Is this a love story between my hubby, Ray, and I? I would like to think that it is actually a love story between God and I. How I learn to love and know our almighty God once again......
For my loves - Rayson, Rayden and Rayes,
If I had Snow White's stepmother's magic mirror back then and saw in it who my future husband was, my jaws would have dropped and my eyeballs rolled. It is IMPOSSIBLE! How could it be him?!!!
Those were our secondary school days which hold many of my beautiful memories, however, my hubby, Ray, certainly wasn't in any of them.......All I could remember is...... he was my class monitor......that's it.......
Secondary 3 class photo
Ray (1st row 6th from the left) , Kai Sin (2nd row 6th from the right)
Secondary 4 class photo
Ray (3rd row 7th from the left), Kai Sin (2nd row 7th from the right)
We were classmates for 3 years and yet we have never spoken a single word to each other. Well, it's not that I have not taken notice of him. He has this very clean and decent look since secondary school days (hasn't change a bit), looks like a kind person. He never makes fun of people, unlike my other guy classmates. He was a serious and solemn chap, a totally different camp from me. I was pretty sure he would give me an expressionless look if I tried to talk to him. So I never attempted to try. We had no common topics.
I was a pretty conscientious student too but then I had maybe too much a distraction in my mind. Besides studying, I was also busy going out with friends, day-dreaming of meeting my white horse prince, having crushes here and there...yes..that's me..(I really think it's not a good idea to watch too many idol dramas).
4 years of secondary school life flew by and we went our separate ways, to different colleges and I never heard of him anymore.
I was pretty sure I met him once in NUS Science faculty and I even smiled at him but when I mentioned this to him after we got married, he said he has no impression of it at all......Sigh......
If you are thinking of buying a Jujube diaper bag then I hope this post will be useful to you.
This is my Jujube diaper bag from the Be Right Back series. It is a backpack. I would prefer backpack to sling diaper bags because the weight distribution is more even.
I like the combination of black and gold which gives it a classy look. This is a bag which you won't hesitate to bring to formal occasions like wedding lunches and dinners or company functions. I think it also looks great as a working bag.
The material is water proof and you can easily clean it with a damp cloth. There's this grab and go handle at the top of the bag which makes it very convenient for you to ermm..grab and go.
The back of the bag is quite cushiony so it's quite soft and comfortable to carry.
There are 2 side pockets suitable for putting water bottles or sippy cups. You need just an extra few seconds to squeeze a bottle in. This few seconds makes a difference to me. As I'm a latching mama, it'll be great if I can do things with just 1 hand.
So while nursing my baby, I might want to grab a drink and put it back in a split second (a bit exaggerated) which I'll not be able to do so with this Jujube diaper bag. I'm not sure if with time, the rims of the side pockets will loosen a bit (shrug).Every second counts with a newborn baby.
I keep the pacifier in one of the side pockets
There is this compartment at the back where the diaper changing mat is kept.
Oh..look at how classy the mat looks...the mat is thick and soft so baby should feel quite comfortable lying on it. This compartment can also be used to keep your ipad, tablet or a small laptop.
There are also these golden hooks which can be used to hook your bag to the stroller.
However, please ensure that your stroller isn't too light as this jujube bag with its full load and 2 filled 500 ml water bottles might overturn your stroller, it can be a hazard and dangerous to your baby.
Okay, let's venture off to look at the other compartments. The outer compartment I used it to keep name cards, insect repellents and EZ link card..I'll usually keep my handphone in this compartment too.
You can put a picture here.
This little compartment I used it to keep my tissues. We use lots of tissues.
Let's take a look at the next compartment.
My children's utensils, wallet and UV block
Essential oil, dental floss and an extra plastic bag for soiled clothes
Hook for your keys
Finally, let's take a look at the main compartment. It's good that the zips can be zipped all the way down so you can find your things easily.
I keep diapers and extra clothings in these mesh like pockets.
Other stuffs in this main compartment are my boys' boogie boards, a book, nursing cover, another bag of extra clothing for my baby and a sweater to keep him warm. So...most of the stuffs are actually for baby Rayes.
It's not as spacious as I thought it will be. Another reason why I wouldn't stuff too many things in it is because this bag will be so heavy! Especially if I babywear Rayes and carry this diaper bag, it'll be very straining to my back and shoulders.
This compartment on the top of the bag is my favorite because I put all the stuffs which I'll need for changing diapers in it. Very accessible and convenient.
I'll give this diaper bag a 3/5. I like it for its classy look which doesn't go out of style. Its many compartments also makes it easy for me to organize and find my things. The material is waterproof and can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth.
However, I think it is way too heavy for me. To be practical, with 3 boys on tow and babywearing my youngest, I'll need a lightweight spacious diaper bag.
In the near future, I'll also need to bring porridge out for baby Rayes. I cannot imagine bringing the porridge out in my Jujube...it's heavy enough now, even with no water bottles. Honestly, Jujube is a bit overhyped.
Hope this review helps and stay tuned to my review of the possibility lightest diaper bag in the market now.
I don't remember when's the last time I attended our Church camp. For the past few years, we had lectureships and I tried hard to recall...maybe I missed the previous one because I'm pregnant with Rayden? Oh dear...memory failing me..
I guess God has planned it all.
Initially we thought we are certainly going to miss this Church camp because I will most probably still be doing my confinement.
But alas Rayes made it in time for us to get everything ready!
One week before my confinement ends,
Hubby asked: Do you want to go to the church camp?
Me: Can we?
Hubby: If God is wiling.
Me: What do you mean?
Hubby: If Rayes' passport is ready in time.
Oh ya! I nearly forgot that Rayes needs a passport to get out of Singapore!
So I'm given the daunting task of taking a decent picture of Rayes.
How did the professionals take such nice passport pictures of newborns at the hospital?
And babies nowadays are too smart to be manipulated, when you want them to wake, they sleep and when you want them sleep, they wake.
First picture to ICA rejected.
Next, we rented an MPV for our trip because our current car is too small.
The situation now is I'm squeezed at the back of the car in between 2 car seats. There's no way I can go to Melaka in this condition.
And yes!Rayes' passport is ready in time! Nothing to stop us now!
So here we go, bringing one month old Rayes and his 2 active brothers to our Church camp at Melaka. We're all excited and looked forward to this trip.
Do I worry? My answer is that I pray. I'm sure this will be a great experience for us as a family.
And God will keep us safe. Everything will be fine, surely.
I really love road trip with my boys. Our longest one is a 7-8 hours ride to Club Med Cherating. My boys were about 5 and 2 years old then. Surprisingly, they can take road trips very well, thank God! All they need are some snacks and music. I love how the whole family is cooped up in that small space and with plenty of chances to chat with each other. I also love how my boys sing to 动力火车 songs together with my hubby. Wonderful memories.
One month old Rayes
Thank God the traffic is quite smooth and Philea Resort is quite easy to locate, we reached our destination in about 4 hours.
Beautiful swimming pool
Strong neck eh?
Bringing baby Rayes out for a walk
My Manduca carrier is really a life-saver! Love it so so much!! Baby Rayes feels so comforted in it and he fell asleep most of the time which allows me to have my meals.
He draws everywhere......
Baby Rayes started to develop a cough on Day 1 and I was really worried because it reminds me of how Rayden came down with bronchitis when he was just 2 months old. It also started with a few harmless cough and then started to worsen.
That night, I prayed and prayed....that if God is willing, to heal Rayden of his cough and that he can return to Singapore healthy and fine.
The next day, the cough was gone!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord! Whew!
Overall, we had a really great time at this church camp and I'm really glad that we are able to made it.
Children are blessings from God. Thinking back on the nights that Ray and I prayed for God to bless us with our babies, if the Lord is willing, and now that He has answered our prayers, I want to always remind myself that our children will not lessen our time spent with God and his family. Instead, they will bring us closer to God and we as a family will continue to grow in Christ.
Confinement confinement...is this a yay or a nay for you?
For my first born Rayson, my mummy helped me with my confinement but I think it wasn't a very good arrangement as I was mentally stressed, constantly worried that my mummy would be too tired helping me.
And being a first time mum made me all flustered and teary, painful wound, engorged breasts, endless pumping, struggling with a fussy baby during latching, figuring out the demand and supply theory...and the list goes on.
So for my second boy Rayden, I was determined to engage a confinement lady (CL). Thank God for my friend's recommendation, I managed to engage Yingjie as my CL. She was a great help to me! However, I did not have much appetite during confinement even though Yingjie was a great cook. Eating was a chore to me and I would just gobble all the food down as fast as possible.
But the greatest challenge was to manage my elder boy Rayson...his temperament changed drastically after Rayden was born...and started acting rebellious and cried hysterically everyday.
So.......my second confinement wasn't very enjoy either.
This time round...I am hopeful..really hopeful that I'll get a good rest during confinement. Rayson and Rayden have each other and will be at school during the day..leaving only me, baby Rayes and CL at home. Best news of all is I managed to engage Yingjie again!
Are you thinking of engaging a CL? Let me share my good experience with Yingjie.
1) Experienced, Efficient and Organised
The moment she stepped into my house, she headed to my kitchen (her territory for the next one month) and started asking us questions on where we placed our woks, pots and the things she needs to use. She also cleaned and organised our fridge and made it so tidy!
Besides the kitchen, she also keeps our living room and children's bedroom tidy and organised everyday. Now that she has gone home, I try to keep the rooms as organised when she was around. What a good motivator she is ya?
She keeps herself busy and took initiative to help out with the household chores.
As I am a latching mummy, baby Rayes is with me most of the time..(stuck at my breasts). Yingjie would help me with other chores like washing my clothes, sunning them, vacuuming and mopping the floor etc. She keeps herself busy and keeps my house clean.
After every meal she cooks, she makes sure she cleans up the kitchen and mops the floor. Love it!
She ensures baby Rayes is clean as well. She hand-washes his clothings and cleans him up twice a day. She bathes him in the morning and cleans him up again in the evening.
She's really efficient and would have completed most of her chores by 9pm.
2) Pro-breastfeeding
Many mummies have stumbled at the initial stage of bf because they have been misled by ignorant CL! They thought that babies cry because mummies have insufficient breast milk (bm) which is definitely not true! Hence, many mummies ended up supplementing their babies with formula milk and this will really affect milk supply!
So if you're going to breastfeed, ensure that you read up about breastfeeding and know what you're doing so that you will not be misled by CL or other people around you.
My definition of a pro-breastfeeding CL is very simple, that is someone who won't interfere with my breastfeeding, make unnecessary comments about my milk supply and pressurize me into supplementing formula. I do not expect them to have good knowledge about breastfeeding because mummies should be the ones with the knowledge. They're after all CL and not lactation consultants.
Yingjie acknowledges that breastfeeding is the best for babies and encourages me to latch on demand.
Marvellous! So rare to find CL who are pro-breastfeeding nowadays eh? You may be interested to read my post about my thoughts on breastfeeding.
3) Great cook
She cooks a variety of dishes for me and I'll let the pictures do the talking. If you would like to see the confinement food that I had for all 28 days, please visit my Instagram. I think I missed out on a few meals towards the end of confinement because they were repetition and I got a bit lazy.
She cooks the dishes using the ingredients that my mummy bought. We leave it to her creativity as to how the dishes are done. However, she'll also cook whatever I want to eat should I have any particular cravings.
Do not worry if you know nuts about confinement meals because she will advise you on what to buy and plans what to cook accordingly.
Especially for nursing mothers, we should have a balanced - higher than usual - intake of calories, protein, iron, calcium, fibre and vitamins to ensure a good supply of milk.
Overall, my family and I love Yingjie! She is a really capable and humble lady who has a wealth of experience and interesting stories to share with us.
We really thank God for blessing us with such a good CL. Rayson even shed some tears when Yingjie left for home.
Some extra pointers when engaging a CL
1) Remember that you're engaging a CL and not a domestic helper. Their main job scope is to take care of mummy and baby only so if they're willing to help out with other chores or cook for your whole family or babysit your other children, it's a bonus...be thankful and don't take them for granted.
If your baby is pretty fussy or takes a long time to feed or needs to be carried all day by your CL (so that you can rest ) , then you must understand that her other chores will be affected as well.
Latching mummies must be mentally prepared that you'll definitely not be able to rest properly during confinement because baby will be latching very frequently. (which is good!) So while you work "night shift", it's also good to let your CL have a good night sleep so that she can help you better in the day and perhaps you can grab a nap or 2.
2) Treat them with respect. If you're willing to pay, then they deserve what they're getting for their job. They deserve good food, good sleep and respectable treatment. Cooking 3 meals 1 soup 3 times a day, preparing soups and snacks for mummies, caring for babies and washing up after every meal sounds quite a bit to me. If you keep thinking you're overpaying them then you'll be very unhappy.
CL are humans so they'll need to rest too. If they spend their nights waking up to take care of babies then they definitely need to take a nap in the day. They are humans!
3) Do you really need a CL? Do you have your parents, in-laws and helpers at your house to help you? The more people there are the more complicated it gets because each has his/her own opinions and your CL will be confused whose orders to follow.
And if you have a helper, you would have to state very clearly the job scope of the helper and CL, or do you naively think that they will help each other?
Personally I think the lesser the people the better it is. Mummies can have more rest (especially the ears..no nagging please!) and things get done faster. But of course I know some people do not have any choice.
Here's a video to view all the meals that I had during my confinement.
So have you decided on your confinement arrangement?
