Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019!

Oh how else would I describe my 2018 if it's not LIFE-CHANGING?

Everything (I really do mean everything) changed the moment my belly was cut open and a human came out screaming - good because its a strong sign that he is healthy and alive.

2018 was one of the year where I (we) made huge life-changing (again) decisions. Some of which are, resigning as an Intern Pastor and decided to go back to my previous company as Corporate Sales Executive at Holiday Tours & Travel (first day next week) and where we see ourselves living for the next 5 years or so. Actually, only 2 really major life-changing decisions la. Heh.

So, when we got married, I moved to Adrian's place happily but of course I needed some time to adjust. We had that discussion of whether we want to move out or not and things like that. It was a hard topic okay.

I am already used to living at the current place but I've always preferred to live in an apartment or a flat even. It's not so much of the size of the house but the location. Okay, not location also. More like whether it's like on ground floor or like on multi-leveled building.

I never liked living on the ground floor for very common reasons like, it's not so safe and more mosquitoes and etc. The list goes on and on.

So, when we were preparing for the arrival of Alex, I was 80% convinced in my head that I really want to move to a place that has a view or at least at the first floor and above. and to just start anew with this new addition you know. Of course financially, it means having to sell off this house because the houses in Penang are ridiculously expensive. Even if you earn like RM10k a month, you also have to think triple times before committing yourself to buying a property on the island. And for us, that was just the option.

But Adrian would not be able to let go of this house.

He basically grew up and spent all his life in this place and that's why it's a difficult topic of discussion. It's really tough.

But when Alex came in May, we had this discussion again and I find myself becoming less interested in moving out. I began to see why Adrian wants to continue living here. I would see him telling and showing Alex (although Alex understands nothing at that point) of all the childhood things he had experienced at the garden in front and all.

Then, I got to see how Alex is being loved (so much) by our neighbors and they would spend at least 5-minutes everyday (if we don't oversleep that is) just walking him outside our house in the morning and teaching him about flowers and stuff.

And I got to thinking.

If we were to move to another place, Alex will most likely not be able to experience these interactions anymore. People these days prefer to stay in their house and mind their own business right? I mean, if I live in a condo, I would most likely just spend most of my time in my house. Ain't nobody got the time to go mingle with neighbors. Hah.

But here?

These people have known Adrian and his entire family for almost 30-years. And now, they got to see and hold the once-a-little-most-mischievous-boy's son. They've seen how Adrian grew up and now they got to see his son's too.

And I think, that's just something worth sacrificing for.

So, we decided that we would continue to live here till when both of us feels that the time is up, which if you ask me honestly, the time to move out will never be up for him, and that's okay.

For me, it was a huge change in making this decision.

Before, I was very sure that I wanted (and needed) to move to a new place (can be an old house but just somewhere new) when Alex comes. Or at least be active in looking for houses.

The latest house that we went to see was the Middleton, just behind Raffel Tower.

WE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.

But it was at least RM1.4 million. Umm. Okay thanks bye. Chapter close. Heh.

So yeah, 2019 is going to be an exciting year because we have so many things planned and yes, that includes holidays and maybe another mini Koay? Hah!

Feeling energized for the next three-hundred and sixty-four days!

I hope your 2018 was a memorable one and that your 2019 will be a smashing one.

Till then, bye now. 

Alex & Richelle's First Baby Spa Experience with Hippopo.

Yes, you see that right. 

We brought Alex and Richelle to a Baby Spa & Wellness Centre, called Hippopo. Hah. 

Initially when Alex was a few months old, I had that thought of letting him try this swimming thing at Hippopo (located at Queensbay Mall by the way), but Adrian felt that it was waste of money. So since both parents cannot agree, I pushed aside this and never talked about it since. 

Then one day, Adrian went out with Alex and somehow, he found himself walked into Hippopo and started asking questions about this spa-thing for baby. He came back home with its brochure and said, "Baby, we should let Alex try this!"

Hmm. 

So guess what. 

We did. Afterall, got promotion! Heh. 

We decided to double-date with the Seahs because they also never try before and Miss Leny confirm wants to try also wan. Bookings have to be made at least a day earlier because Hippopo has allocated slot time for babies, and especially if two babies go together, then they will have to arrange for us. 

We wanted to do it on a Thursday since it's a weekday-promo but fully booked (didn't think initially that this place also can get fully booked), so we did on a Friday instead. No more RM68 of course. We paid RM88 per baby. 

Now, when we first sign up for this, we thought Alex and Richelle would be on the neck float but turns out, they are too "old" and "heavy" for neck floats already so they used a slightly bigger floats for the entire body. 

Here are some benefits of this baby-spa thing:

• It encourages brain development - stimulating babies' senses through body awareness and coordination
• It improves baby's appetite - plenty of gentle exercise and warm water helps to make a baby hungry
• It boosts baby's emotional stability - reducing babies' crying and emotional stress
• It strengthen immunity - stimulate hormones and increase immune systems
• It increases comfort - relieving babies from wind, colic, constipation and teething discomfort
• It improves relaxation - increasing levels of relaxation through more sound and longer sleep

So, why not try right? So many benefits leh. 

We had many questions before we started this swimming session so the first 10 minutes or so, we spent them by asking questions and them explaining to us on how the things work. Their staffs are pretty informative I have to say. I mean they have to be also la. Imagine if you work for a company or brand and you don''t know the answers to frequently asked questions. Heh. 

Here are some questions that we asked.

What is the ideal age for a baby to start?

As long as your baby is 4.5kg and above and cannot be older than 3-years old. 

What is provided in the baby spa package?

A swim float, a swim diaper and a towel (if your baby has sensitive skin, you are advised to bring your own towel).

Do the babies need to be wearing any swimwear during the session?

No, as the water is warm (32-35 degrees).

Do you change the water after every baby spa session?

We have 2 types of tubs - small and big. 

Small tubs (only 1 baby) are for babies age below 6-months old and the water will be changed after every session. Big tubs (maximum 3 babies) are for babies age 6- months and above and the water will be changed only once a day, not after every session. That is because this big tub contains ionizer which work to kill bacteria in water - that ensures freshness and cleanliness of the water. 

Do you have a private tub?

Yes, only in selected branches. Surcharge of RM10 (member) and RM20 (non-member).

How do you become a member of Hippopo?

Just sign any baby spa package with us. 

Can I leave my baby for the baby spa session and come back later?

No, this is not a babysitting service. Heh. Every baby must have at least a parent/guardian. Maximum of 2 adults to a baby at the time of spa session. 

If my baby is coughing a little, can he/she still join?

No. Baby with sickness (cough, flu, fever, infection etc) is not allowed to be attending any spa session. 

How about if my baby had just gotten an injection?

Also not allowed for any spa session within 72 hours. 

So, there are 3-parts to this baby-spa session:

1. Stretching exercises for the babies to prevent them from getting cramps (10 minutes)
2. Swimming in the pool with floats (20 minutes)
3. Post-swimming full body massage (20 minutes)

And that's RM88 per baby for you all. Heh.

I think it was pretty interesting for first-time parents to experience this, but really not necessary. After all, it was just putting them on a float (topless) because the water is warm and encouraging (and hoping) the babies would kick. Naturally they would. Except for Richelle, because she was enjoying life like a boss please.

I like the idea of swimming in warm water that has zero chlorine in it, but still, I will not pay anymore money to have people help my son to swim and me sitting at the side watching him swim. Excuse me, I want to jump in and swim with him okay.

Of course we are not going back to Hippopo, and it's not because their service was bad. In fact, their service was excellent. The two ladies were really friendly and engaging. But it's really because this is not how parents should spend their money. Heh.

I think people who sign up package with Hippopo (or any other baby spa centre) are most likely people/parents who are afraid of water themselves and probably want their children to not have that fear too. So, by sending them to spa session, it will sort of "replace" the need of them having to be in the water with their child. So, this would be a perfect alternative.

Or the parents too rich and don;t know where else to spend money on. Hah.

Still, it was a very nice first-time experience. First and the last. Hah.

Always fun to double date with our favorite family (in law). Heh.

Two family photos because it's soooo difficult to take photos with babies! Ahhh.

Till next time, bye now. 

I'm Coming Back.

Why my blog macam so dead ki?

Oh mannn.

Time to spend more time in here.

Alex is finally 6-months old and have reached that 'right' age where we should start feeding him puree and human food. Heh. We actually fed him once about a week ago and everything got so messy.

So messy that we decided to postpone his eating solids milestone a little longer hah.

Or at least we will wait until he can sit up on his own. We shall see when that is gonna happen. ot gonna rush these things since he is only gonna be a baby for such a short time nia.

Before we know it, he is gonna run everywhere and giving all the 'why' questions. So, for now we shall enjoy his baby moments.

My last day at FGA Centre is this Friday and I have the whole month of December of mommy-duty so more time for me to blog, and print photos to flood my house (and mom and grandma's house).

Till then.

Malaysia's Public Holidays in 2019!

You are all welcome! :)

Why You Should Get a Baby Monitor?

Why not?

Before Alex came out, I was already leaning towards getting a baby monitor but I was told that it is not necessary for us as we stay in an apartment - not 2-storeys house or bungalow. So, I let that idea go.

So expensive some more for the good branded ones.

Not until after we started the sleep training and after that we-almost-lost-our-son-scare, that we realized having a baby monitor may make a difference.

When we first started the sleep-training, we put Alex in a different room and we would not close the door completely because scared cannot hear him when he cry so we just sort of close it a little. Also, to get some lights from outside for us to be able to see him when we take a peek.

Then now, since his room is not going to be ready so soon, we decided that he will sleep in our room in his own crib first.

You must be thinking, why then do we need a baby monitor since he is already sleeping in our room, just next to me.

Well, Alex's sleeping schedule is quite consistent now in the evening at about 8pm and sometimes he would wake up at 10pm-ish for milk and sleeps till 6am for another milk session. Since he takes his nap at 8pm (if we are at home - because if we are out then his sleeping pattern all sure kelam kabut already but still manageable), Adrian and I prefers to be outside hanging out with his mom or each other watching TV, instead of lying on our bed waiting for him to fall asleep - just to make sure that he is not stuck or in danger or anything.

With this baby monitor, we do all the monitoring from outside and so, Alex is able to sleep peacefully inside the room with the door closed shut and all lights out. So, no noises or disturbance.

It's really a highly recommended from us - If you intend to sleep train your child, a baby monitor is a must have - it's life changing please.

If you enjoy not having to run to the room every 5-minutes to check if he is breathing okay, then you should totally get this baby monitor.

If you want to enjoy having friends over to your house to watch a movie together or just to hang out and at the same time be a parent, you should definitely get this baby monitor.

If you want to spend time with your spouse - cooking a meal together or cuddle and watch TV or just do some financial budgeting (with some arguments in between for sure heh) - then you must get this baby monitor.

Even with all that reasons in our heads, we could not bring ourselves to spend so much money for a baby monitor. Not until a fellow mother recommended a particular baby monitor that does not cost that much.

Best part is that she was already using them and she is still using it and she highly recommended it.

I got mine from Shopee (as recommended by her) and it is by far one the best parenting must have. No regrets at all. One mistake I did was choosing (by mistake) the US plug point so now I am using the universal plug with it so boo sama I.

Apparently, there are many other types of baby monitor that is also wallet-friendly but because I have not used them before, so I am not going to recommend them okay.

Recently, we went to KL for a quick getaway and yes, we brought the baby monitor with us - it is super travel friendly. Of course we will be bringing this with us to every holiday from now on. Hah.

There are other things that I really like about this monitor and the first one is the temperature monitoring which is super accurate. We tested it out by changing the temperature of our air-cond and it follows very chun. So, I would know if it gets to cold for him or if I should switch off the fan or something. Love this feature.

Second one is the time and date feature on the monitor. It's super convenient for me whenever he starts to cry because whenever he does that, we would time him - give him a good 5 minutes of crying and if the crying continues, then we would go inside the room to comfort him by patting his bum bum and talking to him for a bit and then leave the room again. If he continues to cry, we would wait for another 10 minutes and maybe then we would carry him (depending on the type of cry actually).

But now, he would cry for less than 5 minutes and be okay already. Self-soothing successful yas. So, with the time displayed on the screen, I don't have to keep using my phone to check.

Third one is the 2-ways audio communication which we have not tried it yet because he usually just falls asleep on his own really fast. And even when he's crying, he won't be able to hear us because he would be so loud already. But I do look forward to use this 2-ways audio communication when he is much older and sleeping in his own room - oh fun times ahead.

Fourth is the night vision and its clarity. The room will have zero lights and yet on our baby monitor screen, it is so clear and bright.

Fifth one is the fact that it's small and easy to be moved around. It's not wireless (probably the only minus point) so you gotta have a plug point nearby, but the wire is quite long so quite good la. Sometimes I place the camera nearer to his face and sometimes I put it on a higher area to see his entire body - depending on the mood heh.

So yeah - I don't know what's not to like about this product because with just RM130 (plus shipping fee), we get so many kind of functions and it's changing our life to the better. We are happier parents because now we can still open our house to having people over for meals and hangouts - just like before Alex came.

Who says becoming parents means having to sacrifice the freedom to hang out with friends and/or do fun things after the sun goes down? Just have to do more indoor nia okay. Hah.

Some parts are true la (heh) but we can always think of ways to have a fun-er parenting ways. Hah.

Thanks to this life-changing-parenting-hack.

Till then, bye now.