Oh dear, what kind of parents are we?

Before you proceed any further through this post, I should probably warn you that the photo below is a somewhat rude one. The lovely Kyla Rose surprised (shocked?) us a couple of days ago with a certain gesture that's not particularly acceptable in conventional social circles. Needless to say, we'll be monitoring her actions even more closely from now on. Tsk, tsk...
NOTE: no fingers were manipulated for the purpose of this photograph.

KRW Day 56

After a couple of days of coughing, sneezing and throwing up, as well as Mum's tender loving care, Kyla seems to be well on the road to recovery. And she's sleeping much better as well, which means Babes can get a bit of rest too. Unfortunately poor me hasn't been able to see much of her this week as I've been extremely busy at work. Never mind Kyla, I'll manja you this weekend!

Under the weather :(

Poor Kyla isn't feeling too good. She's been coughing and sneezing since Saturday night, with the occasional bout of chucking for good measure. We took her to the Royal Children's Hospital yesterday evening, waited almost two hours and were told she has a 'low-grade fever' and there isn't a whole lot we can do but wait it out. She kept her exhausted mum up most of last night by being extra manja, hope she gets some rest today. A big thank you to Mama (maternal grandmother) for all her help yesterday and today, and lots of love to Wifey for her strength, stamina and patience in looking after our gorgeous daughter...

KRW Day 50

Last night was Kyla's first Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. I didn't take any pictures as I was way too busy stuffing my face with the yummy food at Tong Lok in Ashburton. Aunties Amanda and Simone have got some pix, will try and get 'em from them. Tomorrow night's another big dinner, including the annual Yee Sang feast! And speaking of CNY, have a look at Kyla's new headband. Babes cracked herself up putting it on her after we bathed her tonight. Anyway, Gong Xi Fa Cai to all our friends and loved ones... may you have a joyful, prosperous year ahead!

KRW Day 46

Close to seven weeks on, Kyla Rose keeps growing and delighting her parents with her cuteness (despite being a bit of a monkey and refusing to sleep for much of the day, as babies often seem to do). A very big thank you to her gorgeous mother for all her patience and strength, especially during the week when I'm at work. There are so many different opinions and theories on how to get her to sleep, we're still trying to sort it out. On a separate note, a very happy birthday to Godma Wei whose birthday we celebrated (somewhat early, it's actually in just under two weeks time but she'll be skiing in Japan) along with Michelle and Gin this afternoon at Paladarr Thai Issan in Alphington. Lovely Thai food, by the way...

KRW Day 42

Bubs and Babes took advantage of the Australia Day long weekend to take Kyla Rose as well as Ma Ma (maternal grandma) and Aunty (Nanny) out to see the sights. Here we are at The Tan (the Botanical Gardens, abbreviated in true Aussie fashion), and we also went to Port Melbourne and Studley Park. Of course dear Kyla slept 89.23% of the time, but hey, at least she'll remember 10.77% of our expedition. Hopefully...

Getting rid of wind, the traditional way

There've been a couple of times when Kyla's thrown up, and here's the traditional Foochow treatment: wrap a hard-boiled egg and a special ring (dunno what it's made of lah, some kind of metal) in a cloth and give baby a massage with it. No idea what the medical or scientific explanation is, but it seems to make her feel better!

KRW - Day 39 + Full Moon Celebration

We celebrated Kyla's Full Moon (a few days late due to the incredibly complex logistics of gathering Melbourne-based family members and godmother at a date and time suitable to all) the only way we know how; with a gargantuan feast. Thanks to everyone who came, and to Mum and Marlene for bringing the amazing Black Forest cake from Brunetti. We ended up singing 'Happy Birthday' to Kyla, which wasn't really part of the plan, but Godma's daughter Chloe insisted. Anyway, this is probably the last big meal we'll have with Aunty's assistance. She leaves on Wednesday night, and that's when reality bites. We'll have to do our own housework and cooking! If anyone's interested in employing her, take a number... she's booked all the way until June 2009!

KRW Day 34

Both Bubs and Babes are now fully-fledged members of the Been-Puked-Upon club, after Kyla did a massive spew on her mum the other day. Oh well, it had to happen some time! Meanwhile, life goes on and our gorgeous young lady has now experienced something many people in Melbourne haven't: efficient and delay-free public transport! Mum, Aunty and Kyla ventured into the city yesterday for a spot of shopping, taking the tram down and the train back up. Welcome to Melbourne, Kyla! I would've liked to say that she enjoyed strolling down Bourke Street Mall and through Myer, but she was fast asleep the whole time...

KRW Day 29

Kyla's almost a month old now! Meanwhile, her stash of gifts and cards continues to grow. Thanks everyone for your love and generosity! Babes' confinement period has officially ended, and she's been educating Kyla on the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables at the Psarakos Market, a short stroll down the street. Except that Kyla's not a big fan of headgear, as you can see in the last picture.

KRW Day 27

Our little darling is steadily outgrowing her clothes, and eating (even) more than we thought possible. Just as well there's milk on tap 24/7. Meanwhile, Bubs has started sitting her in front of the television; no, not for Hi-5 or the Wiggles, but for the Australian Open. She's also starting to get a bit of the forehand motion, and we'll start hitting a few backhands before too long. Never too young to start, I say. There aren't any photos of this, however, as we don't want to give anything away to her (future) opponents.

KRW Day 24

Babes' transition back into the real world continued today with a stroll to a new cafe up High Street. Like a couple of guilty teenagers, we snuck out of the house when Aunty (the confinement woman) was out, bringing Kyla with us for her first non-Glen Waverley outing. Meanwhile, there's a wee bit of confusion when 'Aunty Manda' appears; you can practically see Kyla thinking, 'OK, if that's my mum over there, who's this beside me?'

KRW Day 23

Kyla Rose Wong is now more than three weeks old, and we're learning more and more about her, like her sleeping and eating habits. And yes, she's started feeding from the bottle after a couple of false starts. As for her mother, well, she was unofficially released from confinement today, going on a quick shopping expedition to Preston Market. Maybe we'll make it to the Aussie Open after all...

Kyla Rose Wong, Day 20

Bubs has been busy at work and not spending as much time with his darling daughter as he'd like to. Big shout out to Babes for all her patience and energy, as KRW is a big eater, just like her parents! Then today, we tried feeding her from the bottle, perhaps a little too enthusiastically... the poor little girl threw up all over Bubs' pants and the couch. Guess we'll take it a little slower from now on. That shot of her sleeping peacefully in Kong Kong (paternal grandpa)'s arms? That was BEFORE the bottle feeding episode. Oh, and those lips that are extra-prominent in the first picture? It's obvious that she's Bubs and Babes' baby!

Australian Summer

The hot summer continues, and despite repeated calls to the aircon manufacturer as well as the sparky who claimed to have repaired the aircon, we remain dependent on good old-fashioned fans. Which is how we ended up spending Saturday at the family home in Glen Waverley, where the A/C bravely soldiers on. Good ol' sparky finally called back, and got all defensive claiming the defective unit 'was fine when I left' (yup, that old chestnut) and refusing to commit to another visit date. So both Babes and I will be working the phones again tomorrow trying to get someone to bring air-conditioning into our lives once more. As for updates on the lovely (but still sweaty) Kyla Rose Wong, tomorrow perhaps...

KRW Day 14

Today was my first day back at work, a quiet one but still many hours away from my beloved wife and daughter (I was going to write 'daughter and wife' instead, but didn't want to get into trouble). Some of these shots were taken during the last couple of days, including the ones I like to call the 'oh no, what have i done?' shots (the third and fifth pictures) ... while the fourth shot (of the really sweet and innocent Kyla) was taken by Babes this afternoon after a bath.