Yes, I had a another baby close to a year ago.
Dear Baby,
I'm sorry this took so long. It has been really difficult to pen down anything before this.
Time flies. You are 10.5 months old now!
After two weeks of false alarm (mainly scaring myself most of the time), you arrived-- a tiny little bundle. The pregnancy hasn't been exactly smooth sailing so we are very relieved and glad that you are healthy and well.
EAT
You suckle well though and caught up on weight rather quickly.
We started you on solids about 1-2 months ago because you kept smacking your lips while we are having our meals and boy, you eat well! You've even tried some of jiejie's rice -- you love those. You like texture in you food so rice cereals and purees aren't that appealing to you.
MOVING ABOUT
You now have 3 teeth, the fourth peeking out slowly.
You crawl really fast now, especially to jiejie and I wonder if i really is it, but sometimes, I catch a glint of mischief in your eyes before you scurry away. You have already puled yourself up to stand for quite a while now but recently, I noticed you are trying to go hands-free. You managed one step between the children's table and me tonight. Loads of practice going on there.
PLAY
You have a little tinker box filled with rainbow puzzles and stacking cups. You enjoy playing with those while jiejie works on her activities. I say jiejie a lot because you really love her. Well, maybe not so much when she first returned home from popo's, You were two weeks old and two weeks of quiet with just the adults at home, a loud preschooler was a little too much for you. I remember you look rather annoyed. But you take to jiejie fast. In fact, you gave her your sweetest smile and your first chuckle.
HANDS
You have learnt to clap and you are starting to wave goodbye.
BABBLES
"teh teh " (jiejie)was the first word you used meaningfully after some baby babbles.
You call me "meh meh" (mummy) and just today, you imitated jiejie in calling Daddy when she as searching for him in the supermarket.
She called "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"and I heard you mumbling after her while I was babywearing you.
During bedtime tonight, you gave a sneaky smile as you crawled to look towards the door after Daddy left the room and called out "Deh deh". Jiejie called for Daddy to enter and you called after him again when he left. This happened about three times and you seem to find it funny.
Other babbles include:
um!
Come
take/tap
bad (Bread?)
bah-au bah-au (I supposed you mean baobao)
Dear Baby,
Even though I seem to leave you alone playing most of the time while I busy myself with chores and jiejie, know that I love you a lot.
Loads.
I love you.
Smooches and kisses,
Mommy.
Showing posts with label Baby Milestones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby Milestones. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2018
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
The Letter 'S'
Hello! I'm back a lot faster than I expected!
J received her first school parent-child assignment and I'm really excited.
J received her first school parent-child assignment and I'm really excited.
We do crafts at home but they are mainly spontaneous ones. Planned activities don't go so well in this house. But parent-child assignments are different - there's opportunity for discussions and sharing.
This week, they learnt about the letter 'S' and we were encouraged to make a snake with recyclables.
It has been a really fun process so I thought I would like to pen it down.
We started with discussion the day she brought the activity sheet back.
We talked about the various materials we can use (kitchen towel rolls, old stockings, paper, socks... ) This kid knows what I have in my craft stash.
This is our first project so there was a lot of prompting.
I asked if she wanted her snake to be a sculpture or one that can have movable parts.
I asked if she wanted her snake to be a sculpture or one that can have movable parts.
She wanted one that could move so we decided on a pull-along toy, to be made with paper towel rolls.
I tried to let her work on it on her own as much as possible.
She picked out the origami papers she wanted to use from my stash, which I kind of regretted packing them neatly into an origami paper box because she can see ALL the papers I have.
I stuck double-sided tape to the kitchen rolls and taught her how to roll it over the paper. She then stuffed the ends in to secure the paper onto the kitchen roll. Easy-peasy for small hands.
I left her be to work on the rest. She needed a little help and guidance but was pretty much able to complete it on her own.
The eyes are plain circle labels with pupils she drew on using a Sharpie. Using a Sharpie is a big deal for J, because as Momma puts it, those are "markers for grown-ups". I would have used the pistachio shells if I hadn't tossed them into the bins.
The tongue was some scrap paper we found in her scrap paper bag that was coloured over with red marker. That scrap paper bag is full of small pieces of paper from her cutting sessions. She is so into cutting lately. Imagine the horror to find "confetti" on the floor every time she works on crafts when I'm doing my chores/having a shower.
I didn't know how to string the tubes together so that the part stayed in place so we dot The Husband's help on that. I had J string strips of straw with a string, then using one longer straw as a needle, to string all the stringed straw pieces into the tubes.
Whoa. That was quite a mouthful.
Then I stuck double sided tape onto the straw and stuck them on the inside of the roll to keep the string in place. This feels so complicated as I'm typing this out. I'm very sure there is an easier way but I have absolutely no idea what it is.
After stringing all the tubes together, our simple snake is done!
J decided to stick animal stickers onto each section of the snake. Now it looks like a train.
Aaaaaand our first project is done!!
She had some fun pulling the toy all over the house.
So glad that her first project is like building a toy to her.
Note: The snake hardly survived being pulled around that it was falling apart on Sunday night. I had to secure more tapes onto it. I hope it stays okay through the week!
So glad that her first project is like building a toy to her.
Note: The snake hardly survived being pulled around that it was falling apart on Sunday night. I had to secure more tapes onto it. I hope it stays okay through the week!
Thursday, April 21, 2016
My Big Girl Room
So, it happened.
Just like that.
J has been sleeping in her own room for a little while now.
Her room. She was quite clear about this.
We have not talked much about moving J into her own room since her birth; we are so used to having her in our room. We did think about beds and future room arrangements but we didn't think it would be this soon. It always ended with "We'll see how it goes." And we secretly enjoy having our baby in the same room as us. Probably Primary School, I thought.
Then the air conditioner in our bedroom started doing it's "drip-drop-drip" and it's as though we are used to the drill, we packed our pillows and blankets and camped in the playroom instead.
It was fun, to be honest, even for me.
But when the air-conditioner was finally fixed, J decided that she wanted to stay in the playroom.
I accompanied her for two nights before I bailed out on her. There was only one floppy mattress in the playroom which obviously goes to J. Sleeping on the playmat is better than the hardwood floors, but not so much fun for my back either.
"If you want to sleep in the playroom, Momma will have to go back to my own bed after you fall asleep. My back hurts."
"Okay."
"Then you will have to come in and let me know if you want the potty or milk. I wouldn't be able to hear you if you just call out to me."
"Okay."
"You sure you're okay?
"Yes."
Wow. Okay then!
It was about time. J is outgrowing her cot and with her constant kicks and flip-flopping at nights, the cot is falling apart (really, the sides aren't secure anymore) and she is probably not enjoying all the bumps on her arms, legs and head.
That night, we settled her to sleep and went off to our bedroom.
I was quite worried - I didn't know how she would respond to the dark. I wouldn't have responded well to it.
We kept waking to check on her. She didn't wake for anything on the first night, but she woke up earlier than we did in the morning to go to the bathroom. That look on her face. That "I did it, momma" smile. I gave her a hug and told her that she really is a big girl now for sleeping in her own bedroom. We did that each morning as an encouragement. I try to praise her efforts as much as possible. Until we were certain that she is really going to sleep in her own room, we got her a new mattress that would be better for her back. She liked having a new mattress - so proud of it like something she has earned.
It's been almost a week now.
She has woken once for milk, pretty much awake.
She has woken many times to use the potty. The last, she didn't even walk to my bed anymore.
It was just "Mama, potty, " and I hear the bathroom doors open.
Every time we return to her room, she has to have me beside her until she falls asleep.
A couple of times I didn't and she walked back to pull me back into her room.
Even though it's a major milestone for J to sleep in her own room, we are still taking baby steps.
As of now, we still stay in the room until she's fast asleep.
And will continue to do so.
Because, you never know. They grow fast.
Maybe soon, she won't need us anymore.
Just like that.
J has been sleeping in her own room for a little while now.
Her room. She was quite clear about this.
We have not talked much about moving J into her own room since her birth; we are so used to having her in our room. We did think about beds and future room arrangements but we didn't think it would be this soon. It always ended with "We'll see how it goes." And we secretly enjoy having our baby in the same room as us. Probably Primary School, I thought.
Then the air conditioner in our bedroom started doing it's "drip-drop-drip" and it's as though we are used to the drill, we packed our pillows and blankets and camped in the playroom instead.
It was fun, to be honest, even for me.
But when the air-conditioner was finally fixed, J decided that she wanted to stay in the playroom.
I accompanied her for two nights before I bailed out on her. There was only one floppy mattress in the playroom which obviously goes to J. Sleeping on the playmat is better than the hardwood floors, but not so much fun for my back either.
"If you want to sleep in the playroom, Momma will have to go back to my own bed after you fall asleep. My back hurts."
"Okay."
"Then you will have to come in and let me know if you want the potty or milk. I wouldn't be able to hear you if you just call out to me."
"Okay."
"You sure you're okay?
"Yes."
Wow. Okay then!
It was about time. J is outgrowing her cot and with her constant kicks and flip-flopping at nights, the cot is falling apart (really, the sides aren't secure anymore) and she is probably not enjoying all the bumps on her arms, legs and head.
That night, we settled her to sleep and went off to our bedroom.
I was quite worried - I didn't know how she would respond to the dark. I wouldn't have responded well to it.
We kept waking to check on her. She didn't wake for anything on the first night, but she woke up earlier than we did in the morning to go to the bathroom. That look on her face. That "I did it, momma" smile. I gave her a hug and told her that she really is a big girl now for sleeping in her own bedroom. We did that each morning as an encouragement. I try to praise her efforts as much as possible. Until we were certain that she is really going to sleep in her own room, we got her a new mattress that would be better for her back. She liked having a new mattress - so proud of it like something she has earned.
It's been almost a week now.
She has woken once for milk, pretty much awake.
She has woken many times to use the potty. The last, she didn't even walk to my bed anymore.
It was just "Mama, potty, " and I hear the bathroom doors open.
Every time we return to her room, she has to have me beside her until she falls asleep.
A couple of times I didn't and she walked back to pull me back into her room.
Even though it's a major milestone for J to sleep in her own room, we are still taking baby steps.
As of now, we still stay in the room until she's fast asleep.
And will continue to do so.
Because, you never know. They grow fast.
Maybe soon, she won't need us anymore.
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
{Dear Baby} 2.5 years old
Hallo, my big girl.
You are really a big girl already, aren't you?
Within this month, you have progressed so much and have become so independent.
Quite a few milestones met, and honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed.
You're growing so fast.
Too fast.
This is a major milestone - you shifted into your new 'bedroom' a few days before you turned 2.5 years old.
It was by accident and somehow happened naturally.
We are all so proud of you, and you are darn proud of yourself.
That look on your face when you wake each morning and realised, you slept on your own (with your animal friends and the stars) - priceless.
You are also learning to button up now.
You did mine somehow so I guess that's what motivated you.
Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it doesn't. And you get really frustrated.
You have also been extremely helpful in the kitchen and around the house.
We baked a bread together.
We have also upgraded your wiper stick into a handheld vacuum and you do your chores very seriously. I'm not supposed to cover the areas you did because you "just cleaned it and it's very, very clean now."
You talk like an adult.
You gave me "well done, mama!" hugs when you think I need some encouragement.
And you are not stingy on complimenting others.
You also love pretend play.
I gave you a vet kit toy set since we were talking about occupations this month, and you played with it for days. It's been 3 days and you're still very much excited about opening your clinic each morning.
We are also hearing you tell and retell stories.
Some, it was memorisation.
Some, you retold by looking at the pictures.
And the funniest ones were when you try to tell a story while looking at a blank notebook.
Love your imagination.
BUT...
growing up also meant that you are a lot more vocal in expressing yourself.
We have been getting a lot of "I DON'T WANT"s lately.
This, not so enjoyable.
I'm hoping we move on from this phase soon.
That said, you are still my happy little bub most of the time, so stay that way.
Love you loads.
Cuddles and smooches,
Momma
You are really a big girl already, aren't you?
Within this month, you have progressed so much and have become so independent.
Quite a few milestones met, and honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed.
You're growing so fast.
Too fast.
This is a major milestone - you shifted into your new 'bedroom' a few days before you turned 2.5 years old.
It was by accident and somehow happened naturally.
We are all so proud of you, and you are darn proud of yourself.
That look on your face when you wake each morning and realised, you slept on your own (with your animal friends and the stars) - priceless.
You are also learning to button up now.
You did mine somehow so I guess that's what motivated you.
Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it doesn't. And you get really frustrated.
You have also been extremely helpful in the kitchen and around the house.
We baked a bread together.
We have also upgraded your wiper stick into a handheld vacuum and you do your chores very seriously. I'm not supposed to cover the areas you did because you "just cleaned it and it's very, very clean now."
You talk like an adult.
You gave me "well done, mama!" hugs when you think I need some encouragement.
And you are not stingy on complimenting others.
You also love pretend play.
I gave you a vet kit toy set since we were talking about occupations this month, and you played with it for days. It's been 3 days and you're still very much excited about opening your clinic each morning.
We are also hearing you tell and retell stories.
Some, it was memorisation.
Some, you retold by looking at the pictures.
And the funniest ones were when you try to tell a story while looking at a blank notebook.
Love your imagination.
BUT...
growing up also meant that you are a lot more vocal in expressing yourself.
We have been getting a lot of "I DON'T WANT"s lately.
This, not so enjoyable.
I'm hoping we move on from this phase soon.
That said, you are still my happy little bub most of the time, so stay that way.
Love you loads.
Cuddles and smooches,
Momma
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
So grown up.
Since my last post, J does really seem to have grown up a lot.
The things she says.
Her actions.
Her train of thoughts.
Just last evening, I cut my finger while trying to cut an onion. I don't know why the knife can't differentiate those two but I got myself a slit on my finger and thank goodness my right hand knew better so it pulled the knife away before it got more bloody.
J does dinner preparation with me now so she was just beside me when it happened.
She didn't see my cut but was a little taken aback when I kept asking her to get me my bottle of lavender. I know she knows where I kept it ; I'm not sure if she knows which bottle it is.
A while later, she returned to the kitchen with a bottle of essential oil in her hands. "Here it is."
She must have taken a while to identify which bottle it was.
I'm so glad she got the right one.
She helped me apply pressure on my cut upon my request, and located the plasters for me.
Thank goodness (once again), she knows where those are too.
J used to be afraid of plasters, but she handed the box to me coolly. Then told me that she can "hi-five" the plaster because she is all grown up now. Then, in a very concerned tone, she asked, "Are you better now, mama?"
I was torn between giving her a tight hug and crying, because at that moment, my two-year-old felt so grown up
I gave her a hug.
Today, I had grand plans of having a nice shower while she naps but the nap didn't happen.
I tried my luck and told her to stay in the playroom while I take a shower. I suggested that she could read. When I walked past the room, I peeped in and saw this.
I returned to the same view after my (rather long) shower.
Tonight when The Husband was in the bath and I was trying to have dinner, J headed to the playroom. She was done with hers. I tried to persuade her to stay with me while I ate but she said,
"I'll be fine alone, mama, I have my animal friends."
And as I ate, I heard her reading out loud.
It did sound very interesting, and it continued till I was done with dinner.
She was really fine on her own.
So grown up.
A while later, she returned to the kitchen with a bottle of essential oil in her hands. "Here it is."
She must have taken a while to identify which bottle it was.
I'm so glad she got the right one.
She helped me apply pressure on my cut upon my request, and located the plasters for me.
Thank goodness (once again), she knows where those are too.
J used to be afraid of plasters, but she handed the box to me coolly. Then told me that she can "hi-five" the plaster because she is all grown up now. Then, in a very concerned tone, she asked, "Are you better now, mama?"
I was torn between giving her a tight hug and crying, because at that moment, my two-year-old felt so grown up
I gave her a hug.
Today, I had grand plans of having a nice shower while she naps but the nap didn't happen.
I tried my luck and told her to stay in the playroom while I take a shower. I suggested that she could read. When I walked past the room, I peeped in and saw this.
I returned to the same view after my (rather long) shower.
Tonight when The Husband was in the bath and I was trying to have dinner, J headed to the playroom. She was done with hers. I tried to persuade her to stay with me while I ate but she said,
"I'll be fine alone, mama, I have my animal friends."
And as I ate, I heard her reading out loud.
It did sound very interesting, and it continued till I was done with dinner.
She was really fine on her own.
So grown up.
Monday, March 28, 2016
"I'll be all alone"
"I'll be all alone."
"But I'll be all alone."
"Then I'll be all alone."
These are the words I didn't expect coming from someone who has enjoyed playing by herself for the past 2.5 years. I'm thinking it's the age. But hearing that from J makes my heart hurt a little, even though I'd smile at her and assure her she's never alone - I'll always be somewhere near.
Some days, I wonder if it came about because I'm more focused about spending time on my own things lately, be it chores or just hiding in a corner, surfing the net. I've allowed her to watch an hour of TV each day, selected clips of course. In the past, I'd sit beside her while she was watching and we'll enjoy the videos together. Then I realised that I could get things done while she was watching so I started doing chores during that period. And THEN, I realised, hey, I could surf the net on my phone while she was watching the TV! Me-time!
BUT (yes, there's always a 'but'. A big, bold one...)
I noticed her sneaking looks at me when I'm on my phone. Then the look on her face changes to something that looks like disappointment. That made me very guilty. I used to pride myself for being able to disconnect. I even wanted to write a post on that but I didn't because I was so disconnected and I enjoyed it. I don't know why I went back to the phone again.
I was there, right beside her. But, I wasn't there.
That kinda sucks, even as I'm typing this down.
So (I don't know where this is heading, once again) I have to remind myself that I need to be more present. I know I'm capable of doing it, and I know I have to do it.
Because, next year, she goes to school.
And I'll probably be the one saying "I'll be all alone."
"But I'll be all alone."
"Then I'll be all alone."
These are the words I didn't expect coming from someone who has enjoyed playing by herself for the past 2.5 years. I'm thinking it's the age. But hearing that from J makes my heart hurt a little, even though I'd smile at her and assure her she's never alone - I'll always be somewhere near.
Some days, I wonder if it came about because I'm more focused about spending time on my own things lately, be it chores or just hiding in a corner, surfing the net. I've allowed her to watch an hour of TV each day, selected clips of course. In the past, I'd sit beside her while she was watching and we'll enjoy the videos together. Then I realised that I could get things done while she was watching so I started doing chores during that period. And THEN, I realised, hey, I could surf the net on my phone while she was watching the TV! Me-time!
BUT (yes, there's always a 'but'. A big, bold one...)
I noticed her sneaking looks at me when I'm on my phone. Then the look on her face changes to something that looks like disappointment. That made me very guilty. I used to pride myself for being able to disconnect. I even wanted to write a post on that but I didn't because I was so disconnected and I enjoyed it. I don't know why I went back to the phone again.
I was there, right beside her. But, I wasn't there.
That kinda sucks, even as I'm typing this down.
So (I don't know where this is heading, once again) I have to remind myself that I need to be more present. I know I'm capable of doing it, and I know I have to do it.
Because, next year, she goes to school.
And I'll probably be the one saying "I'll be all alone."
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Esplanade PLAYtime! - 奇幻森林 The Magic Jungle 2016
We attended our first paid performance today.
I've never dared to pay for a performance or play because I don't know how J would respond to it, or how engaging it would be to her, even though she has been to quite a few (free) mall shows and enjoyed them thoroughly.
I bit the bulletbecause we are quite stingy and went for The Magic Jungle when a friend asked because
The set
Simple (but a lot of effort went into it I'm sure!) and colourful.
I'm someone who is easily influenced by ambience so the moment I stepped in, I can already picture myself in a magical jungle. Colourful trees.
The performance
Two words.
Bloody brilliant!
It started with a pre-show entertainment where the performers each take charge of a section and introduced the children to their animal friends - made out of (mainly) recyclable materials and some which we can find around the house. I'm already thinking of making the moth. *inspired!*
It's a cosy group so no child gets left behind. I thought J would be afraid of the animals but upon seeing the other children go forward, she went anyway. Having a jiejie with her helped too.
The hits
I've never dared to pay for a performance or play because I don't know how J would respond to it, or how engaging it would be to her, even though she has been to quite a few (free) mall shows and enjoyed them thoroughly.
I bit the bullet
- It says it's recommended for "2-4 year old". J is two, so, okay!
- This year's performance is presented entirely in Mandarin., which is good because J suddenly stopped speaking in Mandarin after we stopped Grandma School.
- Time to give performances a try.
- It's affordable at $17 per pax.
The set
Simple (but a lot of effort went into it I'm sure!) and colourful.
I'm someone who is easily influenced by ambience so the moment I stepped in, I can already picture myself in a magical jungle. Colourful trees.
The performance
Two words.
Bloody brilliant!
It started with a pre-show entertainment where the performers each take charge of a section and introduced the children to their animal friends - made out of (mainly) recyclable materials and some which we can find around the house. I'm already thinking of making the moth. *inspired!*
It's a cosy group so no child gets left behind. I thought J would be afraid of the animals but upon seeing the other children go forward, she went anyway. Having a jiejie with her helped too.
The hits
It really does suit the very young audience!
In fact, it hit the three most important points to keep young children engaged.
It's colourful.
The pop of colours in the set.
The colourful fabric on the performer's headgear.
It's colours, colours everywhere!
It's interactive.
The children didn't have to sit through the entire performance,
They got to MOVE! And moving is such an important thing to do for toddlers.
They got to stand and dance, then sit for a while, then stand up to dance, then sit for a while as the story proceeds, then walk up for activities. Then dance again.
We also went through the colours of the rainbow, which I thought was a nice way to weave learning into a performance. I gave them a lot of bonus points at this part!
It's short and the pace is just nice.
Plays to me, are slow.
And that was my primary concern just before we entered the theatre.
But this one is just 45 minutes and the pace of the performance went just right.
Not overwhelmingly fast that you don't know what's going on, and not too slow till the children gets bored.
The miss
Only one.
They introduced an animal and the herd of animals were repeating their names. We got a little lost at this point.
What I love about it
I think it tells a lot if you have a sizable group of children and no one is crying.
Maybe it's just the group I'm with today but yes no one cried, and that's impressive.
The headgear are made of recyclable materials. Loads of inspirations for parents.
You could totally do some up at home.
The performers made sure every child is engaged. The little girl in front of us is very young so she wasn't really following through the actions. One of the performers came forward and encouraged her to follow along.
There are bits of learning in it, which I wasn't expecting. So that was a pleasant surprise.
I was engaged through the entire performance. I loved it. One of the best I've ever been too.
*****
My friend told me that PLAYtime! performances are interactive but this one has got more activities than the previous ones she went for. Hopefully all the future shows are the same and I can't wait for go for the next one!
Thursday, November 5, 2015
The second year of motherhood
I looked back at the post I wrote when J turned one.
And I know I'll wonder what the second year of motherhood was like when I hit the third. So here's it is. You're welcomed, future self.
J has grown from the scrawny baby to a strong little girl to an even stronger little-big girl. I don't know where she gets her strength from, but she's definitely not a toddler to mess with. I just watched Frozen that day (finally!) and as much as I try not to princess-ify things, J does resemble Anna. Strong, fearless, optimistic, and quite caring.
And feisty.
Definitely not the girly-girl I thought she would turn out to be.
And she has grown so tall, and so big. I think my mum really fed her well. Her height is off the charts now and I'm glad. I remember I used to fret about her food intake and feel like a lousy mom about not feeding her well.
These are what I talked about after I survived the first year of motherhood. Let's see if things have changed.
And I know I'll wonder what the second year of motherhood was like when I hit the third. So here's it is. You're welcomed, future self.
J has grown from the scrawny baby to a strong little girl to an even stronger little-big girl. I don't know where she gets her strength from, but she's definitely not a toddler to mess with. I just watched Frozen that day (finally!) and as much as I try not to princess-ify things, J does resemble Anna. Strong, fearless, optimistic, and quite caring.
And feisty.
Definitely not the girly-girl I thought she would turn out to be.
And she has grown so tall, and so big. I think my mum really fed her well. Her height is off the charts now and I'm glad. I remember I used to fret about her food intake and feel like a lousy mom about not feeding her well.
*****
These are what I talked about after I survived the first year of motherhood. Let's see if things have changed.
Sleep. What sleep?
Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel - we do get sleep after all!
Eventually.
Well, there is light at the end of the tunnel - we do get sleep after all!
Eventually.
J has been sleeping through the night, thankfully. Other than a few random occasions where she wakes up and asks for milk, I've managed to get my seven-hours-undisturbed sleep. Well, most of the time.
Sometimes I wonder if she did actually wake up but I was too tired to notice. It could have happened.
Sometimes I wonder if she did actually wake up but I was too tired to notice. It could have happened.
My baby is not eating. Much.
Ah. This.
Now my baby eats too much.
That's quite a happy thing though.
(Okay. My back and arms protested but hey, we've come a long way!)
Now my baby eats too much.
That's quite a happy thing though.
(Okay. My back and arms protested but hey, we've come a long way!)
My baby doesn't really sleep a lot.
This hasn't changed. J still doesn't sleep a lot.
She naps only once a day. Sometimes only for an hour.
Every time I look at those infographics and charts on a child's sleep, J will be at least two hours short of the recommended hours.
I gave up feeling bad about it. If she's happy everyday, she should be getting enough sleep. Maybe she just doesn't sleep so much. I also found out that I'm not alone so all's good.
She naps only once a day. Sometimes only for an hour.
Every time I look at those infographics and charts on a child's sleep, J will be at least two hours short of the recommended hours.
I gave up feeling bad about it. If she's happy everyday, she should be getting enough sleep. Maybe she just doesn't sleep so much. I also found out that I'm not alone so all's good.
I have to take baby out? How?
Going out is getting even easier now. Less logistics, less things to carry around. Being able to eat adult food eases the load I have to carry too. J now asks to go to the toilet when we are out so I bring only one piece of spare diaper. (My other problem would be that she asks to go to the toilet too much. Half the time to go wash her hands and play with water.)
But going out with her alone is getting increasingly challenging. It's tough without her stroller especially when she decides to sleep. I tried once and ended up with a really painful back. With the stroller, I'll have to choose between them both. I'm still trying though.
I ended with this:
Now that we are at that stage, whoa. Some days are good, and some drives me nuts.
It turns out that the terrible twos are not just about meltdowns.
It's about testing boundaries and pushing limits.
It's about dealing with what looks like defiance, but is actually the testing of boundaries in disguise.
It's about maintaining sanity (for the parent).
Ho-ho!!! Not easy!
Most days I try to keep calm and parent on, but some days, especially on the days I'm really tired, I become the crazy-yelling-jumping-around-while-flailing-arms-at-the-same-time-momma.
*Breathe*
I don't even have questions for myself now because everyday is essentially the same.
Testing of boundaries.
Trying to maintain sanity.
BUT...
Oh, so much joy.
(Yes, that is true. Even though temper tantrums and meltdowns are more frequent now.)
But going out with her alone is getting increasingly challenging. It's tough without her stroller especially when she decides to sleep. I tried once and ended up with a really painful back. With the stroller, I'll have to choose between them both. I'm still trying though.
I ended with this:
"I'm now bracing myself for the terrible twos.
Bring it on!"
Now that we are at that stage, whoa. Some days are good, and some drives me nuts.
It turns out that the terrible twos are not just about meltdowns.
It's about testing boundaries and pushing limits.
It's about dealing with what looks like defiance, but is actually the testing of boundaries in disguise.
It's about maintaining sanity (for the parent).
Ho-ho!!! Not easy!
Most days I try to keep calm and parent on, but some days, especially on the days I'm really tired, I become the crazy-yelling-jumping-around-while-flailing-arms-at-the-same-time-momma.
*Breathe*
I don't even have questions for myself now because everyday is essentially the same.
Testing of boundaries.
Trying to maintain sanity.
BUT...
Oh, so much joy.
(Yes, that is true. Even though temper tantrums and meltdowns are more frequent now.)
Friday, October 30, 2015
TWO! - The Celebration
It was really simple this year.
No fancy.
No fanfare.
Just some balloons from Daiso, a banner from last year which we didn't use, and poster pages from this mook that I saved five years ago.
I stuck three of the pages over our existing frames in the dining room, with blu-tack so that they are easy to remove. But they are still there because these drawings brighten the area, and are a nice change to our original 'artwork'.
The universe is pretty amazing - the way it has things planned. I had wanted to rush home to do up some hanging Suzy's zoo garland so that J's surprise can start the moment she's at the door. But on the way home from the wedding lunch (which was supposed to be J's birthday experience), I walked past a party store and picked up these streamers instead. She was indeed surprised. I hope I'll never forget the way she looks at the streamers and the way she gasps "de..co..ra..tions..!"
My sister was available that evening too (I appreciate that both brother-in-law and her came over despite it being bil's birthday too!) and she came over with what J always wanted - helium balloons. In her favourite character. The delight, priceless.
We had a really tiny cake, but it must be the sweetest treat I've ever tasted this year.
*****
We agreed on giving J a birthday experience instead of throwing a huge party.
It was supposed to be my dear friend's wedding lunch this year but it has been proven that it will be challenging for J to sit through the banquet.
I did plan some before and after her birthday, though.
The day before J's birthday, we visited S.E.A Aquarium with a little friend. Some trick-or-treating took place. We hugged jack-o-lanterns, and waved to skeletons. It was fun to watch the two littles holding each other like they are the best of pals, even though this was only the third time they met. (The first two meetings were brief.)
The day after J's birthday was Daddy's birthday, so we went for a good dinner and J got to eat adult food. Two is a pretty good age. I've not seen her this quiet when we are out dining.
Adult food is great. Look at how her face lights up at the sight of "my piz-sa".
That's rosti in her bowl.
It was really rather simple this year.
We might have bent the party rules a little by having a mini party but little one is really happy.
She still looks at her birthday videos fondly - the one where she blew the candles (with our help).
And that's all that matters.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
{Dear Baby} TWO!
This came a few days late but J was back to the night time struggle of "I-want-to-sleep-no-I-don't-want-to" and it's getting more challenging with the twos. But here is it. Happy birthday, sweetheart.
Dear Baby,
Dear Baby,
Thank you for another wonderful year.
Two years ago, you made me a mom, and I couldn't be more grateful that it's you. I looked back at the letter a wrote to you a year ago. Some things have changed, but some things remain the same.
You're as insistent as you were about independence. Much more now.
We are having this power struggle lately where you have opinions on what to wear, what to eat, what shoes to buy. Sometimes, I'm not even sure if I should laugh or cry at tour new-found independence. It drives me a little crazy sometimes.
We are having this power struggle lately where you have opinions on what to wear, what to eat, what shoes to buy. Sometimes, I'm not even sure if I should laugh or cry at tour new-found independence. It drives me a little crazy sometimes.
You can now self-feed, and as much as I was worried about the cup milestone, you are now able to drink from the cup by yourself, albeit late. You really learn so much faster from other children.
You now dress yourself when I lay out your clothes for you, if you want to.
And you can now put on your own socks. We're still working on the shoes but you're halfway there.
At two, I can safely say that you're fully potty-trained now, even though we still put your diapers on at night and when we go out for long periods, as a precautionary measure. (Edit: We are on Day 2 of diaper-free nights!) It's been a month so I think I won't jinx myself.
19 months ago, I was worried about you the whole time, because at three months of age, you appear to not like interaction - you just stare and not respond. Little did I know that you were observing what's going around. Now, you just keep talking and narrating little stories of your experiences (like the air gun at Polliwogs, and our aquarium trip). You sing and hum too, and you're getting the melodies right. You do have quite a repertoire of songs. You're back to babbling made-up words too. I think that's a toddler thing?
Quiet activities (other than reading) don't seem to be as enjoyable for you as outdoor activities are. You prefer to be on the go. So full of energy. Imaginative play is still your favourite form of play and you are pretty good at it. We're at the princess-phase lately. I guess every little girl goes through that stage. Just that day you picked out a skirt "because Elsa wears this."
I've noticed a few qualities about you that I hope stays with you throughout your life.
Sensibility - if you noticed that I'm unwell or hurt, you'll come over voluntarily and give me a hug.
You do the same to other family members as well. When popo had to go take care of great-grandma, you told her to "go,go." Even though we know that you very much wanted her to take care of you for that day.
Empathy - You look on with concern when you see a little child cry. When we injure ourselves, you place your hand on us and asks gently, "are you okay?"
Being true to yourself - I'm not sure if this is also a child-thing but you are true to your feelings. If you're happy, you are. If you're angry, you'll also let us know why. It's always honest. No hiding.
Giving - You don't really give yet. But when we are at the playground and a younger child follows behind you, you'll always move aside and let them go down the slide first.
Love of reading - You love to read. You still do. One day I couldn't see you around me and I called out to you to find out where you were. "I'm reading!" That response warms my heart so much. I hope that love of reading and learning stays.
Continue to be curious, be fun. be strong and be brave.
Like you are now.
Continue to be curious, be fun. be strong and be brave.
Like you are now.
I know that I might have yelled at you a few times when you were mischievous. But you are always a blessing to me. You'll always be.
Because of you, I've become stronger.
Thank you for being you.
I love you to bits.
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Look mom! New tooth!
It's the teething season again.
I really hate dislike the teething season.
I know I used to be so thrilled at every new tooth J sprouted that I kept a record of which teeth came out first. It's somewhere in my monthly letters to her.
That was when she didn't have any tooth. Even when she did, she didn't bite that hard. I actually loved it when she bit my chin with her gums.
As J grew older, teething got more challenging and uncomfortable. My sweet little girl goes into a rampage every teething season. She gets cranky easily, which is unusual since she is usually quite happy. She pulls out hair, yanks our spectacles off our faces, all while gritting her teeth. She becomes a scary little person and during the initial days when this happened, I thought it was all part of toddlerhood. It was so frustrating for me that she displays these bad behaviour and I doubted if I was doing the whole parenting thing right at all.
It took me a long while but we finally figured out that J behaves like that because she desperately needs to bite/ soothe her gums.
These couple of days, I called J "naughty" more often than I wanted to. I smacked her hands more -she's either kicking her books (which she knows she isn't supposed to), or pulling our hair, or just tossing things around. I saw acts of defiance, and acts that challenges the boundaries we set. We had been tolerant towards these behaviours because it coincided with her throat infection and she was quite unwell. But they didn't go away after she recovered.
Last night on the bus, she yanked my spectacles out twice and squeezed them in her hands. She's tiny but she's strong. I freaked out. She pulled my hair. She kicked up a major fuss in the bus. She kicked two men who walked past us - on purpose. Back home, she kicked the books. Her daddy scolded her and she came running to me, crying out for "Mama!!"
Then, she BIT and tugged on my shorts.
She pulled away after a while then went "Mama!!" and chomped on my shorts again.
That's when it occurred to me -- J is teething!
We pulled out the Under the Nile banana.
She took it and stuffed it into her mouth, and bit on it while she went off to play with her toys. The Husband was with her and when I checked, she was perfectly okay.
This morning, when I sensed a temper tantrum coming on, I asked if she wanted the banana. She said yes and this happened.
My lifesaver!
We have had this Under the Nile toy for a while now. Wasn't quite expecting the banana to make a comeback but I'm glad it did! Check out the wet portion of the banana!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
{Dear Baby} 22 months old
Hey Cuddle-buddy,
22 months already!
We all know you can't wait to be a big girl because anything that we say is a big-girl-thing, you will want to do it, and you do so with enthusiasm and pride.
The big girl things
I never know how much pride a child can have when we allow them independence until I see it in you.
That grin you have on your face when you walked out of the bathroom instead of being carried out - priceless.
The insistence on "trying" to put on your diapers and pants - you won't give up until you have a shot at it. And you are doing pretty well! I'm happy you are learning to dress yourself, even though that also meant you have strong opinions on what to wear. I'm even happier that the motivation, and resilience to learn new things, is still there.
Words
You had been humming songs for quite a while now, but this month, we hear you sing an entire song as you walk around the house. You know, just doing your thing and singing along.
Other than the nursery rhymes, we also hear you sing some Chinese children's songs. In fact, I think this is the "Mandarin" month - Mandarin dominated. You ask questions in Mandarin, you answer them in Mandarin, more often than English. Stay bilingual, baby. Keep it that way.
The "What's that?" have begun.
Every single sound you hear. I think I say "water pipes" at least 763890 times each night. I'm sorry sometimes I secretly curse at the neighbours, especially when you are already drifting off to sleep.
And just as we approach your 22nd month, even things you see for the first time, we get the "What's that?" That makes about 123986374 "What's that?" per day. Not complaining! I'm happy you are inquisitive, and that you are actually listening.
The kids-say-the-darnest-things moments have started in the house.
One day, out of the blue, you said that you have a baby in your tummy.
I was dumbfounded but you looked pretty serious about it.
A couple of days later, you went "Mummy's tummy have baby. TT is a jiejie."
Sorry, but no. Not yet, at least.
Bedtime can be quite a struggle because you want to chat so much. We'll be in bed by 9, and some nights, you will just go on till 11. I'll have to be honest that it drives Momma nuts sometimes! (See: "water pipes")
And here are some new phrases Mommy absolutely loves:
"All of 'em. ALL of 'em."
"No wonder" but you use that wrongly 100% of the time, and you've stopped saying it already.
"I think ..."
"I guess so."
Oh! And you can sing "Home" and "Part of your world" together with me. Love it!!
Daddy
This month, Daddy has become the most important person.
Before you sleep, Daddy has to be the one to change you into your pjs and tuck you in bed.
When you wake, the person you ask for, after your "milk!", is Daddy.
We suspect that you start to miss Daddy a lot after we have had two sleepovers per week over at Grandma's.
You either want to cuddle Daddy to sleep, or if he is working, you'd rather be in the study room together with him so that you can "watch Daddy" to sleep.
Fun
We celebrated our nation's 50th birthday and even though you are too little to understand what it is about, we tried to get you involved. You saw fireworks on the eve of National Day and the days that follow, we get masterpieces from you. Precious!
Swimming gets more interesting now that you enjoy jumping into the pool. The last we went, you even wanted to "swim on own" without any floatation devices!
At 21 month old, you are already a responsible little person. You help me with the room checks each day before we leave the house - you help me check that the windows are closed, fans switched off, trash is cleared and that I lock the doors on the way out. What would I do without your help?
(I forgot the trash. That's what happened.)
Thank you, baby, for all the fun and tears. Mainly laughs this month, I'd say.
And I say this many times, but I want to say it again,
Thank you for being my daughter. I'm lucky to be your mom.
Cuddles and smooches,
Mommy
22 months already!
We all know you can't wait to be a big girl because anything that we say is a big-girl-thing, you will want to do it, and you do so with enthusiasm and pride.
The big girl things
I never know how much pride a child can have when we allow them independence until I see it in you.
That grin you have on your face when you walked out of the bathroom instead of being carried out - priceless.
The insistence on "trying" to put on your diapers and pants - you won't give up until you have a shot at it. And you are doing pretty well! I'm happy you are learning to dress yourself, even though that also meant you have strong opinions on what to wear. I'm even happier that the motivation, and resilience to learn new things, is still there.
Words
You had been humming songs for quite a while now, but this month, we hear you sing an entire song as you walk around the house. You know, just doing your thing and singing along.
Other than the nursery rhymes, we also hear you sing some Chinese children's songs. In fact, I think this is the "Mandarin" month - Mandarin dominated. You ask questions in Mandarin, you answer them in Mandarin, more often than English. Stay bilingual, baby. Keep it that way.
The "What's that?" have begun.
Every single sound you hear. I think I say "water pipes" at least 763890 times each night. I'm sorry sometimes I secretly curse at the neighbours, especially when you are already drifting off to sleep.
And just as we approach your 22nd month, even things you see for the first time, we get the "What's that?" That makes about 123986374 "What's that?" per day. Not complaining! I'm happy you are inquisitive, and that you are actually listening.
The kids-say-the-darnest-things moments have started in the house.
One day, out of the blue, you said that you have a baby in your tummy.
I was dumbfounded but you looked pretty serious about it.
A couple of days later, you went "Mummy's tummy have baby. TT is a jiejie."
Sorry, but no. Not yet, at least.
Bedtime can be quite a struggle because you want to chat so much. We'll be in bed by 9, and some nights, you will just go on till 11. I'll have to be honest that it drives Momma nuts sometimes! (See: "water pipes")
And here are some new phrases Mommy absolutely loves:
"All of 'em. ALL of 'em."
"No wonder" but you use that wrongly 100% of the time, and you've stopped saying it already.
"I think ..."
"I guess so."
Oh! And you can sing "Home" and "Part of your world" together with me. Love it!!
Daddy
This month, Daddy has become the most important person.
Before you sleep, Daddy has to be the one to change you into your pjs and tuck you in bed.
When you wake, the person you ask for, after your "milk!", is Daddy.
We suspect that you start to miss Daddy a lot after we have had two sleepovers per week over at Grandma's.
You either want to cuddle Daddy to sleep, or if he is working, you'd rather be in the study room together with him so that you can "watch Daddy" to sleep.
Fun
We celebrated our nation's 50th birthday and even though you are too little to understand what it is about, we tried to get you involved. You saw fireworks on the eve of National Day and the days that follow, we get masterpieces from you. Precious!
Swimming gets more interesting now that you enjoy jumping into the pool. The last we went, you even wanted to "swim on own" without any floatation devices!
At 21 month old, you are already a responsible little person. You help me with the room checks each day before we leave the house - you help me check that the windows are closed, fans switched off, trash is cleared and that I lock the doors on the way out. What would I do without your help?
(I forgot the trash. That's what happened.)
Thank you, baby, for all the fun and tears. Mainly laughs this month, I'd say.
And I say this many times, but I want to say it again,
Thank you for being my daughter. I'm lucky to be your mom.
Cuddles and smooches,
Mommy
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
{Dear Baby} Twenty-One
Dear Baby,
Happy 21 months old! Just a quarter more to being two!
So fast, baby. So fast.
You are still our feisty little girl, if not more.
"No. Mama cannot."
"Read this book."
*SMACK!*
Words
You're still as chatty, my little baby, if not more!
We catch you mumbling to your stuff toys and sometimes, yourself. Most of the time, we can't make out what you said because you are so soft, but it's definitely fun to watch you start having conversations with family and friends.
You now understand left, right, up, down, in front and beside. One day you wanted me too put the tingkat beside you on the bus and you went "Pi-sai!!!" so loudly. I sat, a little embarrassed for a moment, thinking why you would shout out 'nose shit!"
Whoever taught you that?!
Then you pointed to the space beside you and repeated, "Pi-sai..."
We also discovered that you are able to sing the complete version of some songs, albeit some mispronunciations. That day you sang verses from "Incy Wincy Spider" and I didn't even know you know the song!
Some of my favourite phrases now:
We measured your height one day and popo made a mark on the wall. You will sometimes walk to that wall, lean on it and say "How tall you are now?" with your hand on your head.
You saw a sticker of an orangutan, and when asked if you saw any before, you said, "Ah gong... (and you realised you made a mistake...) then corrected yourself immediately. "PAPA...... and mama take TT to zoo see orangutan."
Independence
Being that close to two, you are starting to display more independence.
That also means more struggles, because you want to do everything by yourself.
You buckle the seat belt when you are seated on the high chair.
No one can touch that buckle. Oh, no... no.
Other than removing your shoes, socks and pajamas, you can now slip your arms through the armholes by yourself. You are also quite insistent on putting on your shorts by yourself even though you can only manage to slip your legs through the legholes. It's really cute to see you hold up your leg and try to fit your foot through the leghole.
A major milestone
Another thing you are quite proud of - we have gone diaper-free during the day!
You have been able to indicate poop for quite a while now but lately, you let us know when you want to pee. There were a few misses but most of the time, you are able to stay dry.
Mommy is very proud of you and I know you are too.
Fun
We went to Imaginarium at SAM@8Q again.
It was popo's idea to see how you would respond to the exhibits now that you are older.
Well, you no longer save the plush people like you did two months ago, but you did make a friend that day. (And photobombed two other jiejies as well.)
Pretend Play
You found the extra milk powder dispenser I hid in the kitchen cabinet.
For the next few days, it was peace and quiet while I busied myself in the kitchen. They say that "It's nice to have a quiet house unless you have a toddler" because that means that the toddler up to some mischief. Apparently not the case with the milk powder dispenser.
Each time I took a peek, you'd be busy 'making milk' and feeding the stuff toys.
Never mind that their milk bottle is a can of tomato sauce from your toy kitchen.
I can tell that you take this very seriously because one evening at the supermarket, you requested to go home (that's rare) because "Mouse (needed to) drink milk." Sometimes, you would suddenly sit up and declare that you need to feed your toys.
You have also learnt to "wash" the dispenser at your toy kitchen. I love watching you play like that.
We went to the paediatrician that day I'm glad you are growing healthily.
We are almost hitting 90cm and I'm excited because that would mean you can attempt a few more rides at Universal Studios Singapore. If we do go, that is. We might also be overfeeding you because you are at the 97th percentile for your weight. But that's alright too.
All I ask for, is for you to be in good health, and for you to grow up a girl with good moral values.
Even though Mommy looks a little nutty sometimes, I still want to thank you for bringing me so much joy and laughter. Everything becomes more bearable because of you.
Happy 21 months old! Just a quarter more to being two!
So fast, baby. So fast.
You are still our feisty little girl, if not more.
"No. Mama cannot."
"Read this book."
*SMACK!*
And a cheeky one. You have started to call me "Mummy...!" in the sweetest voice when you need a favour from me. It's usually "Mama".
You are also getting quite independent.
Other than the usual chores we are doing, you now insist on putting on your clothes by yourself. That sometimes takes us quite a bit of time and makes me panick a little, especially when we are getting ready to go out. But I'll have to let you try.
You've also learnt to brush your own teeth and Mummy has finally found a toothbrush that is suitable for you.
Loves
You love your plush toys. Especially Mickey and Minnie.
When you are over at popo's, you carry the huge Mickey plushie that Jeanne jiejie gave you.
At home, it's still Maomao and Minnie who are the favourites. It's adorable to see you giving them long kisses when we finally return home after spending a couple of days over at grandma's.
Faces
You are our little drama-baby.
You pout.
You frown.
You laugh out loud.
You give the super cheeky look that anyone will know that you are up to some mischief.
You like to make me sing random songs by giving me a keyword. Once, you give me "mermaid". When I asked you how I'm supposed to sing it, you went "mermaid, mermaid." So I told you to sing "popo went to the market" too. You stared at me and gave me a "seriously mom?!" look. I probably shouldn't laugh but I did.
You are also getting quite independent.
Other than the usual chores we are doing, you now insist on putting on your clothes by yourself. That sometimes takes us quite a bit of time and makes me panick a little, especially when we are getting ready to go out. But I'll have to let you try.
You've also learnt to brush your own teeth and Mummy has finally found a toothbrush that is suitable for you.
Loves
You love your plush toys. Especially Mickey and Minnie.
When you are over at popo's, you carry the huge Mickey plushie that Jeanne jiejie gave you.
At home, it's still Maomao and Minnie who are the favourites. It's adorable to see you giving them long kisses when we finally return home after spending a couple of days over at grandma's.
Faces
You are our little drama-baby.
You pout.
You frown.
You laugh out loud.
You give the super cheeky look that anyone will know that you are up to some mischief.
You like to make me sing random songs by giving me a keyword. Once, you give me "mermaid". When I asked you how I'm supposed to sing it, you went "mermaid, mermaid." So I told you to sing "popo went to the market" too. You stared at me and gave me a "seriously mom?!" look. I probably shouldn't laugh but I did.
And your smiles. Have I ever told you ou have the sweetest smiles?
Words
You're still as chatty, my little baby, if not more!
We catch you mumbling to your stuff toys and sometimes, yourself. Most of the time, we can't make out what you said because you are so soft, but it's definitely fun to watch you start having conversations with family and friends.
You now understand left, right, up, down, in front and beside. One day you wanted me too put the tingkat beside you on the bus and you went "Pi-sai!!!" so loudly. I sat, a little embarrassed for a moment, thinking why you would shout out 'nose shit!"
Whoever taught you that?!
Then you pointed to the space beside you and repeated, "Pi-sai..."
We also discovered that you are able to sing the complete version of some songs, albeit some mispronunciations. That day you sang verses from "Incy Wincy Spider" and I didn't even know you know the song!
Some of my favourite phrases now:
We measured your height one day and popo made a mark on the wall. You will sometimes walk to that wall, lean on it and say "How tall you are now?" with your hand on your head.
You saw a sticker of an orangutan, and when asked if you saw any before, you said, "Ah gong... (and you realised you made a mistake...) then corrected yourself immediately. "PAPA...... and mama take TT to zoo see orangutan."
And there'll always be a commentary for whatever we do. Always.
Independence
Being that close to two, you are starting to display more independence.
That also means more struggles, because you want to do everything by yourself.
You buckle the seat belt when you are seated on the high chair.
No one can touch that buckle. Oh, no... no.
Other than removing your shoes, socks and pajamas, you can now slip your arms through the armholes by yourself. You are also quite insistent on putting on your shorts by yourself even though you can only manage to slip your legs through the legholes. It's really cute to see you hold up your leg and try to fit your foot through the leghole.
A major milestone
Another thing you are quite proud of - we have gone diaper-free during the day!
You have been able to indicate poop for quite a while now but lately, you let us know when you want to pee. There were a few misses but most of the time, you are able to stay dry.
Mommy is very proud of you and I know you are too.
It's really cute to hear you say "Go poddy, " before you run in the direction of the potty.
We still put you in diapers at night and when we are out as a precautionary measure though. But most of the time, you stay dry and you are able to wait till we arrive at the toilets.
Fun
We went to Imaginarium at SAM@8Q again.
It was popo's idea to see how you would respond to the exhibits now that you are older.
Well, you no longer save the plush people like you did two months ago, but you did make a friend that day. (And photobombed two other jiejies as well.)
Pretend Play
You found the extra milk powder dispenser I hid in the kitchen cabinet.
For the next few days, it was peace and quiet while I busied myself in the kitchen. They say that "It's nice to have a quiet house unless you have a toddler" because that means that the toddler up to some mischief. Apparently not the case with the milk powder dispenser.
Each time I took a peek, you'd be busy 'making milk' and feeding the stuff toys.
Never mind that their milk bottle is a can of tomato sauce from your toy kitchen.
I can tell that you take this very seriously because one evening at the supermarket, you requested to go home (that's rare) because "Mouse (needed to) drink milk." Sometimes, you would suddenly sit up and declare that you need to feed your toys.
You have also learnt to "wash" the dispenser at your toy kitchen. I love watching you play like that.
We went to the paediatrician that day I'm glad you are growing healthily.
We are almost hitting 90cm and I'm excited because that would mean you can attempt a few more rides at Universal Studios Singapore. If we do go, that is. We might also be overfeeding you because you are at the 97th percentile for your weight. But that's alright too.
All I ask for, is for you to be in good health, and for you to grow up a girl with good moral values.
Even though Mommy looks a little nutty sometimes, I still want to thank you for bringing me so much joy and laughter. Everything becomes more bearable because of you.
Except the hair-pulling. ;)
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
{Dear Baby} Nineteen, Twenty...
Dear Baby,
I forgot you turned 19-months-old. I'm sorry. I was enjoying you being a 1.5-year-old toddler.
Then things got a little busy around here so the letter celebrating you turning 20 months old got delayed as well. But you turn 21 months old in 9 days so let's just do this, okay?
This is going to be long.
Words
Oh baby! You are getting really chatty.
Got to be Mummy's genes. Your daddy will agree.
You are always giving commentaries. We get strings of words from you out of the blue and very often, you have a very serious look when you say it. It's difficult to stifle our laughter when that happens but we try.
"Popo sit here. Mama sit here. TT sit here."
"Papa eat bread. Mama eat bread. TT also eat bread."
"No. Mama cannot touch. TT do on own."
You are using new words everyday and it is not as easy to record them now, but here are some of my favourites.
"This same. This different."
"Special bread," complete with an envious look when looking at my bread with bread spread. You had plain bread.
"Maybe auntie go home," when our neighbour is already in the house.
"Oh . Hahaha... TT forget!"
"Korkor jiejie miss TT."
Chatting has also become your technique to delay bedtime.
You. just. keep. talking.
One night when I was too tired and was lying at the foot of the bed because "Mama cannot (sleep on my own pillow)", and Daddy was already asleep, I saw you prop up my pillow, leaned against it and went "If you are sleepy and you know you clap our hands." *CLAP CLAP*
Honestly, I don't know how I'm to respond.
These two months, there's has also been a lot of singing. You know, just walking around the house, singing and humming when we are busy. Love it.
You started singing around two verses of the songs you know. Sometimes, you get a little confused with the lyrics though and we get to enjoy a mash-up song.
This is my favourite.
Motor Skills
Two days before you turned twenty months old, you did somersaults. The first one was accidental and you wanted to keep trying. But it was bedtime so I had to stop you.
You also enjoy putting coins into a 'piggy bank'. A lot.
Family Fun
*
You attended jiujiu's graduation ceremony as well. I had hoped that I can get a beautiful picture of you with your favourite uncle but you were sleepy and didn't want him to carry you. I did get a shot of you, beaming as you held his certificate, though!
JUNE!
June holidays meant that there are 'LIVE' shows in the malls and plenty of fun.
We went to the Barney's Jukebox Party at City Square Mall with Mummy's friends.
You rode ZooMoov for the first time and I conclude I'm very bad at steering, so let's not do it again.
Unless Daddy accompanies you.
There was Hi-5 at United Square that we went with popo too.
You were watching intently throughout the show until we came to the last song.
It's like a child's version of a Mayday concert and most of the children were already up dancing to L.O.V.E.
You finally danced too, but you danced something completely different from what the others were doing. And it wasn't your usual random shaking dance. You held out your arms, then placed both palms together and placed them on your left cheek, then right cheek.
We later realised that that was the dance steps to "Dream On" - that's the only Hi-5 show you know then.
And finally, Dinosaurize Me! at Plaza Singapura with Daddy.
Pretend Play
Then things got a little busy around here so the letter celebrating you turning 20 months old got delayed as well. But you turn 21 months old in 9 days so let's just do this, okay?
This is going to be long.
Words
Oh baby! You are getting really chatty.
Got to be Mummy's genes. Your daddy will agree.
You are always giving commentaries. We get strings of words from you out of the blue and very often, you have a very serious look when you say it. It's difficult to stifle our laughter when that happens but we try.
"Popo sit here. Mama sit here. TT sit here."
"Papa eat bread. Mama eat bread. TT also eat bread."
"No. Mama cannot touch. TT do on own."
You are using new words everyday and it is not as easy to record them now, but here are some of my favourites.
"This same. This different."
"Special bread," complete with an envious look when looking at my bread with bread spread. You had plain bread.
"Maybe auntie go home," when our neighbour is already in the house.
"Oh . Hahaha... TT forget!"
"Korkor jiejie miss TT."
Chatting has also become your technique to delay bedtime.
You. just. keep. talking.
One night when I was too tired and was lying at the foot of the bed because "Mama cannot (sleep on my own pillow)", and Daddy was already asleep, I saw you prop up my pillow, leaned against it and went "If you are sleepy and you know you clap our hands." *CLAP CLAP*
Honestly, I don't know how I'm to respond.
These two months, there's has also been a lot of singing. You know, just walking around the house, singing and humming when we are busy. Love it.
You started singing around two verses of the songs you know. Sometimes, you get a little confused with the lyrics though and we get to enjoy a mash-up song.
This is my favourite.
"Baa baa black sheep any woo? Yes sir, yes sir, three bag how I wonder what you are? Appa gom, Omma gom, ae-gi gom" ("Baa Baa Black Sheep and "Gom Sae Mari")
Motor Skills
You can understand fast, slow and stop. We play that game a lot when to walk to grandma's.
And one day we found out that you are now able to jump with both feet of the floor. It's funny to hear you go "Jump? Jump. Jump. Jump!"
Two days before you turned twenty months old, you did somersaults. The first one was accidental and you wanted to keep trying. But it was bedtime so I had to stop you.
You also enjoy putting coins into a 'piggy bank'. A lot.
Family Fun
Popo, Ah gong, Yiyi, and Jiujiu went for a holiday. All your favourite people! I'd have tagged along too but that would mean that popo wouldn't get a rest even when she's overseas.
It has been a long time since it was just you and me. I admit I panicked a little. And while I did so, Daddy took time off from work and packed your day with activities.
We made pipe cleaner ears and crown.
We went grocery shopping.
We went to the airport.
We went to the zoo (and River Safari).
It was a tiring one week but oh so fun!
We went to the airport.
We went to the zoo (and River Safari).
You were excited to point out all the koala bear signs you see, and saw koala bears for the first time.
You had fun with the panda sculpture.
It was a tiring one week but oh so fun!
*
You attended jiujiu's graduation ceremony as well. I had hoped that I can get a beautiful picture of you with your favourite uncle but you were sleepy and didn't want him to carry you. I did get a shot of you, beaming as you held his certificate, though!
JUNE!
June holidays meant that there are 'LIVE' shows in the malls and plenty of fun.
We went to the Barney's Jukebox Party at City Square Mall with Mummy's friends.
You rode ZooMoov for the first time and I conclude I'm very bad at steering, so let's not do it again.
Unless Daddy accompanies you.
There was Hi-5 at United Square that we went with popo too.
You were watching intently throughout the show until we came to the last song.
It's like a child's version of a Mayday concert and most of the children were already up dancing to L.O.V.E.
You finally danced too, but you danced something completely different from what the others were doing. And it wasn't your usual random shaking dance. You held out your arms, then placed both palms together and placed them on your left cheek, then right cheek.
We later realised that that was the dance steps to "Dream On" - that's the only Hi-5 show you know then.
And finally, Dinosaurize Me! at Plaza Singapura with Daddy.
Pretend Play
"Gimme money," with an outstretched hand.
That's a common scene in the playroom at night lately.
You enjoy pretending going grocery shopping. You'll carry a little bag, demand for money, then say a chirpy "Byebye!" before you walk to the other end of the room. You tap the wall (we supposed that's a transcation going on) then turn back to walk towards us while announcing "TT come back!".
Oh! And you always 'buy' bananas. 90% of the time.
That's a common scene in the playroom at night lately.
You enjoy pretending going grocery shopping. You'll carry a little bag, demand for money, then say a chirpy "Byebye!" before you walk to the other end of the room. You tap the wall (we supposed that's a transcation going on) then turn back to walk towards us while announcing "TT come back!".
Oh! And you always 'buy' bananas. 90% of the time.
There's so much going on.
So much so that I set my expectations so high and forget you are not even two yet.
Mommy is learning to manage my expectations of you and at the same time, embracing toddlerhood so here's to hoping things will get better!
Love you. Tonnes.
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
So much so that I set my expectations so high and forget you are not even two yet.
Mommy is learning to manage my expectations of you and at the same time, embracing toddlerhood so here's to hoping things will get better!
Love you. Tonnes.
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Monday, April 20, 2015
{Dear Baby} Eighteen Months Old
Dear Baby,
We've arrived at the 1.5-year mark. Now, when people ask me how old you are, (actually, we get "Two years old?" "Is she three?" pretty often), I'll say "One and a half." No longer in months.
It's been the most amazing 1.5 years in my life. You have been quite an easy baby to care for.
Mostly happy. Rather independent. And very sensible.
*****
Words
This one month is full of surprises as you start to speak out even more, and in longer sentences. You even attempted to sing some songs. Here are some which I love.
"Baby dunno open door. Mama. Help." when you attempted to open the door and well, it didn't open.
"Baby see (pause) what is this?" when you are very curious about a certain object and wants to touch it. Okay. Love-hate relationship with this one.
"(laughs) Papa doh wan mouse." 1 when you passed Daddy your Minnie Mouse plush while he was sleeping and I returned it back to you.
"Sit pro-perly." when Bear fell over as you tried to feed it. "Oh! Soup! Soup! Dink 2 soup!"
"I dunno man. (laughs)" imitating me when I say that.
"Rain rain go away. Come." as you looked at the changing mat that has got bears with umbrellas.
"Baa back ship (mumbles) any woo. Yes sir, yes sir tee (mumbles) full."
"Pincess 3 book" as you handed me the Frozen storybook Aunty J got you.
"Pincess" too as you pointed to the Thumbelina book popo got you. We later found that any picture with a girl in a poufy gown is a princess. But how do you even know princess???
"Aunty Jan bought this." as you pointed to the Hello Kitty Halloween book.
"Jiujiu's ber-day 4" "Happy you" (That's your interpretation of the birthday song.)
"Correct."
You
You have also been the sweetest. That time I sprained my ankle, you looked on with concern as I limped back to popo's house.
When you saw the bandage on my left ankle, you kissed me on my left thigh and told me "没事。" (It's okay.)
I told you that you cannot sit on Mama's lap when we are on the floor because Mama's foot hurt. You remembered. Even till now, you will point to my foot and say "No, mama pain pain," as you consider if you should sit on my lap.
Other than indicating poo, you are now attempting to let us know when you need to go pee-pee.
We've got a dry diapers on a couple of occasions and Mama's really proud of you! :)
You are still pretty enthusiastic about chores. You even have your own "broom" at popo's house.
But there's one thing you have not been keeping up though - putting your toys and book back where they belong.
Explore
We went to the library and you borrowed quite a few books for storytime at night.
You have discovered the children's seating area so that is your favourite spot now.
Other than picking books out from the shelves, you enjoy being around the librarians as they shelf the books, going "Auntie pack books." Not quite sure if they enjoy it as much as you did, though.
That said, I'm very glad that you love to read and I hope your love for reading continues.
Celebrations
We celebrated Popo's birthday at Gardens By the Bay and you loved it. You even "took" photos of the flowers with the empty Polaroid film case we gave you. Sorry!
As for your 18-month-old 'celebration', we went to Imaginarium at SAM@8Q.
I wasn't expecting much but you enjoyed playing around the building blocks a lot.
I know I always say this, but some days, I forget that you are only 18 months old.
The way you walk around the house like a big kid.
The way you talk.
I might have expected a little too much from you in terms of how you should behave.
But sweetheart, remain as innocent as you are even as you grow older.
Be that cheerful, courageous little girl as you have been since a baby.
Be strong, and persevere in whatever you do.
Momma loves you.
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Did you manage to understand what you said as an 18 month old?
Here are the answers.
1 : Papa don't want mouse
2 : Drink soup
3 : Princess
4 : Birthday
We've arrived at the 1.5-year mark. Now, when people ask me how old you are, (actually, we get "Two years old?" "Is she three?" pretty often), I'll say "One and a half." No longer in months.
It's been the most amazing 1.5 years in my life. You have been quite an easy baby to care for.
Mostly happy. Rather independent. And very sensible.
*****
Words
This one month is full of surprises as you start to speak out even more, and in longer sentences. You even attempted to sing some songs. Here are some which I love.
"Baby dunno open door. Mama. Help." when you attempted to open the door and well, it didn't open.
"Baby see (pause) what is this?" when you are very curious about a certain object and wants to touch it. Okay. Love-hate relationship with this one.
"(laughs) Papa doh wan mouse." 1 when you passed Daddy your Minnie Mouse plush while he was sleeping and I returned it back to you.
"Sit pro-perly." when Bear fell over as you tried to feed it. "Oh! Soup! Soup! Dink 2 soup!"
"I dunno man. (laughs)" imitating me when I say that.
"Rain rain go away. Come." as you looked at the changing mat that has got bears with umbrellas.
"Baa back ship (mumbles) any woo. Yes sir, yes sir tee (mumbles) full."
"Pincess 3 book" as you handed me the Frozen storybook Aunty J got you.
"Pincess" too as you pointed to the Thumbelina book popo got you. We later found that any picture with a girl in a poufy gown is a princess. But how do you even know princess???
"Aunty Jan bought this." as you pointed to the Hello Kitty Halloween book.
"Jiujiu's ber-day 4" "Happy you" (That's your interpretation of the birthday song.)
"Correct."
You
You have also been the sweetest. That time I sprained my ankle, you looked on with concern as I limped back to popo's house.
When you saw the bandage on my left ankle, you kissed me on my left thigh and told me "没事。" (It's okay.)
I told you that you cannot sit on Mama's lap when we are on the floor because Mama's foot hurt. You remembered. Even till now, you will point to my foot and say "No, mama pain pain," as you consider if you should sit on my lap.
Other than indicating poo, you are now attempting to let us know when you need to go pee-pee.
We've got a dry diapers on a couple of occasions and Mama's really proud of you! :)
You are still pretty enthusiastic about chores. You even have your own "broom" at popo's house.
But there's one thing you have not been keeping up though - putting your toys and book back where they belong.
Explore
We went to the library and you borrowed quite a few books for storytime at night.
You have discovered the children's seating area so that is your favourite spot now.
Other than picking books out from the shelves, you enjoy being around the librarians as they shelf the books, going "Auntie pack books." Not quite sure if they enjoy it as much as you did, though.
That said, I'm very glad that you love to read and I hope your love for reading continues.
Celebrations
We celebrated Popo's birthday at Gardens By the Bay and you loved it. You even "took" photos of the flowers with the empty Polaroid film case we gave you. Sorry!
As for your 18-month-old 'celebration', we went to Imaginarium at SAM@8Q.
I wasn't expecting much but you enjoyed playing around the building blocks a lot.
I know I always say this, but some days, I forget that you are only 18 months old.
The way you walk around the house like a big kid.
The way you talk.
I might have expected a little too much from you in terms of how you should behave.
But sweetheart, remain as innocent as you are even as you grow older.
Be that cheerful, courageous little girl as you have been since a baby.
Be strong, and persevere in whatever you do.
Momma loves you.
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Did you manage to understand what you said as an 18 month old?
Here are the answers.
1 : Papa don't want mouse
2 : Drink soup
3 : Princess
4 : Birthday
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
{Dear Baby} Seventeen
Dear Baby,
*
*
*
*
*
*
And this.
This is important.
You are learning to indicate that you want to go to the potty to pee now.
I really hope I can wean you off diapers soon because... I think we are reaching the largest possible size soon.
Cuddles and Snooches,
Mommy
Seventeen.
Already.
And the night before you turn seventeen months old, you decided to sleep just minutes before midnight. Even when you napped little in the day. I hope that's just teething, and not that you are trying to make that a tradition.
You
You are starting to develop a sense of self, which makes it fun and frustrating at the same time.
You now address yourself in third person. And honestly, much as I try not to say that my baby is cute, it IS actually quite cute to hear you speak like that.
You now want to have a say in your choice of clothes. We spent 45 minutes getting you dressed on the first day Chinese New Year.
You refused to put on that pair of pink leggings you used to like so much.
You chose these instead.
Have to admit that these outfits look better than they would with the pink leggings.
And you decided, a few days ago, that you should wear your cheongsam to popo's place.
Dressing you up usually goes like this:
No.
No?
Noooo...
(And I give up and take you to your wardrobe) Then which one do you want?
This one.
I've learnt that the fastest way is to let you pick out your own clothes. That'll take a while too, but still, a lot faster than struggling to put on something that you do not like.
*
I think I said that last month, but you are communicating pretty okay with us so we do have little conversations sometimes. It's fun. Really. Every night before bed, we'll spend time in the playroom and have little conversations. I love that.
*
Pretend play is also getting more interesting now that you are talking as you play.
"Mouse poo poo" and the Minnie Mouse plushie gets placed on the weighing scale. That's the toilet. Most days you'll pull out the unused diaper that's too small for you from the drawer, and attempt to let "Mouse wear" it.
Mummy doesn't know why I still leave the diaper there. But at least, it serves a purpose now!
Lately, there's "Mouse sleep" while you hug Minnie Mouse and attempt to pat it to sleep. Some days, you'll walk around the room and hum.
*
We catch you "talking" on the phone quite frequently too. (Have I said that already?)
*
You are learning new words each day and it's fun to hear you say it for the first time. Because most of the time, we have no idea that you already know it.
*
You've also figured out how to remove your sleepsuit. For a few days, we walk into the room after you wake, to find you pajamas not on you, but on the bed. Thankfully you stop doing that now because you could catch a chill, you know.
*
And this.
This is important.
You are learning to indicate that you want to go to the potty to pee now.
I really hope I can wean you off diapers soon because... I think we are reaching the largest possible size soon.
Words
Some of my favourite new words and phrases this month:
Mama, mynah!
Pun-kin (pumpkin)
Pun-kin (pumpkin)
Eat pun-kin
This is big. You used to dislike pumpkin and you gag a lot whenever there's pumpkin in your porridge. But one day after reading Hello Kitty's Halloween (thank you Aunty J!), you decided that you want to eat pumpkins and you did. And asked for more.
Toto (Motorcycle) voooon vooon
Mama floor dirty. (How you address yourself) 抹。
(Basically everyone in the whole family) read
And sometimes we try to make someone else read to you because we have been reading for the past close to one hour.
And sometimes we try to make someone else read to you because we have been reading for the past close to one hour.
When I use my phone too much...
Mama... Keep.
Mama put here.
Mama put down.
Chores
I think you like to imitate us. And I'm glad to have a little helper even if you make more mess than help sometimes.
Your list of chores you like to do have expanded to:
Your list of chores you like to do have expanded to:
- Throwing trash into trash bin
- Undressing yourself and putting the dirty clothes into your laundry basket
- Putting your books back onto the shelf
- Keeping your toys into the toy box
- Helping to put clean clothes back
- Wiping the floor
- Taking the milk bottle and our water bottles out to the dining table in the morning
- Cleaning the floor with a wiper stick (new!)
I think you feel good to be able to do things yourself.
Explore
This month, we also tried something different.
There's more messy play at grandma school, more nature walks, and daddy takes you out more often during the weekdays.
There's more messy play at grandma school, more nature walks, and daddy takes you out more often during the weekdays.
We go places!
There's the nature walks, Punggol Ranch Resort, Sentosa Cove, and the Hobbiton exhibit at the airport.
It's great to see you enjoy yourself so much.
I think I haven't said this before.
You are a really sensible girl.
Motherhood has been good to me so far and I'm so proud of you.
Really.Cuddles and Snooches,
Mommy
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
{Dear Baby} Sixteen
Dear Baby,
My little cuddly, squirmy, toddler.
There's so much to talk about this month so let us categorise it.
Food
Sometimes, I still have to complete the sentence for you.
For instance, when you are referring to the tent Ah Gong helped you put together, it's "House. Ah gong. Xiexie. "(Thank you - which you say "Ah Q.")
My little cuddly, squirmy, toddler.
There's so much to talk about this month so let us categorise it.
Food
We are making a lot of progress food-wise.
You started eating rice - brown rice.
You requested to self-feed, and even though you aren't quite good at scooping up food on your own, you manage to deliver the food into your mouth most of the time and you are mighty pleased with that. You'll clap, and make every one of us clap too.
When we dine outside, you are fine sitting on a regular chair and that makes me really proud. Most of the time, you are able to sit through the entire dinner rather well-behaved.
Chores
Other than helping us with the clean clothes and putting your own clothes in the laundry basket, you have started to help us clean the floors Cinderella-style. It's funny how each time you'll go "Aiyoh! Der-tee!" before proceeding to go on your fours to wipe the floor with your handkerchief. A rag will be able to occupy for a long time as you go through the floors and the refrigerator, cleaning each plastic magnet. Both the front and back. Very diligent, I'd say!
You have also learnt to remove your pyjamas and you are getting very good at it. You were quick to remove it on your own when you wanted to put on your favourite ladybug onesie.
You are also working on removing your pants and diapers and I think that's a development milestone. You know, Mommy has always been very concerned because my friend once urged me to send you to school "because you can learn to be more independent there."
I'm glad you are progressing well at home too (Thank you popo!) because you now take off your shoes and socks on your own, and place them back on the shelves once you return home.
I guess we are doing something right after all.
You help me with the "room check" before we head out. You will close ALL the doors that are left ajar, and go "Oh Oh!" if you see any of our clothes peeking out of the cupboards.
"Off. Off" as I check that the lights and electrical appliances that are not supposed to be on are all switched off. Makes room check so much more fun.
Words
You are also working on removing your pants and diapers and I think that's a development milestone. You know, Mommy has always been very concerned because my friend once urged me to send you to school "because you can learn to be more independent there."
I'm glad you are progressing well at home too (Thank you popo!) because you now take off your shoes and socks on your own, and place them back on the shelves once you return home.
I guess we are doing something right after all.
You help me with the "room check" before we head out. You will close ALL the doors that are left ajar, and go "Oh Oh!" if you see any of our clothes peeking out of the cupboards.
"Off. Off" as I check that the lights and electrical appliances that are not supposed to be on are all switched off. Makes room check so much more fun.
Words
You are getting pretty good at expressing yourself nowadays and can speak in short sentences.
"Mama help!"
"Mama take"
"Mama open door."
"zou ba! zou ba! Go!"
"gorgor jiejie"
Sometimes, I still have to complete the sentence for you.
For instance, when you are referring to the tent Ah Gong helped you put together, it's "House. Ah gong. Xiexie. "(Thank you - which you say "Ah Q.")
It's fun that you can communicate pretty well now and we can have conversations.
But that also means that you are getting better at giving excuses to avoid bedtime.
You chat a lot before bed.
"Big airplane." "Mama pat. Pat."
It's getting tougher to get you to sleep early these days.
Mimicking
Sometimes, you really do behave like a big kid.
Some days, you walk around the house humming, swinging your arms as you go along.
But that also means that you are getting better at giving excuses to avoid bedtime.
You chat a lot before bed.
"Big airplane." "Mama pat. Pat."
It's getting tougher to get you to sleep early these days.
Mimicking
Sometimes, you really do behave like a big kid.
Some days, you walk around the house humming, swinging your arms as you go along.
Just that night, you imitated Daddy and put both arms behind your head as you relaxed on the couch and said "rest".
It's the festive season so you get to see the God of Fortune and you've have learnt to say "Gong xi gong xi" to represent him. (Just like "Ho ho ho" for Santa Claus.)
For quite a long period of time, it was "Gong xi gong xi. Mama, find."
It's difficult to find statues of the God of Fortune most of the time, you know.
It's amusing to see you mimic the lion dance when you see the lion head too.
You love the lion dance!
For quite a long period of time, it was "Gong xi gong xi. Mama, find."
It's difficult to find statues of the God of Fortune most of the time, you know.
It's amusing to see you mimic the lion dance when you see the lion head too.
You love the lion dance!
Separation Anxiety
We think it is, but we are not too sure. You are fine if I leave you at grandma's but when we are home and I have to be out of your sight for a while, you scream and wail and cry big beads of tears. I don't know why.
Love and fun
You celebrated your second Chinese New Year but I'm sure that last year, you didn't have opinions about how I dress you. This year, however, you decide on the clothes you wanted to wear to reunion dinners. And we took 30 minutes to get you dressed on the first day of CNY. You just refused to put on anything.
Not even the sweet little cheongsam you liked so much. And you decided that those shoes we bought are nicer without socks because you refuse to wear any. They ARE nicer without socks but they are a tad big so socks are the way to go.
You met your baby cousin over the Chinese New Year break and we affirmed that you love babies.
Our heart stopped when you reached forward to give your baby cousin a stroke but thank goodness you were really gentle. I think you really do need companions but I'm going to have to hold off giving you a baby brother or sister until a little while later.
Just before you turned sixteen months, mommyhood was rough for me.
You became the most uncooperative kid and refused to sleep.
I felt like I was doing such a bad job.
Then I figured - teething. It has got to be.
The day you turned sixteen-months-old, we went to the aquarium.
You enjoyed yourself, laughed so much and all was good again.
I looked through photos of you and reminded myself why I chose this.
You.
You are why.
Love you baby.
Even though I say "Bring it on!" to the terrible twos, let's make it a little more bearable, okay?
You are not even close to two yet!
Smooches and cuddles,
Mommy
We think it is, but we are not too sure. You are fine if I leave you at grandma's but when we are home and I have to be out of your sight for a while, you scream and wail and cry big beads of tears. I don't know why.
Love and fun
You celebrated your second Chinese New Year but I'm sure that last year, you didn't have opinions about how I dress you. This year, however, you decide on the clothes you wanted to wear to reunion dinners. And we took 30 minutes to get you dressed on the first day of CNY. You just refused to put on anything.
Not even the sweet little cheongsam you liked so much. And you decided that those shoes we bought are nicer without socks because you refuse to wear any. They ARE nicer without socks but they are a tad big so socks are the way to go.
You met your baby cousin over the Chinese New Year break and we affirmed that you love babies.
Our heart stopped when you reached forward to give your baby cousin a stroke but thank goodness you were really gentle. I think you really do need companions but I'm going to have to hold off giving you a baby brother or sister until a little while later.
Just before you turned sixteen months, mommyhood was rough for me.
You became the most uncooperative kid and refused to sleep.
I felt like I was doing such a bad job.
Then I figured - teething. It has got to be.
The day you turned sixteen-months-old, we went to the aquarium.
You enjoyed yourself, laughed so much and all was good again.
I looked through photos of you and reminded myself why I chose this.
You.
You are why.
Love you baby.
Even though I say "Bring it on!" to the terrible twos, let's make it a little more bearable, okay?
You are not even close to two yet!
Smooches and cuddles,
Mommy
Saturday, January 17, 2015
{Dear Baby} Fifteen
Fifteen.
I'm already getting used to calling you my toddler and telling people that you are 15 months old even when you were just 14.5.
You seem to have grown so much this month and we learnt that we have to treat you like a two-year-old instead.
You are so quick to imitate and repeat after us so Mommy have been sending out reminders to people close to us to tell them to speak to you properly.
You are growing to be more independent. Other than helping with the clean laundry and putting the dirty ones into the laundry basket, you now know how to take off your sneakers and you are learning to feed yourself. You don't know how to scoop the food yet but you are very excited to deliver the food on the spoon into your mouth. I also discovered one day, to my surprise that you know how to place the bib/handkerchief at your neck before you take your milk.
We weaned you off the pacifier this month since you refused to take the new one. It was tough and sleep was a struggle. But the new "elephants go stomp stomp stomp" song we made up somehow worked. I got that idea from you. You've learnt to stomp around the house like an elephant and say "stomp stomp stomp" as you stamped your little foot on the ground.
December and January is a fun month for you where you met up with most of Mommy's close friends. And got to eat you favourite "baobao" (bread) as we had lunch. Oh, your love for bread!
You are getting clearer at communicating your thoughts. You say "xiexie" for thank you. And words like "keys, duck, up, down, take out, boo-K" entered your vocab bank. Your favourite is still "walk wal-K" which I am not really keen on hearing when it's 11pm at night and I'm trying to get you to sleep. Ah, yes. You emphasise the K sound.
You sing too, baby.
We catch you humming randomly lately, and completing the last words of each phrase of these songs:
GongXi GongXi 恭喜恭喜
Doraemon theme song
造飞机
And these are so funny they are worth a mention too.
Let it (go)
Let it (go)
Can't hold it back any(more)
I can show you the (work)
Shining shimmering splen(did)
Tell me princess, now when did you last let your heart de(cide)
I love it.
They say toddlers give the best hugs, and it's true! You give us really tight hugs and cuddles, and smooches on our lips. Your favourite family activities would be reading, family hugs, and making Daddy and Mommy kiss. It's hilarious but endearing at the same time.
The little things that you do makes me very proud to be your mom and I'm very grateful for such a sensible daughter like you.
Mommy loves you tonnes!
Smooches and Cuddles,
Mommy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)