He Got Flair

Daryl was born six months ago to this very minute (5:28 p.m.). So first of all, happy six-month birthday to Daryl!

We have heard oh-so many times that Daryl looks and behaves more mature than his age. When we tell people that he is only six months old, people would look at us in disbelief, saying that he looks like a one-year-old. In terms of weight, he isn't that heavy. Many babies of his age are heavier than his weight of 18 pounds. And in terms of height, he isn't very tall as his parents are, sadly, both vertically-challenged (no, we're not suffering from dwarfism).

It's from his behaviour and demeanor that we can see his "maturity". He has been able to sit up by himself for a couple of months now, and a little over a month ago, we could pick him up by his armpits and help him walk. Amazingly, Daryl is able to swing his strong and stocky legs one by one, as if imitating the walking motion.

Although he still can't master his vocal chords to produce any meaningful sound, he certainly displays his fondness of talking (unlike his parents) by often being the noisiest person at home. Very often he would "Er", "Ee" or "Ah" the entire morning, as if waking us up and inviting us to play with him.

And he loves to smile. Sometimes he would smile by himself for no particular reason at all. But more often than not, he would smile when we play with him. He is particularly excited playing the drummer or driver on my lap, or read his "Puppy Book", and smiles the brightest. And when we make some funny sounds in front of him, he would simply look at us and, after a brief moment or so, start to smile. His smile has been so attractive and mesmerizing that everyone has fallen for him.

Many people believe that boys nowadays don't have a clue on how to deal with girls. Some may say that many boys are simply like girls. Judging by the number of girls surrounding him since his birth, and by the flair and poise he has been displaying in front of them, we are not worried for Daryl in that regard at all.

Oh Doctor! (Part Deux)

Babies as young as Daryl usually need not see a doctor yet, as they all enjoy a six-month probation … oops, no, sorry, immunity period. People say that babies will not get sick during their first six months, as their mothers have given them all the immunity they have to possess.

But unfortunately for Daryl, he has already become a frequent visitor of our family doctor.

On a Wednesday in late October, Daryl started to have a slight fever after a routine injection at a Government outpatient clinic. This is something very normal and was not a cause for concern at all.

But that was just the beginning of the story.

Since he was still having a fever the day after, I decided to take a day off to look after him (yeah, and to skip work, or whatever). But somehow I myself started to have a fever, which eventually led to my three medical consultations in less than a week (yeah, and a couple of days of sick leave).

Meanwhile, Daryl's fever persisted for some days, and he developed other symptoms like coughing and sneezing as well. So on the following Monday, we decided to bring him to our family doctor, who is notorious for giving extremely strong and drowsy medicine.

However, Daryl was still coughing and sneezing after taking all the medicine. (I guess he must have been smoking and snorting stuffs when I was not around. I'll ask him later.) And he was obviously a little dazed and groggy (stoned?) after taking the medicine. So we had to take him there for a follow-up consultation on Saturday and by then, the doctor and nurses there all remembered him and said he's such a calm and good boy who looks like he's thinking all the time, just like a philosopher as his name suggests!

And when my parents also fell ill (possibly because we had spread the viruses to them) and visited the doctor, the nurses somehow know that Daryl is their grandson, despite the fact that I have never told them about it, and I haven't been to the clinic with my parents for literally ages. What's even more amazing is that they can all remember Daryl's FULL NAME in both Chinese and English, prompting my dad to say that "Daryl must be a very lovely baby. Otherwise they won't remember him that well!" He is a very proud grandfather indeed.

Home Sweet Home

After spending months searching for a new flat, we finally found one, and have now moved in.

It wasn't easy at first. There simply wasn't much flat available close to where we were living when we started. If there was one, it was either too expensive or simply too dilapidated. We don't mind living in flats of poor conditions, but we also have to take Daryl into consideration. We want him to grow up in better places.

So we spent many weekends visiting flats with property agents, who can sometimes be quite obnoxious and annoying. If you hate receiving cold calls, then you will probably detest the company of property agents. They are just the same.

In late October, we finally found one we like a lot. It has recently been renovated, and is quite close to my parents' home as well. Then the next (and probably the most important) thing to do was to bargain. However, the owner stood firm, and we are not the best of bargain hunters. The result: One of the sides is very happy.

Then we suddenly remembered what we had forgotten: Daryl hadn't visited the new flat yet! Older people say that people should bring along their babies when visiting flats. If the baby is happy, then the flat is good and "clean". If the baby cries, then it isn't.

When we finally brought Daryl along to the flat, we had already done all the paper work, which means that we have reached the point of no return. Worried, we showed him the flat and much to our relief, Daryl was smiling and very happy in our new home. He likes it a lot! Thanks Jesus!

And after thorough cleaning, we decided to move in on a Saturday in late November. The actual moving work took almost half a day, as we indeed have loads of things (we were told that there are enough things for a dozen people to live in). We also took Daryl to his godmother's home, lest he would be scared by the noise and the dust of the chaos. Turns out that he was scared by the sound of the piano there! And after two more days of unpacking the 50-plus boxes and drilling holes for boards and stuffs, we finally have a "brand new" home!

Oh Doctor!

Like many other kids in Hong Kong, Daryl is a victim of eczema.

When we found some colourless "dots" on his body, we were extremely worried that he might be suffering from some kind of serious (such as measles) or mysterious diseases (such as, well, I have no idea).

But when we also noticed that he was not having a fever, and wasn't even crying at all, we became less worried, as babies will usually cry a lot if he feels extremely uncomfortable.

We tried finding out the reasons for his "dots", and we thought that the culprit was a new bathing shampoo which, ironically, was bought at the Baby Expo at HKCEC. So we stopped using it and reverted to the old one.

Yet when I was just about leaving home for work the other day (shortly before his three-month birthday), I noticed that the number of "dots" had increased. Although he was not having any other symptoms, I immediately decided to take him to a doctor to find out what's wrong with him (so that I could skip work).

Actually I was not that worried. When the doctor called his name through the PA system, I was not worried about what his diagnosis would be. Instead I felt so wonderful because his name had been announced through the PA system! Believe me, there is no other thing which is as wonderful as hearing someone else calling your child's name (in a polite manner of course).

As expected, the doctor said that he was only suffering from eczema, and luckily it was only a very mild one. In fact Daryl didn't look like a patient at all and was smiling a lot at the clinic. The doctor also gave us a lot of cream and ointment especially for him. Hopefully his eczema will be gone soon.

A New Home

We are definitely not rich. We cannot afford a place of our own, and we have been staying at someone else's home for the last couple of years. So far, so good.

But we were told recently that we can't live there anymore, and were asked to move away as soon as possible.

Two years ago when we moved in, there were only two members in the family. Now there are four. That means we have to find somewhere bigger, somewhere which can give Daryl as much room to play and move around as possible.

Two years ago when we moved in, the rent (What? You thought we sneaked into someone else's place to live?) was at an all-time low, particularly the flat we are now renting. And when we started to find a new place to rent, we were simply startled by the unreasonable price that some of the owners are asking for.

A case in point: A derelict flat (albeit in a major blue-chip housing estate) with no decoration but extremely dirty and smelly kitchen and toilet can cost somewhere near $15K. I won't live there even if I am PAID $15K per month.

We thought of buying a flat on our own, yet the price is even more unreasonable. A brand-new standalone building at Shau Kei Wan cost you $6,000 per square feet, but the bedroom can be smaller than your bed. Go figure.

Our decision: Rent another flat, even if that means we have to pay a lot more for a place not much bigger than the one we are now living in. And after months of searching and bargaining, we have found a decent one which, although considerably more expensive, is an ideal place for Daryl given its coziness.

Hopefully we have made the right choice for him.

Four Months

Dear Daryl,

Today is your four-month-old birthday. So Happy Birthday to you!

From the time of seeing you being just a tiny little baby when you were born, to being such a healthy and happy baby now, we always thank God how wonderful things have turned out to be.

We were worried about everything before, during and after you were born, worried that you might be hungry or not feeling well. But thank God for lending us a big helping hand and you are now such a big and strong fella who is willing to drink milk and is seldom naughty.

You are such a tidy and clean baby that you would cry when you want to have a bath, but smile while taking and enjoying one.

You can sit or even stand for a short while now. And very often we would simply put you on the sofa, watching you sitting and watching TV. Like Mommy says, you are a TV baby, a close relative of the Teletubbies.

And you don't seem to mind the flashes of the cameras, as you have got used to it since the day you were born. Mommy and daddy are both photo-taking freaks, just like the paparazzis, and you are the Hollywood star.

And you are such a blessed baby that you not only have the love of grandparents and us, but also that of your two crazy godmothers who are willing to spend a fortune on your clothes and toys. I always tell them to subscribe a fund for you instead, but they flat out said no, saying that the funds won't make you more lovely.

You can utter a lot of sounds now, but still can't master the skills to say "Mommy" or "Daddy". Hopefully you would learn to speak quickly. And judging from the abundance of saliva running out of your mouth, it's highly likely that you will learn it really soon.

And we will soon see your first teeth too. Mommy says that she's noticed some white dots in your lower gum, and believes that these are your teeth. Well, that means you can start biting and chewing things really soon. And hopefully you won't bite us.

Best Wishes,

Your Mommy and Daddy

Nanny Dandy

When both parents have to work, it's a must to find someone to take care of the baby at home. And when there are no family members or relatives to do it for you, you have to find a domestic helper to carry out the duty, in addition to the household chores.

As my wife and I are both very busy with our work, we decided to employ a domestic helper to help take care of Daryl. As it turned out, our helper not only does the household chores well, she also takes very good care of Daryl.

But that has led to an unexpected twist.

The helper was on leave the other day, and I soon found out that we were in deep trouble, as Daryl simply refused to eat. Each time I tried with a bottle of freshly made milk, he would only drink an ounce of it and then stopped. From 6:30 in the morning to around 8:30 in the evening, he had only taken four ounces of milk, and the only thing he wanted to suck was his pacifier. We were extremely worried. When the helper came home, we told her what happened, and then she immediately tried a new bottle.

And Daryl promptly started drinking, and finished the bottle in no time at all.

Daryl has got so used to helper's feeding that he would not eat unless it's her feeding him. And does it mean that he will only listen to the helper in the future?

We surely hope not.

Tiny Hands

Daryl has been trying to use his hands since being born. And recently he has discovered some of their major functions.

Firstly, he can finally grab his toys with his fingers. We have been trying to teach him how to use his hands and fingers, and we often pick up some of his many free toys (courtesy of his crazy crazy godmothers) and shake them in front of him like an idiot, hoping that he could pick up one of them and shake it like crazy. But we failed on both counts. First, he is still having difficulties picking up his toys, and we have to put one in his hands and wrap his fingers around it, so that he could hold it properly. Second, he is not crazy at all, and although he can only raise his toys, he hasn't figured out how to shake them yet. Perhaps he doesn't want to act like an idiot like we do.

Secondly, he can finally suck his hands. The other day, when all of us were asleep, we were awakened by the "jeep" noise (the kind of noise you should never produce when eating or drinking) in our room. When we woke up trying to find out what it was, we saw Daryl sucking his both hands like crazy. We were amazed by how happy he looked to be, and how noisily he was sucking. And we felt like an idiot watching him suck his hands happily in the middle of the night.

And thirdly, through learning how to use his hands, he found out a very important secret: We are in fact two happy idiots in front of him.

Fast Observer-cum-Learner

Again it's something I didn't witness.

Mommy told me that whenever I leave home for work, Daryl would start to cry and make a lot of noises, as if he wanted to go to work with me.

It's really fascinating. No matter how sweet Daryl has been sleeping early in the morning, when I wake up preparing for work, he would also wake up, as if he wanted to become a personal alarm clock for me.

And Mommy also told me that no matter how sweet Daryl has been sleeping late in the afternoon, he would always wake up sometime around six o'clock, as if preparing to welcome me home from work.

Wow!

I didn't realise how much my influence was when I started keeping Creamy as a pet a couple of years ago. Many people say that pets behave like their owners, and for sure a lot of people say that Creamy is wonderfully lovely, mesmerisingly stunning, and fantastically clever.

And now when I look at Daryl, I finally realise my every single move is etched into his mind forever. He already knows when I wake up, when I leave home and when I will be back each day. He's such a smart baby.

And I am sure he will very soon figure out when I have to pee.

Tough Fist

Like a lot of parents, we want to capture the growth of Daryl with something "tangible". And while we have taken a lot of pictures and videos of him, trying to record his gradual growth each and every day, these pictures and videos are something "intangible", something you can't grab hold of, literally.

That's why we decided to spend some money for the molding of his tiny hands and feet, when he is still a toddler.

We went to an apartment somewhere in Causeway Bay for the molding, and our two-month old Daryl was extremely nervous, just as what we had expected. We wanted him to make a palm when making the mold, yet due to his nervousness and discomfort, he only made a fist, which was a little disappointing to us.

And more frustratingly, he fell asleep shortly after the molding and he was so relaxed that he had straightened all his fingers, making his palm lines easy to read.

By making a palm, we would have been able to read his palm lines clearly, thus giving us some idea about his characters and future development.

Yet by making a fist, we will only be reminded time and again that we had forgot to trim his fingernails before leaving home for molding on that special day.

Cries Baby Cries

Like all other babies and children, Daryl is highly vulnerable to physical discomfort. The only way out for them is to cry. That's why it is oh so common to see a baby crying due to hunger, tiredness and wetness in his diaper. However, the very first time you see your baby cry like that is a worrying moment indeed.

The other day, his godmother visited us and brought along a lot of toys. Everything was fine and perfect until around 9:30 p.m., Daryl suddenly woke up and started crying madly. We had never seen him cry like that before. He was crying so desperately that not even our hugs or a bottle of freshly brewed milk could comfort him. We were so worried that we thought of taking him to the hospital.

Then my wife decided to go through the extensive collection of our "library" to find out what's wrong with him. One of the books said that babies would cry madly if their tummy is in discomfort. If that's the case, we should massage his tummy in a clock-wise direction. We decided to follow the instructions and luckily, Daryl soon felt a lot better and was quickly asleep, as crying itself is an exhausting exercise for babies.

Lucky for us that we have the books pinpointing his problems and telling us what we should do.

And lucky for us that none of us is illiterate so that we can read. It is a huge blessing indeed.

Mindless Daddy, Joyous Baby

I was so careless that I didn't remember a very important day.

Yesterday was Daryl's two-month-old birthday!

Being occupied by my work and stricken with sickness yet again, my mind was all over the place and I simply didn't remember this very special day for him. Now talk about a bad father: I didn't buy him any present when he was a month old, and now, I almost forgot this special day had Mommy not reminded me in the morning.

And this blog entry would not have existed had one of Daryl's godmothers not asked me to write it!

Daryl doesn't look like a two-month old baby. If I bring him down on the streets and ask the passers-by how old he looks like, I suspect most of them will say that he looks like five or six months old (and that I am a lunatic).

Looking back, time really flies and I still remember everything when Daryl was born. Mommy's admission to hospital, me waiting outside the ward, more waiting inside the ward, and the entire birth process. It seems like they all happened yesterday.

To me, Daryl's major achievement this month is that he has learned how to smile. When I see him smile, well, all my troubles will really be gone.

First Encounter

One thing I should have talked about earlier is Daryl's first encounter with Creamy.

My wife and I always believe that Creamy, our pet schnauzer, was the first to know the presence of Daryl in Mommy's tummy more than ten months ago. And we often told Creamy that Daryl will be a little brother for her and asked her to take good care of him.

Yet since we were worried that Daryl may be allergic to Creamy's fur (allergy for babies can be serious), we decided to relocate Creamy to my parents' home and planned to take her back when Daryl is at least six months old. So Daryl and Creamy had never met.

On July 9 (that's before the start of this blog), they met for the very first time. Creamy was excited to see us just like before. When she saw Daryl, she kept on jumping (just millimetres short of the world record), hoping to smell him and lick his tiny feet.

This time we were well-prepared. We never put Daryl down and carried him high into our arms, just in case Creamy got a little too excited. As expected, Creamy kept jumping tirelessly and was obviously very curious about him. However, we refused to allow her to get too close to Daryl. That's why Creamy sounded like complaining when she made some funny noises. ("I really wanted to smell and lick his smooth skin," she said through an interpreter afterwards.)

As for Daryl, he remained calm, collected and asleep throughout, without being disturbed or scared by her jumpy canine buddy.

Daryl (in) the Boxer

Experts say that one of the reasons why many guys nowadays don't look or act like a man is that they had suffered traumas in their childhood. And that includes forcing them to wear blouses instead of trousers when they were babies.

We always want Daryl to be a real man, a man of commitment, affection, courage, bravery and manhood (in no particular order). That's why we gave him a new outfit the other day.

A pair of boxers.

Actually it's a pair of cotton boxer shorts (on top of, not underneath his diaper of course). I was told over the phone by Mommy to expect a surprise about Daryl's clothing. When I first saw him, I thought he looked exactly the same as I did, when I was wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts at the P.E. lessons during my secondary school days a millennium ago.

With the continuous growth of his bones and muscles, Daryl has started to move his arms and legs around frantically these couple of weeks, as if to check whether they are functioning properly. (Question: How can he ask for a refund?) And whenever he moves his arms around, I have to make sure that I don't get too close to him as his left hook and right jab are powerful enough to knock me out cold.

And I also have to make sure that his powerful kicks would not hit me in the groin area, in case he wants to practise Muay Thai.

Bon Appetit!

I have no idea whether Guinness keeps any record on this, as Daryl achieved quite an amazing feat this Wednesday (August 2).

In a span of a little more than three hours in the afternoon, he took some 13 ounces of milk powder in total without spilling any.

And he promptly fell asleep soon afterwards.

13 ounces. That would be around 390 millilitres, a little more than a can of Coke. I know a lot of people can't finish a can of Coke no matter how much time they have. How on earth can his little stomach take in so many liquid in such a short period of time? Goodness only knows.

Actually he has been eating a lot more than the suggested serving. The can of Wyeth S26 milk powder suggests a baby of his weight take four ounces of milk powder per meal and some six meals per day. That means he should have taken around 24 ounces of milk powder per day. Yet he often takes eight to ten meals per day, and sometimes he would take up to five ounces per meal. We don't need to be a rocket scientist to tell that he has eaten too much.

Neither do I nor my wife has tall genes, and Daryl's drinking binge worries us in the sense that the growth of his body may concentrate mainly in his belly and hips. We don't want him to gain weight at the expense of his height.

Could anyone please tell me where to find a basketball team for month-old babies?

Watching and Listening

Daryl has big, black and round eyes just like his mother, which is good news to us because if his eyes were like mine, I wouldn't be able to find them!

And some seven weeks after birth, he can finally capture the movement of the things moving in front of him, and can even manage to tell us that he can finally see them clearly!

I wasn't around when the magic moment came, but Mommy told me that Daryl could finally watch the Combi toy rotating above his head and follow their movement. And even more amazingly, when the toy's music stopped, he uttered some sound, which is markedly different from the sound when he's hungry or having wetted his diaper, as if he wanted Mommy to restart the toy and play the music again.

We always wanted Daryl to utter more sounds, as he has the most wonderful voice we have ever heard. Hopefully he will master his vocal chords soon, be articulate enough and to become the official spokesperson of our family.

And with his great voice, is he a broadcaster in-the-making?

One Small Step for Daryl, One Giant Leap for Me

To watch your child growing up every day is the most wonderful thing in the world.

When I go home after work each day, I would find him physically bigger, and look a little different from the time I left home.

One day, I noticed that his eyes were opening more, and becoming bigger and bigger, just like his mother. And the other day, I found that he could finally look straight at my eyes, as he has started to figure out how to control his eye muscles.

The other day, I found that he could make different noises. Not just "Meow", but also different kinds of groaning and yelling which, if you listen carefully, all sound different and can tell you whether he needs milk or whether he wants to be cradled.

And one day, Mommy would place him onto my chest while I was sleeping on the couch. He didn't cry or flinch at all, and enjoyed every moment while on my cushy chest, because he knows who I am, and it's a safe place for him.

I like it a lot, because I love him too.

Moving up the Weight Class

Daryl has reached a milestone today. A time to celebrate indeed.

His weight has broken the 10-pound barrier.

And compared with other new borns, Daryl is bigger, stronger and faster in all area. A giant among the boys, you may say.

One of the reasons is that Daryl has taken a lot more milk powder than usual. While the instructions on the Wyeth S26 can says that babies between two to eight weeks should have six meals per day (one meal once every four hours) and four ounces each, Daryl has been eating once every one to two hours, and sometimes up to five or even six ounces per meal.

By the way, our usual guys and gals held a lavish party for Daryl's one-month birthday yesterday, with lots of presents and a lovely cake prepared by his godmothers. All the beautiful gals fell in love with him at first sight, and being a great ambassador, Daryl is more than happy to be cradled by them, and kept his eyes wide open when taking pictures.

Daryl the Cat

It surprised us a lot when we heard Daryl made some noises while we were having dinner last night.

We were surprised not because he made noises, but the kind of noise he made.

No, he didn't speak any words.

He MEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWED.

Now Creamy, our family pet, is a Schnauzer, and we have never had a cat or kitten before. Why the heck did he imitate a cat?

Why Daryl?

So the question is: Why do we name our baby Daryl?

Well, I'm a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. And I always like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston, the three key players in their backfield in the late 80s' and early 90s'. Yet we can't use Troy (which sounds rather funny in Chinese) or Emmitt (which is a rather peculiar name itself and sounds like "Vomit" or "Emit") as his name. That's why we have chosen Daryl, a common first name in English-speaking countries but a rather "rare" one in Hong Kong.

Daryl's Pictures

Some older people believe that taking pictures of a small child will damage his eyes or even capture his soul! Nevertheless, my wife and I love taking pictures. That's why we have taken thousands and thousands of pictures of our month-old Baby Daryl. Some of them can be found here, our online album. More to come. Stay tuned.

By the way, this isn't Daryl. She's Creamy, our lovely little Schnauzer.

Finally, A Blog Belonging to Me!

For a computer illiterate like me, it isn't THAT late to finally have a blog of my own.

I didn't think of creating a blog in the first place. Yet when I started posting the email address and pictures of my new-born son, Daryl, through other on-line applications, my longtime friend, Paul, asked why not create a blog for Daryl as well. So here we go.

I, like many of you, am a busy man, and may not afford a lot of time writing stuff on it. Don't expect me to use it as a diary by writing and adding new stuff every day.

So you guys' contribution would be essential. I would like to hear more from all of you, and let me know what you're thinking. Okay?