Photos of events/ celebrations in school. These events were conducted over the months of feb and march. The kindergarten tends to post them on facebook and parents simply log in to self help...which is great since we dont get to follow them to school and misses at least a good half of the day with them.
Decided to go with Patridge pear for Nathanael's first month celebration pack and i must say they are really good. Quality of the packaging is superb and the level of attention and thoughts that goes into the design is of a high standard. A little pricey for chocolaty stuff but being a practical mum who didnt want food to be wasted i have opted to go with perishables that may last 2 to 3 days in case if colleagues are not in office etc. So whats in the package?
I ordered a bottle of sunflower chocolate seeds to give it weight and a pack of refill since i think people will enjoy it. 1 gingerbread man which is super adorable. A pair of chocolate brownies to satisfy the sweet tooth.
The package comes with a personalised card and packaging which again is of high cardboard quality.
Each of the items are further personalised with his own photo and a little poem that describes the delicacy.
Everyone loves it! Would strongly recommend to future moms!
Chocolate brownie mug cake
8 tbsp of flour
8 tbsp of sugar
4 tbsp of cocao powder
8tbsp of milk
4 tbsp of non flavoured vege oil
Mix flour, sugar, cocao powder with a fork.
Add in milk.
Add in oil.
Pour into 2 mugs.
Microwave for 2 minutes (700 watts)
Add 1 scoop of ice-cream as topping.
Yummy quick and easy dessert!
Been close to a month now and it's the first time pa pa decided to help change nathanael's napkin diaper.
A concerned Natalie looks on. ..questioning him if he really knows how to do it and making sure he dies a thorough job. ☺
Nathanael has been feeding really well. It had been 2 weeks and since the last we weighed him he had gained a healthy 400 grams from 3.48kg to 3.85kg. On day 5 i noted that he was already strong enough to lift his head slightly and as such i knew we had to settle the c procedure quickly to minimise his pain. Now that 2 weeks have passed, he is now able to recognise me and demands that i cuddle him instead of anyone else. According to mimi's observation, he doesn't like to wear his booties and each time he will attempt to kick it off some how.
He loves his Bath Time, and particularly loves to swim the breaststroke lol! He likes the fact that we have a camera in our face and will stare at the black object with curiosity. He will not hesitate to protest in his boyish cries when he gets too overwhelmed by all the shots.
He tends to sleep through a wet napkin, but won't hesitate to complain when he gets woken up by a thoroughly soaking wet napkin in a manner as though we have forgotten about him.
He poops in huge quantities and loves to keep mimi busy by pooping straight after his bath.. well he must be thinking that his individualism his been diminished and needed to enhance his own boyish scent post bath lol.
He has this distinctive sweet smelling scent that makes it hard for me to put him down..a certain baby scent that cannot be musk over by any baby product.
He tends to hicupp quite a bit..or when he hasnt finished his business. And burps in such a loud and outlandish but satisfied manner it never fails to bring a smile to our faces!
Love you so much baby! And we thank God for blessing us with your arrival!
Pork Knuckle in Sweetened Black Vinegar 猪脚醋
This is a popular Chinese confinement food. The Chinese believe that the body is "cold" after giving birth so we need to consume a lot of "heaty" food like ginger and sesame oil after childbirth. Since it is so tasty and appetising, many people enjoy this dish even though they are not going through confinement.
The key to this dish is to use the best ingredients you can get. Ginger is traditionally known to dispel postpartum body 'wind', get rid of the 'cold' and improve blood circulation. If your body is not taken care of properly after birth, it may lead to rheumatism or inexplicable aches and pains in the future, that's why ginger is consumed a lot during confinement. I used Wentong ginger, which gong gong mentioned was the best type of ginger around. It is apparently more pungent and gives a different flavour to the dish. The amount of ginger added in this dish depends on how spicy you want the dish to be. As for black vinegar, it is to help purify the blood and cleanse the arteries. The black vinegar in this dish helps to dissolve the calcium content in the pork bones, which results in a calcium-rich sauce.
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 2 hr
Ingredients:
1 whole pork knuckle (about 2.2 kg) - chopped into chunks
2-3 tbs sesame oil
800 g ginger - peeled and sliced
1 bulb garlic - peeled and crushed
4 cups sweetened black vinegar
A few hard-boiled eggs - shelled (optional)
Directions:
*Blanch pork knuckle.
[Place pork into a pot, add enough water to cover. Bring to boil. Once water comes to a boil, remove from heat, drain and wash with cold water.]
*In a large pot, heat up sesame oil.
*Add ginger and fry until fragrant.
*Add garlic and fry until fragrant.
*Pour in all the vinegar and bring to boil then lower heat to simmer for about 30 mins.
*Add in pork knuckle, bring to boil then lower heat to simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs or until tender.
*Season to taste.
