Waterbabe

All dressed and ready to go!

Today, Sera went underwater.

We had our first swimming lesson this morning, together with five other babies. I was very excited for her and had prepared a week in advance, buying the most crucial item - her swim suit. Well, it's always important to have a good swim suit as well as look 'smashing' in it. Ha ha.

The day started early, 6.15am to be exact, as we had to drive into town during peak hour. We rushed through breakfast,got into the Jeep and plowed along with the rest of the vehicles. Sera, who had to be woken up from her sleep, dozed off in the car. After a few detours, and with some good navigation from Johan's mom, we arrived just in time.

The babies, all girls, were dressed in cutest swimming suits ever, some even had sunglasses on. After a quick registration and introduction, the mothers had to jump into the unwelcoming cold and slightly murky water. In the 30-minutes, we learned different ways to hold and manoeuvre our babies in the water. As expected, the mothers were more excited than the babies, coaxing their babies to kick their legs, blow bubbles with the water. Sera was probably the most nonchalant baby of all - no squealing, no kicking or even crying. She was simply hanging over my arm, absorbing the scene around her.

So after several minutes of swooshing and swishing the babies around, we got to the more exciting part - SUBMERGING the babies into the water. Cool! So this is the method:

Hold the baby under their armpits. Count 1-2-3, blow into baby's face (this causes them to hold their breath) and then slowly pull them underwater

Simple huh?

Most of the mothers hesitated but I thought, might as well just get it over and done with. I mean, Sera would have to go underwater one of these days anyway. So following the simple steps, I gave Sera her FIRST experience of being underwater ... well second, if you count her swimming in my womb for 9 months. She was very calm underwater, even opened her eyes. She only started to gasp and struggle when she came out of the water. And she was the only baby who didn't cry after being submerged. I had to admit this proud mama was beaming inside. Ha ha.

Waterbabes in session

Post-submersion

A cookie after an exhausting swimming session

Easter

One of Sera's favourite toy is a little piece of rubber foam, in a shape of a lamb, from a book of animal shapes. It is nothing special really, in fact because it is white in colour, it has little stains on it as well. But everyday, Sera is sure to take it out of the book, to play with it. Today, as usual Sera took it out of the book and as the little lamb lay on the floor, it embodied a very special meaning for me. It reminded me of a beloved bible verse that is close to my heart. Happy Easter everyone!


The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to
lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths
of righteousness
For His name's sake.

Psalm 23:1-3

Sera's little lamb

A good time at Al Khor

The scenery along the way ... a herd of goats

Picnicking under a shaded cabana


This morning, together with Amy and Ted, we drove out of Doha, into an old fishing village called Al Khor. These days, this little town, considered to be the second city of Qatar, is an emerging town, serving the foreign worker communities that reside there. However, Al Khor, unlike Doha, is still a little rustic and laid back, reminiscent of its fishing village past.

After checking out some possible picnic spots, we finally settled on the beach by the Corniche. It being a Friday morning, the beach was practically ours to enjoy. The winds from the sea were blowing extremely hard and we had a most comical time trying to pin down our mats with the cooler boxes, bags, sandals and our heavy bottoms, of course. Sera was all the while, unperturbed by all the commotion. Instead, she was spinning around on her buttocks, reveling in the gusty winds and her fresh surroundings.

Our picnic basket was brimming with goodies - an assortment of homemade sandwiches, salsa and chips, fruit salad, fresh juices and even luxury chocolates (courtesy of Amy and Ted) and errr ... Starbucks coffee? So in our very idyllic setting, we alternated from eating, drinking and playing Boggle! Well, it was a little tricky playing a complete game what with Sera crawling over the game and wanting to be the attention.

We left Al Khor just before midday, a little tired, a little wind-blown but more relaxed and more happy.

Check out Sera's wind blown hair

The usual scenario - Johan lying down and Sera sitting up, playing.

Could I be any more relaxed ...

The magic of booth seats

Digging into our dinner ...

The things that we find ourselves doing, now that we're parents ...

I am constantly amused by how Johan and I have morphed into parents since the arrival of Sera. Following our very successful dinner at the fast food joint, where Sera happily stood on the booth seat while we ate dinner, we have now gone as far as to make a list of restaurants in Doha (that we know of) that have similar seating booths. Now that has to seem ridiculous to some, especially those who don't have children, but trust me it isn't. Eating at home together can be a challenge ... going out for a meal, now that is near to impossible.

However, that has somehow changed since we discovered booth seating. Ha ha. I forget to mention that Sera doesn't like to sit in baby chairs. I think it's a bit too restrictive for her ... hmm, she really is my daughter!

Yesterday, we found ourselves going out for dinner, just because we had to run an errand prior to dinner so there wasn't time for me to cook. Ahem, I do cook on a regular basis, don't assume otherwise. We went to our favourite Indian restaurant near our house. And what do you know, they had booth seats! You should have seen Sera, she was just beside herself ... could barely hide her excitement. Not only did she stand throughout dinner, she had some naan and cottage cheese! That girl never ceases to amuse us!

And as always, I had my camera with me to catch little moments like this.

House Arrest

Yes, Sera and I have been stranded at home, confined within our compound, for the last three days. Our good old Jeep had some mending to do at the service centre, so we have been left car-less. You see, in my opinion, living in Doha without a car can be a 'handicap'. I don't want to come across as sounding frivolous or materialistic but you can't walk out of this compound, hail a cab, wait for a bus or simply walk to a mall. Nothing is within walking distance here. And honestly, it is most unusual to find people walking to places here. People drive or get driven everywhere here.

So you understand my dilemma here?

Anyway, I had mentally prepped myself for the temporary 'house arrest' and was determined to hang on, come what may. Being house-bound for three full days meant that the house was cleaned more often, I was online for more hours, and the games I played with Sera became more imaginative as well as more animated. Being confined within the walls of the compound meant I walked the grounds of the compound more and chatted with long-forgotten neighbours and was even invited over for lunch by my friendly neighbour Amy, who rarely cooks. Nice ...

And being home all day meant I started to notice things like ... foreign 'droppings' in the cupboard under the kitchen sink! Ahhhhhhhhhh .... I had discovered not one but an ENTIRE cockroach colony! Thank goodness Johan came back in time because I fled from the kitchen and shoved him inside to eradicate the cockroaches. I know, how nice to be greeted by a screaming wife and 20 ugly cockroaches. But a man's got to do what's a man got to do ... or so the saying goes. The cockroach catastrophe didn't end there because this evening, Johan checked the cupboards and found two more smaller colonies! My oh my ... what are we to do???

Well, thankfully my good old Jeep has finally returned because first thing tomorrow, Sera and I will be heading to the store to stock up on roach killers and traps. 'Phew' ...

No peanut butter, pass the cheese please!

Sera getting ready for food battle

Apparently, Sera is allergic to peanut butter. Well it is no big surprise since nuts are a very common allergy with babies. I noticed a rash, a few weeks ago, on her back and it just got more nasty, spreading persistently on her little back. I had a suspicion it was the peanut butter so just to make sure, I visited the doctor yesterday. Yeap, the doctor said peanut butter was the likely culprit. I did let out a sigh because that meant Sera's diet would now consist of only cheese!

Yes, Sera has become, over the last few weeks, a cheese maniac. She has stubbornly refused my feeble attempts to feed her anything else. I consulted some baby cookbooks for some fresh ideas, made little flower and star shapes out of her food, even let her feed herself into a big, horrible mess. With no success, I have slowly conceded to a cheese-only diet.

So for breakfast, she has soft cheese with bread. For lunch, it's fromage frie (I can't even pronounce it correctly). Sometimes I try to slip in some mashed fruit but she'd eat it only if the mood suits her. For dinner, I still try to add some variety but usually the food is left to go cold or tossed over unto the floor. Johan simply says, "She is my daughter afterall!" Ha ha, her love of cheese must come from her Dutch genes!

So I'm wondering if cheese for her every meal is actually all right?

Anyway, I've stocked up the fridge with a good variety of cheese. From light cheese (cottage, ricotta, feta) to hard cheeses (edam, gouda, parmesan), you name it, I have it. Add to the selection are yoghurts of all sorts. Now that should keep Sera happy till she is passed this cheese phase ... or is it here to stay?

Not too pleased with the taste of orange ...


Give me cheese ... anytime!

Fast food to the rescue

We ended our weekend on a 'low note' ... we had dinner at a fast food joint. Sigh ... I shall not get overly dramatic about it but in our defense, we had to make an urgent pit stop as Sera was crying and writhing in her car seat, after being strapped in for close to two hours. Anyway, Sera's excitement about eating out, freely standing on her booth seat and looking around at everything was enough for me to forget about my personal agenda with fast food establisments. Ha ha.

Sera was eyeing Johan's meal ... and disturbing him at the same time. It was amusing to watch the two of them interact. I had to fish out items from my bag just to distract her so that Johan could eat in peace. She was a good girl, entertaining herself for the most part. In the end, Johan shared his chocolate sundae with her. Now Sera, that was very big of papa ... he usually doesn't like to share his sweets!


Johan digs in, Sera eyes his burger

Sera perseveres ...

Sera leaves Johan alone while she nibbles on her own cookie

Finally, Johan relents and shares his ice cream ...

Babysitter

We hired a babysitter for yesterday evening. Well, we didn't hire her but had asked her for a favour. Well ... she's a neighbour from across. Hmm, she's actually a friend. Ok ok, give us a break ... it was our first time leaving Sera with a 'stranger' so we were cautious, a little nervous and I really didn't want to leave her with just anyone ... !

Anyway, dinner with Johan's colleagues went well. I vaguely remembered what I ate for dinner or the conversations I had ... think I was a bit distracted and worried about Sera. I kept checking my mobile phone for messages and Johan's watch for the time. I know, what an anti-social and a total wet blanket. I was even disappointed when Johan insisted on having his dessert, though I did make him gobble it down. And I practically pulled him out of his seat while he guzzled down his beer. Opps! Ha ha. Sorry babe ...

The twenty minutes drive home felt extremely long and tensed, and I only started to relax as I pulled up into our driveway. Sera was fast asleep! We later discovered that she only cried three times, drank milk from a bottle, even held it with her two tiny hands! Wow, amazing! I have to admit I then felt a little sheepish for over-reacting (maybe a little) about this whole babysitting experience, but I guess I'm being a typical mother right? I mean I'll be better next time round ...

So Amy, you've passed! Ha ha. Thanks again for babysitting Sera ... till the next time!

One of those mornings

I suspect Sera is feeling discomfort from her second tooth that is peeping out. She was awake at two hourly intervals all through the night. When I went to her at 4.45am this morning, she was surprisingly awake and decided she wanted to start her playing. I plopped unto the spare mattress in her room, and snuggled under a blanket, trying in vain to sleep. Where does she get all her energy???

Well I finally put her back to bed at about 6.30am, I was quite awake by then but decided that I didn't want to start my day just yet, so I jumped back into bed and willed myself to sleep. We both woke up at 9am. Opps! Guilty ...

Anyway, I wasted no time in preparing her bath. However ... I noticed black ants all over her changing area! Eeeeeek! I had to find the trail and it quickly led me into the spare bathroom. Sera was following me, crawling and looking very curious. Ok what I did next is going to raise eyebrows but I took the nearest thing I could get hold of to kill the ants - liquid hand soap. I started squirting the soap on the trail. The ants, with their little brains, started to walk around the soap squirts! Hmmm ... so I had no choice but to use my fingers to smear the soap along the trail and at the same time 'kill' them. Oh I also ran into our room to get hold of Johan's forgotten bottle of eau de toilette. Sorry babe! I squirted a few drops along the trail. If the contents didn't kill them, the smell sure did!

Sera was of course very, very amused and entertained. She even clapped her hands several times.

All of a sudden, the hose from the wall to the cistern creaks and bursts. Water is violently spraying at all directions. What a MESS! I quickly turned the tap off and turned to checked on Sera, who was trying to crawl in vain. She was slipping and sliding. Sera and I were dripping wet with water that I can't imagine was the cleanest kind. What was I to do? I decided to simply shut the door to the soap induced dead ants, floating in a semi-flooded and very pungent male eau de toilette smelling bathroom because while I scooped Sera up, I had an angry whiff of major operation poop. I had more important things to do - she was in need of a good bath.

I would say the bath went pretty well considering I only got myself more wet from her enthusiastic water splashing, a spilled bottle of baby oil, my failed attempts to give her vitamin D drops and as usual her strong and stubborn fight when I try to dress her up.

On a whole I would rate this morning as a little above 'typical'.

Anyway, there is always 'calm after a storm'. Sera is taking her morning nap now, clothes are in the washing machine, the dishes have been washed, and I think I just might make myself a cup of coffee and flip through yesterday's newspaper.

Weekend

We had a good weekend, uplifting especially when all three of us were feeling down because of mama's return to Singapore. The good weather meant we were outdoors all weekend. We had a picnic on Friday afternoon, after Johan came back from work. We joined the many, many families down at the Corniche, all with the same idea of enjoying the outdoors.

On Saturday we decided to drive down to Sealine Beach Resort, since our last attempt was a disappointment. We found a nice spot where we placed a mat for Sera to crawl around. She was indeed a happy camper! The rough surface of the floor meant that she didn't really venture out of the mat much, she was contented playing on the mat, crawling all over Johan and standing, using the deck chair as support. We took her for a dip in the pool but the water was just a bit too cold for her comfort.

We left the beach resort, tired (especially Sera) but happy. She shut her eyes the minute we buckled her into her car seat and slept all the way back. And of course, Johan and I had to stop for ice cream on the way back. A delicious ending indeed ...

Enjoying her day out

Johan 'knocked out' on the mat while Sera played on

Turtle float was too big for Sera (that's a first)


Sera was absolutely beat ...


We had to take a detour to get our ice cream ...

Love Potion for Johan and Chocolate Mint Chip for me ... yummm!

Bye Bye grandma!

I write this post with a heavy heart ... Johan and mama have just left for the airport. It is time for mama to go home to Singapore.

Once again it's time for us to say farewell to mama. As usual, it's very sad for all of us but we are so thankful for her presence during the past two months and will cherish the many, many memories.

Ma, we thank you for making our home a more loving place, for whipping up delicious meals, helping me to organise the mess, and most importantly sharing precious moments with Sera. I'm so happy that you and Sera had a lot of time together.

We will miss a player for tri-dominoes, our movie nights after Sera went to bed ... and who's going to catch the mice in the house (ok I'm just being paranoid but what if there are more hiding?). Yes ma, you were the only brave one when it came to catching that mouse on the first day we arrived home. Thank goodness you were here! The two months have passed so fast, but that's only because it was so great having you here.

Johan, Sera and I will miss you so much. We love you and God Bless you!


Sera and grandma at Koh Lanta


Ma, remember that passenger who sat beside you in the plane?


Sera enjoying 'playing aeroplane' with grandma

Picnic

Johan always says it's good to 'get a fresh nose' ... huh? Well it's a direct English translation of a Dutch saying, which means to be outdoors and get some fresh air. Right baby? So today we had a picnic. Well, I had to do a little pushing and shoving but managed to get mama and Sera out in the sun for a few hours. We drove to the Corniche, found a nice shady spot to lay our mat. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze blowing from the sea ...

Sera had a great time, exploring her new surroundings. It was her first time crawling on grass so it was very amusing to watch. There was an initial hesitation when she felt its prickly sensation, she retreated back onto the mat and then very carefully threaded back on the grass. This occured a few times before she finally just let go, undeterred by prickly grass, and crawled to her heart's content.



Grimacing at the feel of grass


No stopping her now ...


Taking a rest and a sip of water


"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands ..."


A contented pair

Sandstorm

I turn 30 today! I've now entered the thirties age range, gone are my twenties. It feels like I've been in my twenties for the longest time though. Well whatever the occasion, I'm happy and even feeling contented at this moment ... for sure being married and now, being a mother has helped

Anyway, the grand plan this morning was to go to Sealine Beach Resort. We imagined a nice morning out in the sun, by the beach or pool, under the big umbrellas. What a nice way to celebrate my birthday, together with my favourite people. The weather had other plans ...

Sandstorm in Doha ... courtesy of the southeastern winds from Saudi Arabia. Hmmm ...

According to Johan, the winds would surely shift by the time we reached the resort (about 50 minutes drive) so we excitedly packed our bags and hopped into our jeep. We even inflated Sera's turtle float which got her really excited upon seeing it. However the sandstorm didn't look like it was going to settle or shift with a change in the winds ... it just got worse and it felt like we were driving into a bigger sandstorm. So for that 50 minutes or more, we had a pretty bleak scenery as seen by the photos below. Mama was reading, I was trying to get some 'interesting' photos, Johan was singing and making up the lyrics (as usual) and Sera was sleeping (thank goodness).

So we arrived at the beach resort, looked around and made our way back to Doha, knowing that the storm would still be brewing for a few more hours. I took a photo for a souvenir. Thankfully Sera slept all the way back too. Johan was still determined to celebrate my birthday despite the sandstorm so we braved the weather and had lunch at an Italian restaurant (they make real good pizzas). Thanks ma for the treat!

The rest of the day was spent at home, relaxing and spending time together. I had a great time ... just being with my famiy and as an extra bonus, mama was with us!

Sera getting ready to enter the sandstorm

Driving through Doha City

On our way to Mesaieed

Sera slept through the storm

We could only imagine the fun we would have had ...

The camels still had to work

Carwash ... err, on second thoughts ...

After a cosy lunch at Il Rustico

Cause for a celebration

It's funny the things Johan and I celebrate nowadays ... Ok, it's not a throw a party or have a parade kind of celebration. Just a tired, new mother and probably one time kind of celebration. I woke up this morning and realised that Sera slept for 6 hours straight! Ha ha ha. First time ever! Her last feed was at 12-ish am and she woke up at about 6.30am.

This is Sera at one of her happiest times of the day ... bath time!



And after that, it's TV time.

Terry Fox Run 2007

It was a great day for a run ... and better still, for a good cause. Johan and I didn't run but walked 5-km to help raise funds for cancer research under the banner of the Terry Fox organization. To find out more on the Terry Fox organization, go to www.terryfoxrun.org



As you can see, no sign of mama or Sera. They decided to stay in, ahem ... as expected. Sera was doing a wake-up every 2 hour thing throughout the night and refused to take her morning nap. So mama insisted that she didn't go for the run. Grandma knows best! But Johan and I had a few good hours together, which is very important.

Friends from the compound - Amy and Teddy from Singapore, Daniella and her son, Quinten ...

We love to bake!

Since mama has been here we have put the oven to use again. I had a baking frenzy when I was pregnant with Sera. I remember baking at least two cakes every other day. Johan and his colleagues were pleased with the treats, so I heard. Chinese New Year saw mama and I baking sugee cookies. You know those yummy cookies that crumble and melt in your mouth. Well I envisioned the taste of it but our first attempt was a huge disappointment. So we got a never-fail sugee cookie recipe from my cousin, Audrey ... and it was a success! Over two days, mama and I baked about 300 cookies. On the eve of Chinese New Year, Johan, Sera and I knocked on our neighbours door to share the cookies. That was our little bit of celebration of the new year here.

I think they're good enough to sell ... over to you ma!

Let's start again

So I tried to start this blog last year in August, but it didn't take off. Honestly I thought I would have the time and dedication ... sigh, so I've decided just this morning that I shall jumpstart this blog, for the benefit of our families in Singapore and Holland ... and friends all over the world.

To recap ...

As of today, Sera is 8 months 11 days old. She has been a handful lately, just because she is super active. She has been crawling for a month now, standing and attempting to walk. She hasn't been sleeping well because I highly suspect she's dreaming of crawling and standing in her dreams. During the night, when I go to her, she is either crawling or trying to stand in the dark! Despite my weariness, I always end up laughing. Well, at least I'm still laughing. She's a gem ...

Later today, we'll be taking her to a playgroup for babies under 2. Let's see how it goes.

And coming up this week, the whole family plus mama will be taking part in the Terry Fox Run at Education City. The 5-km run starts at 2pm so it will be bright and sunny. Hope the weather is good, or else it would be hard to convince mama to go. I shall lend her a wide rimmed hat and give her 50+ SPF sunscreen.



Sera enjoying herself at the Doha Zoo