Smiles for Monday

I'm a terrible parent for not rectifying this sooner. Her long sighted degree was so high, it was much higher than mine and I'm blind as bat without my glasses. At +7.5, Sofie was literally living in a blurry world. Hence the temper flare ups and the general malaise. 

Sapna got her ready for the moment she needed to put on her glasses, as the opthalmologist at KKH advised that she has to wear them all the time. "My magic glasses, Godma says, will give me superpower Mummy!", she tells me and my heart aches thinking how her beautiful eyes will be obscured by thick heavy lenses.

I was nervous for the moment but as soon as she put on her glasses, there was a huge smile on her face and she exclaimed loudly "wowwww!!!! I can see the floor!!! Mummy I can see you!!" 

She scratched one lens within 2 hours of getting them (damn $180 lenses!!) but she has been such a happy bunny since that all is forgiven.

No more Monday blues y'all!!

Revenge of the Bored

Every June hols, the kids would demand a holiday. And every June hols, my work load in the office increases exponentially- thats the law of Murphy. I can spend my first Quarter twiddling my thumb, then boom! May comes round and we're all suddenly swamped. This June I am juggling 8 different projects which again means no vacay for the kid on term break. Poor girl.

However we did promise her the one thing she has been asking for since January, if she pulls her grades up dramatically. So when she went from an epic fail to near full marks for Math, its only fair I keep my side of the deal. 

Over and over again we went on this 3D Transformer ride. She doesn't seem to tire of it and the waiting time was well within my threshold so off we go up and down, round and round, getting sprayed with water and blasted with hot air, pulled down from tall buildings and dodging metal dogs (dunno what they're called: can you tell I'm not much of a Transformer fan?). And we also have a new fan: 

..who was so scared to get on this but then was yelling her lungs out in glee through out and at the end! HAHAHAHA

Playdate prototype 1.1 done, next one shall be Adventure Cove. Or somewhere Far Far Away please...?

Fab Five

Five is a big deal don't you think? Still cherubic like a toddler yet aware like an adult. And talking so so so much more!

The other night we played a game of story-telling where we each took turns to contribute a line to the bedtime tale- it was so funny we ended up in hysterics! I am amazed each time by Sofie's ability to articulate herself. She now expresses a range of feelings and requests and her imagination, to my sheer pleasure! When I changed the rule of the game to "lets speak in malay".. her voice dropped a few notches and she exclaimed "I sorry. Me dunno Malay much" LOL.

Here're a few pics from my adorable bunny's birthday:

Daddy got her a big box of dinosaur toys and Arissa got a gift of magic looms too (all the craze now!)- so they were both squealing like crazed piglets.

Then a lost kitty wandered into our 11th floor unit (strange to say the least, probably a neighbour's) and is now her adopted mascot. She aptly named her Kitty, again. 

All in all, an exciting birthday indeed.

Look at the stars

As an uncle puts it "no family holiday this year- calendar chock-a-block with weddings!". This is the second of 4 cousins weddings- and we were all there full spirited in yellow! 

Aahhh yellow- what a sunshiney colour to be in. Its quickly becoming my favourite colour- so regal and resplendant, can't help but hum happily to Coldplay (sadly Martin & Paltrow aren't exactly in matrimonial harmony so I cant sing this aloud):

Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow

Photo Album 1 (2013/14)

Yeay downloaded Blogger on my iPhone- this makes it a helluva lot easier to upkeep a blog. 😍 some peektures for posterity!

Confessions of a Blogger

I started this blog sometime in late 2006 with the aim of, one day, sharing its contents with the kids. Its basically an open diary for me- someone known in my circle to have short term memory. 

And today that goal that I set out 8 years ago came true. I was lounging in bed complaining to Arissa about how Aidan still doesnt say "Mama". His first words were in fact "Dada" and "Up there", the latter so complex I wonder how he still doesnt grasp "Mama". Anyway she asks me when she started talking. And it suddenly dawned on me that I have a video of her talking on my blog. I gave her the ipad and showed her the url and voila! she goes back in time and down memory lane-

"Hey! Thats Godma!! And Anish is a baby!"

"Mummy i remember playing here at Aunty Fidza's basement with lots and lots of toys- that was so fun!"

"Oh yaaaaa! I remember now how Sofie looked like when she was a baby"

I got such a sense of fulfilment!! Even though the posts became few and far between when I moved to FB and Instagram, they were still fun to scroll through together. 

Ok I've resolved to be more diligent in writing my posts from now on. Hopefully I read this post with Sofie and Aidan in a few years time- that would be so awesome 💗

oNe

A baby's touch is what every parent needs so much. How you have grown, how time has flown. 

May you live to be a hundred years old, my Angel. 

Love from ..

Mummy, 

Daddy, 

Kakak Hana & 

Kakak Sara.

Wean-win situation

I really connect at an emotional and spiritual level with this poster. In fact the similarity is uncanny.. I, too, have an infant boy who will be desperate enough to suckle in any position I subject him to. Usually at the end of the day when I get home from work, so the sight isn't as pretty, as you can imagine- a weary dishevelled Mother 'attacked' by her whiny, desperate bub.

What does he do in his free time when Mummy is at work? He sucks the communication tool that projects my voice every Monday to Friday at 430pm.

In keeping with Breast Cancer Awareness month, I will continue to breastfeed him until he turns one (in 14 days time!!) and then will worry about switching him to the bottle eventually. He enjoys it, I enjoy it, its good for him and relaxing for me (see how serene she looks in the poster).. plus breastfeeding has been proven to lower chances of breast cancer too! A real no-brainer..

And if anyone fancies some cancer education on 19 Oct, visit http://map.operationpink.sg, an initiative from Mt Elizabeth Novena. Hashtag them #operationpink in Instagram/FB and they will donate 50cents towards cancer research and treatment. A nobel cause indeed! 

I'm the only One

Amazing.. Almost 1 already! 

Its been an exhausting and fun year. I learned to transport myself to near places by crawling, and faraway places by shouting until Mummy or Bibik or Daddy or Nani picks me up. I grew 6 teeth, starting from the 6th month and love to sharpen them on Mummy's bony behind. I learned that one important magic word that sets my world right again- Mamamamam (easy peasy lemon squeezy, like my sisters say it); and i now totally bar myself from less-than-nutritious formula milk and insist only on the original, the full cream BM.

What's that I hear?? One year olds normally have big bashes? Oh dear me, I hope not.. I take a long time to warm up to anyone but when you finally know me, you'll knowthat I'm quite the charmer! I find the ladies love my toothy grin.. Whaddya think??

Ps: biler daaa jambul nak tumbuh. Lol

Playdate

Breakfast for Champions, lunch for winners.. before we head out for a fun weekend activity:

Trying out The Rink at JCube because its only 20min by train from ours to Jurong East and I don't have to depend on Daddy who's working today:

Its nicer and cleaner, but more expensive than the Kallang LeisurePark one (well duh!): $16 for a kid with skates rental, $3.50 for me a spectator and $15 for the damn walrus/seal/sealion (i can't ever tell the diff).

Halfway through they decided they both want the penguin instead which is cheaper at $10 each. The Rink guys allowed me to downgrade of course, without refund. 

And what did they do with their penguins? Made it shave the ice so they can take home cold bits souvenirs. Now is a good time as any to educate them about the changing states of water you think??

Sihat & Kuat (Healthy & Strong)

Being skinny has many privileges. Apart from the obvious, it also allows one to run like the wind and float like a feather. Which is probably why the class with the highest population of skinnies have won the coveted title of Overall Champ and also a place in all p1 race category:

3rd place for hop-and-run race

Check out that funky Indo schoolgirl hairstyle, thanks to the Helper 0;0

Skinny kids with long legs/strong legs with their trophy for "Overall Champion"- hurrah to P1-F!

School hall, where Sports Day is held.

Now.. *rubbing hands* where is that Milo truck? I could use some icy chocolatey goodness..! :) "Minum Milo anda jadi sihat & kuat!"

Xx

Better late than never

Every child develops differently, we all know that. However the reality is that parents get very worried if their bubs don't grow teeth at 6 months, or dont start crawling at 9 months, or don't develop proper speech by 2. 

I waited for 4 whole years before Sofia started conversing properly. Waited, at the edge of my seat; gripping the armrest tightly while nodding encouragement to her through clenched teeth. That was how nervous I had been. I had even enquired through friends about autism tests available at NUS. Comments from relatives like "she's in her own world eh" or "aku bebual dengan dia, dia tak pandang pun muka aku" made me even more inclined to think she borders on autism, whose checklist is perpetually in my head:

1) no eye contact

2) does not value social interaction

3) etc etc..

For her I think the turning point was when she started going to MFS woodlands this year. Her teachers were young and jovial, there were always 4-5 teachers around and they were certainly 'better' at engaging small kids. 

First she started to want to make conversations and imteract with others by repeating words/phrases wholesale off the telly like "fantastic!" or "good job!" (thanks to Team Umizoomi and Bubble Guppies)  then over months graduated to holding proper 2-way conversations. Arissa had been critical in Sofie's speech development especially during playtime- they bounce off each other naturally, even when parts of Sofie's speech is incoherent and sounding like a youtube cut&paste (complete with American accent). 

Its a little late coming but she now asks the valuable Why questions. "Why is kakak naughty Mummy?", she asked sad faced after an episode at home where I became the big bad wolf shouting at the big girl to STOP WALKING AROUND THE HOUSE NAKED AND DRIPPING WET because others might slip and fall in the puddles she leaves behind or get sore eyes by the sight of her naked bum. And in the midst of all that shouting, I hear Sofia's little voice ask "Why is kakak naughty Mummy?". I stopped. I looked at her confused face seeking mine for an answer and I hugged her and said thank you for asking. 

My baby Sofie always has a way to calm us down- in the most unexpected, highly emotionally-intelligent method. 

               Always one of the boys.

                    Partners in crime.

                   With her Godma.

Food for Thought

Another milestone has been crossed this month as Aidan goes from incomprehensible blabbering to actually speaking. And by speaking, I dont mean random sounds; I actually mean he says a particular word in association with an object or an action. Often enough for us to know that there is some level of understanding.

The word? Mumma or Mama (claps hands)

And he says it like this "mamamamamamamamaam".

Wait.. it could also be 'Mammam' right.

Come to think of it, its always in the presence of either his porridge or me. In fact, Mama could also mean Mamam cos really, I am his sole milk source. Still. Argh.. He has been steadfastly rejecting his bottle since Eid. So to ensure he gets his daily calcium requirements, we dump formula milk in everything he eats- from breakfast everything to dinner porridge. 

And this boy can eat. Having had 2 small-eater girls before this, the range and frequency of his appetite is delightful to me (so Asian right- fat means healthy?!) 

So anyway it doesnt really matter if his first word is Mama or Mamam.. because I know both object and activity brings him great pleasure. ;)

PS: paid $6 for this 8second haircut. It was all he could bear before screaming. Hello mullet. 

Sleepyheads

Love to watch them sleep..

Steer clear

Being captain isn't an easy task. It requires dedication, knowledge, an eye for detail and people skill. 

The hardworking people who made our International Labour Organisation live webcast possible without a hitch, in the client's own words "I've never seen such a smooth operation since my days at BBC". 

Perhaps I should tell her my baptism of fire came through Beebs back in 2004. Just 2 months after joining the company, the catastrophic Asian Tsunami hit the shores of Aceh, Sri Lanka and Phuket and I got thrown into the deep end. I think I spent a total of 2 months on the field coordinating hundreds of BBC reporters/crew covering the story. Two years later, again I had to fly into

Nias Island when a major earthquake killed thousands and flattened towns. 

That was my first up close understanding of 'breaking news'. I never thought it was a biggie 'breaking news' flashed on tv screens but it took so much craziness to have it delivered on Channels. I recall clearly how my hair/clothes/skin smelled of dead corpses at the end of a very rough day with the team. That gut wrenching feeling of seeing firefighters pull out bodies of a father, mother and little newborn baby buried under concrete when the roof of their house collapsed on them- shudder.

These days I'm involved in less gruesome news and current affairs work. At least this live webcast involves no dead people, although I almost buried a crew member who totally screwed up until the very minute we went on-air. It marked the first time I lost my cool on a job, but I'm not sure it wasn't warranted. Blood and dead bodies don't faze me as much as a clueless crew member who talks more than he listens.

Pretty interesting setup, but the location was the one generating the crew's excitement. 

After all, its not everyday we work on a tanker the size of 8 football fields, 15 stories high with a laden weight of 150,000 tonnes. Amazingly enough, it runs with a crew of only 26 seafarers. 

It is captained by a man, of course, because women 'captains' like myself have a low threshold for BS and the weakest link gets the bitchy end of my tongue. At least it got the whole show on the road right *feeling guilty*. 

Lil Champ

He has shown signs of being bored with the Nestle breakfast cereal that we buy for him for awhile now. I am scratching my head thinking what alternatives I have for his breakfast- preferably something easy to whip up and nutritious (read: not out of a can/box). And youtube proved itself a saving grace.

There are very few food channels that dedicate itself to baby food but I found 2 that I really like, for its simplicity and for its nutritional factor.

And from one of them, I learnt this breakfast meal:

... a puree of avocado and banana and strips of lightly toasted bread.

He took it well for a first-timer, enough to keep me motivated to try other recipes from the web soon.

But he has been consuming a variety of foods- from Ramadhan dates to roti jala to mushroom potato potage Campbell soup to Ovalmatine biscuits. And loooovin' it.

Double toil, Double trouble

Playdates with the bigger two is my weekend usual since Daddy is manning his Ramadhan Bazaar stall at Bussorah Street. 

I love the idea of bonding them through experiences, old or new, because to be honest they fight like cats & dogs within the confines of four walls and out of boredom. To be even more honest, I can get quite nasty with these kids out of feeling cooped up at home with screaming children- a migraine causing phenomenon! So out we go, leaving Aidan and maid home alone. With my newly installed CCTV camera. Because I am paranoid like that, even though Helper is a gentle village girl. Ah well, better safe than sorry, says the Hubby.

Our playdates typically mean venturing within 2km of home- Causeway Point, Woodlands Library, Northpoint, AMK Hub, Safra Yishun, Sembawang Shopping Centre. But recently, I've started moving out of the comfort zone.

Vivocity, with cousin Seri, to watch Epic:

Bugis Market & Arab Street:

Malay Heritage Centre:

Orchard Road. On a Sunday. Now that calls for a badge of bravery, trolling through minions squatting by CK Tangs and overcrowding public toilets. Reminder to self: never ever let Helper take day off. They end up here, oogled by Bangladeshi workers.

So anyway, its true what the Hubby had said before, 2 IS more fun than 1. More chaotic, but fun regardless. 

In return for behaving themselves, I throw in new treats like...

FIRST EVER DOUBLE DECKER BUS RIDE. So ex-cah-tingggggg!