Sunny Birthday!

It's sunny here in Singapore today. Mom took me to have a bowl of laksa (ummmm, my favorite) and then Mom and I took her to a nearby park and let her sit on the slide. We tried to find some swings but there seemed to be none in sight. Mom said that perhaps the government thought it was too dangerous and, therefore, many children's playgrounds seem not have slides and playhouses but no swings. Oh well.... we shall start our search for some swings in the nearby neighborhoods then!

God Bless You, Sequoia!!!

Sequoia is so precious....I can't believe she is 1 year old... I am so happy that God has blessed and protected her all this year... Thank you, God!

12.12am... Sequoia is 1 year old!!!

It's 12.12am! She's 1 year old!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hallelujah!

Boneca is 1 year old!!!

Wow, how time flies...

I simply cannot believe that Sequoia is now 1 year old. She will be at the stroke of 12.12am, barely a few hours from now.

I am thankful for having some time now to write and post this blog... what a year it has been....

Over the past few weeks, Sequoia has learned so many things. She can climb up AND down the stairs, much to my horror! She also dances on cue to the word, "Dancing Queen." Mom started this about 3 weeks ago when she was singing to Sequoia one day and the little princessa started to shake her butt. The rest is now history!

Sequoia actually imitates what people does and say, especially in dance steps. About 2 weeks ago, my Bay Kim Poh was dancing with Sequoia and had her hands on her hips, shaking her butt. Then, all of a sudden, Sequoia also started to dance with her hands on her hips and doing a dance improvisation of have her palms turned upward or with all fingertips together like in a Malay dance. Oh, she is adorable...

She also started to imitate the folding of arms from Bay Kim Poh. Gosh, I simply could not believe what I saw, AND managed to video. She never ceases to amaze me.

On Saturday, Dec. 27, I threw a small party at Mom's house for Sequoia to celebrate her birth. I hope she had a good time. It was so good to see her staring at the other kids that were there: Megan, Elizabeth, Isaac, Isabelle, Daryl, Ryan, Jean, Lauren, Evan, Renee, Ryan. It was hysterical to see her try to imitate Isabelle, aka Mirabelle the Magical Princess, when she danced. There was an episode when Isabelle was throwing her right arm up in the air and smacked it on squarely on the floor, then up in the air again and onto the floor once again... and then I noticed that Sequoia was gazing intently at her and then tried to physically imitate Isabelle. Such a Kodak moment indeed. I think I missed catching it on video. It happened too quickly :-)

Sequoia has also learned the word, "Nao," which is "no" in English. Man, she really hates it. The other day, she screamed loudly and bawled her eyes out when I said "no" to her. I was seated on the mattress on the floor in my room and she was standing by the bed, trying to climb onto it. It was dangerous and naturally I said, "no." But no... she wouldn't have it. She was upset that I said, "no" and proceeded to use the highest decibel available in her voice box and cry. Man, she is such a tricky, cheeky girl...

Sequoia is such a cutie... she is always all smiles once she wakes up, never one cry, not one whine...

May Flowers...

May Flowers... Yes, indeed... the weather has been sunnier than ever in London. And Sequoia has been growing up fast and furious...

I have been trying to take photos of her nonstop, to document her life... here is a photo essay of some of the more significant events :-)

Sequoia has learned to suck two thumbs at the same time. I almost caught that on video! But alas, the timing was too short for me to do that. Naturally, I missed the photo op as well. It was such a precious sight to behold. It was as if she couldn't decide which thumb tasted better, or was juicer, and then at the very right moment, I saw her shove her two not-so-tiny-anymore thumbs into her little red-bud mouth... I hope she will do it again soon. This time, I will attempt to be ready!!!

Sequoia has also learned to do some serious finger pointing. Check out the photo for proof :-) I hate to imagine what she will be like when she grows up... finger pointing at everything and everyone around her :-) But, look how adorable she looks :-) I forgive her!

In reality, she is not finger pointing :-) She is actually sucking her finger as if she is making the shadow shape of a gun, thus the forefinger is pointing upwards. The other day, whilst sucking her thumb in this position, she poked the inner corner of her left eye with her left forefinger. Whilst it was hysterical to watch her do it on purpose, it did leave her with a red mark as her tiny finger nails seem to be growing nonstop :-) It must be all the calcium pills I am eating daily :-)

She has also been wearing a hair band. Why? Good question. She doesn't have much hair yet but I religiously try to put the hair band on her daily. Guama says that her ears are kinda sticking out like a lil flyin elephant, aka Dumbo :-), catchin the wind as the Chinese call it... so instead of paying £60 for some contraption to keep it back, I have found a cost-effective way of trying to keep it back and make it stay in place until the baby cartilege hardens a little and gives her permanently perfect ears :-) Oh, and the little beige flower clip helps to accentuate her features and takes the dullness away from the hair band... doesn't she look so cute???

Oh, yes, and my anjo has magician's eyebrows. Check it out... it flips upwards at the tail end of the eye brows! Wicked! She'll never have to put mascara on it like I do to make it look brushed outwards!!! Yeah!!! Oh, but her cafe au lait birthmark is still there. Oh well, she does look so cute with it tho :-)

Every Mommy thinks her baby is adorable and I am no exception... here's another photo of me and my Sequoia.

When I call her name, she actually turns and looks at me. Perhaps it is my voice that she recognizes. Perhaps at 4 months old she really does know her name, as the baby books suggest... either way, it is simply delightful to see her turn her neck towards me, looking at me lovingly (at least I think so. I hope so :-)...

Sequoia does a lot of the putting her hand under her chin thingy... as if she is contemplating about things, about life.... probably not, but behold the shots...

Errrhhhh.... hmmmm.... once again, what is Mommy doing?

Sequoia has learned to choke on purpose, just to make sure I come to her... At first, I was so scared and worried each time I hear her choke... but when i come close by, she is all smiles... the cheeky little monkey! Instead of saying positive things lately, I find myself saying "Don't do that!" to her all the time :-)

She also continues to sleep in funny, contorted positions, like when she did as a new born. I have captured yet another for our smiling pleasures :-) Behold, Princessa Sequoia...

But other than that, she still sleeps like a precious little baby. She kinda sleeps through the night now and only wakes for a tinsy short feed and then it's back to Dreamland almost instantly. Man, the sleeping power of breast milk and milk smell... Amazing... Oh my baby... my little Sequoia, lullaby, say goodnight... sweet dreams, my little anjo, Mommy's one and only Princessa... zzzzzzzz

April 1sts.....

Hello God, hello Universe, hello the whole world!!!! I have produced a mini me!!! Creation is really a miracle! It is surreal and amazing to see the resemblance. I used to say that I also wanted a mini me to my friends who are mothers. And now, thanks to the divine powers of the world, I get to savor the same wonderful experience ....ummmmm

Now, some April pictures and news....

Why is Mommy always sticking a camera in my face... :-)

Now she's making me do the Elvis grin... AGAIN... oh Mommy... :-) You really haven't managed to shake Elvis off, isn't it :-)

Yes, my dear Sequoia, Elvis has not left the building. He is very much ALIVE INDEED :-) When you grow up, you will understand the world's fascination with Elvis!

Well, let's see... Sequoia has her first giggle on April 4 and it is the most delicious high-pitched sound in the world. I wish I could upload it. It will send you into peels of laughter. She has such a melodic, high octave voice. It is like an angel singing (although she can't sing yet :-)

What else? Hmmmm.... She had her nails clipped for the 1st time by Aunty Selina using the baby nail clipper that Mommy's CJC friends sent to Sequoia! I was too scared to cut her nails for fear that I would cut too deep and make her bleed. So, I have been using a nail filer to do the dreaded job. But it seems that the nail cutter does really take the sharp edges away for a longer time period than a nail filer does. Why? Beats me!

Now for more pictures...

My dress tastes like....erh... a dress ???!!!

Sequoia holding Cinderella... she has learned to hold things in her own hands now... and for an impressively long time as well, I'd have to say...

Sequoia's starting to teeth... dribbles a whole lot... a photo memory of her teething gums :-)

Sequoia, in her white tracksuit, sitting in a car seat that is getting smaller by the day...

Sequoia's First Snow Fall...

Sequoia Looking at the White Fluffy Stuff...

Sequoia the Sumo Wrestler??? :-) Gosh, no offense to the profession but I hope not :-)

Baby Back Ribs :-) Sorry, Sequoia... Mommy couldn't resist it... you are just too precious for words!

Mommy & Sequoia...

Once again, my dearest Mommy & me...

Another sleeping position shot... and although you may notice the buttons bursting at the seam of my pretty baby-blue quilted jacket that Aunty Mirjam got me, I am NOT FAT! My newborn clothes are just getting too small :-)

And now...cutely curled, monkey feet :-) sigh...

Baby Babble...

Boobaly Boo.... Loopy Do Do... Icky Loo Loo Do... Google...

Yes, google...

And, I also heard her say "ai yaaaaah..." just like that 3 days ago as well. Unbelievable!

My little anjo has finally learned to speak in complete baby coo sentences. And, she actually said, "google," one day and, "meow" a few minutes after. Her repertoire of sounds has increased six fold and she literally "speaks" or "complains" to me in full sentence galore! Her sentences sometimes last more than 1 minute! Isn't that perfect?! She has been like that for the past 2-3 weeks or so, since early March! Clever lil cookie!

Nowadays, we spend every morning having our happy "morning talk" for about 10 minutes or so. I will say something, then she will retort back. Then, I will venture an opinion on another topic. And, she will reply favorably, or not, in her little baby speak. What wonderful times to wake up to :-)

I am the super-elated, deliriously-happy Mom because I managed to capture a lot of it on video cam and mobile phone camera AND recorder! My favorite is the one when she and I have our "morning talk" and she keeps on laughing as part of a dialogue with me. It is about 2 minutes long and ooohhh sooooooooo precious...

Yay... !!! I really look forward to the future days when she and I will be able to watch it over and over and over again. Uh... did I say she? I guess I shouldn't mean Sequoia. She will probably think her Mom is in the Loony Bin and has gone loopy. I guess it will be Grandma and I watching these precious baby talk moments in later years, wondering how time flew and crept away before our very eyes :-) Sigh... Father Time... go away :-)

Nowadays, if I leave her alone, gently rocking away in her car sear, carefully positioned in the center of the dining table, I can actually hear her protest and start "complaining" away in baby speak...

She would usually start by giving me a loud... "HUUUURH ... " Then it's verbal baby talk galore for a full 15 seconds or so. I would play along and say, "Babaly, bably boo... super girl... icky do do... erhh yi er... ei... yer... super lemon!" Don't ask me what I am saying or why these words come out of my mouth. I just know they do and I have captured my own madness in the video cam as well!

Note: she does not say the famous, "hei burh..." just for the sake of it. That is really reserved for the times when she is feeling happy and in a good mood. Having said that, "hei burh" is clearly her favorite word so far. She says it ALOT of the time :-0

Now, how can I claim to understand what it all means? I don't!

It's simply that there is a clear pattern in her usage of words. For example, she uses, "hei burh..." in the mornings when she smiles her beautiful, "Good Morning, Mommy!" smile. She would also say "hei burh..." when I am changing her nappy, knowing that the activity will render her clean as a whistle in a minute! But she would lapse into this long, complaining type of baby speak if I "ignore" her for longer than she likes when I try to do some of my own things like check email, cook some food or make a cup of decaffeinated tea.

Interestingly, she doesn't "complain" when I show her pictures of the Princessa herself! And, I am not lying... she would actually laugh and smile when she sees herself on the computer screen. She also doesn't "complain" when I am writing in her web journal!Hmmmmmm... very interesting :-) Does she actually know??? :-)

Other times, she would talk long and tirelessly to me when I am talking back to her. "Google... ei... erh... yi... oohh....di... der..." she would say. I then continue in her language... "oopsy doopsy, loopy doopy, yucky bucky, butty butt...icky poo, do do yi ya oh... " I would say to her. And she would continue in our conversation with her own choice of words. Yes, indeed. This is how we communicate each day, ever since she discovered the power of baby talk!

So, the history of "hei burh" begins... I cherish these little dialogue sessions so much. I am so glad that the video cam was invented. I don't know what I would have done without it! I think all mothers in love with their babies should have one and 2 sets of batteries - one in the video cam, and other already charged and ready to go! :-)

Oh Sequoia... or, "Buuurhhrrrry" as I now call her, :-) Mommy is so enamored with you. You are one special anjo!

Tales from the Crib & Declaration of Independence...

Sequoia has officially graduated from her Moses Crib to her Cot Bed today, March 7, 2008.

Ai... yai... I am not happy about that.

I almost wanted to video the epic journey as we took away her Moses Crib and re-created her cot bed for her! :-) But I didn't. But I now wish I did though for that day is forever gone :-) okay, so I am a sappy Mom. Guilty as charged!

When Mom and I first took her home the evening of Jan. 2, 2008, we put her down in her cot bed ever so gently, hoping for an instant bond with her bed time buddy. But nope, it didn't win her over. Recent memories of pain at the hospital cot bed site still haunted her. I think she also felt her cot bed was too "roomy!" Gosh, how different grown up and babies are. I would kill for an American king size bed any day if only rooms in houses in Singapore could physically accommodate it! But no, Sequoia wants a space as tiny as the one she just came from, something akin to "inside Mommy's tummy!" Silly girl! She'll want a big room and a big bed of her own in no time!

These are some of the last shots of her falling asleep whilst being engrossed, or bored, :-) by the toys around her in the Moses Crib! Sigh...

She has also learned to roll over to her side a few days ago. One morning I woke her and noticed that she had rolled over to her right side. I got up in micro flash! I was already the naughty mommy and had put her beside me on MY bed each time she was impossible to settle. You see, she uses me as her pacifier and can't seem to fall asleep without "it!"

I have done this on quite a number of occasions now in spite of all the UK baby books advising against it, hurling threats of "SID - sudden infant death syndrome." I confess I have been really fearful of this and never wanted to put her in bed with me in spite of having spent a lot of time in my parent's bed as a wee thang! I think as babies and kids we like it because it smells of Mommy and we love her smell. We love Mommy's bed even if there's the smell of sweat accompanying other bed fragrances as well!

So, marks another milestone in Sequoia's life...

As I swung out my right arm to encircle her to make sure she did not fall off the bed (which is on the floor, so the height from bed to floor is not too steep, but it is still almost the height of the diameter of her head, so that is some serious depth, I guess, for a baby!) I noticed that she had cleverly manuvered her arms in such a way that she has trapped herself at a 45 degree angle, thereby preventing herself from rolling off the bed! Imagine her right arm being kinda akimbo to her waist, thus making it difficult for her to completely roll over to the right and fall over! Clever girl! But for the moment, she is content to hang out with me in my bed, preferring my germs over her clean, comparatively germ-free bed! Go figure...

Now, on March 5, 2008, Sequoia laughed out loud. "Ha Ha Ha Ha..." Just like that. Big laughs from a small boca (mouth in Portuguese). I was so amazed. I wasn't sure if I heard her correctly. Although it was a full strength, adult decibel level laugh, it was too surreal. And it ended all too quickly before I could fully digest the experience and ponder over it.

Then on March 8, she laughed out loud again. Three full and separate times. "Er.. ha ha ha ..." "Heh, heh, ha" and the last one sounded like, "Er heh heh." Yes, indeed. Just like that. Better yet. On March 10, she laughed out REALLY LOUD! And I mean, REALLY LOUD! "ERH...HA HA HA!!!"

I was so shocked. First of all, I couldn't believe her lung capacity was capable of producing such LOUD sounds. Next, I never expected her to laugh so confidently and LOUDLY! But it was such joy to my ears. Sad to say, this silly mommy sat there for the next 30 minutes with Sequoia laying on the pillow on my lap, video camera in my right hand and making ridiculous walking and other deranged-Mom gestures with my left hand to try to re-enact the loud laughing experience AND capture it in living color! As luck would have it, she did not repeat such a guffaw nor has she repeated such a loud laugh since then!

Anyway, I thought it came from another person in the room. But of course there was no one else around but me and her! I think :-) Now, she is always smiling and baby talking to some imaginary friend. And this "friend" always seems to be near her changing table. At least I think so. She is constantly turning her heavy head toward that direction. Hmmmm..... To avoid freaking out, I will suppose it to be her Angel Gabriel friend or other good kindred spirits from the friendly realm known as Heaven!

Now, where was I? Back to baby laughs... I consulted the baby books and, lo and behold, written out in the "Your baby at 11 weeks" section, are "things to look out for at this stage." And laughing out loud is one of them! Wow, she is doing this at 9 weeks. Clever lil funny girl! I'm not sure whether she was laughing in response to me trying to make her laugh and smile or laughing AT me for looking so silly :-)

Over the past week, she has been crying quite a bit. Specifically each time I put her down and disappear from her view for a short while. At first I thought it was because she didn't want to be without me. Then I thought it was impossible that she could be feeling this now at 9 weeks. Then... after I once again consulted the baby books, in the section of "Your baby at 12 weeks," I happily realized I was right! The author suggests that babies are now at the point where they love their Mom best and don't want them to leave their sight. How sweet! If only this stage lasts forever... sigh :-)

My little girl has discovered her fingers for a while now and has recently been doing some "finger tasting" of her own. Each time she tries to push her tiny mouth over her fist, I notice that she realizes it will not fit and go into her mouth the way Mommy's boob does :-)

She stares at her fist, as if thinking, "what on earth is going on? I thought that all things are suckable AND fit into my mouth!" Not appearing an ounce disappointed, since she knows that the boob visits her at 2-3 hour intervals, she then calmly pulls her fist away from her face and tries again a few minutes later.

She has either forgotten the earlier "doesn't fit" experience or perhaps she thinks that trial and error may produce a positive answer in the end. Or maybe it's the short term memory thing that babies have going for them :-)

How useful this syndrome is. It puts them in an "always happy" state. Never disappointed. And they are always in the NOW, the PRESENT. The most important part of time, as people say. I remember a saying I read when I was young, "there is no present, just the past and the future... for as the present is being said and done, it immediately becomes the past." Sigh... how true...

But yesterday, something different happened. She pulled her fist to her face, slid the thumb into her wee mouth and then realized that it either had bad taste (from dried up breastmilk) or NO taste! Either way, she gives me a "both scenario stinks!" look and then screws up her face, giving me a long "eeeeeewwwww, Mom" look, stares at her own thumb for a full 2 seconds and then quickly removes the thumb in question :-) It was hysterical!

She is doing this again as I type. I can see her little right thumb in her mouth for one second, and then in the next second, I see her little face making a "yuck, this taste sucks" type of facial expression, accompanied by her trying to suck at the thumb again, hoping and wishing that each time she does it the taste will either improve or go away :-)

Her cafe au lait light brown (OK, so it's not so light brown :-) spot on the left side of her forehead, above her left eyebrow, has grown in size, along with the rest of her face. I am fearful for her. The baby books suggests that 1 in 10 babies have this birth mark. I'm not sure how they got this statistic. I have been walking the Earth for a while now and I definitely have not seen this 1 in 10 statistical appearance as they suggest. Then I thought maybe they meant it occurs on 1 in 10 persons in England. But so far, in London, I have not seen it as a 10% marking on the population. I hope Sequoia will be able to digest it all and take it in stride as she grows. I would hate it if she were to be affected by it. Or worse, blame me for it... Kids blame their parents for the unexplainable, isn't it. Sigh... I am not looking forward to that phase.

Sequoia must think that she is being submitted to the Baby Fashion Parade. Daily.

I religiously change her out of her sleep suits (those with poppers lined cleverly all along the front) each morning even if they are clean. Why? Because she is growing at the pace of lightning! It's funny... but why are beautiful, pretty clothes always not as functional? Or easy to access? All her day clothes seem to be the more-difficult-to-access-to-butt-area-for-nappy-change clothes types :-) So, as I savor each new day, wondering what new beginnings and endings it will bring, I begin the magical process of discovering if she will, or WILL NOT, fit into the ones I select.

It is a funny time for me. Many a time, I find out that the length of the garment is, alas, too short AND too snug at the tail bone area. It presses her nappy too tightly to her butt, thus promoting extra leakage, even if she had just put on extra-protection, NON-leakage nappies! :-)

With a forlorn look on my face, I then put aside this piece of baby clothing, check out the tag, which still says 0-3 months, and say AGAIN to myself, "how could this be? She is still tiny, and far away from 3 months (as I would like to believe :-)!"

Yah, right... tiny looking? She is almost like a 6 kilo bag of rice! My arms and lumbar hurts when I carry her for too long :-( as much as I would like to do it for hours on end. Will the little sleep suit or beautiful day piece be recycled for another little baby of mine? Or will some other person's pretty baby benefit from using it. Who knows...

Little Sequoia seems to like tai chi. She makes these tai chi movements with her arms when she is sleeping. First, the left arm starts to make arcs and semi circles. Then, the right arms starts waving simultaneously and makes these circles as well. She finally settles her arms down into a right hand holding on to left forearm position as if she is saying, "yes, Shi Fu (Master in Chinese) ..." and falls asleep! Hmmmm....

I am not lying! She sleeps often in this position, as if she is pondering in her sleep. Maybe she is. For she smiles nonstop when she is on the way to Slumberland, and when she has arrived at her destination as well.

Of course, there are times when she appears to have nightmares, which is something I completely fail to understand. She will wake and cry instantly. Literally instantly. No "it will take me 2 minutes to fully wake up" session. Just asleep one minute and crying LOUDLY the next minute!

Now, as babies this young, what fears could they really have? Someone trying to steal their toy? The aren't even able to play with their toys yet! Do they know it is a toy? What is the function of a toy? :-)

Or perhaps they think Mommy will go away? But why would they think that? They have had no prior experience of that. They have not even experienced starvation to be able to associate the lack of milk food with the Mommy being MIA (missing in action!) Hmmmm.....

I am not sure why the baby books call it cooing noises. To me, Sequoia says things that sound nothing like coos. Sounds like, "hei bur," or "ei bur..." Or sounds like, " her...air, or her er..." Or sounds like a long, "weeeeiiii..." I have recently changed the word for meal time from "mum mum" to saying to her, "OK, it's "her-er, her-er time ..."

My little anjo (angel in Portuguese) has a congested nose. Perennially, it seems.

The osteopath says most c section babies have this condition as they are usually compressed at a section of the head for far too long a time before they are extracted out of the mother's tummy. Also, they say that natural birth is best as it forces all the amniotic fluid and excess liquids out of their lungs and mouth. Wow, they are able to tell all this with just moving their hands over her whole body and head and trying to feel her energy (I think).

I wish I had such magical hands. They have asked Sequoia to go back for more sessions. To have her internally compressed area somewhere in her forehead decompressed as much as possible, so that she can breathe as naturally and as uncongestedly (no such word, I know ...) as possible...

Wait a minute, she just gave me a BIG SNEEZE! And there was a little present today... a piece of GLUEY and STICKY, LUMPY, GRAYISH-BEIGEY-with little dark spots, booger thing about the size of Manhattan (okay, so it's not that big:-)came out! To that new piece of action, little Sequoia smiles and says, "hei bur ..." Go figure :-) Cooing noises, indeed!

And so, we are down to our last pack of Newborn Pampers... Never did I think I would be so melodramatic over nappies! But I am...

There will be no more buying newborn baby nappies, newborn baby sleep suits, newborn socks...no more newborn anything... never again... this stage is forever gone and recaptured and relived only in video and photos memories... sigh...

The baby books never told me leaving each stage would be this hard :-( Why does nostalgia have to accompany every milestone? :-(

As I sit here typing her milestone stories away, I hear my girly burly excreting, big time! "Cush, cush, CUSH.... and more cush, cush, CUSH..." Time to go, nappy change time. Even if she shows me her milk-thrush infected tongue asking for more "milky." I think this time the amount of poo is SERIOUSLY nappy-rash inducing.

Before I can get up, she squirms like crazy. "Squirmy... Ms. Squirmy," I say. I have recently started call her that :-) As I get off my computer seat, I am greeted by the warm, fragrant smell of baby fart...to which she wails and says, ""arrrr ... errr..." then smiles... :-) My funny little girl!

As she enters into her next phase of baby life, I say to her, "yucky bucky," referring to her smelly butt AND fart. I receive a big, deliciously warm, ear-to-ear smile in return. Tell me, what else can a mother ask for? :-)

Tales of Sequoia & Grandma - Dec 31, 2007 to Feb. 19, 2007

"Jao An...(Good Morning in Mandarin)"

This is the first thing guama (grandma, in Hokkien) says to Sequoia each morning! A LOUD "jao an!!!!!!! ..." followed by a wide-grinned smile, specially reserved for Sequoia. It's true! The only other person (OK, OK, furkid!) I see Mom doing this to is my golden retriever, Heaven, who loves her to bits and has a special place in Mom's heart.

Here's a shot of Heaven, my lil furkid. I can't wait for her and Sequoia to meet and get to know each other... Heaven is truly God sent. She is about as perfect a family pet as you can get. I am very lucky indeed that our paths crossed and that I was lucky enough to be her Mom! She has never chewed any of my shoes and goes wherever I go, without being on leash and without making a noise whatsoever.

People are always surprised to discover her lying peacefully on the floor mat in the car's passenger side seat, waiting patiently for her Mom (me!) to finish my supermarket errands. People think I am crazy! I actually bought my car because she was getting too large to ride in taxis! She would jump happily into our car and be whizzed to Grandma's (same Grandma as Sequoia's) house to hang out on the weekends! She can see her excitement as I say, "Grandma's house..." once we arrive! And, what's more amazing is that she would never exit the car without me giving her the release word, "OK!" She really is a smart cookie!

Now where was I?...

"Mom, not so loud!" I say, playing the paranoid new Mom. "Her ears are still sensitive to loud sounds and can be damaged!"

Mom plays the understanding grandmother, who loves her own daughter enough to appease her and give her space to be a new Mom, doesn't say anything but smiles at Sequoia again and says, "jao an!" in a soft voice.

Mom loves Sequoia to bits!

Understandably since this is her first grand child. But secretly, I think it is because Sequoia just adores her! Since Day 1, on Dec. 31, 2007, each time guama comes within the baby 20/20, non-technicolor, vision range, which is about 30 cm, Sequoia would stare lovingly and NONSTOP at guama! Frankly, I was a lil jealous!

"Mom, Sequoia really stares at you," I would say. "Man, she is really listening to you when you talk to her," I continue. "I guess she doesn't look at me that way because she is used to me. Right?" I say to her but am really saying this for my own inner maternal peace :-) "After all, she is used to listening to my voice talking and singing to her for the 10 months that she was inside me... and she is used to my smell! Right?!" I asked rhetorically, hoping for affirmation on Mom's part :-)

Mom would just look at me happily and then continue talking to Sequoia, "Wu... An... (Good Afternoon in Mandarin), Wan... An... (Good night in Mandarin) Sequoia, guama says heeelllllo.... heeellllooooo!" Mom would continue baby talking to her this way, bless her soul.

"Mom, can you help me change her nappy?" I would ask at about 10am each morning, dead tired from my graveyard feeding shifts and from sheer lack of sleep. Mom obliges instantly and says, "Heeelllooooo, Sequoia!"

I only realized the full assistance that Mom gave me after she left as I began to feel that all I was doing was changing and feeding nonstop! And I mean, nonstop! I didn't remember changing that many nappies when Mom was here. But of course, Mom split the workload with me.

In a way, I was really lucky. I had it easy with Mom being here.

She helped me with the laundry, with the grocery shopping, with the trash taking, with the dreaming up of delicious meals and trying to ensure that each day's menu differed from the other. I only realized the monotony of my choice of food after she left. I would find myself either eating laksa for 2 days in a row (from the packet, so not as good as the local type :-) But definitely good enough!) or dry rye wafers with cheese for a couple of meals in a row!

Or I downgrade, and even resort to having egg sandwiches simply because I am too tired to cook and my recent c section hasn't helped either. It hasn't healed well enough for me to be making grocery trips on my own. Not to mention the arduous task of having to negotiate 16 steps from my doorstep to the main road twice!

Why twice? First, I would take the pushchair down the steps of the Victorian styled house I live in. Sixteen steps to the main road... then back up the steps. Then I make the second trip... another 16 steps down again with Sequoia in my arms. When I came back from any excursion, I have to repeat the same exercise twice except that it is now climbing up the steps, which affects my stitches more than taking her or her push trolley down ..."

"I wonder how anyone ever went on vacation," I said to Mom one day. "How do they manage to get their luggage out of the door and back into the home? It's so bloody heavy! " I was totally bewildered!

"I guess in those days, people had butlers and servants to help them carry their luggage," Mom would say.

"But what about groceries and stuff? That must've been hell...!" I continued.

"I guess the milk was delivered daily and they probably never did any super-marketing themselves!" Mom said with a small laugh.

"Ya, I guess you're right," I said and chuckled. "Amazing... but gosh the poor butlers and servants. It is really tough to carry anything that is more than 6 kilos up and down the steps." So, this is life for you where London Victorian houses are concerned. Oh well, I guess I have to live with it until I move. AGAIN! Sigh...

In this picture, Sequoia is more than a month old. Mom insists daily that I walk to ensure my surgery area heals properly. She drags me and Sequoia to the Swiss Cottage Park area on this damp, rainy-ish London day.

We bring some lime & chilli flavored chips from M&S, some sweet banana chips, some Maynard fruit pastilles and M&S Brazil nuts coated with milk chocolate for tea time and munch away looking at other kids playing dangerously, and without close supervision. I wonder if I will be as lax as these onlooking parents are when Sequoia is older. I hope not.

Sequoia adores her Guama! It is clear from all her smiles and responses to Grandma! Everyday!

Each day, Mom would take some special "Sequoia & Guama" time out and just sing and talk to her. She would sing a particular Mandarin song that always makes Sequoia smile when it come to the words that rhymed at the end of each sentence.

"Shi shang zhi you ma ma haoooo... (Loosely translated, in the Universe, the only person who will be best to you is your Mom!)
You ma de hai zhi xiang ge baoooo... (Kids who have a Mom are like gems...)

Sequoia would love hearing Guama sing the words "hhhhaaaaoooo (Good)" and "bbbaaaaoooo (gem)" She would gurgle nonstop and beam her famous Sequoia smile. It would start as an Elvis-type grin on the left cheek and then break out spontaneously into a full strength smile from ear to ear! It is simply beautiful to watch. God made babies so beautiful. Sigh... No wonder we fall in love with them so easily as parents! Lucky me!

Sequoia's gonna kill me for this shot one day!!! But the story behind it is sooooo precious, I simply have to share the tale...

You see, Guama taught Sequoia how to poo whilst being dangled somewhat precariously over the sink. Knowing that we would have to sail through some 100 nappies each week and to minimize nappy rash, Mom thought that she would try to teach Sequoia to "potty train" way ahead of schedule.

How did she do this? Beats me. Mom said proudly to me after a week of Sequoia being born, "Sequoia has learnt how to poo on command!"

"What do you mean, 'poo on command?'" I asked, confused. "She can poo when I make the sounds... uhn... uhn.... or shhhhssshhh... shhhhhsssshhh..." Wow!

This new ability that Mom has managed to train Sequoia to have is truly amazing. Until recently, Sequoia had almost no nappy rash. All thanks to us catching her on time as she is about to excrete the poopiest poo at 2-3 hour intervals :-) Then again, Sequoia was a wee 3.1kg back then.

It is March 23, 2008 and she is now about 5.8kg and is a heavy lil bundle. Too heavy for pooing over the sink, that is. I play the sad Mom who is dismayed at seeing the red spots of nappy rash on her butt and nether areas! But thanks to the miracle cream, Sudacrem, these pain-producing torture spots disappear as fast as they appear! What would we do without pills and creams...

Even though Mom has left, Sequoia still remembers her. When Mom calls and speaks with her grand daughter, Sequoia would actually stop whatever she is doing (feeding is the most common activity :-) and listen to guama's voice.

On a number of occasions, Sequoia has even used her not-so-tiny fingers to reach out and touch the mobile phone, trying to bat the phone. Perhaps she hopes that Guama will magically appear on command beside the speaker phone :-) Oh, baby dearest...

Other times, she would break out in a smile. Or, she would try to "speak" back to guama, using her baby talk repertoire of sounds and vocabulary, "ehhh ..." or "eeeiiii... ooowwww" or even a quick "hei... burh," her favorite expression for her state of happiness.

This is a shot of Sequoia with Guama whilst she was in transit at Heathrow, Feb 28, 2007. In the taxi on the way back home, Sequoia actually screamed her head off... and I couldn't figure out why. She had not done any extreme crying or screaming since her stint at the hospital. Feeling helpless, I called Mom. She was just passing through immigration and had to stop and say to the authorities, "my grand daughter is crying... I have to take this call!" Way to go, Mom!

Mom tried successfully to calm Sequoia down. She has this amazingly calming effect on Sequoia. She, too, was surprised to hear Sequoia scream like that. Perhaps it really is true. Babies are smarter than we think they are. Perhaps Sequoia knew that Guama was saying good bye for now, that she wouldn't see Guama for a couple of months. Perhaps she knew deep inside that when she saw Guama again, she would be older and precious time would has passed without physical access to Guama's love and pampering. Perhaps she just knew that someone she loved was going away. Perhaps my little anjo (angel in Portuguese) is more intuitive than I realize...

Mom has proven herself to be completely indispensable during my confinement period and the weeks thereafter. I wish I had one of those tummy wrap Muslim doulas though. That would have done my tummy tremendous benefits, not to mention the fact that I haven't had a real massage for 2 years now! Damn it... :-)

I now understand the full value of the three generation family. I always thought I would prefer my privacy over it. But now, I long for it. And I see that it will bring tremendous benefits to Sequoia.

Mom thinks so, too. She really makes an effort to be close to Sequoia. She continues to make calls to her grand daughter and speaks with ease into the Singapore air, not caring who might think she was crazy cooing to, "Hello Sequoia! Jao An... Wu An... Wan An..." all in one sentence. How is little Sequoia... Guama hopes there's no more green poo..."

Sequoia continues to stop whatever she does and listen intently to Guama's melodic voice. I am not kidding! I wish I had videos to prove it. As Mom rattles on in her monologue, Sequoia would just stare, for long stretches at a time, at the mobile phone, conjuring a mental image of a smiling Guama in her mind. She has now learned that Guama will not be appearing on a daily basis like during her earlier months. So, the clever girl is content to simply listen to Guama's voice, knowing (I guess) that one day she will see her beloved grandma again. Mom is the luckiest grandma in the world. Sequoia really does adore her to bits!

Before Sequoia was born, Mom made some baby pillows for her. And I mean, baby! You won't be able to find these in the stores anywhere!

Mom made two types. The first one was a marine-blue color with yellow planets and sun motifs on it. It was smaller and flatter for Sequoia's use as a newborn since she is required to sleep as flat on her bed as possible! The other baby pillow, lilac-pink in color, with buttons right down the middle for easy access to washing the soiled cover, had a little bit more padding and was of a larger dimension as well to accommodate the growth and width of Sequoia's baby head! How very thoughtful! As you can see from the photos, they are simply delightful! Sequoia is so lucky to have a grandma who cared enough to take the time to hand make some very precious items for her. Items she will cherish dearly when she grows up and looks back at them :-)

Now, who says this grandma doesn't deserve to win the "Grandmother of the Universe" award and the "Greatest Mom in the World" award. God bless you, Mom!