Remember LKY, Majulah Singapura

At the end of the State Funeral, we were gathered at the TV for the minute of silence signalled by the PWS. I had ZK in my arms and Ah Yee was carrying ZY - of course the kids didn't realise the significance of this week, the week that witnessed the passing of a giant and the coming together of so many Singaporeans for one single purpose. Even the heavens cried. (Or we would have brought the kids downstairs to line Commonwealth Avenue!)

It has been two very heavy weeks. This time two weeks ago, I was coughing madly but had to go back to work to prepare for a meeting on last Monday - which was to discuss what to present at a meeting today on what to discuss at a meeting in May!! And, best, after Monday, it was decided that we needed yet another pre-meeting yesterday. Seriously...

Last week was heavy for two reasons - there was the preparation for the pre-meeting today and there was national mourning.

I have been following the news when I can, i.e. on the way to and from work though I usually ended up looking ridiculous cos I would be tearing up here and there. There are so many articles on LKY - how to he led his team to build up Singapore, first-hand accounts of him, but what caught my attention most was when Mrs Lee was mentioned. I'm such a sucker for love stories.

I signed up to go to the Parliament House last Wednesday to pay my last respects to the man but due to limited allocated space for my office, I wasn't able to go. I was on the reserve list (?!) but wasn't activated. Perhaps just as well cos my colleagues who went were stuck in the bus for hours and the group split up when they walked near so a number didn't get to go near to bow at all. Heard the public generally just walked past that day. And the queues just kept getting longer and longer.

So I thought I'd just go to my office's reflection session on Thursday - a couple of videos and a few speeches were on the cards. All was fine until the big boss spoke. He barely started when he teared. And then everyone started crying too! :( We were asked to reflect on LKY's legacy for Singapore and Singaporeans, and for us personally as well. Many tuned in to the special Parliament sitting that afternoon too, but I couldn't cos of work. I could, however, hear sniffles from the two colleagues flanking me as they watched the live streaming.

But then, I still wanted to go! Thought of going with Sito on Thursday night but the estimated waiting time as of 11 pm was eight hours?! I stayed up to do work and checked the queue duration along the way - before I slept around 4 am, a colleague had waited for four hours and counting!

So last Saturday, we went to the Botany Centre community tribute centre but there was a queue too - only an hour but 10 min could be too long when you have two kids with you. They had no priority queue so we left for dinner.

But I wasn't giving up, not even when Sito gave me a valid counter-argument: If someone else had died and the queues snaked on, LKY might just tell everyone to not waste time and get on with life, he being pragmatic and all. Well, my heart defied logic. After all, it's LKY leh! My 偶像!

So I went with fellow LKY groupie CY instead to the AMK tribute centre. We waited in line to get to the front, which was in no time at all. An elderly volunteer along the way was thanking us and told CY that we were too young to understand what people of her generation had gone through. The amount of flower bouquets was amazing. A volunteer led the group to bow three times to the wall with his picture and video, just behind the flowers.

The scene was quite amazing. The flowers. The people. The volunteers of all ages - kids handed bottled water to us. The wall of colourful post-it notes from so many people. It felt awesome to be standing there. It felt awesome to be Singaporean.

I was very heartened by what I saw and heard the whole week. I mean, people went to pay their last respects to LKY not because they loved him like family or friend, right? I think people respected him and went to thank him for what he had done for Singapore, the country we share. I'm very 感动 because going by what you normally see and hear, people don't love this place very much. You see, I'm more than a LKY groupie; I'm a Singapore groupie :)

我出世在八十年代，只亲眼见过影像里的一半，但之前的故事听看起来，也感动几下哦⋯⋯

Fare thee well!

I was a nobody to this man. But he was somebody to me. Not that he was a friend or what, but without him, Singapore would probably not be what we are today, and then, there would not have been the me and us today.


Source: PMO website (screen-shot)

This morning, I was latching ZY when I saw a flashing banner - Kel whatsapped me that LKY had passed on.

The inevitable had happened, I thought. He had had a long and fulfilling life, and he left in peace. We should be happy. But still, I feel sad at the passing of a great man. He felt like the grandpa whom we didn't talk with much but whom we know had done much for us.

I pretty much ignored the noisy boys on the way to school today as I was concentrating on the radio - PM was going to make a speech about his father's passing at 8 am. When it took place, I was on the way to work and missed it. But I read so many Facebook posts about LKY and how PM delivered his speech that I lost half my eyeliner by the time I got to office. Just lost my eye cream after watching the recording of his speech:



I tear up when I think of what he has done for the country I love so much. Then perhaps I wasn't a nobody to him - I'm a citizen of the country he committed his life to.

Thank you, Mr LKY.

“50 years ago, he wept for the nation. 50 years on, the nation weeps for him.”
Source: Somewhere online...

PS: I had wanted to write on his tribute page but the input page I saw in the afternoon is now gone. Let's see if I get to write this somewhere later...

一代宗师万世垂

对于建国总理，我只能说感激。谢谢您的努力和付出，带领建国功臣为新加坡打下牢固的基础，让今天的我们享有这美好的家园。我希望我的孩子们懂事后也一样热爱这繁华的岛国，传承您的爱国精神！

Update: Managed to write in the website on Wednesday.

One time jialat jialat!

Yes, many photos this time! :)

Lots have happened in the past month... ZY turned eight months and started having porridge on 28 February - that first time failed cos I forgot to soak the rice to make it soft enough.. But we did better on Monday, and now ZY is eating porridge very well - he has even started on chicken and fish in school!

Outside, he's getting troublesome but thank goodness for snacks! Oops, food bribes aren't too good right? But they're useful!

I gum gum my biscuits...

Smaller biscuits? He plays with them but doesn't put them into his mouth, hmmm...

At this age, he can be forgiven for going as he's eating..!

Oh, milk? Well, I started him on formula the Monday before LNY and he will start his second tub tomorrow - one tub for three weeks as I still give him 40% breastmilk. But as work gets busier and my supply keeps dropping (cos of work stress??), I finally dropped one pump from last week. Today, I was attending a course so I didn't pump until I got back. My mini stash in the fridge probably won't last another month...

I'll probably just latch him morning and night, and give him formula in the day eventually. But lately, he's been tugging at his food source when nursing at night. I screamed out in pain the first few times and he would smile at me. So I stopped giving him an apparently funny reaction but he continues to tug and smile, argh!

I can have my milk milk standing up too!

Let's go back a couple of steps before we get to standing....

He is sitting very well. BUT! No flipping except accidental ones, no crawling.. Just as well, no need to worry too much about him falling off his bed at night or crawling out to no man's land in the middle of the night like ZK did last time!

ZY up, penguin down!

But I still place him with his back against something safe, just in case he decides to fall backward... And I give him a toy. Or fruit.

We had some fun in the kids' room one weekend morning. He sat in front of the cabinets, pulled out drawers and gummed them to his heart's delight!

Is this edible? No.. Still, yummy!

Mama, why did you put me on my belly?

I don't want! Waaaa!

Hush now, my baby.. Let's smile for the camera!

I also let him sit on me - and one day, I caught this on video - sooooo cute! :)

He's also very cute when he claps his little hands :) He seems to clap whenever I sing.. And lately, I realised how little I have sung to him! I used to sing to ZK on the way to and from school but now, we drive them to and from school so just now, I sang to him before bedtime but he didn't seem to like it :( Have to slowly sing more and more to him. ZK still wants me to sing sometimes :)

When he's less cute, I scooped him away from the changing table and dumped him half naked on the floor *.*

He can sit so well that it's so easy to use the bath tub - ZK didn't sit very well until later but by then, it was easier to let him stand than to use the tub.

Looking up to the big brother who was holding another rubber duckie

But my little baby still prefers to sit with someone - and read!

And then he stands!

He can pull himself up if I give him my arm as a grip. And he likes us to help him walk a few wobbly steps. So he can stand now and almost going to walk with support but I still love to wear him! Until he gets too heavy, that is...

First time in the full set - that was the fourth day of LNY

And now, my two-going-to thirteen boy! Really...

mf: ZK, what are you doing?
ZK: *silently watching videos*
mf: ZK...
ZK: *silence*
mf: ZK, you're ignoring me?!
ZK: Yes? *without looking up*

*___*

Of course, Mama - see? I'm already big enough to carry my own big bag!

And eat noodles with less mess - and sometimes no mess!

Wefie!

Papa's turn with ZK - I really like this photo, so happy :)

I was trying to take a photo of his milk beard but was overpowered by my tot..

He's really a big boy now. A couple of weeks ago, he started consistently going to poo poo in the toilet bowl. And after wetting the bed two or three times over as many weeks despite staying dry while in diapers, he finally woke with dry underwear last Sunday! It's the third consecutive night - let's keep our fingers crossed..

See? I poo poo a lot! Like chocolate... (Really, he said that!)

When we brought him to the huge playground at Westgate, he wasn't interested in the playground for his age group at all. He wanted to be with the big kids! Lucky it was a week day and there weren't many kids around so I let him explore. It was scary at first as I watched him. But he was confident and where he wasn't or it was difficult, well, he fell a couple of times! :p But he conquered the route in the end :)

Easy to go up, difficult to go down...

Wearing beach pants instead of swim diapers! But somehow he didn't like this waterplay area very much.. 

He has been super cheeky these days. The terrible twos are going into the threes... Just a small thing can trigger him off, e.g. if he isn't the one who presses for the lift. And he still watches so much videos!

Watching next to me when I was having a fever *.*

But the past couple of weeks, he would turn the phone off and reach for some books - nice but it certainly dragged his bedtime... And for the past week plus, I started leaving him awake to fall asleep on his own. He kept coming out to get me, or go pee, or go poo, or just whine. So now he sleeps past 9 pm every day, sighs.. Maybe I have to wait until he drops his afternoon nap before he will start to sleep early again..

Sometimes I feel so guilty towards this boy. On days when ZY slept in and I brought ZK to school first, he would be such a good boy. But when we all went to school together, most times he whined and asked me to carry him though I was already carrying ZY.

And cos time is always tight in the morning, I'm forever nagging at him to have breakfast, brush teeth, pee etc. Now I nag at him to go back to bed. Sometimes I was outright shouting. I don't like to do that :( And worse, he looked at me sadly, sometimes at the brink of tears, and said, "I don't want Mama angry... / Don't (be) angry with me..." My poor boy.. I love you ok? I love you very very much... I hope he knows that...

Going nerdy...again

Just posted about pi day on Facebook. Pi leh! How magical - 3.1415926 :) I still remember the Anderson library - a maths teacher printed out pi to many many decimal places and stuck the paper around the library between the wall and the ceiling. A stack of paper was left unrolled and tied to the corner when he ran out real estate.

And when I thought of pi, I thought of pies too! And I remember this. Shall find a simple pie recipe for Saturday, woohoo!

This afternoon, we were talking about someone in the field of signal integrity. Binary signals came to mind somehow and lo and behold! "Binary values" turned up in the next sentence after the definition! And now I thought of the binary clock I saw in the Maths Institute.

Just a couple of my simple yet strangely indulgent pleasures :)

A totally random and nerdy post by yours truly :)

PS: I've been very busy lately so photos have to wait...

Childhood memories

I was on the throne when I suddenly had a very vivid flashback - I was squatting over a few pieces of old newspaper and pooping! I didn't think much about it back then but now, I wonder who does that apart from doggies?? *.*

That was on the floor of the second level of Grams' shophouse, in front of the toilet behind the kitchen. We used to go upstairs for lunch and I guess we did out business there as well! In the evening, we would have a bath before going home, and in those days, Grams didn't have a water heater so they would boil water on the stove and pour into a tub of tap water!

It must be all the potty training we're doing. ZK can now poop very well into the toilet bowl - so proud of him! Nvm that I sometimes have to stand there and peer into the bowl with him to gaze at his output - in amazement, no less! Back in my time, I used the potty for a long time, even in primary school I think! Cos the toilet bowl was not in use; we used only the squat toilet - I don't remember whether I was scared or I wasn't allowed to use that. Extra proud that he has outdone his mama :)

I realised that my memory is really getting from bad to worse. I used to be able to remember my blog posts but now I have to search to see whether I have written a certain detail. It must be the lack of sleep. Boys, won't you let me sleep, please??

Yan was in town last month and she reminded me of how well I slept as a child. Mother miscarried once and had an ectopic pregnancy before and after YQ so when she was in hospital, we stayed over with Yan. So there was this time when her parents were going to bring us to the theme park whose name I forgot but where I remember sitting in big tea cups spinning round and round. I was napping so they said they would wait for me to wake up before leaving. Then Yan and MZ tried to wake me - poke me, tickle me, open my eyelids - but I remained fast asleep!

mf: Oh, I don't remember that!
Yan: Cos you were sleeping!!

Why oh why are my kids not like me?? *.*

Sweet breastmilk

Breastmilk is sweet. I know because I've tasted it! In the past couple of weeks, I have been dabbing my lips with breastmilk that leak as I hand-express. It does wonders on my dry and chapped lips! My lips still dry out and peel off but they look so much better than before.

Back during ZK's time, I even drank my own breastmilk when ZK didn't finish - he must have been ill or something. Or I left the milk in the fridge for a little too long. I added that to Milo though, so I didn't actually taste it.

Another use I discovered this time - as a moisturiser for ZY's rashes. His eczema came back after I stopped the steroid cream. While waiting for a moisturiser to arrive from Amazon, I rubbed breastmilk on his rashes. Now coupled with the moisturiser, I thought parts of his rashes feel smoother though they still look red.

I'm still pumping twice in office and usually hand-express after ZY's night feed. But last night, he didn't have a night feed!

When he stirred, I patted him back to sleep since it wasn't his usual milk time yet. I dozed off next to him. When I woke, it was past his usual milk time! I kept patting him back to sleep whenever he stirred. He eventually had milk near 6 am :) I pumped while nursing and yielded 100 ml, woot!

My yield in office has dropped quite a bit now. Since last Monday, before LNY, I started him on formula twice a day in school. I don't have enough breastmilk to bring to school anymore.

And so it has begun, my baby's first step away from me has happened!

LNY weekend

The LNY weekend was over in a flash. It has been fun but tiring cos it's after all, full-time child care!

For the Sitos, LNY started on the eve when we went over to Mum's place for reunion dinner, and brought along mandarin oranges too as they were off to Malacca the next morning. Mum prepared steamboat this year - we like steamboat :) But ZK was testing boundaries with his beehoon and the floor so there were tears. I was surprised that he offered a "sorry, Mama" though. We brought back a lot of food left over from dinner.

It seemed not so long ago that we had to stock up food over the LNY holidays cos the markets were closed and the shops took a break. Now that not everything is closed, we still have the habit of stocking up for at least the first couple of days - just in case! :p Mum gave us food; Mother made kuey; I bought flour in preparation for unrealised baking needs!

This year, Mother asked whether we wanted to go over for a meal too. I thought about that before but it's just too much trouble to go over for dinner on the eve of the eve, what with rushing from work and with two kids. Perhaps when the kids are bigger, or when Sito and I both decide to take leave. I should like to have those to-kill-for spring rolls one day!

Anyway, the eve ended nicely - even ZY did not cry at shower time despite having been awake for a long while, as if he knew it was LNY and time to keep awake! He woke late the next morning. I waited for him to wake before bringing out the hongbao for the kids.

I want!

What's inside?

I want to 买 biscuits!

I remember how I put ZK's first LNY hongbao under a bolster or pillow on his bed for him to find. But this ZY still cannot flip so he isn't going all over the bed yet. Oh well, I just handed the red packets to their welcoming hands.

A family shot at the level two lift landing - the boys in collared shirts while Mama wore checks like the kids

We drove to Mother's place, where ZK discovered various goodies on the coffee table. That was also where he started getting hungry all the time *.*

At Dua Gu's place, I suddenly found ZK looking around

And ZK fell asleep on the way

Eventually went over to Ah Yee's place where the steamboat was almost all set up! We started the ball rolling as ZK woke, hungry of course! Later, he also had a field day at the coffee table which was filled with LNY goodies... This year, ZK was old enough to roam around on his own and socialise with people. We didn't need to watch him much, nice :)

The cousins and the second cousins! :)

Source: Yan

We had lo hei using ham instead of yusheng! I let ZK stand on a stool at the table with a pair of chopsticks in his hands. When we started tossing, he must be feeling bewildered - what the?!!

Remembering our leftover reunion dinner food, we left shortly after the lo hei. ZK wanted to play a little at the playground downstairs so we let him. The cousins were playing there a long time ago :)

I don't want to come down and end playground time!

ZK surprisingly dozed off while watching videos on our bed, before ZY fell asleep! But we spent a horrid night cos ZY didn't sleep well. After many attempts, I decided to let him cry. But ZK woke and told us that Didi was crying.. Ah well, time to do work! :(

But we still managed to get to Vivocity early the next day! Took the express train to go along the outdoor promenade.

Cheese....!

Curious baby :)

Is that a boat??

Cheeeeese!

We went to do some grocery shopping after lunch. Both kids fell asleep on the way home! Later in the evening, Sito brought ZK down to the playground and ZK came back with a baluku *.*

Raised about 5 mm :(

Sito abandoned us to go out with his boys for dinner after helping to settle the kids' dinner. He redeemed himself by singing a song for me :) There was a video to prove it! But it was too large a file to send over so let's listen to the original:

Needless to say, I was very touched - the first song he sang for me!! That was waaaay better than peonies, Sito dear :)

We didn't do anything in particular on Saturday. By the afternoon, I was so tired I took a nap - full-time child care is tiring! We brought ZK to a playground again - the one at Paragon. It was full of monkeys!! *.* But it occupied him for while before we went to Taka to buy his expensive dried blueberries and get dinner.

Sunday was another visiting day. We went to Mum's place as usual before visiting my old boss - so many children! Think there were all 11 of them, aged seven months to 12 years. We watched ZK whine in front of an older boy, fight a littler girl and lose, approach strangers to tell them about his biscuits and told the host that his biscuit was "not for you"!

I think the whole LNY feel ended on a high note on Monday. The team at work had a big lunch at Swatow at Toa Payoh, with yusheng and so much food that it was like a wedding dinner! Then in the evening, I went to JK's wedding dinner - congrats!! - at Peony Jade at Clarke Quay, with yusheng as the started and sticky rice cake for dessert! It was also great to see the old TGPS group again :)

And now, it's 人日 - no yusheng today but I think I've had enough this year! Oh wait, I have a work event this Saturday that starts with yusheng *.* Oh well!! I'll be sure to reduce the amount of oil added!!!

Happy goat year!

On the eve of the Lunar new Year, ZK wore a shirt originally meant for Racial Harmony Day laat year - needed something for show cos he could not say 恭喜发财 yet... Or he refused to! And ZY decided to eat the Xiao Meh Meh - it's 扬扬吃羊羊过羊年 hoho!

I realised with a jolt that although I'm only 35 in the gregorian calendar, I just turned 37 in the lunar calendar - that's a tad too close to 40, hmmm... But nvm, I still feel like 25 - in mind la, cos the physical is definitely way past that.. No prize for guessing what who causes the ageing!

Parallel play time!

哥哥，不要不理我！

It's ok, I hug you...

I can't figure out ZY's expression...

Handsome boy pushing cute boy around in the bicycle

It's amazing how just two years ago, ZK could just about hold his weight on his legs. Look at him now! And it's his younger brother's turn now. For this LNY, I wish that these two little boys will grow strong and close - love them both!

My funny valentine

These days, our days are filled with joy largely because our ZY is so so cute and our ZK says and does the darnest things. But I must not forget the person who helped bring them into our life - my husband, who says and does the darnest things too..

Think we were discussing about food one night, and..

Sito: 我是 consultant，我不用看到都知道是对的！

***

We were washing up the kids one Sunday and for some reason, we started talking poo poo, and this came to mind:

Shit's always on your mind
From the time you wake up,
Till you close your eyes.
Shit's everywhere you go
Shit's all you know...

Sito: That's right!

***

And then there's the issue of the standing avocado... I left an avocado on the dining table to ripen. He came into the room and mimicked the avocado..

The avocado is standing like this...

(And I think he came in to tell me that in the midst of cooking supper - check out the instant mee block in his hand!)

***

So we're planning to head down to Chinatown tomorrow night.

Sito: It's LNY and Valentine's Day outing!
mf: Oh ya hor! Haha!
Sito: Instead of roses, I may get you a peony!

Huh? 哪里来的？Haha!

It's a weekend to look forward to :)

Update 15 Feb 2015

So we didn't come across any peony last night. On the way home, though...

Sito: I'll go buy rice tomorrow..
mf: ...
Sito: 金牡丹 rice!
mf: Nooooo!
Sito: *relentless* And I'll cut out the peony on the package...!

PS: We finally came across some fake peony at Chinatown Point this evening but no, thanks!

Big boy ZK

I've been busy and neglecting to tell the story of my ZK. He's still quite the handful but as he picks up more words, I think he's finding it easier to express himself and on our end, it's so amazing to be able to understand what he wants! (When he's not just whining!)

He has been watching videos of Kinder eggs being opened, and learning about eggs and colours and things being hidden in other things.

Mama, I draw egg!

When he shows some learning, I don't feel too guilty about letting him watch videos!! Example: Something happened to me - I forgot what, and...

ZK: Are you ok?
Mama: No..
ZK: You want (to) call doctor?
Mama: Yes, please..

And a little hand went to an ear in a phone gesture!

Mama: What did the doctor say?
ZK: ....

Think he found it wrong to say that the doctor said "no monkeys jumping on the bed"!!

But besides repeating sentences from songs and stories, he has shown that he can string things together. Today, he told Mum that he "forget to bring something for dog" and that he (will) "bring something for dog". What's something? Something :p

Mama draws other stuff

I was trying to teach time - days of the week so that he knows when I need to work and can't sit with him at bedtime, and critical hours of the day when he can be difficult to deal with, e.g. he tends to wake too early and sleep too late. I'm still sitting with him at bedtime *.* Late January, he suddenly wanted me to pat pat him to sleep. Thankfully he soon forgot about it :p Oh, and he finally saw the moon and stars for himself last Saturday when we got home later than usual :)

But there's some success with the hours of the day. I was hoping to match my drawings to the real clock instead of using the cardboard clock from Popular, which he broke on its first day home... But now, it is "six o'clock" all the time, I wonder why...

A father's love

So Sito went to Japan for a work trip and came back with goodies for ZK! None for ZY unfortunately cos he's too young and will get to share later anyway! :p I didn't know it when I took the photo before Sito woke up but the Eeyore is for me :)

The 400 yen rail and track set!

It's only been a week and the tracks are all broken and throw away *.* Even the train engine is falling apart *.* There's a reason for the price... See the yellow thing? It's Hiyoko-chan from the Cupnoodles Museum in Yokohama. It's more expensive than the track set and still surviving ZK's rough love.

ZK brought some school work home. There were this cup and straw set which baffled me until ZK demonstrated it - he blew the cup down with the straw!

Yesterday, we went to Polliwogs at Vivocity with Yan and family - how fun! Forgot to take pictures with Yan though, argh! Wait for LNY..

I'm in the BIG ball pit now!

Even I am in a ball pit

We went there two Decembers ago and ZK was still small and needed constant supervision. This time, we could just relax one corner while ZK jostled with the other kids! But ZK came out looking for Papa so Papa stayed with him inside while Yan and I sat outside chatting. Oh, we all tried the slides - yes, all, including the adults and I brought ZY with me on my lap! We found the slides rather fast but the kids were having fun - maybe weight lends more momentum...

Went to the Baby Spa since we were at Vivocity. And it was such a fruitful trip cos we managed to cut both kids' hair - just in time for LNY! :)

Happy while Didi swam / enjoyed jacuzzi

Big boy haircut - no longer botak!

What a success, considering that he was bawling his eyes out the past few haircuts! Actually, he said he wanted a haircut at Toys R Us cos of the fun seat but that was $24! No way! So we went to the $10 place next to Baby Spa but there was a long queue.

We thought that was it cos the Baby Spa no longer had a fun seat. But when we were about to leave, he suddenly said he wanted a haircut! So quickly, we did it. It helped that it was the lady who gave him his first full haircut more than two years ago. We thought that subconsciously, he might have remembered her.. ZY, of course, was a good boy during his haircut, whining a little only at the end.

ZK took some photos of us this morning - he's showing marked improvements! Better hand-eye coordination now!

ZY happened to be smiling too! Can you see that his hair is shorter now?

Love this shot - my ZK is a budding photographer? Hoho!

"Say 'cheeeese'!" says ZK and so we did!

Oh and potty training! ZK finally did a poo poo in the toilet on 29 January! I was squatting at the door while he did it and I watched the poo drop into the water haha! So proud of him! He did it a couple more times after that. Now we need to go for consistency...

On 30 January, after he was dry for many nights, I decided to put him in his underwear at night. At 1 plus, I heard some sounds from his room. When I went in, he wasn't really crying but he was whimpering - he said "wet" when he saw me. We were reading a short story about a monkey wetting his bed and how it was ok. So I reminded him of that and he was alright :)

But one thing I really don't like about potty training is potty training outside. Last Saturday, we were meeting YX and friends at Botanic Gardens when he needed to go. We went to the toilet for the handicapped (seriously, is there a better name?? Big toilet?? Family toilet!) where I wiped the seat like crazy before removing his pants and diaper - yes, the dude had to remove them all! And the floor was all wet! And after he was done and washed his hands, I whipped out a thick wet wipe to wipe his arms where he couldn't wash properly. Sweat!

By yesterday, however, he was happy to leave his pants at his ankles - 跟妈妈一样 :) Oh yes, I go in front of him to show him sometimes. But still gross - his pants touched the toilet seat instead! Argh, sucks either way la..

Sito was helped ZK with his pants and plonked him on the seat, holding him by his armpits so he didn't fall down into the big toilet bowl. Then the pants went up and he stepped onto the toilet seat cover to flush. Again, the wet wipe after washing hands. But he couldn't do all that on his own when ZK wanted to go again after Polliwogs and I was still removing my socks. So ZK stood to pee in the gents'! He just pressed on the area above his wee wee and no miss! Phew! If his pants got wet, he would have to go around in only diapers!

Now both kids are blissfully asleep - blissful for both them and me! Finally having some me time.