Thursday, November 19, 2009

Has it been almost 7 months already?

The little one will be almost 7 months old soon. Wow. It seems like only yesterday when he was this tiny little thing that could fit into the crook of my one arm. He's growing well and fast; praise God. He looks like a little boy (as opposed to a little baby) already... Children really grow up too fast; sigh.

Some updates:
  • He is rolling all over the place now, so we have to watch him even more carefully. He's also sitting rather sturdily, although he still topples over sometimes. Haha.
  • We've managed to wean him off his pacifier, which has not been an easy task. Phew. He has taken to sucking on his lips instead, which is quite funny to watch. Without the pacifier, putting him to sleep can be dreadfully tough at times, and sometimes I just feel like screaming my head off. But we haven't caved in yet.. hope it stays that way. The downside is that we need a bit more time to put him back to sleep when he stirs in the middle of the night (sometimes I have to cradle him for a while), plus somehow he always seems to get up around 5-ish, and we end up putting him on our bed so that we can continue to get some sleep. All in all, that makes it two wakings for me- and although short, they are certainly disruptive to a good night's sleep. Am feeling more tired than usual as a result. Sigh.

That aside, it has really been lovely to see him grow and develop.

  • He has a rather peculiar habit of curling up his toes and clenching his fists when drinking milk. So 'kan cheong'....
  • He loves exercising his legs- he kicks really hard, sometimes even when he is being carried; his legs can look like fleshy windscreen wipers! Our dear Michelin baby :) He also enjoys swinging his legs, which he can do quite well when he's sitting on the edge of a lap and his legs are free to dangle.
  • Blowing raspberries is another favourite pastime of his. There are days when he's at it all day..
  • He likes to 'talk'. So much babbling- not funny when you're trying to sleep! Yak yak yak :)
  • He's been eating solids for about a month now, and he really loves it. Yum. Except broccoli. He cried after just one spoonful. Can't blame him, I'm not a big broccoli fan either. :p
  • Bathtime is something he really enjoys- especially when it comes to kicking up a big splash. Tsunami in the bathtub I tell you...
  • For some reason he's starting to make 'smacking' motions with his arms.. thus ending up 'smacking' himself on the tummy or his sides.. or our faces! With his arms flailing wildly, looks like he's trying to fly! :)
  • He's figured out to turn himself in all directions in his cot, sometimes ending up with a hand or leg stuck in between the bars. So dangerous, gosh. Cot bumper? Doesn't help much. He now folds the thing up to check out the scenery outside the cot.. and plays peek-a-boo!
  • Absolutely adore his chuckles.. he enjoys us tickling him, blowing on his tummy or face, making funny faces, pretending to nibble on his toes or dancing while being carried in our arms. So cute.

We love him so very, very much.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Teambuilding retreat in Kuantan

Recently I had the privilege to join my company's senior management team for their teambuilding retreat in Kuantan. There was lots of eating, singing, dancing, and many cool games.

The most memorable game was the 'Caterpillar Walk', which featured team members sandwiching balloons between them and completing a walk that involved picking stuff up from the ground. Not easy when there are 5 people moving up and down in tandem, while trying not to drop or burst the balloons! Plus... picking up a large coconut with one hand makes the task harder.. haha :p The grand finale to this game involved crushing against each other to break the balloons; now this was really really hilarious! I bet some of the photos, if seen by others who were not there, could easily lead to- *ahem* -dodgy conclusions!

We were also given the task of building a rollercoaster out of straws and masking tape.. and here is our creation! Cool, huh? Thanks to our team leader, who is, amongst many other things, an engineer by training as well...

A rollercoaster by another team; note the disconnected track..
which they argued provided a thrilling twist to the ride! Haha :)

We didn't win this challenge however.. we lost points for using up too many straws! Not environmentally-friendly enough, apparently. Cheh. We were most unhappy with the result. Hmmph.

We also had a 3km beach run at 6 a.m. on the first morning! Imagine that. Plus all the other games- bowling, beach volleyball, etc.. it was really tiring. Most of us were limping towards the end of the retreat, haha.

It was hectic, but I certainly had a few fun-filled days. I also had the opportunity to get to know my colleagues better; it was certainly eye-opening to see their quirky sides :)

And hubby managed the little one all by himself while I was away- well done!