Family Trip to Perth - 21 June to 25 June 2019
21 June 2019
After waiting for so Long, we are finally going for a family trip to Perth! We chose Perth as we want a relaxed trip and then we realised it seemed like the whole world is going Perth this June Holidays too! Haha.
Our flight is at 7.40am which means that we had to wake up at 3.45am. I’m just so tired after a super hectic and crazy 4 working days. It doesn’t help that Lexuan is so excited that she couldn’t sleep until 11pm (her usual sleeping time is 9pm+). Our super sdad, Jianhui woke up even earlier to cook porridge for Lexuan. So thankful to have daddy doing this so I can sleep more. Haha. #lazymummy
We left house about 5am and we were lucky to get a cab almost immediately. Lexuan was feeling tired but she couldn’t sleep in the cab. We reached airport about 5.30am. After checking in, it’s about 6am and we went to Yakun for breakfast. So now we know T3 has Yakun! Yeah.
Our gate is at C22 and so we were told to take skytrain to T1. It’s rare that we checked in at T3 and boarding gate is at another Terminal. Now that I don’t have to pump milk, we have more time before boarding time.
Soon it’s boarding time and we boarded with everybody else. Seems like only JAL gives priority to passengers travelling with kids. Lexuan was very tired so it didn’t take too Long for her to fall asleep when taking off. Mummy also took a short nap of 30minutes. =p
My happiness didn’t last Long as she woke up after one and half hour nap. We fed her with hard boiled egg, porridge and fruits from our flight meal. Our flight meal of egg noodles wasn’t nice and no ice cream. So sad can. And there’s no baby food for Lexuan. There are no peanuts and crackers for us too until Jianhui asked for it.
Lexuan enjoyed running around the aisle up and down. So tiring to chase after her. She ran so fast until she fell down and hurt her lips. I got a shock as she was bleeding. Lucky, it’s just a minor accident. Of all time, this happened when some people are celebrating their birthday and all I could hear was Lexuan’s crying.
In the end, we didn’t get to rest much before touching down Perth Airport. There wasn’t any queue at customs and we could get our baggage quickly too.
We had lunch at The Crafty Swan. They are having promotion - $10 Burger set which comes with fries. We ordered a set to share. Then we went to collect car from Thrifty while Alan rent his car from Avis. Our car is a small white Holden car.
We drove about 27km to Quest Fremantle, our first accommodation for the trip. We booked 3 rooms, one bedroom apartment for us. It’s a nice room with living room, kitchenare, oven, dish washer; microwave and even washing machine and dryer. Impressed right? Everything is new and good. Except for shower, they only have waterfall kind which means I will get wet when I shower with Lexuan.
We rested a while then we drove to a famous landmark, Rainbow Container. It’s only 5pm but the sun is setting. We took a few photos before we went for dinner. We chose Cicerallo’s Fish & Chips. The fish and chips is not too bad and it comes with a lot of chips! Eat chips until super full.
It had been a Long day and both Jianhui and I (and maybe Lexuan) were so tired. We went back to hotel room to rest. True enough, after washing up, we slept at around 8pm+.
Life is good when your baby sleeps through the night. I also had a good sleep.
22 June 2019
I feel like I have been sleeping a lot and it feels good. I woke up 6.30am today. It’s weird that when I am on holidays, i will always wake up early. I cooked porridge for Lexuan and prepared to pack Lexuan’s stuff to go out.
When bathing half way, the heater has no hot water. So freezing cold for me. We are so lucky to have Jianhui to go out to buy McD’s breakfast for us. Mega love and touched.
Then we walked over to B Shed to board ferry to go Rottnest Island. That’s the reason why we stayed at Quest Fremantle so we could easily walk over to take the ferry. The ferry is just like our ferry to Bintan. And we can just scan the QR code from our booking email and then we can board. So convenient.
It’s 30 minutes ferry ride to Rottnest Island. When we reached the island, weather is still not bad. We managed to take some selfie with quokka. Seriously, it is not easy to take selfie with them. And we have to lie flat on the ground which is full of their shit. Jianhui is really selfie king so he managed to take the first selfie with quokka among us! Quokka is really so cute. They look just like hybrid of chinchilla and kangaroo.
We decided to buy tickets for the explorer bus. If there are only Jianhui and me, we probably would have cycled instead. But then, after taking the bus, we noticed that there’s up and down slope so if we were to cycle, it’s going to be tough.
We took the bus and alighted at the West End to see seals. It’s so cold and windy so we didn’t stay for too Long. We went to wait for bus at 1205. While waiting, we took out our snacks to eat. Haha.
On our way back, it started to drizzle. So we went to eat lunch. By now, we are kinda sick of fish and chips especially Gwyneth. Haha. Weather was really bad so we decided to have coffee at Dome’s. They are closing at 3pm so we sat there for a while too.
Since we had nothing to do, we continued to find quokka to take selfies. Haha. With the help of Alan and their favourite food. I managed to take not a bad shot with quokka. Haha.
Meanwhile, Lexuan is so tired that she concussed all the way while we waited for our ferry at 4pm. We also ate ice cream. When it’s time to board, it was raining so heavily. Gwyneth and I ran in with her tiny umbrella to board the ferry to go back to Fremantle. We were wet but it was so fun! So thankful to be finally on board though we were all drenched. Meanwhile, Lexuan is still sleeping.
When we reached, Jianhui and I quickly walked in the rain to our hotel. It’s so cold and wet. So happy to be hiding in our room. The rain continued so we decided to eat Maggie mee for dinner. We went to kop my parent’s cup noodles and my sis gave us 4 pieces of luncheon meat. We are still hungry so we wanted to go Coles to get some snacks but Coles is closed at 8pm! So sad. I haven got the chance to go Coles yet.
Then Jianhui had this brilliant idea to order Domino’s pizza! Best decision ever. So happy to eat pizza!
We can finally sleep with our tummy filled! Another night of good sleep as I didn’t think of work at all.
23 June
We drove out for McD’s for breakfast and bought for my sis’ family. We got to check out today so we were busy packing luggage after breakfast. We requested late check out at 12pm instead of 10am.
We drove to Rainbow Container for more photos before Jianhui and I went back to hotel to check out. Then we all met at Quest Fremantle to drive to Busselton.
It was a Long and boring route to Busselton. We finally stopped by a cafe for some food since we didn’t have lunch yet. I ordered cheese burger and cheesy hotdog bun. The Cheese burger was okay but the cheesy hotdog bun was bad as the hotdog is pink in colour. It doesn’t look edible so I didn’t eat it at all.
Then we continued our journey and managed to reach Aqua Resort at 3.30pm before sunset. We staying at Bay C (upstairs) with beachfront. It’s a beautiful apartment with 3 rooms and a spacious living room and open kitchen concept. I love the open kitchen concept as it makes me feel like we are at masterchef, especially the kitchen has all kitchen equipment. And it has fireplace to keep us warm too.
After resting for a while, we went shopping at woolworths. Finally! We are so happy that we can finally go shopping at supermarket. It’s weird coming to Australia without doing grocery shopping.
And so we were so happy shopping that we spent about $94! We bought so much food that we have enough to last us for a week.
Then we drove to Busselton Jetty, wanting to have dinner at The Goose. However, it’s closed due to winter. It’s so windy and freezing cold. It totally reminds me how cold it was back then in 2013 when I was standing somewhere near here to support Jianhui got his full Ironman.
So we went to The Ship Inn which was a good choice as the food was good! We finally had food other than Fish & Chips! We ordered steak, nuggets, chicken wings, pork ribs and beer! Carlton Dry is nice! And the dinner is a treat by my dad!
After dinner, we went back to our cosy apartment which is around 7pm+. It’s such a beautiful place that I wish we could spend more time in the apartment.
I also pumped milk for the final last time. 200ml of milk and I dumped it all. This is officially the last last pump.
We slept around 9pm+.
24 June
Of all time, Lexuan woke up at 6am+ for milk, and so I woke up so early too. We left about 9am for our first destination to Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse.
Think we were so early that there wasn’t any crowd. Anyway, I thought it is free admission but there’s entrance fee to take photos with the lighthouse. It cost AUD30+ to go up the lighthouse. We had plenty of time to take photos.
Then we drove to Sugarloaf Rocks. It’s a windy nice place. After taking photos then we drove to Eagle Bay Brewing Co. It’s such a nice place for lunch as it has green pasture with cows in front of us. We totally enjoyed our lunch. Given that we ordered so much with beer, 2 glasses of wine and coffee, the total damage is only AUD176. I would say it’s quite worth it but we were so broke that I had to use credit card.
We were so full that all of us were feeling sleepy. We drove to Canal Rocks. I love this place as it gives me a nice feeling seeing the water gushing on the Rocks. Some people are even adventurous enough to climb all the way up to take photos.
Then we went to Cape Lavender where everything is purple. This makes me realise I am not a fan of purple. I ordered the Lavender ice cream waffle cone.
It was a relaxing day today. We drove back to Busselton first while my sis they all went to buy wine.
It’s nice to be back at Busselton Jetty. Lots of happy and fun memories of Ironman Western Australia. Oh ya, it used to be free to walk the Jetty but now it costs AUD4 per pax. My parents walked super fast and ahead of us. It’s cold to walk on the Jetty and my hands are freezing cold. Gwyneth and I had to run a bit to catch up with them at the end point of the Jetty.
We walked all the way back then Jianhui and I went to buy KFC for the family.
It’s only 6pm but it’s so dark that I feel like it’s 10pm. So sleepy.
I didn’t sleep well tonight as I started to think about work.
25 June
It’s time to fly back to Singapore. Early in the morning, we woke up and started packing. All of us were so efficient that we left the apartment about 7.45am.
We are driving all the way back to Perth airport which takes about about 2hr and 40mins. Then we had a quick toilet break. Then we stopped over at the cafe which looks exactly like the one we stopped over when we drove to busselton. All the shops are the same, just that the table arrangement is different.
We drove to Caltex to pump petrol before returning the car. In Perth, it is very convenient to return the car and we just needed to push the luggage a short distance to the arrival hall. The good thing was, there wasn’t any queue so we could check in and drop our luggage quickly.
My family did some last minute shopping while I sat down to feed Lexuan’s porridge. We ate Hungry Jack’s for lunch as we didn’t have much money left. Haha. Then, we quickly cleared customs.
Gate 51 was quite near the customs so we didn’t have to walk too far. Jianhui managed to catch some beer too. We saw the massage chair and decided to try them. It costs AUD2 for 4 minutes, more expensive than our favourite PS’ massage chair.
For this flight, they did call parents travelling with young kids for priority. Lucky we boarded early as this girl had to shit before the plane took off. So we went to the toilet to help her change her diapers in a rush just 10 minutes before flight time.
As usual, Lexuan (and me) fell asleep while taking off. I took a short nap while she slept for about 1.5hours. So we had only 1.5hrs of peace. Not sure if she is feeling unwell, she vomited a bit a few times after eating.
For this flight, they got serve us peanuts, 2 packets of peanuts each and the passenger next to us gave us extra 2 packets to us. We ordered beef and chicken. And our conclusion was, anything with mashed potatoes is not nice. Haha. And they forgot about our infant care meal again. Sigh.
Lexuan was very active throughout the flight as usual. The good thing was she didn’t have any accident and didn’t really cry much. Overall, I would say it’s a good flight.
We touched down at 7.20pm. We took our luggage and took a cab home. After all, we got to work tomorrow. Shag man.
Overall, it was really a great family trip. Thanks to the 2 Drivers, Jianhui and papa Alan and to my family for participating all the activities I have planned for them! Thanks to my parents for preparing hard boiled eggs for Lexuan every morning. Thanks to my sis for constantly feeding us with food and washing our socks. Thanks to everybody for helping to keep Lexuan entertained. Thanks to Gwyneth for the fun run in the rain and walk on Busselton Jetty! Lastly, thanks to Jianhui for helping to take care of Lexuan together!
Though the weather wasn’t perfect this trip, what matters is the company and memories created as family. =p
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Angeline winks
at |6:18 AM|
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The Last Pump
19 months+ of pumping milk and today marks the day of my last pump. I used to have about 150ml in the morning and today I have pumped out only 30ml. I pumped about 245ml (morning and night) yesterday and suddenly the supply dropped from 115ml to 30ml in the morning. So I guessed this is it. The last pump. (Update: I still have 120ml of milk on 19 June 2019 morning. So my last pump should be 19 June 2019 190619.) In total, I Guess I have pumped about 400,000ml (estimated) to date!
When I first started, it was so painful and difficult for the first few days. Bleeding and sore nipples with few drops of milk only. I can never imagine myself to last for even a month and now I have lasted for 19 months+.
Thinking back, it was a crazy schedule to be pumping every 3 hours. It’s like after feeding baby, shower baby, carry her to sleep and it’s back to pumping again. Those were the days I woke up at insane hours of 1am or 3am to pump milk. Even when I was on maternity leave, i woke up at 5am to pump milk then I would go for a short run before Jianhui goes to work.
My pump, ice pack and bottles will always be with me wherever I go. Be it at work or when we travel, I am always with my pump. My pump is like my Best Friend.
When we travel, I would have to pump at the airport or even on plane. Surprisingly, it is so noisy on plane that you won’t hear a sound and you probably won’t know I am pumping. Planning out itinerary also evolves around my pumping milk schedule.
When I just went back to work, I had to rush to office to pump at 8am before starting work at 8.30am. And not to forget there are times I am so stuck at work and yet my breasts are screaming to release milk. Those were the days. Gradually, I reduced pumping to just one time in office, either in Chill Out room or the nursing room at recreational club. Personally, I prefer to do it in chill out room as it is more convenient. By the time I take lift to Recreational club, pump milk and take lift back to office, i would probably need 40minutes. Sometimes, I am so busy at work that I skip lunch to pump milk. And sometimes, it is really stressful trying to rush to pump milk when work is overwhelming. No fun at all. High stress level. Things got better when I stop pumping milk in office and reduced to pumping only in the morning and at night.
From 6 sessions to 5 sessions to 4 sessions to 3 sessions and to 2 sessions a day. From 30 minutes to 20 minutes to 18 minutes and to 15 minutes per session. You can do the maths. How much time I have spent on pumping milk!
Though I feel kinda 不舍, but all good things must come to an end. I am happy to have more free time to rest and I can’t wait to drink my favourite beer. Yes, one pint of Paulaner beer for me please! The sad part is, this will also mean that I have lost my “immunity” of eating non stop without gaining weight. True enough, I have gained 1-1.5kg since I reduced frequency and duration of pumping milk.
To all Mummies who are still breastfeeding or pumping milk, you guys are simply amazing and 加油!
Special thanks to my Medela Freestyle pump and pumping equipment. You guys are amazing to be on this Long journey with me. You guys never fail me at all. Thank you very much. Now, you guys can officially take a break.
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Angeline winks
at |7:16 AM|
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Feeling emo
Sometimes, I really wish I can spend more time with my girl. On an average, I only get to spend about an hour with her on weekdays as she sleeps around 9pm+ and I usually only get home about 8pm.
So sad.
Work is always there. I really must make it a point to knock off early or at least on time. She’s growing up everyday and I don’t wish to miss any part of this. In a blink of eyes, she is going to be two and yet I am still working late. Sigh.
I really wish I can be the one picking her up from school Everyday.
Baby, i’m so sorry. Mummy will try her best to knock off on time and spend more time with you okay? Even if it means that I have to skip my lunch or what, I will make it happen.
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Angeline winks
at |10:00 PM|
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Happy 19 months old!
Lexuan has started attended playgroup in June! It is definitely a more hectic schedule for Lexuan as she only gets to sleep one time at 12.45pm. Most kids will reach about 9am+ while our girl is always the first to report at 7am+. And she gets to drink milk only 2 times in a day too. In fact, the teacher says they should be drinking milk only one time.
Lexuan can run very fast now and so fast that Jianhui says that I cannot catch up with her. On one of the Saturday at Lot 1, I was searching for my wallet in my bag and I let go of Lexuan’s hand to open up my bag. In that split second when my eyes are away from her, she ran away and I couldn’t find Lexuan. My heart skipped a beat. I looked around and was searching frantically for her. Luckily, she was just hiding behind one of the pillar. I got a shock of my life. I can’t imagine losing her just because of my carelessness.
She loves playing hide and seek now. She can definitely understand our instructions better. Now she can also climbs up our door gate and open the door if it is not locked.
She likes to feed herself though she will create a mess. We let her be since it’s time for her to learn how to eat herself. Oh ya, she loves to write. Whenever she sees a pen, she will want to write and draw on herself.
She wants us to sleep with her on her bed. Lately, she will bring all her pillows and bolsters to Jianhui’s room. She will fall asleep on our bed before we carry her back to her bed. In time to come, I think she will want to sleep with us in the room. And now she loves papa very much! She is so happy whenever she sees papa! Mama is jealous! I really wish I could knock off early to spend more time with her too. Sigh.
And yes, she is 10kg and 79.5cm!
She still needs her pacifier to sleep though. Let’s hope she can quit pacifier soon.
Happy 19 months old! Mama and Papa love you a lot! Grow up healthy and happy okay?
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Angeline winks
at |7:28 AM|
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