Surprise!!

Yes, I am 12 weeks preggers. Mathieu will have a little sibling in Nov! Here is little bubs showing off its flexibility.
First trimester this time around has been really different. I seriously felt the pregnancy - nausea, headache, fatigue, etc, etc.

Am happy to be in the second trimester now. Phew! Hopefully this will really be, as they say, the "honeymoon" phase of my pregnancy. I am sick of spewing!

This is for you, Stephan

Today I dedicate my blog to our very dear friend who has left us this week. The news hit us like a tornado without warning. Mathieu and I were in Brisbane with Brice on his business trip when we found out. We were in shock, and are totally devastated. Until today, I am still at a loss for words for this tragic loss. Our heart goes out to his family he left behind. I cannot begin to imagine how they feel.

As we sat around to overcome our loss, we dug out some old pictures and videos of our friend. At this point, I couldn’t believe I had so few.....and then I realised: our older photos of him are all printed ones. It was Stephan who had given us our first digital camera when we left Singapore in 2002.

Stephan, you will be sorely missed. We will treasure all our precious memories of you - of your humour, your friendship, your joie de vivre, etc. I deeply regret that Mathieu will not be able to get to know his godfather.....but we will tell him all about you.

Remembering Stephan

First steps!!

Exactly 2 weeks before his first birthday, Mathieu took his first steps on 14 Feb. Yup, V day too! Wonderful gift for mum and dad. Yippee!!

Here he is stumbling along...

Click here

...and a day later, stumbling some more and terrorizing the cat - which is now his favourite past time.

Click for video

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Here's to a financially sound Year of the Ox!

I know. This is long overdue. We have so much going on here. Mathieu started daycare, a little procedure....and now, Mathieu has gastro. Poor baby is not keeping anything in - he spews it all our, and has the runs too! Poor little baby.

Mathieu turns one in 3 weeks. How fast did that go by?!? On the other hand, it felt like the longest year ever.

Anyway, I wish everyone financial stability this year. No point being too ambitious and talk about winning the lottery and all. I think we will be happy with being stable, and enjoying good health.

On the move!

After a one-month holiday in Paris and Singapore, we are back at home and have quickly settled back into our routine. I can't believe one month went by just like that....and Mathieu has grown up so fast!
Here are the pictures.
And some more....

Back to reality. We are moving! After 2 years in this marvellous place, we are reluctantly moving away. The stairway has become too tough for me and bubba. Mostly for me really, lugging 9kgs up and down everyday just isn't funny anymore. I refuse to develop Madonna-like forearms.

Anyway, the new place is a townhouse across the bridge in the north shore. This is a big move. The last one was just a couple of streets down. This time, it's into a completely different neighbourhood, in an entirely different district! We'll be just 15 minutes away from Brice's office! Here's a preview - furnitures not included.
The move is scheduled for next Thurs. Wish us luck! The last move went horribly wrong. Hope this one will go as planned.

Happy Birthday, Mummy!!

First birthday as a mum felt somewhat odd. On the one hand, I wanted to drop all my mummy duties and just enjoy the day, as I've always made it a point to do all my adult life. On the other, I couldn't bring myself to be away from Mathieu for too long! Fortunately everything fell into place when Mathieu's nurse told me she could only work for half a day. I pampered myself with a massage, then lunch with a girlfriend. Second half of the day was spent with my baby - who wasn't quite as well-behaved as I'd hoped, unfortunately. In the evening, Brice came home with a huge chocolate cake, and a lovely gift! All in all, a pretty good day. Stark contrast to the poolside birthday party I had last year. Oh my god, I'm a mum!
And here Baby M shows how much he loves my cake. We simply could not get him to look up....





On another note, check out these programmes Mathieu loves. His eyes are glued to the telly whenever they are on! Should I worry? ;-)
Sex & the City
So You Think You Can Dance
Australia's (and America's) Next Top Model

Where did the time go?

In a flash, Mathieu has turned 20 weeks (5 months). We are slowly getting our social life back. We've started catching up with friends for brekkies/lunch and even managed to watch a movie! Dining out is still a bit tricky though.

For me, thanks to Corinne, I have a nanny come in to watch Mathieu twice a week while I catch up with my friends, play some tennis, shopping, run errands, etc. It can be a nightmare trying to do all that stuff with a baby in tow.

Mathieu's habits are changing constantly. Just when I think I've got his habits/routine figured out, they change again. Recently I thought his reflux seem to be under better control, he got cranky again - this time with teething or so I suspect. Poor bugger!

On the other hand, it is awesome watching him grow everyday. 3 months ago, I'd never have imagined him less cranky and becoming the little person that he has become.

We are currently at a gorgeous beach house in the south of NSW for a one-week holiday. This is Mathieu's first road trip, and almost a practice run for our trip back to Singapore and France in Sept. So far, we are managing ok. Can't practise those flights though. We don't even want to think about that yet.

Here are some pictures.....more to follow - probably in Facebook...

Whoa!

Mathieu turned 14 weeks yesterday. Yay! He's crossed the 3-month mark. According to "them" or "everyone" (a term loosely used by so many - which to me, increasingly seem to mean "according to old wives' tales/someone's friend's friend's friend's x 2000/myth/urban legend), upon passing the 3-month mark, it gets easier to care for a baby.

Hmm....my experience? It doesn't get easier. You just get used to it. Mathieu isn't as difficult now - but he still fusses a lot, and is inconsistent. In fact, we were referred by our local sister (nurse) to a day stay centre recently so they can "figure him out". I'm proud to say that although Mathieu was the smallest size baby, he had the strongest set of lungs and outcried every other baby there. Well done, my boy!

So the day stay wasn't quite enough for the nurses to help me sort him out. We have now been referred to the residential stay where a group of nurses and docs will observe and monitor us (me and baby) for 4-5 days. Not sure when we are doing that but recent happenings, etc are enough to confirm that Mathieu is a healthy baby - nothing physically wrong. He just has a nasty temper. Plus his reflux certainly doesn't help.

On another note, he has the cutest smile (as all parents will say of their own babies:-), and has recently started cooing, which more often than not makes me forget about those tantrums he throws - or at least until the next show of temper...Here he is smiling, and cooing..... Yup, he can't stop putting his fists into his mouth!

Changing the subject altogether, what would you do if you had won $58 million tax-free? And this person hasn't even showed up with his/her winning ticket? I'd be there before the shop opens!

Forget Baby Einstein

....Mathieu's favourite tune/s are the white noises from hairdryers and vacuum cleaners. I haven't tried the washer nor dryer but apparently they work too. We discovered this a few weeks ago when Mathieu was in an uncontrollable crying episode. For some reason I recalled reading that white noises are calming for babies. Fresh out of ideas, I gave it a shot and it worked!

It doesn't work every single time but enough for me to buy a CD of white noises (specifically hairdryer) and made copies for each of our stereos at home and in the car. Who'd have thought? Now what will I do with my Baby Einstein CDs ;-)

Anyhow, I don't mean to be one of those mummies who talk of nothing else but babies but at the moment, the baby takes up 95% of my time so that's pretty much all I have to talk about! Check back with me in another month or so. I hope to make things "better" then.

Here's a short vid of M cracking a smile from a couple of weeks ago. I haven't taken any new pix of him......

ETA: Sorry, the vid upload didn't work, and I can't be bothered to do it again....here are 2 screen grabs from that vid. My baby is smiling!!

(Almost) one month on.....

Mathieu will be a month old in 3 days. I can't believe my 1st month of life as mummy has gone by so quickly - and I still haven't had a chance to properly digest and savour those moments. In a way, motherhood is almost a rude shock. No one and nothing can prepare you for it, I suppose. Plus when hormones take over, it can all get very wacky. Anyhow, Mathieu has gotten bigger! Here are some pictures of our first real outing over the Easter weekend. He was quite cooperative that day. No major crying episode when we were out......





Mum has been great help since she arrived. She is very keen on doing the "one-month" thingie for Mathieu on Friday....I'll put up more pictures of our red eggs, and cake then. Till then....here's a picture of happy granny with Mathieu...