Makan Time!

I've started experimenting solid food with Lucas when he was four-months plus, that's almost a month back. I started out with the basic rice cereal just to test if he's got the ability to take in a tiny spoonful and swallow and if his digestive system is mature enough for this.

After several weeks of experimenting, we conclude that Lucas tolerates rice cereal and he seems to prefer Ninolac over Nestle Cerelac brand. I personally think Ninolac taste and smell better (yeah I tried it myself!) and it's also smoother, but unfortunately it comes in a box and not a convenient can like Cerelac. On the flip side, Cerelac requires you to add in a bit of milk (formula) so it's one extra step and somehow I find it harder to mix and blend .

Ninolac taste better (sweeter) versus Cerelac (weird smell, no taste).

We've tried feeding him some apple and banana puree (organic, store bought) but he makes a yuckky face like it's way too sour or something. So I ended up downing the whole thing myself. Tastes abit like the applesauce that accompanies the roasted suckling pig at Leonardo's .. yummms.

To our surprise he likes VEGETABLES, given that most children don't. He finished the first jar of garden vegetables puree and now we're onto a second jar of veg; peas (yucks) and zucchini (yums). Guess what? He loves it! I really hope this means I won't eventually need to coerce and bribe him to finish his veg when he's much older.

Lucas likes the BabyNat Organic veg (left, available at Village Grocer's organic section) but caution; somehow the puree causes some stains so I will think twice before I get it again. I think he likes the Heinz Peas and Zucchini (right) more anyway. Anyway I plan to try and test a few more brands, I'm just so darn curious!

It's so tempting to just feed him the veg as he laps it up more willingly than the rice cereal, plus it's much easier to clean the vegetables versus sticky rice cereal, but it doesn't sound like a balanced diet, which is a lofty thought anyway since theoretically, he's getting enough nutrition from the breastmilk. Anyway today I experimented with a rice + veg combo. He finished them all! I'll monitor how his digestive system takes it.  

Rice and veg combo today!

Once he starts consuming a substantial amount of puree seriously, I will consider making the puree myself or if I turn out to be too lazy, I guess I'll be ordering homemade puree from Baby Ambrosia, they seem to know what they are doing but their prices looks a bit on the high side.

Here is a snapshot of a very reluctant diner during the earlier days his solid food ordeal. He's more receptive now but still can behave unpredictably; sometimes he just refuse food point blank and just wants to nurse.

Our Water Baby

Now that Lucas is almost 6 months  old, it's time to get him accustom to water before we start any serious swimmimng lessons. So we got us a pair of swim nappy (from Mothercare, really ingenious; helps prevent 'spillage' yet keeps baby looking stylo-mylo!). Daddy could not resist the kodak moments ....

I know he looks like he's on his own here but actually my hands are underneath his torso, supporting him!

He's a little grumpy as he's not used to the cold water.  

I love this shot lots. Cute baby toes and a turtle-infested swim-nappy.

Ahhh ... out of the water! Sweet warm comfort of the towel!

Our Bunny Baby

It's been a crazy hectic Chinese New Year for Shortcake and her little family of three! Since it's Lucas first celebration, we had to make many visits to ensure all the relatives get to see Lucas, most for the first time. It's quite challenging trying to remember what Lucas is supposed to address each and every relative in traditional Cantonese titles ... I think I will draw up a family tree chart in PowerPoint for future reference! Here's a snapshot of our 5-month old bunny-fied baby! Hope everyone had a lovely hoppity celebration!

Baby Dedication

Yesterday we had a dedication session at church where parents of newborns come together to pledge our commitment before God and other witnesses that we will dedicate our child to God and bring them up in the fear of the Lord. The most solemn pledge is that we as parents will live in such a way that is a good and godly example for our future generation (eeek ... it's not gonna be easy but  by the grace of God we shall, we shall!)

Parents and newborns all in a row!

Memento from church; first official bible verse for Lucas. AMEN!!!

Best Friends in the Making!

Introducing 

Baby Lucas (born on 4 Sept 2010) and 

Baby Basel (born on 19 Oct 2010)

It's a momentous occasion when your childhood friend whom you've known since kindergarten gives birth almost the same as you do! We finally managed to catch up after my dear girl's confinement period is over. Here's a short clip of our little baby boys together; getting acquainted for the very first time. They will be seeing alot of each other and I hope they will find good friends in each other in the years to come. Just as their mothers did!

Playtime @ Week 5

Baby Lucas getting acquainted with Busy Butterfly & Carrie the Caterpillar.

It's not easy trying to shoot pictures and videos of an infant; they either move way to much or not at all! This is one video I particularly like alot; I managed to catch him in a pretty good mood after his bath.

The First Bath!

After several careful self-education on You Tube (Praise God for You Tube! Just search "how to bathe a newborn" - the resources are endless!), I've finally worked up the courage to bath my precious prince Lucas since his umbilical stump fell out somewhere last week. It was a short bath, I just wanted to get him accustomed to water in a tub and I was so worried he will fuss or catch a cold, but he was so lovely and brave in the tub!

Here are some cute pics; I'm quite amazed he actually hang about calmly enough for me to take a few snaps too! Bravo my boy, bravo! You never fail to make mummy SMILE :)*muaxxx*

Mummy, don't shoot! I'm naked!!! 

Making eyes at the camera!

Getting restless!

Precious Prince Lucas @ Week 2

At the risk of being one of those annoying new parents whose lives revolves around their new babies, here I am again with more pictures of our dear Baby Lucas to commensurate his second week of life! :)

Afternoon nap on his favorite 'whale' pillow; I can't resist the adorable way he moves his arms in all kinds of directions during his sleep.

Fast asleep on Mummy Shortcake after a satisfying feed.

Sound asleep in Daddy's arms :)

In Popo's (i.e. maternal grandmother) arms; this is the pitiful look; about to burst into tears due to soiled diaper!

The contented post-crying face after a fresh diaper change.

My Labour Story

Everyone, well not everyone, mainly fellow mothers and mothers-to-be have been asking alot of questions about the labour and how it went and all kinds of detailed questions to the point that it's really quite tiring, hence I will detail it down here so that I need not repeat it again and again like a broken record on rerun. Furthermore I noticed my tolerance level and hormonal impatience which I developed during pregnancy has not diminished whatsoever. So here forth I will direct all Q&A on my labor to this blog post haha I'm so mean I know. To be honest at this point, I hate talking about the labor, maybe because it was quite horrific an experience plus not enough time has passed for me to look back and laugh at it yet.


But for everyone's benefit, I will make it short and succinct in point form here ...

2nd Sept 2010, Thursday

• Arrived at the hospital in the afternoon for a check up as I was leaking for 2 days and my discomfort was mounting to the point I can barely walk.
• They did an internal and strapped me up on the EFM (electronic fetal monitoring) and decided that I need to be admitted as the leaking cause me to be at risk for an infection and apparently the EFM shows slight contractions at 4 minutes apart.
• My ob-gyn was out of the country for conference so I was being attended by another doctor who was great as well, very understanding and gentle.
• I explained to the labour team I did not want to be induced (Pitocin via IV) nor do I want an epidural, they respected my wishes and worked around that.
• Throughout the day and night, there was still no progress in terms of cervix dilation despite continuous leaking and stronger contractions by evening.
• Towards the end we agreed to go with a milder form of induction i.e. Prostaglandin, inserted into the cervix to see if we can speed things up.
• Needless to say I was very tired and achy from being poked and prodded the whole day and night.

3rd Sept 2010, Friday

• No progress, Doc was getting abit worried, we decided to burst the main water bag because the leakage was from the 'hind waters' apparently.
• After the main waters were broken, the contractions became super duper unbearable.
• Yet I tried to resist further medical intervention, hubby and I have very strong misgivings about getting an epidural due to all the horror stories and potential side effects, but at this point, it's not the time for me to be a hero anymore as the baby may risk distress due to prolonged labour and contractions. 
• After four tearful and unspeakably unbearable hours of pain, we gave into the epidural as the cervix still refuse to dilate despite the incredibly strong contractions. I decided here that whatever I've read in theory on labor and birth is bullshit crap and I've overestimated my own threshold of pain; tattoo and belly piercing is no indicator of one's pain threshold *duh*
• Also, Doc says at the rate the cervix is behaving, it's gonna be many many hours of pain with very little dilation, he doesn't think I can make it, I concur totally.
• By evening, around 6pm or so, we relented and started the epidural. It was like heaven, seriously. I felt like I could suddenly breathe again and actually lie down still and rest for abit.
• I was still being poked and prodded, they are forever checking my cervix dilation *ouch* but thankfully, the epidural lets me feel nothing. That night, I could sleep properly.

4th Sept Friday.

• Just past midnight or so, the contractions somehow stopped, dilation was about 3cm, they decided to go with Pitocin via IV.
• Even that took longer than normal, it was almost 11 hours before we got to 8 or 9cm I think.
• By 6:45am, the midwives and nurses decided I'm ready, they got the Doc in and we got ready for the baby.
• By 7:44am; Praise God, finally Baby Lucas was born (whole and healthy at 2.83kg) after almost 45 mins of assisted pushing and vacuum towards the end (the epidural affects the ability to push plus the momma was super duper tired, seriously)
• When Lucas was placed on my chest, all bloody and cord intact, it was such a precious moment that cannot be described, all I think of was "OMG we did it!" and I was in such awe and disbelief at this cute tiny human being that came out from me under there! No amount of reading and preparation can prepare you for that sensation at seeing your child emerge from inside you. And he looked so very perfect, he is everything I hoped and prayed he would be.

So there you go; my first ever labor and birth experience. If you've seen my birth plan in an earlier post, you would realize that it just went out the window like ashes to the wind! Oh well, some plans are made to be broken, but ultimately we are grateful we managed to have the ultimate objective; to have a safe vaginal birth; despite all the medical interventions which we tried so hard to avoid. Yup, I was also subject to an episiotomy *sob*sniff*sob* and it's still smarting like hell right now.


However, I must say the Doc and staff nurses were very supportive of my Birth Plan and they even allowed me to try to deal with the process and the pain which is why it took so long. They did not compel, force nor coerce me to do anything I was not ready to do and I was well consulted on all procedures. I was impressed and thankful of the experienced and professional labor team at Pantai KL, these ladies knows their stuff, I was really well taken care of.


My dear hubby was amazing, I was impressed he was able to face the entire birthing process and cheering on with the nurses for me to "PUSH"! He was even steady enough to catch some really good photos. Cheers to the new Daddy!


Two hours after that, we were admiring the brand new baby all cleaned up and swaddled in the cot. Hubby and I were in absolute awe and wonder that we "produced" such a beautiful creature; it's truly a miracle, by the grace of God. Then we looked each in the eye, exhausted, relieved and ecstatic and we both had an instant mutual understanding ... next it'll be a dog or cat to accompany our precious sweet Baby Lucas :)


Well, in retrospect, I would say I should not have gone into the hospital so soon despite the leakage and discomfort and I should have waited abit more; like 2 more days. But then again, truth be told, I was so eager to have the baby, I was getting quite impatient, plus I was subconsciously pressured by everyone bugging me about why is the baby so late. Looking back, I would not give a rats ass about what anyone says anymore; it's not their body, it's not their baby, and I would advise the same to any mums-to-be; trust your own body, trust your ob-gyn and don't be pressured unnecessarily by well-meaning people around you.

Anyway, what's done is done, we believe in God's perfect timing and everything works for good for those who love Him. Besides, who would know how long should I wait and what further signs should be sufficient before it's time. I guess ultimately, God was in control of the situation and it was how it was intended to be. So all praises to Jesus for bringing forth sweet baby Lucas into our lives.

Welcome Baby Lucas!

Today our newborn son Lucas is one week old! He was born exactly a week ago; 4th September 2010, Saturday at 7:44am at Pantai Hospital KL. Here are some quick pics to introduce Baby Lucas to the world!

This picture was taken by Daddy within the first 2 hours upon his arrival; still within the labor ward. 

Mummy took this picture of a one day old Lucas right after his 'breakfast feeding' when the nurses brought him in at the break of dawn.

This pic was taken by Daddy on his first morning at home. Lucas is two days old here.

This is also a day two pic taken at home by Daddy; this is how he looks when he's in the mood to make eyes at you. He started sucking on his fingers on the first day itself.

It's been a crazy week! Overwhelmed yet absolutely overjoyed. More updates soon!!!

Preparing For Baby: Part 2 & Final?

Following the photo post early this month, here are more memento snapshots of our preparation for the arrival of our Prince; baby Lucas.

Here are some of Baby's toiletries; not even born yet and he's already being spoilt by Aunty Beatrice with organic toiletries! Next to the them is the soft and cute Lion Rattle which Daddy called a "Flower Bear" before I corrected him. I guess Daddy needs to sit in for animal flash cards lessons with Baby :)

How can any pregnant woman resist something that calls itself Earth Mama Angel Baby and comes in packaging like these? This US brand specializes in all organic, safety-approved baby and mummy stuff. You can buy them online here at Little Whiz, among others. They even have a perineum spray; spray to soothe and relieve the down under discomfort! Who would have thought?

Here's the tub where Baby will spend time playing with water and his two little duckies.

 These are the stuff for bathing the new mum and baby. Errrr, I didn't buy these; my Mum bought a huge bag full of these. They are apparently ancient herbs trusted for generations from the Chinese medical halls, somehow they now come in 'fancy smancy' packaging! They actually smell quite nice from the pack; like a zen spa. I will humor my mum with the lot of them as long as they smell okay during usage and won't give me and baby rashes. 

 I definitely didn't buy these but I have to put this here in tribute to my dear Mum, and to remind myself how blesssed and lucky I am to have my Mum care for me during such a critical period. I would never know what herbs to buy and goodness me even if I did; what do I even do with them? Anyway, she's stocked the fridge full of these plus bottles of ginger wine. It's a lost art I tell you.

 This is me taking the easy way out; after some googling, hearsay has it that Amway has the best post-natal care pack in town; completely traditionally Malaysian but in a modern, hygienic and easy-to use set with an instruction pamphlet in three languages! Here it is; a complete package of capsules, wrap, massage oils, massage herbs and a 'bengkung' tummy binder to 'fix' the new mum.

 These are the final reading while I wait for my Prince to make a grand entrance.

Baby's got some reading materials waiting for him too!

This should be it, we're pretty complete now and ready now. I've been told now is the time to spend some quality paktoh (dating in Cantonese) with the Hubby and some precious alone me-time as once Baby arrives, life will be forever changed.

Week 39: The Last Week!

We have one week to go! Feels like a miracle that we've even come so far. We are both so thankful that we rode through the past nine months so smoothly and almost uneventfully; thank God! For months I've been trying so hard to ward off and pray away unpleasant thoughts of premature birth and all other kinds of fears. Now that we're in a safe zone, we're happy and at rest; just waiting for something to happen!

As promised in my last update at Week 33; here is my final update on being pregnant.


The Physical Updates:

1. I've gained a total of 16.5 kg (from 52kg to 68.5kg) which is rather disheartening as I was hoping not to cross the 15kg mark! But then again, who can I blame when I basically let go when it came to having all my favorite desserts, well almost let go. Hubby kept a tight rein though!
2. I'm still very breathless *pant*pant*
3. I'm more bloated than ever; during my last update I can't imagine I can get even more bloated but I did! Even my nose and face is 'swollen' and ,my fingers are so tight with water retention it hurts to grasp my fist tightly.
4. I tried shoe shopping only to discover I'm now 2 sizes larger! (from 5 to 7 *boohoo*)
5. Some of my maternity clothes which I can wear a month or two back doesn't fit anymore! Just when I think I can save some $$$ I actually have to go get more clothes.
6. Fortunately my face is still behaving very well, other than some slightly more pronounced freckles, I've been blessedly exempted from breakouts. Which is a major blessing as I can no longer visit my beautician as I can barely get up on their facial bed and lay on my back for more than  a few minutes.
7. Another good thing; my hair fall has lessen; seeing alot less hair on the bathroom floor!
8. I've become less moody, maybe the hormones are regulating itself now.
9. I'm still as tired as before and although my aches and pains are the same if not worse off, I'm actually feeling more energetic now. I feel like walking, cleaning, cooking, shopping, exercising etc but I can't do either for long. Something will start to ache in no time.
10. I'm still driving! I just did today! *applause*applause*
11. I seem to able to eat more now due to the lightening; this is when baby has drop down to the bottom in preparation for the eventual engagement.
12. Now that I've started my maternity break, I feel so peaceful and at ease! I guess it's good, I've read that a high stress environment can cause delayed labours which may need to be induced, not sure how proven that is. But I really want to be far far away from work matters now; I can't bear to be mentally and emotionally drained for another day!

Agenda for the week, or days to come:

1. Get mum here and get her adjusted to the house.
2. Stock up on key pantry items, groceries and food stuff.
3. Final checks and preparation of the hospital bags.
4. I should clean the house one more round before the week is over.
5. Gonna try some DIY 'labour inducing' foot massage.
6. Do my final revision on all matters related to birth and labour.
7. Read up and you tube more on nursing; I'm really hoping to get it right from the start.
8. I've already begun to commit the Brahm's lullaby to memory; time for more practise!

Preparing for Baby

We have three weeks to go till the due date, we're now just relaxing and waiting. The past many months were filled with our very busy but systematic preparation process (haha anal me as always); here are some memento snapshots of some of the preparation for the arrival of our first child; Baby Lucas.

There were several batches of laundry for rompers, blankies etc over the months. Sterile things makes me happy!

Baby's cot is ready and comfy. We've since added a musical mobile but it's not captured in this pic.

I found this set of matching bib and blankie online!

The little friends are all disinfected and sitting pretty in a row, waiting to play with Baby Lucas.

Baby clothes, onesies, rompers etc are aranged in age group and sizes in special boxes.

I can't resist showing off this Juicy Cuture bib from Aunty Addie :)

Some diapers to help us get started.

Note we're not being sponsored by Mamy Poko, we just had alot of recommendation that this works best; well we will see.

Daddy had a thing about bottles, he bought quite alot in multiple sizes!

Again, not being sponsored haha, just pure recomendation from friends and plus they were on sale :)

The baby hospital bag is packed and on stand by.  The cute LUCAS zipper name tag is from Aunty Evelyn and we got this gorgeous Allerhand bag after alot of research on diaper bags. Plus we needed a 'unisex' looking bag so Mummy and Daddy can both look good with it!

The infant carrier is washed and ready for the car.  We may need an additional head support though.

And now let's sit back, relax and do some revision for mental and emotional preparation!

About the Doctor

I get quite a few queries on the ob-gyn that I'm seeing for my pregnancy and why I chose the hospital I chose. I will share some basic facts here, hope it helps anyone who may be seeking such information:

Dr. Wong Sum Keong

MBBS (Mal), MRCOG (Lond), Fellowship in Gynae. Oncology (UK)

Consultation Obsterician & Gynaecologist

Gynaecological Oncologist

Hartamas Women Specialist Clinic

4-1, Jalan 31/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas,

50480 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2300 1990, 2300 1996

(Consultation Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays between 4 - 7pm)

Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur (PHKL)

Suite B409, Fourth Floor (new Specialist wing, towards Starbucks)

3, Jalan Bukit Pantai,

59100 Kuala Lumpur.

Appointments: 03-2296 0733, 2296 0472 (Ask for Jothi; a really helpful nurse!)

(Consultation Hours: Mondays to Saturdays 9am - 1pm)

PHKL 24 Hours Emergency Numbers

Labor Ward: 03-2296 0909

PMC Operator: 03-2296 0888

For room rates and more details; you may check out the Official PHKL Website.

At this point, I do not have concrete details on the labor and delivery charges but I will update it eventually. Overall I do not personally find Dr Wong very expensive but then again I don't have extensive comparison to review the costs here and I'm definitely no expert on the medical rates where Malaysian private hospitals are concerned and I do not intend to go into all that here.

So coming to why I chose Doctor Wong, see below:

• His reputation as a pro-natural doctor.
• I was recommended by an ex-colleague who had several in the family going to him as their ob-gyn and they were all successfully natural vaginal births.
• He is very gentle and considerate as a person and very experienced as an ob-gyn.
• Also, I must also state that I'm one of those who is more comfortable with a male ob-gyn; I don't know why but they give me the confidence that they are more objective and compassionate. My mum says so anyway.
• Anyway I'm not the only one who thinks so; in fact his schedule is so full that you may end up waiting for hours. Sometimes you get canceled-out if he has an emergency c-section or delivery which clashes with your appointment. It happens and can't be helped, you'll just have to reschedule and come back again, so choose a clinic which is near your home or you'll be cursing till no end!

And why I chose PHKL:

• For strange reasons, ever since young I wish I was born there!
• The location is convenient and they have good facilities.
• They do not appear so overly-high density and over-crowded as compared to some hospitals.
• Everyone knows where it is and so it's easy for family to visit.
• I know I can reach it within reasonable time despite whatever traffic condition; a crucial factor in case of emergencies! Plus it's very near both our workplace.

Overall I liked the doc and both his clinics are very accessible and convenient for us. If you decide to engage Dr Wong in Pantai, do bring along your book, magazine, iphone, ipod, pillow, snacks, water bottle, whatever as the wait can get long on most days.

Just a tip; you've got to like the doctor and his staff as you'll be seeing them very regularly throughout your pregnancy. In fact it's almost weekly towards the last month, so a convenient location, good chemistry and a team of helpful staff is a plus point.

The Hospital Bags Checklists

On Sunday I had slight abdominal cramps. I didn't freak out as my rationale mind told me it was probably the dinner. Well, it went away the next morning so it was probably gas. If it was some pre-labor contractions I wouldn't have been able to drag myself to work yesterday anyway! 

However, got me thinking that any day from now on could be Labor Day. I told myself to quickly pack up my hospital bag. Actually I've got a list ready a couple of weeks ago and I've packed pretty much one-third of it. More than half the stuff can't exactly be packed yet e.g. my smelly pillow and the Krazy Koala (duh then how will I sleep till that day comes?) and the spectacles of course!

There are 2 bags to pack: the Momma Bag and the Baby Bag. Just for the benefit of the curious and moms-to-be, here are my two bag checklists:

The Momma Bag 

Clothes

• Pink monkey robe and matching bedroom slippers
• Nursing gown
• Sleeping gown
• Nursing / sleep bra
• Disposable / normal knickers
• Button down top / going home clothes 
• Socks for sleep

Toiletries and Sanitation

• Avene spray
• Bog roll, box tissues, cotton pads, wet wipes ( I don't trust hospital's quality!)
• Skincare, fragrance, deo, shampoo, lipbalm, lotion etc
• Toothbrush, tooth paste, floss, mouthwash
• Brush, hairclips, hair bands
• Maternity pads, nursing pads
• Lens case, solution and glasses  

Comfort

• Ventolin inhaler & nasal spray  
• Krazy Koala, Ashley Bear, Smelly pillow (hope we can find you guys some space!)
• Own blanket (the one my mum made which I used pre-marriage; woohoo)
• Aromatherapy oils and massage roller
• Water bottle
• Chewing gum
• Hot / cold compress (If I can find them!)
• Room spray (not sure if the hospital room and loo will smell funny) 

Others

• My birth plan, hospital fact sheet and tape to tape it on the wall (bet it'll annoy the hospital staff LOL!)
• Wallet, ID and hospital card
• My PC (notebook) and spare adaptor (they might have only ONE electrical socket!) 
• Phone, charger and USB adaptor
• Camera, charger (at this rate I'll need a separate bag for the chargers and cables alone!)
• Oil burner, candles and oil (this is optional, I doubt they will let me light candles there!)
• Books and magazines (specifically the Lamaze book, the Pregnancy Q&A Book and whatever novel I'm on at the time)
• Notepad and pen (good for saying "Leave me alone" if I don't wanna talk)
• Breast pump  

The Baby Bag 

• Diapers: disposable & cloth
• Receiving blankets x 3
• Swaddling cloth
• Green froggy blankey (for transit)
• Muslin cloth x 1
• Small towels  x 5
• Hooded towel  x 1
• Newborn rompers x 3 sets
• Going home outfit x 1
• Mittens, booties, hat, bib x 2 sets
• A small musical toy 
• Baby wipes

Daddy's Stuff 

No serious packing here; just a small reminder for my trusty birth-partner!

• Baby Travel System (install infant seat in car, keep stroller in trunk; doubt a newborn should be strapped into it as yet)
• Dad’s camera ( I bet this is the first thing he will think of without any prompting whatsoever anyway!)
• Magazines, books, or anything else to pass the time
• Phone (packed with games?) with charger (we can share the charger actually)
• Change of clothes
• Basic toiletries i.e. toothbrush, toothpaste etc.

Gosh, it appears as if I'm gonna be there for a week! Knock-on-wood I pray not! Looking at my checklists above I wonder how did women in medieval times give birth with such minimal assistance and so much less preparation! Well readers, do feel free to holler if I forgot anything!

What's In A Name?

What's in a name?  That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

When Baby's gender was revealed in April, everybody started asking if we've found a name. The name says everything, naturally. We had some idea of the a name but we were not quite ready to reveal it publicly at that time, for fear of us changing our own minds! So we decided to wait a few months till we felt more certain, and the official announcement came during the Baby Shower.

Naming a child is a BIG thing. The name can make or break the kid in future. I guess every couple goes through their own personalized child-naming process, most girls would have even dreamed of a thousand baby names since the beginning of puberty; and I'm sure we've all had great fun naming all our toys, dolls and pets!

I would imagine these would be some basic naming styles:

1. By initial; this is most common; if the father's name starts with an 'A' then all the children starts with 'A'
2. By ancestors; I know in the west they have the tradition of honoring their grandfathers, great grandfathers, uncles, etc.
3. Some traditional old Chinese clan follows a clan reference book or a 'family' reference for their Chinese names.
4. Some Chinese consults clairvoyants and soothsayers who will then analyse the baby's date and time of birth plus various other 'astrological' factors.
5. Catholics and religious enthusiasts will choose Biblical names and names of Saints, Prophets or prominent religious activists. My dear dad in his Catholic-phase has chosen to name my younger brother that way.
6. Naming kids after favorite movie stars, world leaders, celebrities and athletes. Strange enough I was named this way as in the year I was born, a certain Malaysian sprinter won some gold medal for the first time hence my first name was named after her, alas, I ain't no athlete, sorry Dad! (sorry cannot reveal name here ya *wink*) In fact, my dad was on standby to name me Maradona if I was a boy *thank God no*
7. The Arts; this is quite unique and covers the world of arts and theater,  (e,g, Shakespeare, my favorite!), books, music and the pseudo-reality world. I know someone who chose Elvish names for his kids and the names are quite interesting and unique. But beware though, to call your kid Demetrius, Frodo or Gandalf may have lasting damaging effects.
8. Going green; this may have risen out of the seventies Hippie-era where people started naming their kids Crystal, Valley, River, Rain, Holiday, Marijuana and the like *haha*
9. Going crazy: I'm not a big fan of quirky names like Apple, Dodo, Ditzy etc.
10. Going ethnic: names in Sanskrit, Hebrew, ancestral languages can be interesting if done right.

So how did we name our Baby? Here are the criteria which formed the parameters we worked around; a process I'm happy to share:

Start with Elimination.

• Firstly, eliminate names of all your friends, siblings, frenemies, ex-partners and their spouses, siblings and kids. How many of you have at least two 'Jennys', three 'Stephanies' and five 'Johns' in your phonebook?
• Eliminate unisex names; I'm so sorry but ambiguous unisex names are way too risky for many reasons. So as much as I know and love several Jamies and Justins we'd rather not have the kid start life without a gender specific name, identity crisis abounds badly enough already, so this is one issue we can do without. 
• Eliminate names given to pets in the past and present!
• Eliminate cartoon characters (Betty, Bob, Barbie, Thomas), fast food chains (Wendy's) and popular brand names (Armani, Carter, Gucci)
• Eliminate pretentious foreign names! I know of a certain Chinese-educated person who is painfully 'Ah-Beng' in every sense of the word calling himself 'Pierre' *vomit*choke*vomit* And please, Chinese girls (probably never been to Japan and has no Japanese roots whatsoever) calling themselves Yoko, Yuki and Hayoko etc is like a big bad joke.

Factor in Phonetics

• Names should have a nice ring or melody to it. This applies specifically to synchronizing first and second names with surnames and also Chinese names. Example, Harry or Dick with Chinese surnames Kok and Long is a major NO! Virginia with surname Tai may sound like 'Large Vagina' when spoken in a Chinese slang. So be culturally sensitive ok!
• For Chinese names, the way it's being spelt and the dialect that is chosen to be 'romanized' is absolutely crucial. Example, my name in Cantonese when romanized sounds like "Shit Lin" (serious) and in Mandarin when romanized sounds like "Xue Lian". I wished they romanized it in Mandarin but then my surname would have to change and the result would be "Zhiang Xue Lian" and we can't be having different dialects in ONE name!

Factor in point #5 as we are after all believers, so that comes into play.

• A Bliblical touch would be nice to remind the kid of a higher calling.
• A noble Biblical name with a strong meaning also helps the child identify himself with that personality. I know this is true because I've seen alot and my dear Hubby himself is rather proud to be associated with the great apostle of the New Testament which is his namesake. But then again some great Biblical names are way too common e.g. David.
• But be careful though, calling your son Israel (a great name indeed) in this country may evoke some unpleasant sentiments.

Minus any hint of corny-ness and cheesy-ness

• For example;  it would be the height of cheesy-ness to name your kids Burt and Elmo, seriously. No no also for Athos, Porthos & Aramis, tsk tsk!
• And while Mary and Martha are inspiring Bible characters, to name your daughters such would fall into the realm of corny-cuteness. And how many sisters do know named Grace & Joyce? At least one in every church I've been to!  Lovely names no doubt, but can you say "common"???

Factor in point #6  

• While we shall not deliberately name the child after questionable celebrities, do scan and see if there are world famous (or infamous) personalities sporting the name we have in mind so at least it's not entirely offensive, laughable or downright disasterous.
• So please think carefully before naming your child Adolph or Napoleon. Or Paris, Nicole and Tyra. It would be quite safe to just google the name and see what comes out, you never know; the name you chose may be one of a wanted serial killer or a Nobel prize winner for inventing the ultimate hand-held solar-powered vibrator.

Make it unique; or better yet or lace the name with greatness for boys and beauty for girls.

• I personally like weighty names that are a little complicated, long and strikes a chord of rhyme and awe with people. Example for boys; Maximus, Constantine, Emmanuel, Sebastian etc.
• For girls; genteel beauty with a classic touch is something I personally like; names like Rose, Lily, Victoria are not only rare in our era, they are ever-green.

Think of possible nicknames / short-forms

• Kids and adults alike can be cruel enough to spin off all sorts of weird and wicked nicknames from the chosen name, so try and nickname-proof it, scan through various languages and dialects as well.
• Some names comes with generic short-forms that are widely used, example, while Richard represents the greatness of English kings, no one can stop kids calling Richard a Dick-head in school.
• Also, a name should not be a short-form, but the complete name should be spelt out. This is just an idiosyncrasy of mine. Example, it should not be Bart officially, it should be Bartholomew and then Bart for short, likewise it's not Max in your ID, but Maximus or Maximilian and then call him Max for short.

And now to the final result *drumroll* we have decided on:

Lucas Emmanuel

Lucas - of Greek Biblical origin, a variant of Luke, a physician and writer. Also means to "illuminate" or "bring light". This name bears our hopes and desires that our son will light up our lives and lives that he will touch; "Light of the world and salt of the earth" (Reference: Biblical Baby Names & My Baby Name)

Emmanuel - Hebrew for "God is with us", a tribute to the good Lord for being ever faithful, and being so good to bless us with a son, and in turn may our son always keep the Lord close to him and walk with Him all his life. A heavy name but not too severe as a second name.

As for the Chinese name; the grandparents are not imposing any guidelines and they have zero preferences. So we'll see if we're moved to create one or not. I would love the Chinese characters to have the meaning of JOY and INTEGRITY; two essential virtues to lead a happy and contented life.

So there you have it; Baby's name and how we came about it!