Thursday, 29 April 2010

We had a school excursion yesterday to one of the vegetable farms at Choa Chu Kang. Interesting visit, we saw some fresh and green looking vegetables and even got to bring some home. It was pretty hot though, and soon nat was grouching away, wanting to be carried. I think for her, the highlight of the day was when she got to "harvest" a radish. They actually let her pull it out from the ground. I managed to capture her doing that in full glory :) although she does look a little grumpy in the photograph.

Her other fave moment is probably having a cool crysanthemum drink at the end of the visit. I enjoyed it, got to catch up with nat's classmates parents as well as her teachers. And you know what this forgetful mum did? She promptly forgot that the next day (which is today), nat had no school as there was another excursion for kids from other sessions. We reached the school, realised that she didn't have class today and decided to spend the morning at Borders instead. She badgered me for a Dunkin Donut, Oreos flavour, which she thoroughly enjoyed, although she got her mouth all dirty.

Here's a video of didi Lucas I did not manage to upload in the Bintan entry. He is really his dad's son. Both like to lounge topless by the pool/beach, fiddling with the iPhone. Like father, like son!

Monday, 26 April 2010

We are back, from Bintan! A short trip from Fri-Sun, but rejuvenating for Gary and me and the kids enjoyed themselves.

We had wondered whether it was a good idea to bring our maid, which we did in the end, and thank goodness we did. We were able to sneak off for some couple time, lounging by the adult pool, sipping a cold drink, ah ... that's the life!

It's nice that the kids are getting to an age when they can play together, and have fun! Lucas is constantly running after his sister, poking his nose into what she is doing.

Beach holidays are great because you essentially do nothing! Start off the morning with a leisurely breakfast, then it's beach time. We strolled by the beach and made sand cakes. Interestingly, both kids are scared of the waves so they preferred to chill away from the waves. We had the opportunity to see hermit crabs during low tide ... it was fun ... nat was scared and squealed when they crawled towards her ... lucas, the fearless, tried to swallow it whole, mud and all! We even managed to see some fish in the clear blue sea water. Gary and I tried to have a stroll along the beach, but nat has this intense jealously when she sees us holding hands and she declared she was angry. Sigh ... oh well ... there goes the romantic walk by the beach.

Next stop, swimming pool. The pools at Banyan Tree are nicer for adults, but for the kids, we headed to the Angsana resort just beside it. The pool is heated and they have a kids' wading pool that is just the right height, even for Lucas. Both our water babies loved it and nat was constantly asking us to bring her to the pool.

After the swim tired them out, we whisked them back to the room for 3-hour naps :) This is when Gary and I sneak off to explore and chill. Angsana resort also has a kids' club, a playroom with toys where the kids can hang out, with free water and cookies. It's nice that nat is at an age when she is starting to socialise. She even made friends and was playing puppets with them.

Mosquitoes were a big issue, for gary that is, haha! When you are in a resort like this, mosquitoes are just part and parcel of the environment. My man was constantly catching and killing mosquitoes, despite the fact that we slept in a bed with a mosquito net. The first night, I woke up to find him "on guard", daring any mosquito to cross his path and be smashed to death. Nat became his official assistant and was constantly telling daddy where the mosquitoes were headed. Oh yes, like gary, she too is a mosquito magnet.

Food-wise, I was not too impressed. Surprisingly, the italian food was good and our brood slurped up the spaghetti with relish. From our table at the restaurant, I could see that they had specially set up table for two on the rocks for some romantic couple. I told Gary I wouldn't like to have dinner there, firstly I wouldn't be able to see the food, secondly, would be too freaked out over the swashing waves pounding on the rocks. Haha, I'm not one for romance ... of this kind.

It was a short holiday, but well worth it. Looking forward to the next one, soon?

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Baby girl is really beginning to enjoy her ballet class. Sails into the classroom, waves goodbye and you can see her focusing intently on what the teacher is saying. I think ballet is quite a good sport to take up as well, notice that her posture has improved, she sits with her back straight. Enjoy the videos.

Baby boy loves swimming. We did not swim for 2 weeks as the kids were sick. Today, was our first day back at swim class and he loved it. Cool dude ... the coach calls him superman because he is always chuckling away, even when his head gets dunked underwater. That's my boy!

Monday, 19 April 2010



Kids say the darnest things. We bought nat a toy camera yesterday and she has been snapping away at everything. She requested to take a pic of my foot, which I obliged. After that, she very matter-of-factly thanked me and said "That's a good foot, mummy." Haha, I was so totally amused.

Lucas is also beginning to recognise emotions. I had been doing flashcards with him which showed all the different emotions. Today, at Julia Gabriel, they had these emotion dolls which have different expressions, like happy, sad, angry and so on. He picked up the smiley face one and said Happy then he picked up the cross looking one and said Angry, after which he promptly dropped the doll and ran off. He doesn't like angry faces :)

Saturday, 17 April 2010



I have always been a little concerned over didi's legs, which seem a little bow-legged. So, yesterday, we brought him to a pediatric orthopedic to have a look. The consultation did not last long, but at least I went away feeling more reassured. Firstly, doc said this is sometimes caused by the position of the foetus in the mum's womb (oh dear, must have kept him pretty squashed in there, sorry little man). The doctor did observe slight bow leggedness when he walked, but he also mentioned that as the toddler grows, the walking would stimulate the bones to correct itself. In majority of cases, by 4-5 years old, they would be walking quite normally. I was like "uh, what about the minority"? The doctor reassured that there was still something that could still be done to correct, if necessary. Hopefully, my little man falls into the majority.



These days, the 2 babies are becoming closer and better friends. Sometimes, didi lucas will even voluntarily run up to his big sister to hold her hands, haha, although the enthusiasm doesn't last too long. As with all siblings, minor squabbles and fights do happen, but they are forgotten quickly. Both kids love sitting with me at the PC learning the alphabets, didi is still at the A, B, C stage, but nat has moved on to phonics and blending of words. She can't quite get it yet, but good work anyway, baby girl. She is now quite adept at handling the mouse. They also love the games on the iPhone, that I am half considering getting an iPad, for them to play their games (haha, maybe one day when I feel rich, which could be quite a while away).

Diego and Dora are at the top of their reading list. I found a phonics reading programme based on this series that is quite useful. They mix simple words and pictures and make for an interesting read for the kids. Little Einstein still tops the DVD cartoon charts.

Nat's fave toy is her baby Sally (sigh, despite my persuading her Leia is a much better name, she still chose the former.) Didi doesn't have a fave, but he adores his Little Einstein-themed blue bag, which he carries around all the time.

Like mummy, my little miss is prone to mood swings, this is her being all melancholic. In such cases, daddy and mummy are to go to her and do silly things to make her laugh, no choice, it's part of the package of being a parent.

Monday, 12 April 2010

I used to think my little man was the sterotypical "bo-chup" kind of guy but recently I have changed my mind. This little man has the makings of a SNAG (sensitive new age guy), so ladies beware!

During classes at Julia Gabriel, he will go a-wandering and exploring the environment. Every so often, he looks up to find out where mummy is. When he spots me, he runs towards me in a big hug and rests his head on my lap, sigh, never fails to melt my heart everytime. His kisses, although rarely given (unlike his sister) are wet, slobbery and never fail to make my day. At night, he loves to snuggle close to me and puts his face close to mine.

Yesterday, we had a meet-up with our baby friends, it's been a while, almost 4 months I think. It's always a great feeling meeting them, seeing the babies/toddlers interact and having fun. Between us, we have 8 kids and it's always a messy affair during meal times. I remember that we used to think it was chaotic enough getting to restaurant to provide 4 baby chairs when our firstborns were younger, but it's worse when you double that. Can you imagine, we have known each other for almost 3 years already? I can still recall how, in a moment of insanity (being the hermit, I am), I actually invited some "strangers" from the baby forum over to my house and what surprised me was the overwhelming response. Life is like that, you click with some instantly and there you have it, 3 years later, we are still good friends, having gone through the joys and frustrations of motherhood together.

Saturday, 10 April 2010

As you may have noticed, I have not been updating the blog because the kids were sick last week, me and gary as well. Everyone's better now, though. It's nasty when the kids are sick, hate to see them having fever and coughing away, with mucus running down the nose. Sigh ...

2 interesting things to share in today's entry. Firstly, being the kid of someone who is into tech has it's advantages, you get introduced to all kinda gadgets at a young age. Check out little mr tech having his daily iphone gameplay, he has even learn to get comfy and rest his head on a nice fluffy pillow. It's quite educational actually, keeps the kids amused and helps them learn the alphabets. Gary saw lucas playing on it today for the first time and was impressed.

Another gameplay that I recently thought of to amuse my kids, was inspired by something I saw in one of the playgyms. By sticking one of these green lego mats on the wall, the kids can mount the bricks directly on it. Endless hours of fun! Check out nat's "hippo" (didn't think it looked like one, but a mum has gotta be encouraging, right?) and didi was mighty pleased every time he successfully stuck a brick on the wall and we all applauded his wonderful effort.

Friday, 2 April 2010

I had a one-on-one time with both my kids on Thursday, first with nat, then with lucas. After school, me and nat had a date at Orchard. We roamed the bookstores and toy shops until we were both wiped out before heading home. It's rare for her to get such undivided attention these days, and she loves it. After dropping nat home, I whisked didi lucas off to the doc for his vaccination. Thereafter, we had a stroll at MacRitchie, just him and me. Had an adventure with a hoard of monkeys, who seemed rather aggressive and there was one particular one that came very near us and kind of glared at us. Luke and I looked at each other, and we made a run for it, pram and all.


This is a picture of him right after, looking kind of pissed and keeping a lookout for the monkeys. And who said real men don't carry teddies, I think he looks pretty darn cute :)

At night, gary and I went for a couple's date, with the kids safely in bed. Did not venture too far, but it is nice to have some couple time to chit chat and just relax. It is no wonder that I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, I was super wiped out!

I love my kids :) tantrums and all.

Check out didi's cool red briefs, just like superman! We are starting with with some form of potty-training and introducing the concept of briefs to him, so far so good.

On a side note, starting out on a no-carbs diet for a week, sick of looking fat and not being able to lose my post pregnancy weight (it's been 1.5 years already, you know, gasp!) Wish me luck!