Dear Isabelle - 1 year old

Dear Isabelle

You, my little princess have turned the big one! It's crazy how fast time flies when you're having fun! You are our 4th baby and we wish time would stand still for you! But you have 3 older brothers to show you the ropes, so you're ever so impatient to join them in everything! Here's a little interview of you at 13 months old!

So, tell me about Isabelle! What is she like?

Isabelle is a relatively calm baby who smiles and laughs a lot. But she's got a pretty determined (ie. stubborn) streak such that once she has set her mind on something, she would not give up until she's succeeds. That explains how she would be gingerly taking her first few steps one day and proceed to cruising through the house in just a matter of days! Her motor skills are really advanced, this one!

She absolutely loves the little Ikea chair in her brothers' room and would very often climb onto it and place her little butt there! She's also a cheeky little monkey who would climb up the sofa and bed that is three-quarter her height!

What does she like to eat? 

She has a very healthy appetite and eats pretty much anything Mummy cooks! But her all-time favourite food is mango, raspberries, kiwi and bananas (in that order). Her palate is very developed because she eats the same food as the entire family. She loves to self-feed, which results in a lot of cleaning up for Mummy & Daddy!

Does she sleep through the night now? 

She's a great sleeper in that she falls asleep relatively quickly by herself. She still wakes up once a night to nurse but since she is co-sleeping, Mummy and Isabelle do not wake up much at night. At the moment, she seems to be teething so that explains her more frequent night wake-ups.

What's her routine like?

She doesn't have a fixed routine because she's often following Mummy and Liam to do things around the house and pick up her older brothers from school. She absolutely loves going on the swing and would squeal in delight whenever we place her on one.

How do the boys treat their sister?

The two older boys pretty much dote on their younger sister. Unfortunately this results in them trying to parent her as well. The youngest boy, Liam is more of a play buddy with Isabelle because they only have a 2.5-year age gap.

Does she talk? 

She loves saying "Mama" and "Dada". While she seems to know that "Mama" refers to "Mummy", "Dada" seems more of blabbering for her. She understands the meaning of "no" and has (finally) stopped putting lego into her mouth. You can tell that she's processing a lot of information in her brain when you talk to her. I have no doubt that she will be a talker because she blabbers from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed - a typical girl really!

What does it feel like to have a girl after 3 boys? 

Honestly, it still feels really surreal for me. Even after 1 year, I still find it hard to believe we have a baby girl in our family! Its definitely very fun to be able to dress her up in girls' clothes. I'm going to milk it as long as it lasts (ie. before she insists on choosing her own clothes). It does feel like being a first-time Mom all over again because Isabelle gives a feminine flavour to our testoterone-dominant family.

How did you celebrate her first birthday? 

It was a very chilled affair! We had immediate family members and close friends over.

The hub baked a Russian cheesecake and brownies. I was in-charge of the decorations - which we got from Amazon. This time, I went all out to have a pink party!  It was so fun! And girly! But guess what? The helium itself cost way more than the balloons! Argh. Lesson learnt!

Our guests stayed for dinner. But this time, instead of cooking dinner, we decided to just heat up some frozen pizza! It was the BEST.THING.EVER! I could actually enjoy the party with my baby girl and talk to my guests! I think this will be the muster of our future parties. Just more chill and no more slogging in the kitchen food-wise.

At first, I thought I should do bake the birthday cakes and cook dinner. But the hub kept telling me to keep it simple. Soo, I really had to get over myself and my Asian cook-up-a-storm mindset, to simply feed my guests. Germans are happy with Abend Brot (evening bread with cold cuts of ham and cheese). So, I'm a happy camper to feed my German family and friends.

Sounds awesome! How are you coping as a Mom to 4, 8 and under? 

Hmm, what can I say. It is a lot of juggling and being on the ball. Some days are just crazy madness. Some days, like Wednesdays are awesome! Since last week, my in-laws have started taking the two younger ones in the afternoon, while the 2 older ones stay in school longer. I actually had my first-ever kids-free day in years!! I'm so definitely going to book myself in for a massage soon!

I'm always praying to God for wisdom, strength, lotssss of patience and grace for the parenting tasks at hand. I make a lot of mistakes! But I'm constantly reminded that God is my children's Father and I'm just a steward that He has chosen for my children. God sustains me and my husband day after day. Motherhood is honestly the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life and yet the most challenging one at the same time.

Dear Isabelle

We pray that you will know that you are so loved by all of us and by our Heavenly Father! Don't define yourself by the world's definition of beauty, because God looks at the heart. I pray that you will be a mighty princess warrior for God, but always have a gentle and quiet spirit that draws your strength from Christ. Grow well little one! Enjoy your toddlerhood and try not to skip all these milestones in your hurry to keep up with your 3 older brothers ok. We need you to stay young and babyish for a little longer.

Love
Mummy & Daddy

xoxox

So proud of my little pink party! 

The boys were so excited about the candles

My DIY decoration! Liam and Gabriel both did the center pieces.

close-up! 

It's all about presentation right? Brownies on top and Russian cheesecake at the bottom

This was a last-minute savoury dish. Egg mayo with spring onions to be eaten with the brown crackers. The flower bouquet was also DIY!

My 6, 3.5 and 8 year old!

She was quite dazed because she had just taken a nap and woke up to her birthday celebrations!

My ex-pastor came along with his wife! It was soo good to touch base with them again!

My church mates!

Mummy is so happy to score your 5€ Zara jacket!! 

See how much you have grown in the past 12 months?

Dear Isabelle - 6 months old

Dear Isabelle

You're already half a year old! Mummy is so not ready to celebrate your first birthday yet, so please slow down with your growing up my baby girl.

Mobility 

You are officially a crawler! You've been on your belly for a while and finally you decided that enough was enough, so one day you left your playmat! Mummy was so surprised when you were in a different spot from where I left you. Unlike your brothers, you actually managed to crawl forward instead of backwards at first try. Well done you!

Now, we have to make sure that your brothers' loose legos are not scattered all over the floor because it won't be long before you realise you can actually pick things up and put them in your mouth.

Food intake

Honestly baby, you're still 100% breastfed. Usually Mummy would introduce solids at the 6-month mark but since you're so well-fed and contented with breastmilk, we have decided to continue to breastfeed you exclusively for a longer time. You are very interested in food though and often make chewing movements when you see us eat. We have given you bits of bread, cheese, pear, banana and even rice for you to nibble. What can I say? You're a foodie really!

First accident

Oh baby girl, unfortunately you experienced your first major accident 2 weeks ago. It happened at the paediatrician of all places. We brought you there for your 6-month check-up and your older brother Liam climbed onto the bed where you laid down. Just when I was undressing your for your check-up, Liam insisted on climbing down the bed. However, Mummy was unable to coax him to climb down by himself. He kept insisting that he needed my help. Just when Mummy was guiding his leg to reach the step at the side, that was when the doctor's assistant screamed. Mummy was unable to react in time and the next thing I knew, you were lying on the floor, screaming your lungs out.

It was the most terrifying thing ever. It was quite a high bed and I was totally in shock. You screamed, Liam cried and Mummy almost cried, but managed not to. The doctor examined you immediately and he said you're fine. We even had an X-ray of your skull to see if there were any internal injuries and thank God, there was nothing.

Mummy examined you, expecting to see a huge bruise / bump on your forehead, but there was nothing! Just a slight scratch and redness, but no obvious sign that you had a terrible fall. It was really quite a miracle! Mummy is 100% convinced that God really sent his angels to protect you! You were really unscathed from the whole ordeal.

Thank God, Thank God, Thank God! At moments like this, Mummy is really reminded on the fragility of life and how dependent we are on God!

Size

You are about 8.2kg and 68cm at 6 months. You're pretty much at 50% percentile for length and 90% for weight. Know what I mean about why I know you're well-fed with breastmilk? In a baby's first year, 100% of your nutrition comes from breastmilk, so Mummy is going to milk the whole breastmilk goodness for what its worth.

Personality

You continue to be a happy and easily contented baby. You love sleeping in the stroller and would wake up with all smiles. You have started to experience separation anxiety and would no longer allow any stranger to carry you. Even Daddy has a hard time putting you to bed these days. Oh well, Mummy has got to try to enjoy these exclusive moments with you even more. Thank God that you're more mobile these days so that means you can be put on the floor where you crawl around and Mummy doesn't have to carry you all over the house.

Sleep habits

You're not sleeping through the night yet. You still wake up for feeds at least twice a night. I don't mind that really, because it means that you sleep longer in the morning. We co-sleep and you enjoy snuggling up to Mummy.

Family time

Your brothers continue to adore you with Gabriel having such a soft spot for you. Mummy can always count on Gabriel to take care of you and soothe you if you're crying.

I think that pretty summarises what you're like at 6 months old! We love you little Munchkin! We pray that you'll continue to be little sunshine that you are and that God will be the source of your light and strength for each day of your life!

Love,
Mummy & Daddy

Dear Isabelle - 3 months old

Dear Isabelle

You turned 3 months old on Christmas Day! You're such a chilled and sweet baby, Mummy has no complaints whatsoever. We took your newborn photos when you were only 2 weeks old! You already look so different now! *sob*

Here's looking at you kiddo

I absolutely adore this photo of baby girl in her tutu skirt

A Daddy with his princess

Still feels so surreal to be able to dress my baby in a dress!

I'm a Mom of 4 now! 

Look at how proud Gabriel is!

Sam is such an amazing older brother!

You did your first flip a few days ago. I have no idea how you did it. Mummy rarely makes you do tummy time as you've always been so contented on your back. But a few days after Christmas, you made your first flip! I think you were so surprised by yourself!

Sleep-wise, you've slept through the night a few nights. But it is not consistent. That's totally fine baby girl. You're allowed to wake up anytime in the night because I do treasure those middle-of-nights bonding times. #4thchildsyndrome

Your grandfather came to visit us over Christmas and New Year's. You totally charmed the socks off grandpa! He loved to carry you and you would coo and give him your beautiful smiles. This was definitely a breather for grandpa in comparison to your rowdy brothers who couldn't stop creating mayhem at home. 

Size-wise, you're really tall my girl! You're wearing clothes meant for 6-months old and most clothes for 3-month olds are too small for you by now. 

You enjoy taking showers and are  ever-so-patient to wait for me to pick you up and put you under the running water. Patience is truly one of your virtues!

You're such a cheerful little girl. Even at night when you wake up for your feed, you would smile at Mummy when you see me in the shadows. Oh boy, how my heart melts when I see your dreamy smiles with half-closed eyes!

Your eye-to-hand coordination has improved by leaps and bounds! You're starting to grasp objects around you and wrap your little fingers around them. It's so fascinating to watch you discover the world around you, little one! 

Gabriel continues to shower you with so much attention and hugs. He's got such a soft spot for you! 

Mummy sees so much of myself in you. I do wish I have a baby photo to do a comparison, but let's suffice to say that you got your eyes from me!

Your maiden experience with snow! 

Look at how much you've grown in the past 3 months! 

My smiley girl in her Ralph Lauren dress from my Dad for Christmas

Keep growing well little one. Our precious little Princess! It's usually massively chaotic at home but we trust that God will keep holding and shaping your heart, so you'll experience the fullness of God's love for you everyday! 

Love

Mummy & Daddy