Tuesday 31 December 2013

Counting down to 2014

We're back from India! But more on that later.. For now, we're just very, very, very happy to be home :) And it happens to be the last day of the year - we're just in time to welcome the new year in the comfort of our own little nest.

It has been a most trying year, juggling work and family with Sito away half the time, doing a job I have little passion for, managing the day-to-day with bad sleep every night, etc.

But for the past three months, life (at least at home) has become better. With Y around, I have no worries about housework, hot dinner after work every evening, and immediate child care help whenever I feel too tired. It also helps a lot that ZK has started to wake less in the night. But now that we're just back from a holiday, I have to retrain his sleep - he refused to go down after I used the wee wee trick just now.

2013 has really flown by, and I felt that a lot in India when I looked at ZK sleeping next to me - when did he get so big?! He has grown a lot heavier too. It's really challenging carrying him man... Other than baby-related stuff, I don't remember much of the year heh :p

Now that 2014 is on its way, I'm looking forward to a great many things:

1) Turning 34! Sito will be on leave and we may pop out for dinner after the little one goes to bed :)

2) Turning four! Clan Sito's growth target for 2014 :)

3) Better health! I haven't been feeling very good the past couple of months. I know it can only get better. I even dreamt of getting a gym membership while in India! But of course I won't do that. I just hope I can somehow become healthier; getting fitter is a bonus heh!

4) Better husband? Not changing husbands haha! But Sito has shown himself to be a great papa in India, helping a lot with ZK - I wouldn't have survived the trip with an active toddler if not for him :)

5) Better job? Well, I'm not leaving but my job scope will change a little after a re-org. It means more things but it also means busier times ahead. I hope it gets better in all aspects...

So well, here's to a great start to a potentially wonderful new year! :)

Monday 23 December 2013

On a break...

... from packing!

We started packing clothes last Thursday. Today, we're supposed to pack in the rest, i.e. baby supplies. But after taking out all his stuff to put on the TV bench, I got too overwhelmed to continue *.*



See? Tired already right?? *.*

But I'd better get back on the task soon. Gotta fetch him from school after lunch, shower us all and get to the airport.

Anyway, just to share a precious moment from our life - yesterday, ZK whined longingly when he saw his parents in a bear hug so we took one armpit each and up he came, into a giant family hug :) Though he promptly struggled free!

Clan Sito will be back from India just before 2014! Merry Christmas! :)

Wednesday 18 December 2013

A week of Mama's moments

Actually, only a few days la..

Sito started clearing leave this week, and I was on half-day leave for Monday to Wednesday. So on Monday after watching The Desolation of Smaug, we set off to pick ZK up from IFC. On the bus, I suddenly had a stomachache and had to go home to my beloved toilet. So Sito brought ZK home on his own.

At bedtime, I was half dead on the sofa and he came up to sit with me for a while. I asked Sito to bring him to bed cos my stomach wasn't 100% yet. Then this little boy hung on to me and refused to let go - he knew that if he let go, I wouldn't bring him to bed :( It was such a bitter sweet moment!

So I somehow stood up from the sofa with a heavy koala bear hanging on me and brought him to bed. Thankfully, the mama-go-wee-wee thing still worked so I left after a few songs and some talk and lots of kisses.

The stomach upset didn't let up the next morning - third consecutive day! I was beginning to think it was the new probiotics I started taking to toughen up my insides for India.. Anyway, I'm better now.

The next day, Sito and I went to watch The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. On the way to IFC - no stomachache yeah! But we decided that some bubble tea was good so Sito went to get that before meeting us at IFC.

I trailed behind when we left the centre as I was closing the gate. Then ZK said "mama"! We were very excited :)

Oh, another exciting happening - he blew at his rice at dinner that evening. Um, I may not get to blow my own birthday candle next month? :p

Anyway, then this morning, I was trailing behind again as we left home for IFC. Again, he called for me! This boy ah, calls me only when he can't see me :) But but but! At the IFC, we were telling him to say bye bye to me, and he went "ma-ah ma!"

Very happy - he's definitely addressing me now :)

Saturday 14 December 2013

Take a seat (and a sleep tip!)

We discovered this week that when he says "jit" and points down in front of next to him whenever he's eating or having milk, he's telling us to sit down with him :) In celebration of that, almost all the pictures today show ZK seated..

The first morning when he had bread after milk. He kicked at the table, first with one leg, then with both. Had to move the chair away so that he didn't inadvertently tip himself backwards!



Another morning, he decided to hook one leg on the side of his high chair. I told him to put it down. He did so but repeated his act while smiling at me!! And he changed legs as well *.* Eventually, he even did this:



And this uncle pose..



So terrible.. And I really don't like to see ankles going above knee level! Need to teach properly..

And after a few days of refusing his bib in the morning, he decided that he wanted to play with it. So he stuffed the bread in his mouth to free his hands *.*



He was also refusing his bib for some dinners. But the day he turned 17 months, i.e. 12 December, I turned for a bit and when I turned back, I found that he had grabbed the bib from the chair and anyhow spread it on his chest! So mini grown-up and so cute :)

And one evening, he came home looking like Superman - the teacher must have have a hard time buttoning on his bodysuit before putting on the pants...



Earlier this month, he discovered his buttons and started unbuttoning them one evening. Very soon, he was unbuttoning in the middle of the road..



When he woke and had nothing better to do (and I didn't want to go in yet)


(Time stamp was wrong..)

The past few mornings, he had been waking up at around 6 am and goro-ing in bed, sometimes babbling, sometimes just making a few random sounds as if dreaming. I would just watch him on the camera while dozing in and out of sleep. And today, he didn't stir until almost 7 am woohoo!

I also found a way to get him to sleep on his own! :) So, some time earlier this week, I really needed to pee when he woke in the middle of the night. I patted him a little and decided that I couldn't hold it anymore although he had not gone back to sleep yet. So I told him that Mama gotta go wee wee and left the room. When I was done, I decided to check on him through the camera before going in. Guess what? He was fine! Just rolled for some eight minutes and - all still!

Of course I went back to sleep, AND repeated the trick the next night. Finally on 12 December, yes, the day he turned 17 months, I was in the room with him after dinner, and thought, why not try it for his bed time? And it worked!! And it has been working since then! Ok, so it's only been a three evenings, but it's a big improvement for us - first of all, he seems to fall asleep more quickly without someone next to him; and I get to wash up early and have more rest!

It's quite amazing actually. Just a couple of weeks ago, I told him that he should go to sleep and I would go out. I said goodnight to him and he waved at me. But I barely reached the door when he started to whine. When I tried to sit further away from his bed, he crawled off his bed to lie in my lap instead. I was thinking I might have to sit next to him for quite some months more.. But now he doesn't whine when I leave the room if I say I want to go wee wee. He may make some objections like Friday night - he shook his head when I said I wanted to go wee wee. It took a few tries but I got out eventually.

Maybe he forgets that when I go wee wee, I should return? If so, I'd better enjoy this period before he becomes more aware!

But he still needs his pacifier for bed time. Last Sunday, for some reason, I forgot about his pacifier. We were in bed and he kept pointing to the door, going "goot goot" or something. It took me more than a few seconds to realise he wanted his joot joot! Ah well, one evil at a time...

This was last Sunday at Mum's place - I love this picture! The light from behind took away part of his shoulders in the picture, making his head look especially big and adorable :) That's a foot stool but he loves to sit on it so that's where we put on his shoes for him.



He had a good time that afternoon - he had human see-saw! Look at him - so relaxed on AhYe's legs:



Papa's see-saw was not as enjoyable!



Looking like a busy businessman, on the phone, on his armchair kiddy chair. And gesturing some more!



His $2 Daiso chair broke last Saturday when he pounced on Mum while she was on it so Mum got him a new chair. This chair squeaks when he gets on but only when he puts his butt far in. It also squeaks when he gets off. At first he was wondering where that sound came from!

Not seated but his chair is in the picture! My hardworking baby decided to sweep the floor today while Kakak went downstairs to buy top-up card *.*



Went to cut his hair just now. Stripped him down to his diapers! And he watched his first five minutes of Barney - well, at least that kept him real still!



Pretty aunty who likes him a lot wasn't around today so we didn't get discount - paid $17 instead of $10 for the haircut!

He was very quiet on the bus to Plaza Sing but on the train back, he was all over the place! This was a rare second:



We bought him a new pair of shoes last Saturday. Took the chance to stay out a bit later to catch the Christmas lighting in town too :) But he wasn't interested *.* So today, we also didn't bother, just came straight home after the haircut.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Hilarious morning

ZK was babbling a lot at the dining table today - since last Thursday, I've been giving him some solid food after his morning milk feed.

Today, we ran out of bread so I gave him a cracker which he didn't like. So I thought of his baby biscuits which came in pairs. After he hastily finished the first one, of course he wanted the other one..

mf: Say "more".

ZK signed "more".

mf: Say "please".

ZK signed "please". As as I handed him the biscuit..

mf: Say "thank you".

ZK signed "thank you" with one hand as he took the biscuit with the other.

And he bit into it happily. And with food in his mouth, he launched into a lecture.

mf: He must be complaining, "Made me do so much just for a biscuit!"

Y and I had a good laugh over this. But he continued to lecture!

Y: "Kakak laughing so much, I don't like!"

More laughter ensued and he wouldn't let up!

Y: "Mama laughing so much, I also don't like!"

But I bet he must be wondering, what are these two laughing about?!

:p

Anyway, here's a video from Sunday when he sounded like he was lecturing someone - on the phone:

Monday 9 December 2013

My little ZK

The teachers at IFC often told me how ZK fought with other babies in school. Actually, fighting is probably the wrong term; he is just rough. He pulled at a younger girl, causing her to fall. He's also quite a tyrant. He made an older girl downstairs cry when he took her toy away. When an older boy came up to the infant room one Saturday, he chased him around the room.

But there's always a hierarchy in life and it's no different at the baby stage. Sophia, just two days younger but 5kg heavier (!), would pull at him and of course he would lose! The girl is 50% heavier!

I like to hear such stories from the teachers. I like to hear how he "wins". I also like to hear how he "loses". I think he needs to understand he's not always going to win. 有赢有输嘛。Especially now that he's the only child, it's even more important for him to know that the universe doesn't revolve around him.

I often see and hear parents refer to their child as the prince or princess, or some other revered titles. I think it's unhealthy. It creates an impression that everyone bows to the child, which shouldn't be the case. Perhaps I'm being extreme, and sensible children will understand and not be spoilt, but looking at teenagers these days, I can't help but worry.

That's why I always call ZK by name or my baby. He's the world to me and I'll make sure he understands that without growing up thinking that the world revolves around him.

Wednesday 4 December 2013

My only exercise this year

There's something about stepping out on the streets in the wee hours of the morning. And there's something to be said when early departures to some relaxing vacation first comes to mind instead of staggering out of a club at the end of a wild night :p

Well, that Sunday, it was neither.


Source: H

Yes, I joined the StanChart Ekiden race!

Woke at an unearthly hour of 3.35 am, wrapped a blueberry muffin in a kitchen towel and left the house.

The air was crisp and the streets were quite quiet. The MRT station was deserted...



And the electronic sign reminded me that the station was not usually open at that time..



I took the lift to change to the East West Line. And realised what a joke it would be if I got trapped *.*

Then at the top, I realised I didn't even check if the escalator was working *.* Well, so far, only the ones on the EWL station were.

The Circle Line was pretty empty but the EWL had about 50% seats taken! Later, I heard from SQ that the North South Line from city to Orchard was packed like a weekday! This marathon thing is quite popular hur...

I stepped out from an exit of Raffles Place MRT. Strange to walk in the city at 5 am. And there were people. And many of them wore the same tee.

Eventually found the Promontory and waited for less than 10 min to board the bus towards Point 3. There were limited seats obviously but this girl with eyeliner* had a bottle on the seat next to her. At times like this, ask and it shall be given. Inconsiderate idiot.

* I cannot fault her eyeliner. After all, I put in blusher and concealer :p

Found colleague H at Point 3. Chatted and looked at (her) whatsapp as team members posted pictures. Our preceding runners arrived at 650 am. We took a picture to submit to office as proof and off we went!


Source: K, I believe...

H jogged while I walked. I kept about 100 m behind her until she had to go to the toilet. I ended up arriving at point 4 a minute before she did.

I didn't know 6.5 km was so long! My stretch was in East Coast Park. I passed by some trees etc before I reached the chalet, some shops and then the restaurant area. When I passed by a drain, I thought I must have cycled through here before, many years back!

Took a sip of water at the second water station I passed by. And my next drop of liquid was after the changeover at point 4.


Source: J, I believe..

I managed to get to point 4 in an hour and two minutes (or 1:02:27.4 as indicated on my stop watch :p) - not bad for walking! But we took some time getting to the shuttle pick-up point and waiting for our turn. By the time we got off the shuttle at the MRT exit opposite Capitol, we had finished for an hour.

It took a detour to the Padang before we eventually met a few others for breakfast at Macs at Raffles City. I was too tired and left while some of them waited for the last runners of our teams to return.

Had to have Sito massage my shins. Soon, I found my arms hurting too. I was so broken!!

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Another perspective

Just read this and I have something to say.

Credit to him, the author is saying that the privileged should be more aware that their family circumstances have given them more opportunities than they imagine and that they should also be aware that the less privileged may not have such opportunities not because of their own doing but because well, they're not privileged.

I'm not privileged. And I can't agree with all that he says. Because I think that - and I have witnessed around me that - some people really do not know how to make good decisions, some people really are just lazy or plain stupid.

The author can say his piece because he's privileged; I can say my piece because I'm not. Neither is wrong :)

I count myself lucky to be here despite all odds. My children will not be privileged. But they will have a better head-start than I've ever had. And that's good enough for me. I hope that's good enough for them.

Monday 2 December 2013

Precious moments with ZK

Is anyone missing ZK? :p More photos!

He has learnt to belt himself up. But he can't release the catch. We do this MANY times after each dinner *.*



Restaurants also have ideas to entertain children. And this idea currently doesn't work well on him - he destroyed the crayon instead!



My super cool baby!!!



We put on his new car seat the day we went to celebrate Papa's birthday. He was checking on the various compartments of the car seat...



The car seat has two toy compartments and a cup holder which is mostly used for toys.. So he can play with toys and put them back! This toy got him wound up..



That morning, I brought him to the bathroom basin and we brushed our teeth together :) But he's still resisting it most of the time..

Pinky hold!


Source: Teacher D

That was taken in school, probably due snack time.. And talk about school - he used to come to me immediately when I went to pick him up in the evening. Lately, he decides that he wants to show me what he can do - and what he can do now is to shout and run around at the same time!



Yet another cool expression - I was trying to catch him sitting on the ledge behind and reading but he kept standing up!



More photos from the camera..

He sat up in bed in the middle of the night.



Usually, he would be "singing" and I would need to pop in to put him back in bed. But this morning, he sat up for a while at 5 am and went back to bed without fuss!

Other times, he would really sing. Just two weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to hear him hum some baby tune as he was trying to sleep in the evening :) And he has been singing on and off since then, and not necessarily in bed :)

He was sound asleep in the middle of the night but Meh Meh was winking at the camera.



He decided the floor blanket was more comfy than his bed in the middle of the night.



Legs off the bed in the middle of the night and Meh Meh had been thrown off. (Time stamp is wrong; it should have been 4 am...)



A precious moment when Papa put the little one in bed cos Mama wasn't feeling well.



Another precious moment.. Yesterday just before dinner, ZK wanted to watch the flashcard DVD. Sito set it up for him and sat next to him at his order.



Apparently, on Friday when IFC was closed and I had to be away for lunch, ZK asked Mum to bring him to the laptop and he pushed the DVD in himself!

Other happenings:

He pushed an older boy away from "his" toy at the library two Saturdays ago *.*

Last week, when I told him that that was his last raisin, he kept putting it into his mouth and spitting it out *.*

Just now, he discovered that he could pull the buttons of his PJs apart and kept doing it *.*

Hmmm, why are all these happenings marked with this *.* face?! Gaaar! My little boy, 小淘气!(超强吸收力!)

Saturday 30 November 2013

Happy birthday to Sito! :)

I have not been feeling very well.. Gastric pains almost killed me last week.. But well, I'm better these two days and ready to write!

(This should have come before the previous post but I was so overwhelmed by the bag :p)

My dear husband has turned 33!

We finally made full use of Y that weekend - on Saturday, we got her to put ZK in bed while we scooted off for our 8 pm dinner at Ruth's Chris.

We started with their crab cakes. Then came our steak - medium rare plus for me and medium rare for him. But we had to send Sito's back cos it was too rare. This had never happened before! Seemed that they were expecting the steak to keep cooking on the hot plate but we thought the hot plate just wasn't as hot as they thought... We had steak fries and asparagus to go with our meat. And they gave us a complimentary expresso cake for Sito's birthday!



We sang a little song and blew out the candle :)

It was past 9 pm by then but we took a walk through Marina Square and Suntec City anyway before cabbing home. We alighted at our block then decided on ice cream. So we walked to the heart of Holland Village thinking of cold stone ice cream only to find it gone! Nevermind, there's always Haagen Dazs. We shared a cone of two scoops on the way home, very happy :)

And on Sunday, we had a birthday dinner with the rest of the family. So much food! And little ZK ate a lot as well - Mum's porridge plus our noodles plus prawn crackers and cake!

Mama was trying to make ZK sing for Papa while Papa smiled for the camera :)


Source: Mum or Jiejie

Blow it out! Have fun cos next year (and some more years), ZK would probably want to do it!


Source: Mum or Jiejie

Love my boys :)

My husband is very "spoil market"

Sito came home with this last night:



I was speechless.

I was in shock.

Then, I remembered what Yan told me about the cost of Chanel bags and I was in fear - I might get mugged on the streets for this! Haha!

I was gripped by a mix of emotions that I'm experiencing all over again as I type!

So I gingerly opened the nicely packaged bag. I think 包装文化 is a waste of resources but I must admit that opening up a beautifully wrapped present is very exciting.. What's inside?!



Well, it's obviously a bag! But I must get to it layer by layer..

Even the bag holding the bag looks like a flap bag.



My new bag! For the anniversary of our wedding party and my grand 34th :)



Sito knows me well - black, classic design, all leather and easy to maintain. And he told me about all the little compartments of the bag, as related to him by the sales person - this is to hold money for tipping; this is for lipstick; this is for secret letters. Huh? Haha!

To be honest, I was in so much shock last night that after opening it, I could only tell Sito, yes, I like it, no need to exchange. But now, I can't wait to wear it!! I promise I will do better than tee and sweat pants in order to go with the bag..

Hmm, this must sound really sua ku but well, I'm sua ku what hoho!

Funny how my (ex-)colleagues and I were talking about buying nice bags over lunch yesterday. I didn't say it but I was thinking, I don't need to buy bags cos Sito has got me nicer bags than I've ever bought for myself.

But we agreed that he wouldn't have to buy me a bag for at least 10 years. Perhaps forever..? I'm very contented :)

Saturday 16 November 2013

ZK's verbal development

Last night, I went for my office D&D and had Mum help to pick up ZK. Y said he didn't look for me, bah! And on Thursday, he wouldn't even repeat "mama" after me, much less call me!! But when I said Meh Meh, he repeated Meh Meh; when I said Papa, he repeated Papa; when we were going to school that morning, he said Kakak in her direction! Sighs.. Where is "mama"??

Well, apparently, on Wednesday when I wasn't around, ZK called for "mama" :) This boy, he didn't want to spoil me, heh! But he finally did this morning - he went "mama" a few times :) Although he started while looking at Sophie the giraffe *.* But then he turned to me, said "mama" and gave me a big smile! :)

He know Sito is Papa since late October. He even repeated "mama" shortly after that, if he was happy. Last weekend, he kept going "nehneh" when he wanted Meh Meh. So I spoke very slowly and deliberately when he was looking at me - mmMeh mmMeh - and he has been going Meh Meh ever since.

The other day, I said 饼 very slowly and deliberately too. He watched and listened intently, pursed his lips a few times, then broke into a grin and gestured for biscuits as usual. Ah well, it's only a matter of time.. He's understanding a lot now, this boy.. We'd ask him a question and if he disagrees, he would shake his head, violently at times; if he agrees, he just won't move, or he would do as he's told.

My fave is about his shoes. I only need to change or say let's go or ask him to get his 鞋鞋 and he would run over to find his shoes! And when we were at Mum's place, we only have to say 回家家 and he would go for his 鞋鞋! And when he's not wearing his shoes and I mentioned them, he would bring up his feet, sometimes gesturing "no more" or shaking his head :)

And he knows he should sit down to wear his shoes. At home, he'll go for the little yellow chair. At Mum's place, there's a little foot rest that he likes. And while we're putting on his socks, he likes to hold out a shoe or both to us - yes, my dear, after the socks!

I also like to just "relax one corner" and ask him to pick up his toys. I would point to something on the floor and he would look, walk over and pick it up. Then it's off to his toy box - with a big thud cos he tends to throw the toy back *.* And he often leaves a couple of toys lying around cos he couldn't be bothered to listen to Mama who only just sits there, hoho! Well, it's a start :)

The other day, he was being naughty with his water bottle - he sucked up the water and spit it down his shirt. I scolded him. At first he laughed. Then he saw my fierce look and caught the tone of my words, and he started to cry! I found it so funny but I managed to stay fierce and lecture him that he must not do this again. Then I walked away to put down his bottle before returning to him to change him out of his wet clothes. By then, he was no longer bawling, just looking a little sad. So poor thing :(

Now my little boy is in school. These days, even when I'm not working on Saturdays, I'd park him there for a few hours while I go grocery shopping or run errands. Or like now, relax a bit. Going to pick him up soon for a family lunch at home! :) Then we'll take a family nap and go to the library. Today, he'll have an early night for a Saturday cos Papa and Mama are going on a date night - it's Papa's birthday on Monday! :)

Wednesday 13 November 2013

When the son is so cute...

For the first time, I was late in picking ZK up today due to a lapse in judgement - I agreed to leave with my boss who kindly offered to drop me at Farrer Road MRT. We left before 6 pm but her husband was late and there was a jam and I was late. In the end, I dropped opposite Gleneagles to catch a bus home instead. Luckily, Mum and Y were there. ZK was having the last of his porridge by the time I got home.

With this change in routine, something unexpected happened in the lift. A neighbour sharing the lift asked me suddenly, "Not picking up your son today?" I didn't and still don't even remember seeing her before!! But she must have seen me more than once to notice that I pick ZK up every day.

I put it down to ZK's cuteness :)

A few old ladies in our block often say hello to us, especially a nenek who speaks little English and a popo who speaks Cantonese-laced Mandarin. Then there were other neighbours who at one point or another would happen to catch ZK staring at their phone/key/food and smile at him. Of course, he very seldom returns the smile *.* And that's the best part - he usually has his sulky face on and people still say cutesy hellos to this unresponsive chao bin baby!

Now, Sito and I find some other babies very cute as well so we always thought we're being objective when we think ZK is cute. The above just shows that that's true - he's cute not just to us but also to others despite that li-kua-simi face!

But there are downsides to being cute. One is that random people like to touch his face *.* I have to wipe down his face before dinner lest some food rubs off his face and he eats in all the germs! I mean, hey, how do I know your hand wasn't scratching your leg or rubbing or resting on a foot during dinner just now or perhaps you just swiped that oily face of yours?? It's so yucky just thinking about it.

The other downside is that, well, we want to give in to him! But for his sake and ours, we must stand firm when no means no. Sorry, cutie pie. After all, he will grow up and the only people finding him cute may just be us - and perhaps his spouse, if he's anything like Sito haha!

Wednesday 6 November 2013

My little monkey

While waiting for Sito to get online, I'll share cute photos!

ZK plucked the peacock off its tail :(



Only the tail is left now!! There are small prints of each animal on the facing page. So when I pointed out to him that “这里有鸟鸟,这里鸟鸟 no more了”, he would point to the small peacock and then do the gesture for no more at the tail area. Very fun :)

Two weekends ago, Sito couldn't come back until Saturday night so we went to the indoor playground on Saturday afternoon where he spent quite some time in the ball pit - quite happy :)



ZK managed to climb up the sofa on his own that weekend. But the bay window remains a challenge! A little bit taller, baby :)



Monday night - Meh Meh happened to be looking at the camera :) The heap next to her is of course my baby..



ZK's Halloween fun pack from school - candies and a cobra *.*



Sito left the TV remote control on the sofa last Saturday night. ZK found it the next morning and thought he could control his DVD flashcards *.* You've got the idea!



Sunday morning nap for my boys.. After leaving a streak of gooey stuff on the bottom end of my duvet the day before, the younger boy found it fit to balance things out by leaving a sweat/saliva combo patch on the head end - and on my pillow, no less!



Tried to take a photo of him for his India visa - have I mentioned we're going to India yet? We ARE GOING TO INDIA!!!  :)

Anyway, look at his monkey face!



Cute but still a monkey! (Who has two ears - his right is just more prominent and his left hidden :p)



Why, when some other kids know how to look at camera and pose, you like to poke your finger on the lens?!



I love you anyway :)

Took so many photos but only one was usable. Hope they won't be too strict about photos of toddlers..

I was on leave yesterday and went shopping - bought so much! - before sending ZK for his MMRV and Hep A vaccinations. The latter was to prepare for the India trip. Now I'm keeping watch in case of fever - I've heard too many cases of fever after MMRV! Keeping fingers crossed..

Monday 4 November 2013

From Joo Chiat to property

Just uploaded photos but no time to post on ZK cos my Sito is home and I want to nua in bed instead of sitting at the desk - even though he's doing work now and I'll probably fall asleep to the sound of his typing!

Joined a work event two Saturdays ago in the Joo Chiat area. Stopped by an otak shop - supposedly the best in Singapore! - and bought 10 otak sticks. We had two for our sinful but oh-so-yummy instant mee dinner last night, heh...

But what's more interesting is the sign next to the otak shop:



Yup, we get the "mencare" part from the Chinese emphasis...

And this was by Ernest Zacharevic. Heard from the guide that he finished this drawing only the day before. More of what he did in Singapore here.



And I learnt something on the trip as well - you know the Chinese stone lions right? They come in a pair, or rather, a couple. How do you tell the gender? Go to a Chinese temple and check it out! (Or, scroll to the end of this post!)

I'm a stranger to the east but every time I'm there, I always think that it's quite an interesting part of town, not to mention lots of good food. But I'm no foodie. Think I'll continue to stay in central west, or the northwest in a few years' time. Last Friday, 1 Nov 2013, we completed the transfer of our little flat - we're now "occupiers" of our marital home.. It's been a good four years and five months... Ah well, darn you cooling measures!!

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Answer to the stone lion mystery:
Papa plays with ball; mama plays with baby :p Where? Right under their paws!

Friday 1 November 2013

1 Nov is a happy day! :)

Why? ZK played peekaboo for one!

Recently, I started putting a blanket on him like in IFC, and I thought he seemed to fall asleep more quickly. But tonight, he decided to prove me wrong - he kept tossing and pulling at the blanket. So I just pulled the thing over his face, and when he pulled it off, I went BOO! And then it carried on - peeka peeka peeka BOO! He started laughing after a few times :)

And he also suddenly spit out his pacifier and brought his left foot up to eat his big toe - he hasn't done that for a long time! My big baby really didn't want to sleep hur...

We had a fun time at dinner too. I was feeding him his pumpkin porridge when I decided that I should eat too - and he decided, too, that he would have my dinner! But I was glad he liked it - it was pasta! I like too! :) He also had some beef and scrambled egg - I kind of like scrambled egg in pasta :p So the pumpkin porridge is now in the fridge for my breakfast tmr..

Oh, and he can feed himself too! Well, kind of.. He hasn't managed to eat much yet :p



And he's now more willing to drink water.. He even put it back on the table himself after drinking yesterday! But he banged it on the table a few times - ya, he likes noise *.*

Sometimes, I like to give him biscuits or Gerber puffs after his dinner, if he is a good boy and eats his dinner. Tonight, I gave him biscuit and he offered me a bite :) But yesterday, he had some puffs and he refused to share! Or rather, he brought it to just in front of my mouth and retracted his arm - with a smile! Once he put the puff into my mouth - I could taste it - but he didn't let go and took it back out and into his mouth!

Anyway, so I've decided that we will give him rice every Tuesday and Thursday since he's eating it quite well starting this week - Monday, he wanted to eat my dinner and he did; Tuesday he had rice for lunch at home, and yesterday he finished a lot of rice, eggs and spinach. Hopefully, we can transit to no porridge soon :)

To think that just last Friday, he refused his porridge and had to go to bed hungry - I decided that he's old enough to be taught a lesson in food, ha! But he slept all the way to morning. Last Saturday, he refused his dinner again and woke around 4 am asking for milk. I patted him back to sleep - and I didn't feel terribly bad :p

Now I hope he stays soundly asleep. He hasn't been sleeping very well the past few nights - we suspect teething as he would cry out and/or throw out his pacifier. His left incisor has cut through. Wondering if more are on their way out already.. Last night and this morning, I had to lie next to him to sayang him when he cried out. Or pop back the pacifier, which is getting difficult when his mouth is pursed cos the teeth are in the way! :p

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Early Halloween scare

It's Halloween tomorrow but ZK decided to scare me one day earlier.

I was about to change him this morning when I noticed a slightly raised red bump the size of a xiaolongbao on his inner right thigh. As I started to exclaim about it, I undid his diaper and saw something far worse - the tip of his penis was swollen and looking translucent with fluid inside!! And there were raised red strips along the creases of his thigh joints and more red bumps on both butt cheeks.

The lucky thing was that he didn't seem uncomfortable, although he was hitting at his diaper just before that. But he used to do that all the time just a few weeks back so I didn't think much about it.

Y said it looked like some allergy. I was also worried if he were bitten somewhere but Y said the bed looked normal. In any case, I was on his bed most of last night so if it were some insect, I would have got it too.

Come to think of it, he didn't sleep well last night. For the first time in many many weeks, he needed me to hold him to sleep. And when he woke in the middle of the night, he also needed me to hold him before he would sleep. I thought it was his drippy nose but now I wonder if it was the rash starting already...

I was quite worried and googled madly while he was sitting through his DVD flashcard session. Nothing. He was behaving normally so in the end, I just let go and tried to do some work with him on my lap and trying to reach the keyboard, cos he refused to stay away until it was almost time to go to the clinic.

By the time we saw the doctor, it was three hours after the scare, and his penis was looking almost normal although the red strips were still there. The bump on his thigh had spread out into a patch the size of a credit card. There were also other smaller patches on him.

Doc said it was probably some allergy. But I wonder what he could be allergic to. He had nothing new at home. Even the dried scallops that we recently started to use at home were not new to him as Mum had always used it for his porridge. I texted one of his teachers to ask and she said he had his usual lunch.

Anyway, she gave him an oral anti-histamine and a cortisone cream for the rash. We forced the anti-histamine down his throat after a late breakfast at home, changed him and applied the cream while holding down a screaming and squirmy toddler. He was so tired that he fell asleep very quickly once I put him on his bed; he didn't even roll!

I managed to squeeze in more work in his 1.5 hour of nap, washed up and got ready for work - lots of things at work lately cos 生意做大了!He woke just as lunch was ready - what good timing... We didn't make porridge for him but he was interested in my rice, onion eggs and caixin so he had some for lunch. And an hour later, he had more food in school - probably cos he saw other kids eating *.* And another hour later, he still managed to finish a lot of milk before his afternoon nap! Now, that's scary too!

Anyway, I'm glad that the only rashes on him just now were on his legs, torso and butt cheeks. Hope my baby will be all good by tmr morning!

Wednesday 23 October 2013

TMI post

Meant to blog last night but I got too ill - yes, I caught the bug from ZK! :(

I brought my laptop home when I returned from office to fetch ZK on Monday. Then I left for office without it on Tuesday!! Ended up returning to work from home. Just as well cos I started feeling ill after lunch. Just past 6 pm, I had diarrhoea and puked my lunch out while on the throne - luckily Y left the mop pail in the toilet to dry off!

Had Y fetch ZK on her own for the first time. I went to bed at 8.30 pm without dinner. Sito called me at 10-ish but I couldn't bring myself up to the laptop to Skype :( It wasn't until 2 am when I started feeling better.

But my stomach remained in a slight knot in the morning so I stayed home. After sending ZK to IFC, I did a bit of work and took a nap until 1 pm. I thought I should have lunch even though I wasn't hungry since I did not have breakfast. But I was wrong. Felt so ill again after lunch!

Nua-ed in bed until 4 pm or so when I started feeling better again, good enough to go fetch ZK. Felt a bit ill along the way again but oh well, better than earlier.. Y made guava juice and a ginger drink that I had for dinner just now; they were supposed to help me feel better. Hope to go to work tmr..

Anyway, these two days, I've been shedding like a snake!



Last Tuesday, I put on this foot mask for four nights in a row - just an hour or so each time - and over the weekend, I started noticing some peeling.

This morning, when sending ZK to IFC, I kept feeling something funny on my left sole. I returned home to find that the skin at the middle of my sole had separated from my foot! If the picture above is not clear, how about this:



I started peeling :p

I know we're not supposed to peel dry skin off. But this is meant to be peeled off cos it's already separated from the rest of the skin!

And I peeled off more than the sole. I found that the skin around the toes were also coming loose so I gave it a rub and they came off!

When I peeled off all loose bits and was satisfied, I walked out from my bedroom to the kitchen to throw out a pile of peeled skin - and was surprised to find the tiles cold on my fresh new skin!

My soles started to become this dry after we returned from the US last year. Perhaps it was nature trying to give me extra protection post-delivery? Anyway, I decided to wear socks to keep out the cold.

Later this afternoon, I took off the socks and found more separated skin! So I started peeling again, and this time, I remembered to take a picture of the pile of peeled skin - yucks! Haha! (Finger for sizing!)



There's still more dry skin which I think should become separated tomorrow. The really dry and hardened part still remains hard after the skin peeled off but I'm very happy already - it's $25 welll spent!

Here's a picture of the difference in dry and fresh skin - my dry skin is not just dry, it's also dirty!!



I resolve to apply moisturiser diligently after this treatment. LS, I will use the image of you moisturising your legs back in Teddy Hall as my motivation to always remember to apply moisturiser!!!