Blog-free day

It's New Year's Eve, with a high of 42 degrees earlier today. And our air-con doesn't work. In true Australian spirit, it took a couple of weeks to get someone to come and fix it, twenty minutes for them to say they've fixed it (when they finally graced us with their presence), and thirty seconds for us to find out that it still didn't work, the first time we tried to use it. It keeps tripping the fuse after it's been turned on, sometimes after five seconds, sometimes after five minutes. Anyway, what this means is that we've been under siege in our room with the blinds drawn trying to keep the sun out all day. And we haven't really had the energy or inclination to take any pictures of the gorgeous (and sweaty) Kyla. Even typing this is consuming whatever energy I have left...
Anyway, sweltering heat and Aussie customer support aside, Happy New Year everyone, have a wonderful 2008!

KRW Day Eleven plus Marlene's Birthday

In this edition: Kyla Rose shows off her immense basketball potential with a smooth jumpshot (what you see in the picture is her fluid follow-through), our new deck which has been put to good use for alfresco dining, and some of the family who helped Marlene celebrate her 29th birthday (with a yummy Foochow spread, long gone by the time this picture was taken).

KRW Day Ten

One of the many gifts Kyla received was this lovely work of art from Gin, which is now on her nursery door. Meanwhile, it's been a fascinating ten days, with Mum and Dad trying to figure out some kind of routine for her. Right now she's eating and sleeping her way through most of the day, but taking quite a while to settle at night, only falling asleep after multiple feeds. Let's see how this pans out...

KRW Day Nine

Kyla's slowly growing, and so is her list of presents! A huge thank you to everyone for all your prayers, thoughts, gifts and cuddles. She's a very privileged (but hopefully not too spoilt!) baby indeed! And her range of expressions grows steadily by the day. You can probably tell that she's inherited Mum and Dad's pouty lips...

KRW, Day Eight

The gorgeous Kyla slept extremely well last night, refusing even to wake for a feed, prompting Babes' first attempt at expressing milk with our brand new Avent Manual Breast Pump, sterilised in our also brand new Avent IQ24 Steriliser. The wonders of modern technology! Milk flowed, and all was well again. She slept much of today again, and there's a theory that the wine in Mum's soup might have something to do with it... let's see how she does tonight. Meanwhile, here are some more pictures, starting with Kyla's version of Ben Stiller's 'Blue Steel' gaze in the movie Zoolander.

Hospital Food

To our immense relief, the food served at Frances Perry House was actually of a pretty decent standard. So I thought we could give you guys a break from photo after photo of our darling baby girl, and present a couple of examples of the Frances Perry menu: Roast Turkey with Cranberry Glaze, and Veal Scaloppini. Very yummy! We never went hungry at the hospital, and even though dinner was served at 5.30pm, supper (usually chicken soup) was prepared by Mum and our excellent confinement lady.

KRW, Days Six and Seven

We're back home now, and Kyla's getting used to her bassinet in her Mum and Dad's bedroom. She's also had a couple more baths, with much less screaming than the first time. Meanwhile, Babes has finally had some time to check her emails. More photos from the first few days in the life of Kyla Rose Wong:

KRW, Day Five

Spent the last couple of nights at the hospital with Babes and Kyla, so didn't really have time to post updated pictures. So here now are a few more, including a visual demonstration of Kyla's dancing potential (contract and endorsement enquiries can be addressed to me; don't forget, getting in earlier could save you millions of dollars. Once she's famous, I'll only accept top dollar...) as well as her 'Hallelujah' pose. Merry Christmas everyone, from Bubs, Babes and Kyla Rose Wong!

KRW Day Three

After two evenings of being somewhat restless in the evenings, Kyla was much better today. Ate well, slept lots, you couldn't really ask more, to be honest! She also had her first bath, although we can't say she really enjoyed it that much. Well, not yet anyway. As for the question of who she looks more like... right now I'd say 60% Bubs, 40% Babes. But I'm sure that ratio will keep changing in the days to come...

Kyla Rose Wong, Day Two

Bubs and Babes got to know Kyla a lot better today. To summarise (as I'm ready for some much-needed shuteye), lots of fun but also a fair bit of thick black poo and some crying. It's all good, and we'll slowly get better at changing diapers, swaddling and interpreting her cries. Until the next post, another couple of photos:

Bubs and Babes welcome Kyla Rose Wong!

Gorgeous (if we do say so ourselves!) Kyla, welcome to the world and to our blog! Sorry to anyone who didn't get the SMS, she was born today December 20, 2007 at 8.28am, weighing 3.045kg. KRW (which according to Boon Kit, is the global forex trading abbreviation for Korean Won) and Mum are resting in the hospital, while Bubs has come home just to shower and catch up on blogs/emails before running back to Frances Perry House to spend the night with them. Thanks to everyone for your messages/flowers/gifts/prayers! Here are a few photos for starters...

Zorbie's in here, Part Two (38 weeks, 5 days)

Two days before the Caesarean, here's what Babes' belly looks like. As you can see, Zorbie's grown tons and is just about ready to see the world!
Babes is handling it superbly well, except for grumbling about not eating as much as she usually can, since there's not as much space in there as there usually is. One suspects that she'll be making up for lost time before too long... wonder what the confinement woman has in store for us!

Zorbie's Nursery

We're (almost) ready! Cot's assembled, change table is in place, inflatable baby bath has been inflated, nursery has been decorated, diapers have been purchased. Above the cot is a compilation of pictures taken over the years, including Zorbie's parents, grandparents, uncle, aunties and parents' friends. On the left is a bunch of funky wall decals we found online. And by the way, doesn't Babes look gorgeous?

Thanks, everyone!

Bubs, Babes and Zorbie would just like to say a big Thank You to everyone who has called, SMSed, emailed or posted to send their best wishes, prayers and thoughts. With eight days to go, it looks like the C-section is ON. Babes has been talking to quite a few mums who've been more than happy with the Caesarean experience, so she feels much better. So unless something changes in the next few days, breech babies ROCK :)

12 days to go

The last couple of obstetrician's visits have confirmed that Zorbie is in breech position, which is medicalish for 'she's not facing the right way. Our darling Zorbie hasn't managed to get into the standard upside down position for natural delivery, so we're booked in for a Caesarean section on the morning of December 20th. Dunno if it's because she's a stubborn little girl, or if something (like the umbilical cord) is in her way. Whatever the case may be, we trust she knows exactly what she's doing, and so does God. Anyway, breech babies are supposed to be really smart! Your prayers and thoughts for a smooth procedure are most appreciated...