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The End of the Romper Era

Yesterday Ethan's sitter presented him with a suit of t-shirt and pants. She said it will make him look like a big boy and that he can wear it for a LOOOOOOooooong time. She also commented that he should SOON stop wearing rompers because he outgrows them really fast.

Hehe... we actually like to dress Ethan in rompers, because being the active baby he is, rompers are truly convenient as his tummy doesn't show no matter how much he crawls and moves around. We do let him wear regular t-shirt and shorts too (of course, sitter doesn't know that), but we are trying to put in more mileage for his rompers before he gets too big for them.

Ah well... looks like our sitter is dropping HUGE hints that Ethan should *upgrade* to 2-piece-wear soon.

Shampoo & Facial

About a month ago, we started incorporating a new step into Ethan's nightly warm bath routine. I would first shampoo his hair and wash his face with a special baby shower gel. This involves gentle massaging of the scalp, face and neck area (much like what is being done during a facial).

Our boy is really wriggly during his baths, but amazingly enough, this hair and face washing step calms him down. He would just lie back and totally RELAX while I work my magic on him. Pete has to occasionally remind him not to fall asleep, because the way he closes his eyes feels like he would soon be in dreamland.

I don't know what the reason is - maybe it is the essential oils in the shower gel which possesses calming effects. Or most likely it is just Mommy's gentle loving touch :)

Firm, Enduring, Strong

There... that's what the name Ethan means. We have been asked countless times what his name means; some even say "Ethan Hunt ah? Like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible?"

Eh... no la... our Ethan where got like Tom Cruise? Our Ethan boy is even better looking than him! Hehe... (*overly proud mother beaming*)

Biblical Context for Ethan:
Origin - Hebrew.
Ethan was a man distinguished for his wisdom in the Old Testament. He lived during the time of Solomon. He authored the 89th psalm.

New Channels for the New Year

We decided to change our Astro subscription to include the Fun mini package, comprising Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and the ever popular Playhouse Disney Channel (PHDC).

With programs such as Barney, Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, we think it would be great for Ethan in his growing up years. Right now, he would listen and watch intently as if he understands every word. But his attention span is still very short, and he will only watch for about 5 minutes tops.

For Mommy and Daddy, we added in the Movies package. Hehehe.... after all, we hardly can go to the cineplex nowadays, so it makes sense to have the Movies come to us at home.

Of course, to have these new packages, we sacrificed our Dynasty package and News, which we hardly ever watch anyway.

Here's to Home Entertainment!

One Wish...

There’s this Toyota Vios ad that comes on ESPN quite often. It starts with these 2 castaways on a deserted island. They find a lamp, rub it and Poof! … A genie appears.


Genie: For freeing me, I’ll grant each of you one wish.



First castaway whispers his wish in the genie’s ear.

*Ting*

First castaway jumps for joy as the genie has granted his wish of a brand new silver Toyota Vios.

Second castaway (hits his head in an appalled and shocked manner): What?!!!


Second castaway then whispers his wish in the genie’s ear. TV viewers think he is wishing for something better or more sensible than his friend’s wish.

*Ting*

Second castaway: Ah yes! Yes!!!

Second castaway jumps up and down in excitement as he embraces his granted wish of a brand new *black* Toyota Vios.

All three (2 castaways and genie) are seen jubilating as the ad ends.

Ethan is fascinated with this ad. Every time it comes on, he will stare at the TV transfixed. It could be because we keep on saying this phrase over and over again, especially when we *free* him from his sleeping sack:
“For freeing me, I’ll grant each of you one wish.”

Christmas Shopping

We took Ethan to Queensbay Mall today to complete our Christmas shopping. Every year we tell ourselves that we won't do last minute shopping, but year in and year out, we end up going to the malls at the last minute.

Well, this year we have Ethan tagging along. Pete was just commenting that he loves taking Ethan to the mall because our boy gets really excited with all the sights and sounds there. And let's face it, when Ethan is happy, Pete and I are happy too...

Ethan looking on with amazement...

Lunch at Kenny Rogers (Ethan had carrot sticks and rusks)

"O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,

I wanna be with Mommeee...!!!! "

Uh-oh...

Yesterday Ethan again proved that baby strength is no joke. How? He broke my cup handle.

You see, I have a cup which I place by my bedside so that if I am thirsty in the middle of the night, I don't have to get up and go into the kitchen for a glass of water (lazy ma...). Now, Ethan's cot is right next to my bed, and hence the cup is reachable through the cot railings.

He must have been a little bored with his soft toys in the cot last evening, because he reached through the railings and tried to grab hold of my cup. He finally managed to grasp the handle, and silly silly me... I expected him to hold on to it, and move it all the way up to get the cup, but our boy just held on to the cup handle and pulled the cup towards him - well obviously the cup was way too big to go through the cot railings and the handle broke! Aiyo.... there goes my cup...

Cheeky Lil' Fella

Ethan has yet again proven that he is one photogenic baby.

Over the weekend, SIL (Ethan’s Koh-Koh) presented an early Christmas present to him: his first vehicle, which amazingly is a TRAIN! Anyway, this is a toy which is designed to aid baby in walking, something like a push-and-stride thingy.

Only to be used when baby is 12 months and up, it was no surprise that Ethan’s feet dangled above the ground when he sat on it. So he now just amuses himself with the buttons and sounds on this new gadget now.

We did manage to take a few shots of him on the toy train. Really really….and I mean REALLY cheeky shots. Whenever the camera got ready to capture the picture, Ethan would instantly flash a cheeky grin….without fail. Check them out:

Affection Indeed...

It’s funny how different people show their affection. Most people hug, kiss and say “I love you” to each other.

You know how Ethan shows his affection?

“I love you Mommy” = opens mouth wide and chomps on Mommy’s chin, sucking fervently. Sometimes he chomps on my bare shoulder too.

“I love you Daddy” = opens mouth wide, grabs Daddy’s finger or thumb, and chomps on it. (Daddy’s chin has stubble, not so nice to suck)

Adorable, you think? Hah..only till he was like 8.5 months’ old
Painful? You bet. Since he has 2 lower teeth, there are marks whenever he “shows his affection”.

Mommy, I love you.....!!!

Saturday Morning Exercise

Today, instead of leaving Ethan with the sitter and hiking up Penang Hill, Pete and I decided to wake up early and head for the Botanical Garden with Ethan for a family morning walk (By the way, with baby around, “early” translates to getting to the Botanical Garden at 9:00a.m.)

We loaded Ethan into his stroller and pushed him around the garden, following our normal route, except we didn’t hike up. Wow, I tell you… that little guy of ours must be close to 9kg now cos when we were pushing him uphill, it was a workout all right! Either that or we’re not that fit anymore la.

It wasn’t push push push all the way and we did stop and smell the flowers too though (pun intended). All in all, a good exercise for everyone and we would certainly do it again soon.

Fact or Fiction?

It is widely believed that when one is pregnant, one ought to constantly look at pictures of cute and adorable babies to ensure the baby one is carrying will bear similar features of cuteness and adorability.

Not wanting to tempt fate (no matter how sceptical I was), when I was pregnant with Ethan, I had two pictures I looked at almost every day since I was about 5 months pregnant. One picture I placed on the fridge and one I placed by my bedside.

This is the picture I looked at every night before I drifted off to sleep:

... and this is the RESULT of looking at that photo:

Go figure.

Splish Splash I was taking a bath...

Pete and I had a really good time bathing Ethan last night. It will go down as one of the best baths ever. The little fellow kicked and splashed with his hands and feet, until Daddy also had his face wet! Somehow he had more energy last night and was REALLY hyperactive, enjoying every moment of his bath time.

Ethan has come a long way, bath-wise. I still remember the very first time Pete bathed Ethan. He was such a fragile baby then and we were so very careful - afraid that he might just slip out of our hands. He bawled the first time he had his bath, perhaps afraid of the water. Or maybe he just did not like the feeling of nakedness.

By and by, we slowly but surely let him enjoy his bath by first wiping his face and then his body and then bathing him in the tub. I remember both grandmas bathing him once too. He was still rather docile then..... But I think his grandmas would not be able to handle his activeness in the tub nowadays; he would flap his arms and kick his feet, splashing water all over the place! Not to mention wriggling and rolling and giggling!

Pete is very adept at bathing Ethan now and is the house expert :) I am positive that Ethan looks forward to every session he is being bathed by Daddy. What with the male bonding and all. I'm looking forward to more exciting moments bathing Ethan and I can't wait to witness his antics tonight during bath time!

What an awesome way to unwind and end the day!

Ethan's Doggies

Ethan loves his doggies. Soft toy doggies, that is.

He has 2 really soft toy doggies named Whiffer and Plopper, and he really adores them! We always see him hugging and kissing his doggies. Err..... well come to think of it, we also sometimes catch him licking and sucking on his doggies' paws too.



He also has a red doggy who barks when his nose is squeezed, and our boy would laugh happily whenever he sees this doggy. Could be the color that attracts his attention though. This one also, he would hug and kiss (and lick and suck).

...oh, by the way, did I mention that he was born in the Chinese zodiac calendar in the year of the dog?

Ethan's Day Out

Pete and I took Ethan to church today. He was fidgety and restless throughout church and nearing the end he was really hungry (and angry, I might add!)... so I fed him before we left church.

There is supposedly no water supply today till 7:00p.m. so we decided to spend the day out.

We headed for Gurney Plaza and had lunch at Nando's where Ethan (again) manja to be carried. It was a field day of window shopping in Gurney Plaza (for mommy, at least!). Ethan boy enjoyed himself a great deal and although he fell asleep on certain occasions, I could tell he was really taking in the sights and sounds, flapping his arms all the time, and staring at everything with those big brown eyes of his.

After Gurney Plaza we went to Penang Plaza, where Ethan basked in all the attention of a sales promoter in Guardian. We had dinner in Cherry Sweet (thab-thim-krob) and left for home after that.

What a tiring (but rewarding) day Pete and I had.