

Hmmm...

When he woke up I sat him on the floor and supported him with my legs (it's a bit difficult to explain how. I had to contort a bit) while I quickly cut the hair on the back of his head.

Done!

How's it look? :) I tried to shorten it evenly throughout hoping to make his hair look like what it was when he was around 1.5 months. All in all I cut almost and inch of hair all round! Yep, that's how long his hair was! He looks more boyish and less messy now (and I think the Po Po will be much pleased) :)

Fulfilling My Tummytime Dream

Since Asher was born I've been dying to picnic at the Botanic Gardens and let Asher hang out for a while among the lush trees , and have some tummytime on the grassy field. We had gone there once, but mainly to stroll around. This time, I brought along a picnic mat so we could lie down for a while near the Symphony Stage. Wasn't a full picnic cos I didn't pack a basket, but it was close :)

I think Asher really enjoyed his time there! He was wide-eyed as he stared at all the different trees around him, and looked up to see how high some of the trees grew. He was curiously looking all around him to soak in this new environment. The spot I found was slightly sloping and Asher kept leaning to one side, so eventually I placed him on my tummy :) Partly cos I just like having him on my tummy too hee.










I believe he really liked looking around cos when I saw that some dark clouds were gathering and decided to pack up, he fussed a little when I lifted him off the mat to put him back in his pram. But since he could still see all the trees from his pram, he quietened down quite quickly :) It didn't rain in the end, so we just strolled around the park. I showed him the waterfall, and stopped by many of the bright flowers for him to take a better look at them. The beautiful surroundings, and the rumbling of the pram eventually lulled him into sleep :)










Definitely something to do again. Maybe next time I'll bring a basket! :)

Changing Looks?

I've been taking millions of photographs of Asher...now's the time to start choosing which ones I'll actually want to develop! The good thing about digital cameras is that you can take as many pictures as you like, but the bad part is that hardly anyone gets to view your pics cos they never get printed! So, I shall endeavour to print out some and start an Asher Album :)

Hearing the comments from other people, it seems Asher's look is changing. Initially everyone said Asher looked like Jon. Now, more and more, I hear Asher looks like me. I'm sure this isn't the final verdict, and there'll be more changes to come. It's just interesting to hear these comments, cos seeing him everyday, I hardly notice the changes myself. Probably only those who see him only occasionally will be better able to spot the changes.

Anyway, besides gaining weight and height, some changes that I've noticed since he was born are that his cheeks have gotten chubbier (and more pinchable haha), his eyelashes have grown (so jealous!), his thighs have gotten bigger (and more pokeable!), and his hair has gotten longer and longer :)

Some pics I've taken in the past month - maybe you can see the difference in his looks:

7 Jan












11 Jan












16 Jan


See lah this boy, thinks he's the king of our bed!








Asher's wearing a top that my brother wore when he was a baby, which I later also wore as a baby!







I think this photo is so sweet. Asher's so tired out, he's slumped over Daddy's shoulder :)





20 Jan


Cheeks getting chubbier

















30 Jan


Talking with his friends





















Look at how this silly boy fell asleep! ;)









6 Feb












8 Feb












Can you see any difference? For me, I think the 8 Feb pic probably looks more like me when I was a baby than the other photos. But then, I still think he looks quite a bit like Jon. Well, I guess like one of the Mothercare rompers I saw the other day, Asher's "50% Mummy and 50% Daddy" :O)

Jailhouse Rock

There was a bandit in my house the other day, not a very good one though, cos he was found sleeping...










He must have been so tired that he didn't take anything. But he did end up doing some naughty things...he pooped on my bed!! It leaked out from the diaper and there was basically a lot of washing to do after that. Tsk tsk.


Wasn't me!

Just for you Del

Schwimming!

We had a 50% off voucher for some baby swimming thing, so we thought we'd go check it out. That, and my aunty was really excited about letting Asher try it.

Each baby gets an individual tub and they've a float that wraps around the neck. Some people apparently bring their kids there every week! Some babies can even swim 45mins non-stop. As it was Asher's first time, the staff there said he'd probably last about 15-20 mins.










He seemed to enjoy floating around. I say floating around, cos he didn't do much kicking initially haha. It was quite funny to see him float and drag his arms about cos he also didn't move his arms very much either :) It was only after he warmed up that he kicked more and used more of his arms.

He managed to last 15 mins! I do think he might have lasted a little longer if the staff had put on the float correctly the first time. They had to interrupt his swimming and take him out to reposition the float. After that when they put him back into the tub he was more fussy.

Actually one of the funniest things is to see all the spectators ooh-ing and aah-ing at Asher as he swam :) He went there with an entourage of 6!












Anyway, not sure if we'll be bringing back again cos it's not that cheap without the discount. We'll see how it goes. I'm actually looking forward more to bringing him to a real swimming pool! But that probably won't be for many months more.