Funky fruits

The other day, Swana and Kevin came over for dinner and brought with them some funky fruits. You might think they were funky, but I had never seen or tasted them before.

What were they? Well, there was golden raspberries and kiwiberrys. The raspberries tasted like normal ones, maybe a bit more sour and the kiwiberries were lovely. They taste like a cross between kiwis and something else, can't put my finger on it. But at least you don't have to peel them, just pop in your mouth! Try it next time you see it!

It's been a while

Oooh, it's been a while since my last update hasn't it? That's because the little rugrat is taking up more of my time! She's more awake during the day now and more alert so this mummy has been trying to entertain her.

Only a week and a half before I go back to work, how time flies. Natalie has really grown compared to when she was first born, my wrists are kinda sprained from all that carrying. She's starting to lift her head without being supported although after a couple of seconds, it flops over. She grunts when she poops and her eyes now follow my movements as if watching a tennis match.

I've also managed to capture some funny pictures such as this shot of her looking extremely bored where she appears to be supporting her head with one hand, and the next one of her raising her lip, ala Elvis. She can even smile fakely, where she looks like she's patronising you!

It's been raining quite a bit these days, but 10 days ago it was bright and sunny, and Mummy pointed out the sky to me. The sun was hiding behind some clouds and there was a multi-coloured glow around the clouds. This is what I mean:

My stroller and diaper bag have finally arrived, can't wait to start using them! They don't really match but they are both so pretty.

Am still waiting for the Bath & BodyWorks stuff and recently I also ordered some things from Old Navy and Victoria's Secret. This weekend is the Body Shop Warehouse Sale, I am trying to exercise some self-control and not go. Yeah, right!

The anti-climatic anniversary

One week after the actual anniversary, we finally went out to celebrate it. I had told Nick to plan something to make up for not getting me a card or pressie on time and for not being romantic, but in the end, I made the reservation, I arranged the babysitter and I picked out my present! MEN!!! What an anti-climax.

On Saturday evening, we headed to Raffles City so that he could check out Timberland and see if he could exchange the shoes I had gotten him for something else. The surrounding roads were jammed and parking was a killer, in the end we parked at Raffles Hotel. When we got to Timberland, he tried on a different pair of boat shoes but they looked funny on him. After deliberating, he decided to keep the pair I bought.

We walked around Robinsons for a while, I knew he had not bought any present so I was keeping a lookout for something. When we got to the first floor, I saw that Ralph Lauren was giving away a nice travel bag for purchases above $120. The salesman showed us a limited edition bottle of Romance and since by this point, I was a little 'sian' already at the non-event of an anniversary, I just told Nick to buy it as my present, even though I have so many unused perfumes at home. In our 8 years together, not once had I received a bottle of perfume from him so I figured it was about time. It was ironic that the scent was Romance, since I had been lamenting on the lack of romance from him...he gave it to me in a bottle!

Dinner was a fine dining affair at Garibaldi, I had been meaning to try it for the longest time. It was voted one of Singapore's best restaurants and we were not disappointed. Service was attentive and the food was excellent. There were so many things I wanted to try and most of them were featured in the gourmet set menu, so that's what I had - except I exchanged the gooseliver for a lobster broth. Nick had the same soup and tried the crab pasta for his main dish.

My gourmet set menu comprised of:

1. Air-Flown Spanner Crab with Avocado and Orange & Saffron Sauce
2. Lobster broth with Lobster Dumpling
3. Angel Hair Pasta with Lobster, Sweet Peas and Tomato Sauce
4. Roasted Atlantic Cod with Baby Spinach & Tarragon Sabayon
5. Molten Lava Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Gelato and Raspberry Coulis

Trust me, everything was lovely. I especially loved the crab appetizer, while the chocolate cake was perfectly complemented by the hazelnut gelato. Wouldn't mind going back again man!

Steppin' out with my baby

The rugrat went on her first official outing last Saturday, those polyclinic visits don't count. My ex-colleague Desmond was celebrating his baby's first month, so me, Nick and Natalie popped by his Bishan condo. Cameron was born on 9 Feb, just 5 days after Natalie and they met for the first time that day. Both babies were oblivious to each other, mine choosing to stay asleep throughout the party. We were joking about betrothing them now, Desmond thought he could wing some dowry from us, until Nick reminded him she's officially Chinese, ha ha!

After the party, we brought the little munchkin to meet Ata, her greatgrandmother and my 98-year old paternal grandmother. Ata used to look after me when I was young and am supposedly her favourite grandchild. Her health hasn't been the greatest of late and I'm so glad they managed to meet. Long time ago she had said that she would 'go' after I have a baby but I hope she hangs in there so she can meet Swana's baby too when the time comes. I want her to make it to at least 100 years old!

Nutty's first manicure

Nutty had her first manicure last Friday, finally attempted to cut her delicate nails. Was afraid of accidentally cutting her fingers but all went well and she slept throughout the session. While she slept, I snapped a tonne of photos and later in the evening took another bunch when Joanne came over with her brother Jason. As Joanne put it, we were like the paparazzi, snapping from all angles and subjecting Nutty to various poses.

With less than a month to go till Joanne's wedding, the bridesmaids were gathering here to discuss last minute details. Joanne's cousin Karen was so besotted with Natalie having seen her picture online and kept gushing about how cute she was when they finally met in person. Seeta came too for a briefing by the bride, she and Germaine will be co-ordinating on D-Day.

Can't believe the wedding is almost here, after all those months of correspondence and online chats with Joanne...am sure it will be a beautiful wedding, can't wait! My stomach had better be flatter by then!

Shopaholic strikes...from home

You can take the girl away from the shopping centres, but you can't take the shopping bug out of the girl!

One would think that with me stuck at home, I won't be able to shop much. Think again! I just splurged over the last few days on some online shopping, tempted by the low US dollar and the concierge service of a website called ComGateway.com. It's lots more user friendly than VPost, although I won't be surprised if they are affiliated.

Am so pleased that all my purchases have been confirmed and I should be receiving them by next week. First up is the Maclaren Lulu Guinness 'Life is a Bed of Roses' stroller that I had to have the moment I spotted it months ago. Trouble is, it was only available in the UK and US but there was no shipping option to Singapore. I couldn't find anybody to lug it back for me, and the high British pound then would mean me paying almost $200 in shipping costs from one retailer's export department. Anyway, last week I found it on sale at a US site, and my friend who ordered a similar stroller through ComGateway ended up paying $90 for his shipping, so I decided to finally place my order. Can't wait for it to arrive, here's a sneak peek!

Swana and me also decided to buy some Bath & Bodyworks online, their hand soaps were on sale and again, the low US dollar was tempting. Soon we will be smelling of Brown Sugar and Fig and Midnight Pomegranate! Plus, I purchased a new OiOi diaper bag and matching changing mat. It's another one of those things I spotted online months ago which finally went on sale. You know I can't resist a sale!

Nutty's a month old

The hearing test rescreening at KK yesterday went ok, the little rugrat passed. Phew! After the appointment, the two mums who had both followed me headed on home while I went to pick up a few things from John Little. In the evening, when Nick came back, we had dinner together. Mummy used up the red dyed eggs for an egg sambal dish!

Here is the cake the MIL ordered and below is a picture of Nat at 1 month old and our first family picture. Can you believe we hadn't taken one till yesterday?

This morning, my ex-colleague Ai Lin from SES popped by to see Nat. (Hi Ai Lin, I know you're reading this! BTW, I forgot to wish you a happy belated birthday). She brought me a lovely purple cabbage flower, check it out! Ooh, Mummy's back with lunch, am starved. TTFN!