Celebrating Mother's 60th Birthday at Bintan Nirwana Gardens (3D2N)

How would you celebrate your Mother's 60th Birthday? In Chinese tradition, at 60 years of age, it is a very important point of life as it symbolises the completion of a full life cycle. 

For my brother and I, our plan was to introduce our Mother to the thrills of life that she should survive through to complete this meaningful 60 years of life. 

Off to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, where it seemed time came to a standstill. Always wondered why the ferry passenger's experience in our ferry terminals could not match even a small bit of the Changi experience.

Less than an hour and we found ourselves at the Bandar Bentan Telani (BBT) Ferry Terminal in Bintan! The shuttle bus took about 15 minutes to reach Nirwana Gardens resort. 

Elephants with "elephants"

Nirwana Gardens comprised several clusters of hotels and villas. Our accommodation was the Belantara 2-room Villa (a Banyu Biru Villa). 

Lunch was at Neydles House, the nearest restaurant to the Banyu Biru villas.

The noodles were as good as the majestic look of the restaurant building

Marvellous Beachside View at the Neydles House

Our first thrill of the trip: the All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) experience!

Little did I know that both my Mother and my Brother would be driving the ATV for their first time.

Onwards!

We signed up for 1 hour of ATV. While some ATV off-road trails bring you to traverse jungles, beaches and muddy fields, ours was mainly forested trails and a short trail on fine sand. We were told the hot weather had dried up the muds...

No kick

Our second day began with... breakfast.

It was challenging to determine what water sports would be an appropriate level of thrill for Mother. She had done jetski; and parasailing with Father. Short of going for diving school, we finally decided on doing the Undersea Walk, a first for all of us.

We were ferried to a stationary boat where the equipment for our adventure were located. To perform the Undersea Walk, one had to put on a heavy helmet, connected to a pipe which brought air from the surface into the helmet, and climb down a ladder to reach the seabed.

While doing the briefing, our instructor Richard asked how old Mother was, and remained silent when he got the answer. 

My Brother was the first to enter. As an experienced diver, he ought to. My Mother went next. Once she was fully submerged in water, I candidly asked the other staff what was the oldest age of a participant they had ever assisted for Undersea Walk. The answer was 40. Gulp.

The way down was challenging with a less-than-calm water, and the pressure on the ears. There was sufficient gap between the helmet and the neck for one to insert one's hand to pinch the nose to blow off and equate the pressure on the ears.

Finding Nemo

Once at the seabed, we basically held on to a railing and walked to and fro. It was an amazing close encounter with fishes, and a complete sense of peacefulness, being cut off from all sounds except the air ventilation.

To complete the sea experience, we had seafood for dinner.

A moment of silence, please

Our last day was more chill. 

Komodo Dragons near Breakfast venue

Not her first experience, but I would remember how we rode horses (leisurely as tourists) in our overseas holidays in childhood days. We had wanted to get my son riding the horse, and he had sounded excited about it, until he saw the horse. 

And then something even more chill (literally) - air rifle and air pistol shooting. Not surprising that my Brother, a former competitive shooter, was hitting almost all on target. The eye-opener was the  high accuracy of hits from his wife!

We spent the rest of our time setting up the water slide and enjoying the pool.

  

Home Sweet Home

Minus the sunburn, the holiday was a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of life. Back to reality!

10 Unforgettable Moments with Baby YC - 6 months of Fatherhood

They say children grow up the fastest in their first 2 years of age.

In the wink of an eye, Baby YC has now passed the 6 months mark. For the occasion, I shall pen down some of the touching/teary moments we spent together, and which are etched deep in the heart.

*shy*

1) We flew to Vietnam!

So we applied for a passport for Baby YC.

Should we? Should we not? But there is cosmic radiation on planes...

Eventually, we decided that the Mummy should take a trip back to her hometown to spend the last leg of her maternity leave. And for her extended family to see Baby YC for the first time.

 

"The clouds... can eat or not?"

Vietnam Airlines gave us an additional 10kg for Baby YC. Since he did not require seats, there was no additional cost to fly him. It was a packed flight and we were way back in queue. The airport staff was helpful to secure two adjacent seats for us. #ChangiAirport :)

As first-time young parent travellers, we were extremely conscious of inevitably causing disturbance to other passengers. Fortunately and unfortunately, en route to Hanoi, we were seated near a toddler that kept screaming at the top of his voice. Baby YC ended up being a much quieter boy, not even giving a frown when the plane took off and landed. The toddler's screams later made him cry. But for a first flight, we were so blessed with such a well-behaved boy!

2) Baby YC meets his Uncles, Aunties, Cousins, Grand... Great Grand... 

We thought we were visiting her Grandparents as usual. When we reached her Grandparents' place, we were greeted by her extended family members and relatives who had all gathered for the occasion.

"Yoz Cousin, how ya' doing?"

I did not have the luxury of paid leave to be in Hanoi for a month, so I returned to Singapore and subsequently flew back to Hanoi to bring my wife and Baby YC home. I thought I would have had two weeks of peaceful sleep in the nights, but I was wrong. Ended up missing them in the night :(

On my return trip to Hanoi, Baby YC burst out crying in a way that we had never witnessed, when he saw me. He wailed even louder when I tried to carry him. That was a heart wrenching moment. It is as if he was angry that his father left him for weeks. Gradually, he "forgived" me and the first smile thereafter was reassuring.

3) Baby YC goes on Hunger Strike

Baby YC went into photosynthesis mode for a month or two. Smart of him to know his way of demanding to be fed latched on. Practically did not drink any milk in bottle for the longest of times. We felt puzzled when doctors after doctors were in disbelief of our paranoia. His weight grew with each visit to the clinic, and was at the 90+th percentile as compared to infants of the same age.

Where did all the weight gain come from?

"Like a Boss"

Visit to the clinic

4) One day, he started crawling (in a way)

He turned to his side and tada~ crawl mode. He started pivoting himself and crawling... backwards.

What cha' looking at?

 

Sitting (albeit unstably) skill unlocked

After 6 months dominating our bed, he now sleeps on his own.

Never too tired to be on his belly ever since

And then this happened

Baby YC growing fast!

5) We go Walk Walk

Inconvenient to go outdoors with Baby YC, but it would otherwise be draining to walk the baby round and round at home.

National Gallery has some fantastic kids activity corners

Enjoying the view munching his fist

Those legs....

6) The Weekend when both of us were away

Clash of schedules resulted in both my wife and I overseas for the weekend.

"I still have my bolster!"

7) Baby YC's Parents became Masseurs

Thanks to Angeline who, as part of her infant massage course requirement, needed to teach a group of parents how to massage their babies, both me and my wife became masseurs for Baby YC.

Baby Networking session in progress

"Mum, what are you waiting for?"

8) Baby Spa

9) #nobodysleepsifidontsleep

"Who's that sleeping beauty?"

"Hehe. Papa I know you are still there."

And when he finally sleeps, we go all out to ensure the sleep is as long as it can get.

Self-invented "Butt locker" to lock the butt in optimal sleeping position

Only parents will know

10) Are we teaching him enough?

We attended some Preschool Seminar and talks to get ourselves prepared for the 6-month milestone. The guilt is strong if we know we could have taught him more but we did not. Right brain training classes looked too stressful and unreal. Music classes seem fun. We are opting for FUN.

Infantcare is of great help for working parents like us, though it also meant less time for interacting with Baby YC during weekdays. Weekends become extremely precious.

It seems like just yesterday that he was born. It was not too long ago that he discovered he had hands, and then he started grabbing everything and shoving it to his mouth. 6 months ago, he smiled, now he giggles and infects us with laughters. As he amazes us day by day with his growth, we continue to draw inspiration from our Baby YC.

Life of a Father Alone at Home on Paternity Leave with Baby - 3 months with Baby YC

What better way to celebrate your son's 3rd month than bringing him to ICA and collecting our passports (mine renewed; his new) together?

Taking Baby YC's passport photo was vastly challenging, and it is not just because I no longer have white walls (passport photos require a white background) at home. He had became a sinister to our phones. When the phone was on our hands, it meant reduced time on him, and he was definite that this is a zero-sum game.

Fortunately, we found a cupboard which was white. My wife held him to his upright sitting position, leaning on the cupboard, and used her hands to support his pendulating body. 

Lesson #1: Never use a lagging Samsung phone with limited storage space when your wife has an iPhone. But which I did. With each lag after each shot taken, it was frustrating. Lucky for me, out of the spam shots, there was a few to choose from.

Baby YC looked very stunned on one, and had a smirk on the other. We chose the latter. And that printed photo on the passport never failed to make my family laugh each time we look at it. The ICA Officer was also smiling when she checked out Baby YC's face with the passport photo.

Here's the contented YK Junior trying to beat my travel records. I am sure he will.

Don't ask me where's the missing sock

In days leading to the 3rd month milestone, my wife had to return to work from her maternity leave for 3 weeks due to a major work event. My mother and I took turns to take leave to be home to tend to the little one. That is what Paternity Leave is for.

Taking the same bus to work together after a long long time

Spending an entire day with the little one exhausts me to the last bit of my battery. It also gave me a chance to experience for myself how my wife had to manage caring for our son single-handedly when the confinement nanny left.

The typical day usually starts on an exceptionally high note. Baby YC wakes up gleefully, giving us his best smiles and laughters almost every morning. It is like he had received his full dose of charging and he is ready for the day.

Sunbathing. Showering. Feeding. Nap.

And the window opens for me to clear as much work as possible on my laptop. If I am lucky, I have 1.5 hours to settle some of the urgent matters. If not, I will be pacing around the entire home with Baby YC in my arms until he falls into sleep. If I succeed in transferring him to the bed, hurray. Most of the time, Walk. Sleep. Repeat. Because my arm beats a Dunlopillo.

In fact, I think my walkabout had probably worn off a nanometre of flooring. And my right biceps are probably thicker than the left.

Give me my drumsticks! Nom nom nom...

If only milk bottles came in the form of a baby's fist. At first, Baby YC struggled to place his fist on his mouth. The fist would fly up, go one big round, and might miss the mouth. After a while, he mastered the skill. And there goes snacking on his favourite "drumsticks" (as my Mother coins them). The cutest thing is he also likes to share and feed his Father with these "drumsticks" when I'm near.

One day, few days after Baby YC turned 2 months of age, he started to pay attention and connect eyes-to-eyes with us. It is an amazing thing. He would look deep into us and send love straight into our souls.

The afternoon programme features Mozart music, storyreading, and talking. Baby YC has started to experiment his vocals, though I have given up after repeating "Papa" to him for the umpteenth time. He makes the sound that resembled "Uncle" (more like Angkor) and "Al Gore" (does he even know this is Election Year 2016?). He enjoys being talked to and reciprocates with blabbers (speeches). Children's books are getting more sophisticated. Some left me deep in reflection after reading them out to Baby YC. 

In this month, several unbearable news of bad things happening to other 3-month-old and 2-year-old bothered me, and I believe many parents. Shan't share the negativity. Thankfully, such news were balanced by postings shared in the U Circle of Dads Facebook group and other pages that were useful to pass time and for me to gather some inspiration and energy to sustain the day.

Baby YC dreads being ignored. Attempts to leave him in the bouncer so that I can read some emails failed when he realised someone is around but not talking to him. When I flashed out my phone for a quick check, he would be casting his pitiful eyes on the device. 

He dreads being placed on the mattress, but is surprisingly reasonable and accommodating if I were to rest beside him. He would keep kicking me, while staying peaceful, while I doze off for a while.

The maternal grandfather finally met Baby YC alongside his official visit to Singapore with his delegation. My sister-in-law had also just delivered to a second son. Excited to bring Baby YC to Vietnam to meet his cousins.

Although I often tell friends and colleagues, even my wife, that I so look forward to returning to work, some part of me want to be part of my son's growing up, every day and every moment. I was reminded, when I was lamenting the tireness to someone, that my son will be growing up very fast and this will be a phase of his growth that I will come to miss in due time. 

And indeed. It had been 3 months since I first saw my son.