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Daphne

Finn

Meanwhile, over at Finntown

February 21, 2014

WIth all the excitement over the new baby around here recently, it feels like this little dreamboat baby has taken one of those super speed growing pills and grown up a whole lot without us noticing.

Look who’s turning 18 months in a week and more importantly, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?

finn

He’s like this confident little kid who does puzzles(?!!), sings at the top of his lungs and holds his own while playing with his big brother and sister. He used to tag behind them like a little forgotten afterthought but now, now he’s all in…dude is an afterthought no more.

This one time, he started doing a crazy handstand like it was the funniest thing and before long, I had a whole circus in my living room.

up to no good

group huddle

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I look at him and I couldn’t ask for a more perfect third baby. He hardly fusses and he’s so unassuming that he’s the ultimate low-maintenance baby.

Like he just finds his place and fits right in.

Sometimes he comes to me with his favourite book while I’m halfway through some work and I stall for time with a hug and a kiss to the top of his head and he’ll turn right around to find someone else to entertain him.

Or he sees his siblings laughing over a private joke and he’ll throw his head back, palm his face and guffaw like he’s totally in on it.

Have I already said that I love this kid? I do. I love him so much I can hardly stand it.

Happy almost one and a half, my sunshine boy.

by Daphne

pregnancy

Question: What are the chances that’s not a penis?

February 19, 2014

Yesterday’s OBGYN check up appointment was exciting – it was the moment of truth, the big reveal. In my head, it was the one where we would find out that baby Hayley is a girl and we’d celebrate because YEAH GIRLS!!! It was supposed to be an epic moment where we’d look at her all serious (through the ultrasound machine) and say “your destiny is to bring balance to the force, young one.”

My doctor had the ultrasound machine ready and he was taking his time like “and here’s the head…and the eyes…that’s the little tummy…” while I was like “how about we just skip to the fun girly bits and do the head later.”

Finally, we got to it and there were no girly bits to be seen. Instead, there it was. What seemed like a little package at a spot where I was hoping not to see any um, packages. For a moment, we were all silent, peering intently at what was unmistakably a tiny lump between the baby’s legs.

And then my OBGYN said, “Hmm, it’s not definitive but that sure looks like a penis.”

Ok, I’ve seen penises and he was right, that did look an awful lot like a penis.

My dreams of having another girl was rapidly becoming as fuzzy as that ultrasound image I was peering at.

“What are the chances that’s not a penis?” I asked hopefully. “Could it be part of my umbilical cord tucked at a weird angle?” Or like a slightly lumpy vagina? One time, I saw some really weird, logic-defying pictures on buzzfeed, maybe this is one of those times.”

“Uh, definitely! It’s just a preliminary scan, we’ll know for sure when you do the detailed scan the next round,” he added, sounding a little too sympathetic.

I’m an optimist but I have a feeling it’s time we started thinking of backup boy names.

Well, penis or no penis, baby sure is looking cute and tubby. I already can’t wait to meet him (and yes, I’m reluctantly going with a him).

baby

by Daphne

How to experience “the life” in Bangkok

February 17, 2014

Instead of doing our rounds across Bangkok city like we usually do, we spent most of our time exploring the Mandarin Oriental’s hotel grounds and just soaking in the incredible atmosphere. Which turned out to be a good move because the one day we hauled the kids to Chatuchak market, we spent a grand total of 12 whole minutes exploring before the kids delivered their “I’m so tired and it’s so hot, let’s go back to the beautiful hotel” spiel.

But we did at least get to eat the delicious wanton noodles that I’ve been dreaming about so… score!

It was fun just hanging out at the hotel though. One of my favourite sections was the Author’s Lounge, which forms the Author’s Wing, the original wing of the hotel. We hear it’s THE place to get married in Bangkok and I can totally see why. I stood at the top of the stairs and had a little Titanic moment – I have a thing for grand staircases, even though there’s a 42% chance I’ll trip and fall on my face in heels.

mandarin oriental bangkok author's lounge

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The Author’s Wing is made up of a handful of suites named after the authors who’ve stayed at the Mandarin Oriental. Not too sound too uppity but it’s true – famous celebrities are great and all but authors, they lend an air of class and refinement. Writers like Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham wrote some of their books sitting in their suites and looking out over the Chao Phraya River.

We were taken on a tour of the different suites and each of the author’s suites are designed to reflect the personalities of the various authors, some very regal, some elegant and understated, some flamboyant. I can’t decide which one I like best.

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On one of the evenings, we had a BBQ buffet dinner at the Riverside Terrace and the experience was exceptional, both in food quality and attentive service. The selection of fresh seafood, roasted cuts and even sushi was divine. We don’t do a lot of fancy sit down dinners with the kids in tow because they’re volatile in confined spaces and there’s usually a lot of frantic food shovelling required.

But this time, they were on such good behaviour that we were a little surprised. They ate their food promptly, asked for seconds and thirds, made polite conversation, it was all very enjoyable.

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Maybe it’s a sign of age but this new way of experiencing Bangkok has trumped all the other Bangkok trips combined. Then again, the kids had an equally fabulous time.

Truett summed it up best when he sat back at the pool with his hands crossed behind his head and said, “ahhh, this is the life.”

Why yes, yes it is.

by Daphne

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