Hey C,

Happy Birthday!! I'm not sure if you know that you are the reason that Mum and I decided to start the blog. We wanted to note down the amazing things in your life but there were so many that we couldn't note all of them. But Birthdays... there's always space for. We know how much you love birthday parties, especially your own.

That's your 1st Birthday. We had a massive party at the club. I think we had close to 100 guests. You would be delighted to note that since that massive party, we have not had a birthday party for any of our kids at the same scale. (I guess that will be the case until D and/or E can read and discovers this entry.) Anyway, Mum got a cake with a picture of your first car.

I'm not sure how much you remember your 1st B'day but I do remember that you started to totter around just a few days before your party. At your party, you were eager to show off your new skill and we spent most of the time running after you. Well, it's your party after all ...

2nd Birthday! A party at Mama and YehYeh's place. I think we catered for about 50 guests and had tables in the garden. Unlike your 1st B'day, where you probably didn't understand much of what was going on, this time you were very excited to blow out the candles. Between Audrey and you, there was no worry that the cake would be saliva-free. I'm really glad that you are such close friends with Audrey, just like a sister. She's a real sweetie.

A month after your 2nd B'day, you started school at SJCK. Mum and I were really worried that you wouldn't be able to adapt but you sure proved us wrong. The first week or so was stressful for us all but once you got into the swing of things, we couldn't stop you from attending school. BTw you even said you wanted to marry Aunty Stephanie, your DD teacher.

Your 3rd B'day also marked a new phase for Mummy and Granny - All B'day cakes for the Kids would be baked by them. And I'm sure you must be thankful. The cakes were not only yummy, the decorations were only limited by your imagination.

As you can see from the photos above, your 4'th B'day was Dinosaur themed. Mum noticed that you took a real liking to Harry and the Dinosaurs and was ever willing to make your wishes come true. She even got your Godma to make a Harry clay figurine. I think it was in that year that she went for cupcake baking classes and, as you know, she has put them to good use.

As usual, you had 2 celebrations - one in school and the other at home. At your request, we had a magician/balloon sculptor. You know your birthday celebrations are never simple and even when we wanted a simple BBQ for your 5th B'day, we ended up having a catered BBQ with a Satay man and lady making Roti Canai. Aren't you lucky!!

Before we get to your B'day bash at Mama's house, the photos above show - That's right - your 5th B'day in school. It was meant to be Shreked themed after your 2 visits to Universal Studios and watching Shrek 4ever After. But due to some postal errors, Mum found out only 2 days before that the Shrek decorations weren't going to arrive in time. She went into hyper mode and managed to get you Toy Story decorations, which she placed ever so artistically on your B'day cake.

And that's a really photo of Aunty Sylvia and the Birthday Boy. You are really blessed to have her as your teacher and friend.

And that's the Satay Man at your home party celebrations.

Superman also needs to eat his favourite food - fishball. We are really proud of the decorations that you made for the party (with a little help from Granny). It gave the party a Shrek - under the sea adventure feel.

And you really have to thank your Mummy for the fantastic cake. She not only made the "Keep Out" sign, she also created the toilet! Ultra-realistic!!

Happy Birthday Caleb!! Papa and Mummy pray that your birthdays will forever be filled with happiness and joy!

Our Sweet Elijah ;-)

Elijah has just turned 3 months old, and looking back at the last 3 months, he's really grown quite a bit. From a birth weight of 3.25kg, his most recent weight 2 days ago was 6.915kg! He's more than doubled his birth weight already, and Daddy says that that proves that Mummy's milk is best ;-) (haha, and free and convenient too, since he doesn't have to wake up at night to feed Elijah ;-))

First bath at home

At 2 weeks ago.... comfy in Granny's arms

Daddy makes a real good pillow

Is that a smile I see??

Is it nap time already?

Other than growing in size, the last 3 months have also seen Elijah progressing from near constant sleepiness, to now cooing and playing. He has a really nice and pleasant temperament... very undemanding... I don't think it's only because as 3rd time parents, we are a lot more relaxed, but rather that he is really not a fussy baby. We very seldom hear him cry very loudly, and although he fusses on and off and wants to be carried (which I guess is normal for any baby), his cry is usually a whine or a whimper (unless that is ignored for prolonged periods), and he can sleep through his brothers' endless chatter, singing (which is very loud), quarreling, temper tantrums and crying. I don't know how, but he seems to understand his brothers' need for attention, and in his own way is willing to share the attention with them.


Lazing around on a late morning...


Mummy making me "do a workout"...

Caleb and Dylan have also been darlings in their own right... from attempting to change Elijah's pampers when he is dirty and fussing (see earlier post), to offering to give him milk (even breastmilk!) when he is crying and hungry. They even sing to him in the car when he cries in attempts to calm him down...


Dylan trying to wear the breastfeeding pillow so he can "feed baby Elijah".

Caleb thinks Mummy also produces Milo and Apple juice.... Gosh... is Mummy really a vending machine???

Dylan looking on as Elijah sleeps, trying not to make too much noise so that he doesn't wake up...


"Er Ge" paying extra special attention to his "Xiao Di"..... always wanting to carry "baby Elijah"....

"Da Ge" carrying "Xiao Di"


Guess u can see how difficult it is to take a nice picture of the 3 of them all together???

I just thank God for our 3 lovely boys, and I won't exchange them for anything!

Unfounded Worries!

Since Elijah arrived, I have been plagued by a constant worry each time Andrea calls. I fear she will tell me that Dylan climbed into E's cot and sat on his face or that Caleb swung E around and dislocated his arm. These are the less worrying damages that I fear the 2 "big" brothers will inflict on E.


I can't say that these fears are entirely irrational. I also grew up in a family of 3 sibs where the oldest brother did cajole the middle child to chew steak made of rubber pieces with lots of ketchup on top and wrestled with the youngest brother, who is 12 years younger, until my parents' bed broke. It didn't help that I was the oldest brother and more often than not, behavioural traits are hereditary.




Thankfully, neither C nor D have given me any cause for worry. In fact both of them have been exemplary.




C has been a great brother to D, and that has rubbed off. Here's D trying to help E change diapers.



I guess my worries are unfounded, at least for now...

E has arrived!!

After much anticipation and waiting in the hospital for about 30 hours, E finally arrived. But it must be said that the timing was perfect. (Disclaimer - this statement and the paragraph that follow are made by a passive participant in the birthing process. The passive participant has never experienced any uterine contractions nor gone through any form of pain that is half as excruciating. Apologies in advance to any mother, in particular my better half, if the descriptions are inadequate, inappropriate or downright wrong.)

The early admission meant that Andrea could have a night's rest before the big day. Being in the hospital allowed her to have greater peace of mind as she knew her antibiotics which had to be administered at least 4 hours prior to birth would be given in time. Then came the whole day of waiting, which allowed her to clear her emails and buy those much needed bedsheets, where else but online. She must be one of the few women who contribute to retailers on the other side of the globe, while on the delivery bed. Awesome!!

Alright, I'm taking a dig at my wife, but what I'm really trying to say is that she was a scene of serenity and calm before and during labour. A real champion of a mother.

Some photos of Elijah Choo Zhong Yi.

Waiting for E

As we suspected, Baby E really wants to be a June baby. Andrea had rather severe contractions in the afternoon and was admitted to labour ward. However, they eased up in the evening but not enough for her to be discharged. So here we are again ... waiting. We finally decided that Baby E would be Elijah Choo. After going a whole big round, I can only say that it was simply divine.

A Day Out With Dylan

On 21 May 2010, my wait to go on a school excursion with Dylan (or Caleb for that matter) finally ended. (Mum had been hogging all the school outings, but since she's 38 weeks pregnant and due anytime, I got to go!)

I got to spend the morning with Dylan and his 2 buddies Arryan and David at the Jurong Bird Park. Arryan (who is half Rwandan and half American) is really spunky and has an appetite to match Dylan's. David is a sweetie that spent most of the time on the bus trip sharing his food with his 2 buddies. I wonder whether they actually snatch David's food during a normal school day.

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• I thought the Bird Park had changed quite a bit such my last visit... Actually it probably changed so much that I can't seem to recall visiting an outdoor tourist spot in Singapore with so much a/c spaces.

The kids had quite a lot of fun, getting to pet a cockatoo and standing on an ostrich egg...

That's Dylan with a Macaw's tail feather.