So I haven’t really updated much since the arrival of Jubes, so here’s a little peek at what we’ve been up to as a foursome.
Needless to say, it’s been tiring, frustrating, endless clearing of shit, sleepless nights, and thoroughly rewarding.
To anyone still on the sidelines about having kids, jump in, I say. You’ll love it.
A lot.
As evidenced by this.
I hope he always finds the simple joys in life, and never stops dancing.
Julian Tan was introduced to the world on 13 Jan 2017, our second little bundle of joy, and yes, it took me more than 2 months to document this, because it’s been a crazy 2 months!!
And we’re quite glad to report that big brother Oliver is taking to the new addition pretty well!
Stay tuned for more adventures of the brothers Tan!
Before Trump took the Presidency (I know! I’m having trouble believing this, too), the Tans took Perth. All 3.5 of us packed our bags and headed down under for a leisurely week of not doing much. (That’s what happens when you have a pregnant mum on one hand and a bubbly toddler on the other.
Against all of our fears of a toddler approaching his terrible-two on a 5-hour flight, it was relatively uneventful, thank god. We arrived at Perth, grabbed our rental car, and off we went in search of adventure!
First things first, the hotel. Or rather, the view from the hotel.
After gawking at the view and having a quick rest, it was time for dinner. I can’t remember now what we had for dinner, because look at that view!
We also took the chance to visit the Caversham Wildlife Park, a privately owned and operated petting zoo, where Oli had fun getting up close and personal with the kangaroos, koalas and a bigger than expected wombat.
We then headed out to the Blue Boat House, an iconic boat shed to visit anytime you’re in Perth. And another major reason for this visit, was also to celebrate this little toddler’s 2nd birthday!
Of course, any trip down under should come with some…. wine. 🙂
I guess after this, our next family trip will be a trip for four. And we’re greatly looking fourward to that!
Oli took his first overseas trip as he turned 6 months, after furious research into possible destinations that:
1) wouldn’t be too long of a flight time
2) is relatively child friendly
3) can allow us to have a relaxed itinerary
4) all of us can enjoy
We settled for New South Wales, specifically Hunter Valley and Sydney.
Despite the anomaly of a storm that hit NSW the week before we were there, things worked pretty much most of the time, and we weren’t affected by any road closures or damages to work around. In the end, we chose a combination of a relaxing Hunter Valley Alpaca Farm to be the first leg of the trip, followed by a whirl of Sydney City.
Off we go!
First off, a little shout out to Starline Alpacas for the wonderful little hut. It was a lovely, peaceful and sprawling farm (we got lost in the farm looking for our hut the first night as we drove down the darkness). The 200 alpaca (yeap!) farm also included the token sheep, some pigs, ducks and an amazing view as you can see for yourself! Fair warning though, Alpacas totally will spit at you!
Since this was Oli’s first trip, naturally, his overzealous parents took mostly pictures of him looking at things:
Oli looking at Kangaroo
Oli looking at goats
Oli being looked at by Alpacas
Oli looking at Seagulls
Oli looking at a boat
Oli looking at Alcohol
Oli looking unimpressed
Oli looking at Coffee
Oli looking at the wrong side of the scenery
Oli looking at the harbour
Oli looking like Mummy!
Oli looking at Daddy
Oli looking worried
Oli sporting the overturned cap, looking like it’s 1996
All in, it was a fun and relaxing trip. Most importantly, it made us realise that we totally can bring Oli out to see the world, and enjoy the process of it!
Parenting +10!
Now to plan our next destination…
We’re addicted to holidays!
2014 marked the start of an entirely new phase in our lives, where we added parenthood to the CV of Life. To tell that story, we first have to go back to February of 2014, when we took a short getaway to Margaret River in Australia.
It was a wonderful, stress-free, thoroughly enjoyable vacation where we ate, drank and generally had lots of idle time to explore the wonderful sights and sounds Margaret River had to offer. You could say it was a farmtastic stay.
Our accommodation of choice was this lovely little farm called Margaret River Hideaway, where we had a cosy little cottage all to ourselves. With Margaret River town just 3km away, driving to and from the farm was a cinch!
Some pictures from the trip:
The. Best. Meal. Ever.
Little did we know, that when we came back from Margaret River, we would bring back more than bellies full of wine! We got pregnant!
Never been happier to hold up a stick of pee
Do I look fat in these?
Since then, it’s been a roller coaster ride of gynae visits, freaking out over our pending parenthood, gushing over our pending parenthood, and watching as many movies as we could before he popped.
Then came the day, 28 Oct 2014.
Seeing him for the first time in the flesh was just the most amazing moment. And although it’s only been 10 weeks, his every movement and growth over this short period of time is nothing short of mesmerising to watch and be a part of.
New dads to be: Be as involved and as helpful as you can be, both for yourself and your wife. Feeding, bathing, diaper changing, cooing, rocking him to sleep… you don’t wanna miss out on any of these moments.
So we’re now a trio! And I can’t wait to do more as a trio!
3’s not a crowd la!
I celebrated Father’s Day on the 28th October, 2014, as we welcomed our little bundle of joy, Oliver, into this world.
Even penning this down, two weeks into parenthood, I’m still awed with a flood of emotions, ranging from elation, bliss, fear of being responsible for an entire human being, pride, and of course relief at discovering that hey, I too can wrap a mean swaddle.
Exhibit A – A Mean Swaddle
It’s a whole new phase involving lots of sleepless nights, tired bodies, and yet, it’s something that enriches me more than anything I’ve done till date. Watching his every emotion and facial expression as he sleeps, is more exciting than X-Men: Days of Future Past!
Feeding him, changing his nappies (incidentally, this naughty boy constantly poops when we are changing him), and then patting him to sleep has become a routine, and even though it’s been less than two weeks, I feel myself improving exponentially and getting much better at handling him. It’s like I’m living Edge of Tomorrow, PG version.
Feed. Sleep. Repeat
It’s been a thoroughly exciting ride so far, and we’re only two weeks in! Stay tuned for more updates!
