Sunday, 31 January 2010


Getting the brood ready for lazy, sunny and relaxing days in Sydney.

Saturday, 30 January 2010

It is interesting how kids interpret things around them. We pass by this army camp almost daily with a sign that says Trespassers will be Prosecuted, you know these signs usually have a picture of some guy holding a gun and another with his hands up in the air. Look closely the next time you pass this sign. For the past few days, whenever I drove past this sign, nat would say something about the "uncle holding his arms in the air and the other uncle giving him food". The first time she said it I looked up and caught sight of a bus ad, but didn't really make sense. Today, when she said it again, I looked up quickly and saw this sign. Interestingly, if you look closely, it really does look like the man holding the gun is actually serving the other guy food on a tray. Check it out!

The other day, my good friend gave nat a pair of pretty dress shoes for her birthday. My daughter is totally obsessed with the shoes, she pranced and danced around in it all day, even slept with it. She calls it her "dancing shoes". We did manage to convince her, with some effort, that dancing shoes cannot be worn 24/7.

As for my little man, he is beginning to say a lot more words. Top on the list is apple, nine, bear, NO (learnt from nat), light, drop. His voice sounds like nat's, today, I was having a nap in the room, when I heard a voice saying "no, no". Oops, I thought to myself, nat is awake ... I trotted out and lo and behold, it was my little man instead. Most nights, he starts off sleeping in the cot, but halfway through, he will always end up on our bed instead. I like to look at him sleeping, especially after his night feed, as he falls back into slumber.

Saturday, 30 January 2010

Friday mornings at Botanic with my little man, chasing the birds, munching on cereals and reading a book.

Thursday, 28 January 2010

Recently, I have been increasingly frustrated with natalie as she continues to test my patience, in the peak of her terrible threes. But, sigh, who can stay angry with my baby for long, especially when she looks like this.


Didi lucas has no fear of birds, so too with nat. They are like daddy. Mummy is terrified, I stay a mile away.

Thursday, 21 January 2010

Since she started school, nat has been extremely sticky and clingy towards me. If I even show any interest in other children, she will whine and cry, haha, such a far cry from her days when she always bo chup (ignoring) me. She has also become more rude and rebellious. I had started out yelling and scolding her, but have recently decided to take on a different approach. Be firm but not to raise my voice. Not sure if it works yet, we'll see. I have asked around, seems that 3s are no better than the terrible twos, so for mummies in the same boat as me, hang on, rumour has it, that it gets better by age 4.

When she is not whining though, baby girl and I have interesting conversations in the car. Today, she was munching on her coco crunch cereals and listening to kiddy music - "Wheels on the Bus", I think. Suddenly, she turned to me and said "The coco crunch wants to sing too!" For a while, I was unsure of what she meant. Then I realised that she as making use of the chewing motion on her cereals to follow the rhythm of the song. I bent closer to hear her "song" and she burst out in peals of laughter. Haha, such is the fun and silliness we engage in, sometimes.

Today, didi lucas also went to the doc for his vaccination. He is officially 81cm and 11.4kg (not that anyone else is interested, just for my own record, actually). He loves the colourful wall mural at the clinic, which is painted in the Finding Nemo theme and he spent much time amusing himself by touching the "fish". Unlike his big sister, my baby boy tends to stay near me and will listen when I take on a stern voice. He generally does not struggle too much and I love it when he lays his head on my shoulders to rest. I'm glad that with nat off to school, I can spend some quality time with my baby boy.

Monday, 18 January 2010

The start of a new week. I was hoping nat would have adapted to school life but she did cry when I left her in class. This time round, Lucas was with me as well, as I planned to go Botanical Gardens with him. Lucas and I stayed in the car, chewing on cheerios, and spying on natalie. From our vantage point at the top of the slope, we could see her as she came out of class, without being spotted. Poor baby, she was still sniffling away as the class came out for their toilet break. Didi and I looked at each other and decided that despite the crying, his big sis was going to be ok, so off we went to the park.

Didi was happy. I think he is not used to having so much one-on-one attention from me. Both of us chilled in the shade, feeding fish at the pond, while nibbling on remnants of the bread. Thereafter, we had a slow and leisurely walk to the spacious grass area and had a mini picnic. My little man lay on my lap as I read to him some story books, which I had packed into the bag.
We even made friends with another little man, who was out for a walk with his grandma. Thereafter, we made our way back to pick up nat, who was happily settled down in school.

Sunday, 17 January 2010

Sunday is a nature day for us. We started the day at Hort Park, again. However, this time, instead of heading for the Henderson Waves, we walked towards the Kent Ridge Park route. Bad idea for people with young kids, you will soon reach a long flight of staircase and that means no strollers. At first, we toyed with the idea of lugging the stroller up, however, a quick recee by gary and his findings that "the flight of stairs go up as high as the eye can see" banished that idea quickly from our minds. So, back we trudged. It was also mighty hot.

It was not a lost cause, though. Today, we brought our butterfly net (cheap, cheap $2 from Daiso). I was intially doubtful that it would actually come in useful in catching butterflies, it was more to please nat as she had fancied herself as a butterfly catcher and had requested for a net of her own. However, daddy surprised us with his expert catching skills and we caught 3 butterflies in a row. The kids examined the beautiful butterflies up close. Of course, I told nat that the butterflies belonged to the park and we must always release them back into the wild. I added that if she took the butterfly home, its mummy would be very sad. That sold the story to her and she was more keen to release the butterfly than to look at it. Other interesting creatures in the park include millipedes and a breed of black and yellow caterpillars. The kids had a blast peering at the crawlies.

In the evening, we headed for the West Coast Dog Run. While we do not own any dogs, I know that this dog run is usually very popular during the weekends. True enough, there were more than 20 dogs, big, small, fat, thin, cute, strange-looking and so on. Didi stared wide-eyed at the different dogs and nat woke up from her slumber to check out the dogs too. Our favourite of the day was a really big Great Dane. Had a chat with the friendly owner who told us that it is a really gentle dog and interestingly, she also has a chihuahua and both live in harmony together.

Gary says I organise too many activities in the weekend but well, it's nice to get out of the house, enjoy the outdoors and destress. Most importantly, the kids enjoy themselves and get tired out so that they sleep well through the night.

Sunday, 17 January 2010

On Saturday, as we were in the car, driving to dinner, I heard a small voice singing in the background. It was soft, it was tentative, but it was definitely a Mandarin song. I strained my ears, and realised that it was one of the cute tunes sung by nat's Chinese teacher in class. I was impressed, my baby girl knew the exact words of the song.

For the last week, she had been saying she didn't like lao shi (chinese teacher). I think that she has a fear of Chinese, due to the unfamiliarity with the language. So, when lao shi sings Mandarin songs or tells stories, she would usually not join in and just watch intently instead. Yet, when it is time to go home, she would volunteerily seek out lao shi to give her a big hug. Probably, over time, she will become more comfortable with the language. For me, in my schooling days, I have always loved Chinese. Never really had a fear of it and always adored most of my Chinese teachers.

At the end of the day, teachers (even pre-school) ones are so important. They shape your life and affect your perceptions of so many things around you. I am grateful that nat has 2 patient teachers, who really seem to interact well and love the kids. This has helped her adapt more easily to her new school.




Discipline

Over the last month, I have had some discipline issues with my baby girl. She is sometimes rude and often demands things from others in a bossy manner. Even at the tender age of 3 (soon to be), I feel that some form of discipline has to be enforced. Her pet phrase is "Go away", when she is angry, another favourite is "I want ...". These are definitely not very endearing acts.

For Lucas, he is generally a good boy. However, when you place him in the car seat, he has a tendancy to whine and cry. Generally, the usually quiet and peaceful car ride becomes chaotic and noisy and can be quite distracting at times.


Yesterday, I finally put my foot down. First, I spoke to nat firmly and sternly, telling her that little girls must not be rude. Ask politely for things and never say go away to others. Her expression was so cute that I was tempted to laugh (but didn't), that would have totally wasted my pep talk! First, she had a look of innocence and was wide-eyed. Then, she looked a bit scared. After my pep talk, I turned away and was silent for a bit. When I next looked at her, she looked remorseful. By the end of the car ride, she told me in a small voice that she would be a good girl.

For Lucas, I also spoke to him in a stern voice, telling him that a good boy must sit quietly in the car seat and not scream and shout. It is truly uncanny, the expression that both Lucas and his sister use are exactly the same. He kept quiet and kept glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

We had a nice and quiet car ride all the way home. Once home, I brought both to a corner individually and gave them a hug and kiss, telling them how much I loved them. This mode of discipline is not something I want to use all the time but with my kids, I do feel that they do need some form of discipline. I definitely do not want a bunch of rude and bratty kids as they grow older.

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Today, I dropped nat off in class, gave her a big kiss and told her I was going to work. Off I went, right to the other end of the school, and spied on my little girl from afar. Like other anxious parents from nat's class, we strained our necks to catch sight of our kids, trooping to the toilet, running at the playground and having fun. The school principal was nice and reassuring, giving us regular updates of who was crying. Nat started off quite alright, but had a minor crying session halfway through. However, she was all smiles again when it was playground time. When I picked her up from class after school, you could see the pure smile and happiness radiating from her face. She was truly thrilled to see me and vice versa.

That night, I asked her what she did in school. Interestingly, the highlight of her day was a worm sighting at the grass patch near the playground. Overall, not a bad day for both my baby girl and me! But guess what? We are both totally wiped out!

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Today, my baby girl cried. I think it finally sank in that mummy would not always be nearby during class time. I had told her that I would be swimming with lucas while she was having class. A while later, when I was in the pool with lucas, I heard loud cries. Turned around, and lo and behold, there was my baby girl crying away. I later learnt from the teachers that she had accidentally spilt some milo on herself during tea time and wanted to change out of the shirt. She started looking around for me and when she couldn't find me, that's when she started to cry. I had to jump out of the pool, quickly change into dry clothes to pacify her. Luckily, didi's swim lesson was just done at that time. Hmm ... looks like there may be more crying tomorrow. Oh well, this is just one of those things you have to ride it through. Hopefully, she will settle into class and start enjoying herself with her teachers.

Just look at her face when she went to the playground. She is a pretty sociable girl and I'm sure she'll have fun once she's more comfortable with the school environment.

Monday, 11 January 2010

Today marks the second day of school for nat. She had a good time, which was expected, since parents are still allowed into the class. I think Thursday would be the real test, when we will not be in the class with her anymore. I suspect she may cry and whine a little ... we'll see.

On the way to school, I told nat that in a few days' time, mummy would just drop her off and pick her up later. Mummy would not be in the class with her. She said ok. Thereafter, she kept very quiet throughout the drive all the way to school. As we were about to get off the car, she quietly said "Mummy, will you sit with me in the class?" Only then did I realise that she had been mulling over the fear that I would leave her alone. Oh well, I guess I better try to give my baby girl more reassurance.

The highlight of school today, for me, was witnessing nat's independence in visiting the toilet. When she indicated that she needed to pee, I told her to tell the teacher, and surprisingly she did and trooped off with her teacher to the toilet. I spied from afar. She used the loo and washed her hands at the little basin, then stood at the side, waiting for her teacher. Later, when I asked her if she flushed the toilet bowl after use, she said yes and happily told me that the teacher had said "Well done". At that moment, I really did feel a great sense of pride.

We ended the day with our daily routine of flashcards and reading. Didi lucas loves the book "We are going on a bear hunt" and nat's favourite book is "The foolish tortoise". I finally managed to capture a video of her reading the book. Check out didi distracting her in the background, but nat is very focused when she reads. Enjoy!

Saturday, 9 January 2010

I just can't resist posting this. The first pic was taken in end Oct 2008, didi's first outing, at Rider's Cafe. The second pic was taken today, in January 2010. Notice something? It's the same shirt! I just can't believe he can still wear that shirt, although, when my maid dressed him in the shirt this morning, I did think it was a slightly tight fit. But hey, the tight look is in these days, don't you agree?

Saturday, 9 January 2010

At the grand age of 15 months, didi lucas surprises us every day, with his antics.

Speech
He is getting very vocal, some of his fave words include "more" (learnt from baby signing times), "Oh oh" (learnt from the story, we are going on a bear hunt", "mouse" (learnt from the story, good night moon), "jie jie nat nat" (rarely heard, but rumoured to have said it once or twice), "apple" (can say this clearly) and "ball" (learnt from http://www.starfall.com/).

Understanding
He can totally understand tones. Just this afternoon, he was throwing a screaming tantrum at the restaurant. I gave him a stern voice and told him to stop. Thereafter, he immediately stopped and pretended to look away. However, he kept rolling his eyes back to glance at me, just to see if I was still angry. That moment was priceless, and I just wish that I could have captured it on video.

He has a naturally sharing nature. Even when he is indulging in his favourite biscuit, he will willingly share it with you, if you approach him with your lean and hungry look.

His most feared creature is the "dinosaur", again, seen from http://www.starfall.com/, which I have recently been showing the kids. As I run through the alphabets, once I reach D, before the dinosaur even appears on screen, he will quickly hide his face in my chest.

Tantrums
Sigh, just like his sis, he is one fiesty baby. At 1am in the night, when he is seeking milk, you had best jump out of bed and run to the kitchen as fast as your little legs can carry you. His loud crying is enough to wake up daddy, who sometimes carries and soothes him while I make the milk (rare though, most times you will find a pillow covering his ears instead).

Fave games
Top of the list is definitely hide and seek. He loves to hide behind the towel rack and remains very silent. When you peek over the rack to find him, he screams excitedly.

Flash cards, just like nat. When I take out my stack of cards and announce that it's card time, both nat and didi will stop whatever they are doing and sit patiently in front of me for flashcards time. I usually end up flashing the cards twice, once for nat and once for didi. Nat is so familiar with the cards as she has been through it many times, sigh, looks like I got to wipe the dust off my printer and make some more.

Fave person
Definitely his sister. While increasingly, they are starting to fight over toys, with didi lucas standing his ground and winning some of the fights, you can see the adoring look in his eyes when his sister plays with him. Recently, nat has also begun to read some of her fave books to him. Most days, you can see him chasing her around the house or just following her, as she dances to the catchy songs on TV. What a pair the two of them make!

Saturday, 9 January 2010

Keeping in line with our new year resolution of exercising, instead of heading to the cool air-conditioned malls, we set off for East Coast Park instead. Today, we tried something different from our usual stroll in the park. This time round, we rented a bike each, with a baby seat attached. I rode with nat and gary rode with lucas. A pretty shaky start, as we haven't cycled for a while, but soon we got the hang of it and cycled all the way to the pier and watched people fishing. I think the kids had fun, screaming and laughing as we pedalled fast and the wind blew against their faces. Nat enjoyed ringing the bell on the bike. We are really out of shape though, both of us were tired, after just cycling for under an hour.

Thereafter, we let the kids loose at the Polliwogs playgym. The last time we came here, lucas was still quite young, this time round though, he seemed to enjoy it a lot more as he attempted to scale the structures and slides. But, it was another tiring workout for us, at this age, nat is like a pocket dynamo and she literally runs everywhere. Gary and I had to take turns watching her, as it was too tiring handling this job on our own.

Sometimes, I wish we had cooler weather here in Singapore. I really do love the outdoors.

Friday, 8 January 2010

The first day of school, a milestone for my little nat. Seeing my little girl troop off into the classroom with confidence brings great pride to me. I did feel a little sad though, somehow when your kid starts going to school, you feel as if she has moved on to another phase in life and is no longer your little baby. (The reality though, is that no matter what age, she will always be my little sweetheart.)

She had a swell time, playing toys, singing and dancing. I do hope she will be just as happy next week, when Mummy won't be accompanying her into the classroom. Meanwhile, as we stepped out of school, she declared to me "I like school!" Let's cross our fingers ... till next week.

Glad that Daddy could join us also today :) I am sure he enjoyed himself, just as we enjoyed his company.

Wednesday, 6 January 2010

A day of firsts - the first swim class for both kids and the first playdate with good buddies for the year. The kids are wiped out and so am I.

It's Wei's birthday :)

This blog was lovingly made by her for our kids to remember their growing-up years, so on a day like this she deserves an entry just to her.

Can't say it better than a poem - lots of feelings, in very few words :)

To My Wife

I can write no stately proem
As a prelude to my lay;
From a poet to a poem
I would dare to say.

For if of these fallen petals
One to you seem fair,
Love will waft it till it settles
On your hair.

And when wind and winter harden
All the loveless land,
It will whisper of the garden,
You will understand.

- Oscar Wilde

Sunday, 3 January 2010

One of the New Year resolutions top on our list is to exercise more this year. Besides the usual stroll in the park, which we always do with the kids, we want to engage in more calorie-burining walks. Today, our little family of four went to the Hort Park and walked all the way from the Alexandra Arches to the Henderson Waves and back. I thought the kids would be cranky and all because of the heat, but they were relatively happy.

Nat walked for quite a bit and didi enjoyed the greenery from the stroller. It took us about 2 hrs but we felt quite happy after the walk, having seen a big spider web up close, dozens of beautiful butterflies and even a bee or two. After the walk, my macho boy took off his shirt, while waiting for his bath, he is really too hot (in all senses of the word).

Saturday, 2 January 2010

As we head into the New Year, I feel thankful and grateful for the many blessings in my life. Happiness and Joy is ...

Ushering in the New Year with my loved ones at Marina Mandarin, especially my mum who joined us in our celebrations.

Watching Nat and Lucas enjoying their morning swim.

Enjoying ups and downs of watching the kids grow up, including tantrums.


Seeing the laughter on the faces of my kids at Sentosa Beach.

Looking at nat and lucas wearing my old pyjamas, which my mum kept from like years ago.


Friends and family who love the kids and mummy friends to share our experiences with and provide valuable advice.

Setting New Year resolutions with Gary and looking forward to a strengthened and more loving relationship in the year to come.