Eat, drink and be married!

WE. LOVED. IT.



That should sum up our impression of Waka Waka on a public holiday no less! Granted it was crazy packed with so many people - the Hubba even reconnected with a friend at Waka Waka (what are the odds, really!)



This newest playground under the Polliwogs Group was definitely newer than East Point's and wildly popular amongst kids as a playground and party venue.



What I loved?





Everything, the water bed that C loved so much (for a nanosecond, I'd have gotten something similar at home for him just so he'd lounge), the slide with water effects...the brickhouse too! There was so much for the babies in that confined space and kept him so entertained, I was impressed. 





Waddling around the brickhouse.





These wall installations kept him entertained for a fair bit.












What I didn't?



The number of kids running all over and try as the staff did to keep the older kids out of bounds of the baby area, they still made their way in and caused quite a commotion.





What's next?



Family pass next, I'm so keen to be back already! The almost 2 hour session got the little one so tired, he slept moments after we closed the car doors on him! Hooray!

This purchase was made quite some time back when Cyrus was still drooling like no tomorrow and sprouting his first teeth and I chanced upon homegrown brand Annie + Alex for their teethers.


How cute are these pseudo cell phone and keys and their rainbow coloured beads.





Wood butter is available for purchase to keep the teether well oiled and for continual usage.







I received them packed in the muslin bag and they are too cute in real life! My only grouse is, I wish I topped up for a name customization on them!


However in all its cuteness, Cyrus still preferred the real deals to these.

I'm a sucker for memories, anything that helps me hold onto them a weebit longer and...since scrapbooking is not in my blood...I turned to photobooking! No sponsorships involved, just one very satisfied customer.












365 days worth of, that reduced me to quite a sobbing mess. Tears of joy actually, to finally come to terms with the fact that my baby is no longer a newborn, and the toddler he is today.












And the same day I received the photobook, he whatsapped me  a string of letters and even snapped a picture of the ceiling and sent it to me. Haha, nonsensical but how precious!

I'm actually not sure how this should begin and I'm penning this just for memory's sake...


Many many years ago when I was around 3 or 4 and in kindergarten, we were all made to write a letter to a child far away (well to me back then, anywhere out of Singapore is far away) and I remember it was a cancer-stricken child. My teacher told us to write him some well wishes and draw something for him to cheer him up. I have forgotten what I wrote and obviously have no recollection what I sent him but it stuck in my memory. That there are sick children and not everyone's childhood is happy.






I'm not sure what prompted me to respond to this snapshot shared in one of my mummy group chats and I thought - why not send a parcel on behalf of Cyrus. I mean someday I will share all the snaps with him and the stories behind them.




I hope it brings some cheer to A, a very courageous little fighter who's bestowed with so much love. Our paths may never cross but you have taught me as an adult even that courage does not come with age.




I'm not sure how his parents feel about bringing him home for his last days, it aches even typing this. It was very odd trying to buy an appropriate card and thankfully for Christmas, there are such pretty and cute cards for this occasion.






xx

Okay, so I had this in my draft folder since he was a month old. Goodness me what procrastination does and with so many friends around me popping I thought I would revive it and publish it so...you know, it'd help someone at least!












And here's a throw back shot of him at 1 month, boy I miss those days!




I can't believe how many of these things I have given out during the full month celebrations I have attended much to the chagrin of the couple until I had my own. Never too late I suppose?

This entry was written way before the horrific news of a lactating mom made to expose her boob to unnerving immigration officers to prove she was indeed nursing when her breast pump was deemed suspicious. And clearly I am getting as much backlog as I can out of the way! Sorry if I'm rambling because...too little time and too much effort embedding the pictures!



I've not travelled out of Asia to test the security systems and so far, the officers have been very kind. Truth be told, I was seething when I read the article. And it turns out, there are many ill educated people on the topic of breast feedings.



Just thought I could just sum up what I've read in the responses, 

1) Breastfeeding moms pump to regularize the supply. How does being engorged for a full 10 hours feel when you're on long haul flight? Fill two plastic bags full of water, strap them on your chest and then turn on the lie detector machine too. It throbs, can hurt and in worst cases, cause migraines. 
2) Who ever says that you need to have devices attached to you all the time? If anything, its the shells that are used or breast pads to collect leaking milk.
3) It isn't always about "fresh milk". If breast milk always has to be consumed fresh, the almost common sense question to ask is - do you drink from the nipples of the cow?



****



Before giving birth, I knew I had to make up for all the lost time spent being stuck without a holiday. And so I did with 3 trips planned once Speckie was born. What I did not take into account was - what if I were still breastfeeding?



Somehow, somewhere, somewhat...things will sort itself out.



I had plans to pump during the trip, freeze my milk and transport them back. Sounds good on writing? Here goes what went into bringing them back safe and hopefully sound. 



The pre-flight prep work



This sounds like a mammoth task already but the truth is, it is! Before my first trip I consulted my mommy group and forums how to tackle this task.

Daiso is godsent for cheap supplies and with every priced at $2 I did not feel the pinch bagging a styrofoam box, ice gels and a plastic container.



Declare at customs



I find declaring before scanning a useful tip, at least it saves me the trouble of being picked up by the scanner, unzipping and having the team examine the contents. With the exception of one particular officer who gave a disgusted face, the process has been smooth.



Pump on the plane



It was only after my first trip that I explored the idea of pumping at the airport rather than at home before the flight.



I would expect Changi Airport to have an abundance of nursing room considering how many children and parents traipse through it during holiday peak season. Turns out, it depends which Terminal you are at.



Terminal 1 has just 3 and 2 were occupied leaving me with 45 minutes before my flight and me hoping against all odds the last remaining nursing room would be available. I literally ran to it (coming from one who'd not usually run for a flight even) and was sorely disappointed with it. Granted all I needed was a space to pump but this was not very well maintained with a constant stream of stall owners and diners coming in to gargle their mouths after food or washing of utensils and even utilising the hot water dispenser for making of cup noodles. Some did not even have the decency to rinse the sink of their disposed cup noodle contents.



Pumping on the plane was a whole new challenging ball game on its own. Cathay Pacific flatly refused me when I requested for my Fridge To Go to be placed in the chiller citing policy as a reason. I did not bother trying with SQ. Picking a seat right at the back of the air craft saw a constant stream of people pacing up and down the toilets and after a while I pumped away under cover.



During the holiday



It was during my trips that I dragged my pump times, ended up with porn star cleavage, soaked through my breast pads and still ended up with higher supply. Vacations do wonders I must add, somehow being physically away helps with the milk supply though not necessarily with the mental state.



Storage



Believe it or not, not every international hotel chain's hotel room has a decent fridge. By means of decent means cold enough to chill milk (18 degrees). I shall not name names here but I ended up storing in their staff fridge before, made do with an ice bucket filled with ice to bring down the fridge's temperature and even panicked when the milk did not freeze properly.



Transport them home like a champ! 



Finally time came for the trip to end and the milk to be transported like delicate cargo.

My first attempt with a styrofoam box, enough duct tape to make a mummy and ice gel packs was not cold enough for all packets to remain frozen.



The second and third were alot better - so they say, practise does makes perfect! I used my cooler bags instead, padded them with ice gels, sealed my milk bags in a ziplog and further wrapped them with aluminium foil. Sounds like a hassle? But bringing them home still frozen is *fist pump* a very shiok feeling.



The only hurdle to cross is, what if I need to fly for more than 10 hours?

So the big question is what makes Kaiser Pharmaceutical's Mozzieguard any different from those in the market place?



Their Mozzieguard 100% Natural Lemon Eucalyptus Oil Repellent Patches come in 10 individual packed patches (I am anal about this having used stickers that are not sealed but sold in ziplogged bags), DEET Free and made from 100% Natural Lemon Eucalyptus Oil! I am not on the essential oils band wagon yet but I am sure those who swear by them know about the effects of lemon eucalyptus oil, one of which is its efficacy keeping those mozzies at bay!
Keep those mozzies away and our children safe today! 





Samples of Mozzieguard were given for review. No monetary compensation has been received. All thoughts and comments are purely our own.