School... school...school....

It has been quite a while hasn't it? So caught up with school. It was difficult at first but I think I am getting warmer to the whole school environment again. The timetables, regular blackboard updates, rushing to tutorials and lectures, oh and of course, the canteen. Good and rather cheap food.
During introductions in the class, I am proud to announce that I am married and a mother of a 9 mth baby. Most of my classmates are fresh graduates from NUS or NTU. Not that I am THAT old but it makes me feel young and 'free' again to be surrounded by them.
I also realize that I was not the Old Mas in school. I am friendlier, more vocal and I think, more focus - (uhh.. I hope I will remain this way for the rest of the year) See, that's why mummy always say, No BF until you leave school...
I have forgotten my chemistry and maths - which compound to the busy timetable I already have. Need to do a lot of reading up. Hey - It was what... almost 10 years ago.
Anyway, enough about Mummy. Izzul is mad about walking - or more like trying to walk. He even tries to walk in his sleep. One day, my mum caught him grabbing onto his bed frame, pulling himself up with HIS EYES CLOSED!
Well, good for him and for me. I can start playing catching with him soon. That shall be a good form of exercise for me. With all the steps and stairs in NIE - I could do a little work out.
Our bags at IBG are low in stock. Only coming in, hopefully early next week. Keep a look out. They are gorgeous, I promise! Oh and I shall introduce a bag that J Lo got for herself ;)Watch out for this space.

The power of speech

The smell of NTU Lee Wee Nam library have not changed since I left. The moment you step on the last flight of steps facing the glass door, you can feel the gust of the freezing cold air and then came this distinctive smell. Till today, I do not know what or why the smell. How I miss this place :)
Anyway, I am glad that Baby Kaed is doing so well. On the hand, I am running out of stock a bit sooner than expected. However, 2 weeks time, I promise to bring them back.
Me and my husband were just talking in the car the other day - giving each other updates on our progress.. and then he cut me in and said,"You're too sensitive." Not in a demeaning way. But as a matter of factly. I just then realize that, unlike him, I not only offer facts and figures but also my emotions.. :) Expressing my frustrations and delights for every account of my progress. I guess, we, girls do that all the time. And it becomes second nature to us that we never realise we are doing it.
So why am I pointing this out? Because the moment I tried isolating my feelings into our discussion, I can no longer offer great insights and ideas. Like as if my mouth was taped and then I try to speak (well, that's a bit exaggerating..but you get the idea)
So, men, listen up. It does not hurt you to listen but somebody is sure to get hurt if you don't let us speak up.

FUN FACTS about Baby Kaed Bags

MATT DAMON
Matt Damon had used Baby Kaed Messenger-style tote (known as Dali) to fit his 'newborn identity'. And recently, he had donated this bag to the Johnson's and ebay celebrity auction to rasie proceeds for charity. The Baby Kaed bag retails at $198 USD but was awarded the highest bid in the entire auction in a total of $620 USD. - People Magazine (May 5' 08), Scoop - Pg 28

You will be seeing this B-Kaed Bag soon at the store.

RED ALERT! Baby Kaed has arrived!

The bags are finally here! I was so excited that I made a trip all the way to punggol from bukit batok just to have a look the bags.
I knew they are gorgeous but my concern was more for the material and weight.
I am so glad to see that the bag is of A* quality. Having some tiny knowledge about product design back from my school days, the design showed that much thought has been put into the use of the bag. Comfort and functionality are not compromised for the sake of style and design. Purr-fect!

The bags are already available at the Store
Definitely, these are great as gifts. Something unique and trust me - amidst of all the attention and gifts that the new arrival is getting, she will be so happy that someone got her something.

Blue swing

You know these things - useful when they are still sedentary. Once they have acquire mobility - it becomes obsolete.

Suitable for 3 months and below.
Donation amt: $20 (Cash/IB/Cheque)
Pick-up point: Bt Batok Mrt / Ar-Raudhah Mosque
Delivery charges: $5 (delivery only upon request)

Permintaan Hati

Heard this one already? I really like this. Hope you all enjoy!
A lil tip: Play, pause, let it d/l for abt 5 minutes - then play again. Should be able to enjoy the whole video at one go.

Permintaan Hati - Letto

Izzul at 8 months

Izzul is 8 months today! Funny thing, I can't remember well how was it like being 8 months pregnant. Maybe I had a good pregnancy. Alhamdulillah. But I will definitely remember Izzul being 8 months. He is a handful. As I read in this book, as he grows more mobile, his daily schedule gets more packed with things like discovering under the table, inspecting all electric socket in the house, rearranging the books on the shelf, etc. I also learned that Izzul has a thing for baskets - he spends a little bit more time on them than he does with other things. Basket full of his diapers, powder, lotion... Maybe because he knows that Mummy and Daddy is doing gift basket business :)
Anyway, talking about that, we are giving away free parental workshop for anyone who registers with us. Yes, as simple as that, Just register with us and you are entitled for a free workshop. Take this opportunity to understand more about your child - don't under-estimate their capabilities.

Workshop for Izzul

As ridiculous as it sound, I bought a Maths set of cards for Izzul. That entitled me to the free workshop held by GD Baby. Going through the technical part of the workshop, I learned the correct way of using the flash cards. I realised it is not as simple as it seems. It is important to understand how a baby thinks, his response and why he’s responding that way.
Like in any other talks that I’ve been too, they tend to digress and that’s when I learned the importance of crawling and creeping.
• A child does not need a walker. A child learns to walk on their toes rather than using their whole foot. Let your child move around on their own in their own time.
• At that age where everything is so new to them, they love to explore. How else would they explore if not through their senses. When they are about Izzul’s age, I can only understand what these parents are going through. Having to observe him all the time and ensuring he is not fiddling something that is dangerous and might hurt him or stirring up a mess somewhere around the house – it can be exhausting. So that is why they invented the playpen. Restricting the child to explore but instead throwing in all the toys inside hoping that would keep him occupied. Often, he will grab hold of his toy, rattle it a bit, bite it, hit it on his bed and leave it aside to move on to something different. That probably takes a whole of 90 seconds. Our disregard for his need to explore deems us as selfish. I am perfectly alright with Izzul on the floor. But there are times when I need to attend to something else more urgent, I will have him placed in the playpen. I think that is ok – as long as he is not place there on a permanent basis. Having Izzul on the floor, I have to be really careful and vigilant because our floor is not carpeted. Even so, Izzul had his share of ugly falls.
• Slings are alright but don’t have him wrapped up always. It will hinder his movement and chest/breathing developments. After 6 months, it is better to get a carrier where his limbs are able to roam free and material is not stiff. A carrier allows the muscles at the ball joints to develop better. So Baby Sit and Carry carrier that Izzul is using is pretty ok.
Having Izzul in my life, I feel I am entrusted with something so vital. I believe putting him in a walker is not the only mistake I have made and will make. Right now, I am learning more new things about him and I can't be happier to be there to witness his growth everyday.

a walker? a NO-NO

I always would like to think that whatever that I had done and am going to do for my child is the best that it could and should be. As a first time mother, there are a lot of questions and uncertainty that I face when dealing with situations. From the day he was born, I was bombarded with a string of decision making questions which is not easy as it would affect how Izzul turn out to be later in life or so I thought.
Are you giving Izzul pacifier? SHould I?
Are you breastfeeding only or mixing? WHich one is better?
Should I let him be swaddled or let him loose?
I was at lost at first. But over time, I learn to make decisions fast and be firm about it - Mostly based on mother's instincts. And one day, I decided, let's put Izzul on a walker - reason: it might help him to walk faster. (see entry on walker)
Last Saturday, I found out, that what I did, basically is hampering the most critical physical activity that a baby should do - Crawling and Creeping. This was based on a research by The Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential.
So how concrete is such a claim? I could only wish he was some neurotic guy who love to see mums like me beating themselves over this.
But no, Glenn Doman was honored at the 2007 Pio Manzù International Conference, held in Rimini, Italy, on October 27-29, 2007 for his dedicated work in the field of child brain development.
I was alarmed, sad, mad.. and a lot of other things at first. Izzul is turning 8 months. He is crawling now... although according to the lecturer, a little bit late -more sad news for me there.
But I can't reverse the time. As disappointed as I am, I am glad at least I am revealed this information now. I believe that it is a lesson learnt for me. I am still raw at being a mother however so, I will try to make it right with the first.
Anyway, this piece of information was given to me at a seminar held by GD Baby (S) Pte Ltd. I will share with more things that I learn during the talk in my next entry. Keep tuning in if you would like to avoid unneccesary turmoil.

Baby Talk

At 5 months, Izzul had already uttered his first consonant – BU. I would like to think that he was trying to say IBU (mother). But at 6 months, he had forgotten he had mentioned Bu altogether and proceed with a series of TA-TA-TA. When we say “bye-bye” to him, he will reply – “Ta-Ta-Ta”, when we say “Would you like to eat?” He’ll say, “Ta-Ta-Ta”.
Although these may sound just like random babbles to us, it probably means something to him. I know that babies develop skills at their own pace but there is nothing wrong with creating the supportive and interactive environment for language learning.
I think I mentioned before – my passion for singing for my son. Well, almost always my high-pitch singing is a good way to keep my son riveted and learn to decipher some words.
Izzul also loves it when his Dad reads Bedtime books to him. Yes, I secretly feel that Izzul prefers his Dad to do the reading and me to do the singing. I could never get his attention when it was my turn to read.
So, his latest progress on language learning - he can say 2 syllable! Not that it is sensible or anything but it is a great. I mean, there are so many words that are 2 syllable right?. I-bu, A-yah, Bu-ta, Gi-la...for English word, there’s Mo-ther, Fa-ther, Brad-Pitt, Jus-tin...
His new favourite word is"A-Bah" and he says it so adorably. Followed by a string of Ba-ba-ba.... At this point of time, deep in my heart, I am much awaiting for his first REAL, meaningful word that comes out from his mouth. Just wondering...Would he call out to me first? Or call his dad first? What if his first word is neither Ibu or Ayah – just someone else...or something else.

Oh Btw, last entry's pic - Izzul looking all comfy right? nah, that's not his room. He will only have his room hopefully end of this year. That is at a showroom...hehe..