The Relocation

A lot of things have happened since the last I posted. Now that I have a bit of extra time on my hands, I was thinking of noting them down here. Isaac has truly grown to be a joy to both me and Francis. He is now 19 months old, how time flies! He can count from 1-20, is obsessed with animals and Old MacDonald, and utter simple words. I am ready for #2!

Some may or may not know that my husband has been working in Singapore for the past one year and hence I have always been (almost) like a single parent. Thank God for my own parents who is there to help out. He only comes back over the weekend. 

I knew that this is not a doable long-term solution, with no extra help and the family being apart. I am exhausted from work - having to work long-hours. Typically I am only relieve off work at around 9ish. By the time I am back home, I need to do simple household chores, wash Isaac's stuff, and pack his things for daycare tomorrow. Isaac gets up early at 7:30am and thankfully he is pretty independent, so he can drink his milk while I quickly shower. This is a general routine on good days. 

However, on days that he is unwell I am a complete zombie with severe lack of sleep. My ELs has been maximised as I am the one constantly on leave having to take care of the little one. 

That being said, I have not known fatigue as I do now. Work performance has plummet and I can no longer concentrate and put in the hours as I work like to at work. 

And so, we've decided to relocate down to Singapore to be with my husband. And hence, began the tedius tiring exciting journey of a migration. Doing it all (almost) on my own!

XOXO,

Geri 

Trust and Pinoy Maids - They Don't Go Hand-in-Hand

Sorry for creating a sweeping statement like the above, but too many stories with regards to them that I can't help but generalise.

Roughly about 6 months back, we hired a live-in Filipino maid as my husband isn't around to help me out with the baby and the house. Her name is Anna Lisa Argote. At first, we thought we were so lucky to land with a good one at the first try (yes, we heard a lot of horror maid stories). 

Fast forward to 6 months later and out of the blue, she suddenly disappeared from my parents' place and suddenly reappeared - on the notion that she had to do some "transfer of funds" back to the Philippines on behalf of her cousin who is residing in USA. Whatever it is, the entire story was a whole-load of bullcrap.

Needless to say, we sent her back that night itself with the agent. Lo and behold, she dare to accuse me to the agent of (i) over-working her, (ii) stress working with my mum, (iii) withholding her handphone, and (iv) delaying in payment of her salary. Another load of bullcrap.

Not only that, we later found out that she had a spare handphone all along and has been removing her SIM card every time that she pass her handphone to me when she was working. She even had the audacity to take pictures wearing my clothes and prancing around in my bedroom while I was working and uploading on FB!

I also found out after checking her spare phone that she has been visiting her pinoy friends around the condo and she dare say she NEVER step foot out before. No wonder she was soooo tired and overworked! Technically, she has ample time to rest before starting work at my mum's place!

And best part above all? She told the agent that she is SOOOOOOOOO happy when Sir (i.e. my husband) is back. WTH do you freaking mean by that???

Anyway, I kicked her ass back to Philippines already. No more live-in maids!! At least for now. Phobia! Luckily discovered all these earlier, else I don't know what other secrets or devious methods she'll try to use to seduce my husband.

XOXO,
Geri 

Random.

(1) Just felt like blogging but don't have anything in particular to write about.

(2) Everything has fallen into routine now with the baby. With the additional help from my parents and our newly hired helper, I get to relax a little.

(3) My baby boy has just reached 9 months young. He's growing up way to fast! And to think that when he was an infant, I wanted him to grow up faster (cos I was tired and overwhelmed with the entire motherhood thingy).

(4) Baby boy has started semi-solid. He's on 3 times solid a day and 3 times milk a day. Always start and end the day with a bottle of milk. :)

(5) He's a very good eater. Not picky. Fast. My mum says it's a blessing. 

(6) I wished I could have exclusively breastfeed him longer. Unfortunately, he is a milk guzzler and I made the mistake of not latching him as often as I should have. I have been an exclusively pumping mum since he was 2.5 months young. :(

(7) I vow to do better for my #2.

(8) Don't know why I suddenly have the urge of trying for #2. Probably it's the hormones. 

(9) Work has been awesome. So far so good. There's been stressful moments but with the correct attitude and mindset, there is nothing that you can't overcome.

(10) Did I mentioned that Francis has FINALLY agreed to bring me to Maldives next year? :D

Ok. Gonna abrubtly end here.

Love;

Mummy Geri

Baby Isaac @ 8 months Old

My 8 month old precious has started to show signs of being mischievous.  At this point, amongst the things that he can do are:

- Shake his head (vigorously) when you say “No! No!”

- Just learned to say “Pa Pa Pa Pa Pa”. On repeat mode. 

- Trying to psycho him to say “Ma Ma”.  He’ll usually shake his head.

- When in awe, he'll usually go "UhhHHhHhhh" with an "O" shape.

- Can give a high 5.

- Depending on mood, can do Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

- Knows what is Bang! Bang! and then proceed to bang on the table.

- Occasionally can clap his hands. 

- Sometimes can wave bye bye.

- Likes to bite people. Especially on their faces. 

- Able to scoot around very fast. Not able to crawl properly yet.

- Able to sit very stably on his own.

- Learning to grab onto things to hold himself up.
- Loves to roll around on our bed. 

- Is in a “koala bear” phase. He love to cling onto me. 

- He screams when things don't go his way. 

- Cries and will reach out for you for attention.

- Knows when and how to manja to get things done his way.

- Showing signs of separation anxiety.

- Dislike being in a huge crowd of unknown people. He'll end up crying hysterically and being in a "koala" mode.

We have started him on semi-solid ever since he was 6 months old. He's on 3 times solid now with 3 times of milk. I'm very pleased that he is not too picky/fussy on food - he'll usually chomp them down. And if you are not fast enough, he'll end up crying screaming for more. Of course if those that he doesn't like, he'll end up spitting them out or clamping his mouth shut. If you continue to force him, he'll use his hands and grab the spoon or will inevitably end up crying screaming. Yup, this boy knows exactly what he wants! 

On my breastfeeding journey, I'm sad to announce that I'm on mix-feeding. Once on breastmilk and twice on formula milk. Mummy can't catch up to his demands anymore - he's now taking a total of 7.5oz at each feed. :( And may I say, formula milk is so darn expensive! We're feeding him organic Bellamy formula milk. Apparently, the closest you can get to breastmilk in terms of components. 

I vow for my #2, I will push myself to direct latch more and to go on exclusive breastfeeding as long as I can.

My precious is growing up way to fast! I love waking up next to him every morning and cuddling him to sleep in the night. Better enjoy it whilst I still can before he eventually outgrows all the snuggling sessions. 

Love;

Mummy Geri

Review : Avi Spa, Port Dickson

Bringing a baby for a short trip is like packing the entire house

Overview of the resort: My first impression on Avillion Port Dickson was so-so. First of all, we arrived at 3.30pm and the chalet  was not ready! We waited until 4:30pm (after numerous calls to the lobby) then only it was ready. The chalet in itself is very impressive. Spacious rooms and even bigger bathroom. I love the room! Service is generally ok but could be better as it is a five-star resort. The staff does not voluntarily smile or greet us. So in general, for the price we paid, it wasn't worth it. 

______________________________

The newly renovated Avi Spa is breathtakingly beautiful. Somewhat reminded me of the resorts in Maldives. I like the service as the staff there are courteous. The problem is because the premise is small, the rooms are always fully booked, so I recommend to call in advance to make prior booking before heading down to Port Dickson. 

The lounge area is exclusively for priority customers - i.e. those who stay in premium water chalet. They serve finger food there. The staff was gracious enough to allow us to quickly snap a picture before we went off. 

Both me and hubs selected the normal body massage as the spa package was expensive! We reckon that it was not worth splashing our money like that. The entire session took us 90 minutes. 

Treatment Room:

- Beautifully decorated. I love the interior. Very exclusive Tiffany-color theme. 

- Overlooks the ocean so it is real good ambiance with the sound of crashing waves. 

- Couple room is big and airy.

Massage: 

- Started off with the foot soak and was gently scrubbed using sea salt.

- Frankly, I didn't enjoy the massage that much. Too strong pressure. 

Beautiful isn't it? 

After the session, we were usher out to the open-space balcony where we sip on their ginger tea while overlooking the sea. I love this concept. Extremely relaxing  :)

All in, I would recommend just for the experience. I really didn't enjoy much the massage. And it is quite pricey as well. 

Love;

Mummy Geri

Baby Isaac @ 6 Months Old

How time flies! Isaac boy is 6 months old!

He is such a joy to be with. I love rushing back from work and seeing him laughing and smiling away. To think that initially I was so worried whether if I'll be a good mother and how on earth am I gonna manage a baby! I wanted him to grow up fast.

Now I want him to slow down.. I'm beginning to miss his infant-hood! :(

Here are some of his milestones:

He slept through the night at 2.5 months old. Good boy! So that Mummy and Daddy can be well rested for work. :) He has learned how to flip and turn over.Recently have learned how to lift his cute butt up and lunge forward. My baby boy is attempting to crawl soon!

Very chatty! He will go coo~ing and aah~ing when he sees us. He blabbers a lot too I'm psycho-ing him to call mama :p I think he's teething as he's drooling a lot and he nibbles on things. He's biting on people's fingers, knuckles, and shoulders! He's quite a kay poh chi observant little baby. Always looking at people with his mouth open wide.

Relatively easy baby. Not much fuss. :) He loves the water! He'll kick and "paddle" in his bath tub - making us all wet!

He loves music too - all thanks to my Mum. He love it when people sings to him. When he sleeps, he loves being surrounded by a lot of pillows, only leaving his little face exposed. And he wants people to hold his hands too. -.-"

Extremely good in manja~ing. He'll snuggle his face into your shoulder and chest. And when no one is around, he'll cry and reach out his hands for you to be carried.

Started on semi-solid i.e. avocado and he loves it. He love his food just like Daddy.

And he loveeeee his Mummy's milk :)

Love;

Mummy Geri

On Hiatus : Holiday in Avillion~!

Disclaimer: All photos from Avillion. 

Heading to Avillion Port Dickson for a much needed break and relaxation before the hubs goes off for his secondment in Singapore. :(

 It's gonna be a family trip - our first ever with Baby Isaac together with both the grandparents to help to babysit while we have our quiet time together. Can also bring Baby Isaac for his first ever swimming experience! There are kids room and a mini petting zoo as well!! 

Can't wait to try their all new Avi Spa. Looks soooooooooooooooooooo good!

Mummy here is extremely excited!!
Till then.

Love;
Mummy Geri