It's all in the HAIR

Iden has brown colour hair. His hair is so brown that people always ask if we've highlighted it for him. We brand him the "Golden Boy" also because of this.

Then, Iden has not much hair. We shaved his hair when he turned one month old and till now, we don't see much hair growing out. Unlike his friends who had gone for haircut a few times, Iden has not been into a barber shop thus far! Well, I guess I should not complain much since this helps to save some hair-cutting money.

Ipapa likes to style Iden's hair. Sometimes, the hair will be combed neatly and flat on his head which makes him look like a very studious boy while at times, the hair will be styled to be beckham-lookalike. Sigh..... poor Iden, being used as a guinea pig by his daddy.

Post-trip Review

It is really an (exhausting) experience travelling overeseas with a baby. Just wanna put down what we have gone through during our recent trip to Perth and hopefully it will serve as a guide for our next overseas trip with Iden (don't know when)....

1) Find out what will the weather be like in the destination. This will determine the type of clothes to pack. Can check-out a 15-day forecast of a city at http://home.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather

2) In my own view, for first time travelling overseas with babies, it is better to choose a destination with no time difference from Singapore. At least babies will not suffer from jet lag.

3) If trip is confirmed, book ticket early and request a bassinet upon booking, if required. Bassinet seats are limited on a plane, hence booking is on first come first serve basis. SQ's bassinet can take a baby of weight up to 16kg.

4) If we cannot get a bassinet, do request the check-in counter staff to block off the seat next to us, so that we can have an extra seat to place Iden when he is sleeping.

5) Do a pre-checkin via phone or internet first if travelling by SQ.

6) Do request baby food upoin booking if needed.

7) Bring a stroller on top of the Ergo carrier if there is a lot of walking.

8) If possible, sit separately from ipapa on board the flight. At least one of us can get a chance to rest while the other one takes care of Iden. Also, get the air stewardess to serve one of our meal first. The point is to take turns.

9) The ear pressure issue - water drinking or swallowing act does help.

10) I learnt one lesson on fire evacuation during this trip. Lesson learnt - put essential things such as passports, room keys, hps, etc at one place, preferably by your bedside. When emergency, just grab them and go.

Other than all these, Bon Voyage!

The Kiwi Experience

Have you ever tried a kiwi fruit? Do you like it? For the record, imama likes kiwi fruit VERY much. It is a small fruit, but pack with essential nutrients. To me, one kiwi fruit a day keeps the doctor away.

Naturally, being a loving mum, I would want to give good food to Iden.... so I decided to let him try one kiwi this afternoon.

It was such a hilarious situation! That was the first time Iden tasted something sour and his facial expression changed from eagerness (waiting for yummy food) to a very sour look. When I gave him the second feed, he kept shaking his head and refused to open his mouth. I swear that was the first time that I see him refusing food so vigorously. I was so amused and just could not help but ask ipapa to take down his sour look. Here it is:

Swimming

Today is THE day. We are bringing Iden to have his first dip in the pool. The weather is good, the timing is perfect.... so... off we go to the pool!

I guess babies are natural swimmers, being surrounded by water bag for 9 months. Iden took to the water naturally. He flapped, splashed and kicked, all in the hope of having FUN. It was a good start to a swim and we certainly are looking forward to more swimming sessions....

Perth - Day 9 - Home Sweet Home

Everything must come to an end. Iden's first overseas trip will end this afternoon when we take our flight back home at 4 pm.

We checked out of the hotel at 10 am and proceeded straight to the airport. Did some last minute duty-free shopping and had lunch in the airport before we boarded the plane.

Iden (and imama) sat beside a 1-year old British boy - Bill on board the flight. Iden was very excited to be able to get a bassinet (at last) and was seen baby talking to Bill. It was a funny sight to see both babies communicating with each other.

It was way past 9 pm by the time we reached Singapore and we headed back home after luggage clearance. Iden was already into his dreamland by then. I don't think he would remember anything about this trip but hopefully this blog could bring some wonderful memories to him when he is older.

Perth - Day 8 - the day of F

Our tour is almost coming to an end, hence our rented car also ended today. Ipapa returned the car to the rental shop in the morning, and we were left with no car from then.

We went to Fremantle once again in the afternoon as Iden's grandparents wanted to buy some souvenirs back home for their friends. When we went back to our apartment in the evening, we had another experience of our life.

While preparing dinner, all of us heard the sounding of the fire alarm. Ipapa thought it was a drill, hence did not take the siren seriously. Until the emergency evacuation message came out, we then realised that it was a fire evacuation. All of us quickly grabbed hold of the essential things and ran down 17 storeys of stairs to safety.

After reaching the ground floor, we then realised the seriousness of the matter. Apparently, smoke was coming out from one of the apartments, that's why the siren. It was only after checking and certifying that it was a false alarm by the firemen that we were allowed back to our apartment.

What a way to let us remember and end our tour, ya?