Brisbane - Gold Coast, Australia 2016

Our first family trip finally happened!
We have been wanting to travel with the little one for the longest time. If you know me, you would also know that it involved a long process of conflict between me and myself.
"Nah.. Baby is too young to appreciate. Let's not waste the money. Save up for a longer trip to a further destination next time."
"Who says babies don't remember? They do! See, she remembers this, this, this, this.. I'm sure she would remember the experience. Just go."
Repeat.
I like to torment myself mentally.

The tickets were finally booked this time when we casually asked J if she would want to go to a trip to see the animals in real life, after we saw how in love she was in the guidebook on Australian mammals gifted by a dear friend. She got really excited about the trip and after some evaluation and late night discussions, we book the air tickets for one month later, which, to me, was a crazy timeline to work with since it was our first trip with our toddler.

Intensive research followed but just a week before we were set to depart, J got hospitalized.
By a stroke of luck, we managed to postpone the trip at a minimal cost. I probably should not say that it was a blessing in disguise but we also managed to make some changes to our travel plans and cut down our expenses for the trip. We had been deciding between March and May before we booked our tickets. We decided on March because we wanted the trip to happen sooner. But March turned out to have more wetter days and I was regretting that choice. The postponement allowed us to travel in May and the two weeks we were there, we were blessed with wonderful weather. Perfect weather, in our hosts' words.

The trip turned out amazing. No matter how enthusiastic I was for my past trips, I will usually feel like heading home after a week or so. This time with J, two weeks went past so quickly we wished we had a couple more days in Gold Coast. It was more enjoyable than I imagined it to be, and it turned out to a trip to discover more about ourselves and grow as a family.

Because of our barely-existent itinerary, we did not manage to visit as many places most tourists would. But each day was well-spent, bonding with one another and just enjoying each other's company. I understand now, why some people strongly recommend traveling with your young child because those moments, are priceless. No matter how good or how bad, and trust me, there will be good and bad moments, they are those parents would want to cherish.

Her hero, her king.

I know of a man, who wasn't quite the boyfriend material.

He doesn't know the art of gifting.

In fact, he doesn't understand the importance of birthday gifts and celebrations.

Drove the girl nuts.

Having a glib tongue and whispering sweet nothings are not his specialty.

"Why say them if you don't mean it?"

Made the girl sigh at the lack of verbal affection.

Cuddles and hugs are never in public because there isn't a need to display these affections in public.

The girl just looked on with envy. Sometimes.

Fast forward a few years, this man became another man in front of another girl.

He still did not believe in giving presents, but he gifted her time and presence.

He gifted her the love of reading.

He gives her new experiences, and the opportunity to widen her horizons.

He made her feel safe each time she embarks on a little adventure or exploration.

He was always there when she needed him.

And he wasn't stingy with hugs and kisses.

He is her hero. 

He is her king.

What this girl doesn't know is that for her, he would do anything to make sure he becomes a better man.

For her, he was willing to make changes and work on whatever was lacking.

Made his old girl cry secret tears of gratitude.

To this not-so-wonderful-boyfriend but extremely-wonderful-daddy, 

Happy Daddy's Day.

This rainy day.

It rained the entire day today.

And so, we were stuck at home.

I was a little concerned about how I should keep J occupied - we kind of ran out of craft materials.

But she asked to watch movies in the morning and I sat alongside, working on my photobook.

I completed the photobook.

Then we cooked some pasta together. 

She ate some and asked for milk because she was sleepy.

She didn't want to nap in the end.

She rolled all over the mattresses in her room instead.
I contemplated asking her to attempt some rainy day painting, like painting a rainy scene with fork while seated watching the rain.
But she was having so much fun, I didn't.
What I did instead, I watched her.

I watched her attempting somersaults, jumping up and down the bolster and pretending it was a bridge connecting both her mattresses.

Then she took her cat puppet and the cat did the same.

And she laughed.  And repeated.
It was a lot of rolling and jumping. I lost count of how many times I told her to be careful.

She finally stopped to wipe the perspiration off her head.

But she still didn't want to nap.

So I went to cook dinner. The whole time, she sat at her table, playing with her doctor's kit. I came out to see Ducky bandaged in washi tape.

While the soup cook, I decided to do something I haven't done for a long while.
I went in and held her hands as I sang "Beauty and the Beast" and danced with her. 

She sang along.
When we finished the song, she ran off to her room to get her tutu skirt so she could put it on.
"We are princesss(es). Mama has a princess dress too."
Right. I was indeed wearing a dress.

I was so thrilled when she sang along that I sang more Disney songs.

She sang along.
We can't really dance but we twirled and we skipped.
We held hands and swung from side to side.

This rainy day, there was no lesson plans.

It was all J-led.

But this rainy day, I had the most fun.

Today. Yesterday. Tomorrow.

Today I was looking through my camera feed for something to post on Instagram.
Something to document my everyday.
I have resorted to social media for that, unfortunately.
It was then I realised how little photos of J I have in my camera feed as opposed to her little-baby days.

We used to take many selfies. Many a day.
That was a period where I was trying to establish the fact that I'm already a mom.
That I have a little person to care for and nurture, and that it was time to grow up.
Lil' J can't do much then and I wasn't sure how I was supposed to interact with her, so I turned to selfies. Capturing moments. Locking in those baby days.
The milestones.
Her puffy cheeks.
Her little hands.
That cheeky smile.
The tip-toe.

Then she grew a little older and started on more activities at grandma's.
I still took many photos then, to document the learning activities we expose her to, as well as her response to it.

I have no idea when the quantity of photos dwindled.
Perhaps it was when I decided to try to capture moments with my eyes and heart instead of the camera.
Or maybe activities nowadays involved doctor-play everyday. Or perhaps, she can play more independently now so I usually let her be while I busied myself with other things.


Today, I remembered how big she has grown. Her hair is so long now that we can tie a pretty decent pony tail.
I have noticed how much she has grown, and how fast that was, but sometimes, I forget.
I forget that she is only two-and-a-half, so even though most of the days she behaves like a big kid, there are times when she behaves just her age - and not that she was trying to be naughty.
I forget to give her cuddles and kisses some days, amidst the daily grind and
'me-time". (Yes, I do get quite a bit of "me-time" now.)
Sometimes, I even forget *gasp!* that she will continue to grow and not wait for me.


Tomorrow, I may not have more pictures of J in my phone. But I will continue to capture them in my heart.
I will attempt to slow time down, and enjoy every single moment, be it the happy ones or frustrating ones -those are part of her growing up too.
I will give her more hugs and kisses before she grows up and starts feeling awkward about them.

Wait, maybe I'll just do that later.

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.

The things I love about you #7

Extra sentimental lately as we approach 2.5 years of motherhood.

As I watch you grow.

As you encourage me to take on new adventures.

1. I love the way you twirl your hair when you are drinking milk. That's probably the most baby-ish thing about you.
   
2. I love how mature you are sometimes. How you tell me to "be careful", and how you check on me when I hurt myself. Though, sometimes, I miss your baby moments - which, really, not that many.
   
3. I love how much you love reading.
   
4. I love listening to you telling stories. Even though sometimes it goes on late at night and I really need you to sleep.
   
5. I love the expression you give when we tell you we are proud of you for doing something good/ sensible. That look of pride.
   
6. I love that cheeky, goofy self you sometimes give.
   
7. I love seeing you in a pony tail, and how girly you are now. I remember myself wondering if you will be a typical girly-girl or a fun loving boy-ish girl. You're both.
   
8. I love your "I love you"s and the kisses on our lips.
   
9. I love that you initiate family hugs.
   
10. I love you, for being you.

I think I am growing.

"I think I am growing to become a big girl," she told me out of a sudden while we were grocery shopping this weekend.
"Why?"
"Because I can use the knife."

It turns out it was because I allowed her to use a knife to slice bananas for breakfast that morning.
We didn't allow her to touch knives for obvious reasons, but we didn't allow her to touch those from our cutlery set either. It was an "adult" thing in the family.
But I thought it was time to get her to do simple food preparation like spreading jam, and, well, slicing bananas, so I allowed it. With adult supervision, I emphasized.

She did a great job, by the way. I was expecting her to smash the banana but she did manage to slice them to the thickness I told her. Then at breakfast, Daddy asked for the ones she sliced up and gave her some too. I didn't know how proud she was until she made that statement.

The Husband's actions reminded me of something.

Celebrate their achievements, no matter how small.

It did make a difference when we showed interest in what she was learning and what she was capable of.

And as I was typing this, I was reminded of a post I wrote about my friend's child many years back. The photos are missing but you can still read them if you like.
 Yet another reminder for me,

Let them try.

Oh Baby! - Call me "princess"

The little one is asleep, the internet is up and running, and I finally get some time on the laptop, so it's time for some "Clear-the-draft-folder" posts again. This was probably from a few months back.
Things are getting more princessy around here lately.
One morning this week, I saw J stepping on the leg opening of her oversized PJs and sprung to save her from falling flat on her face should she trip. She was mumbling and I didn't make out what it was until it was too late. Until I adjusted her pants and she got all annoyed. Turns out, this was what she was mumbling happily about...

"I'm walking like a princess!"

This is the start to all things "princess"...


We've been hoping to skip this princess-phase, mainly because we don't wish J to grow up feeling entitled. So we haven't addressed J as "our princess" in front of our family and friends. Not to J either.

I did expose her to Disney songs and she has a Frozen storybook gifted by a friend.
I have also accidentally told her that it "looks like a princess" when her necklace got stuck on her forehead.

J has this tutu skirt my uncle gave her. I haven't let her wear it out because it's not very flattering with her little belly. So that skirt becomes a dress-up item in the playroom. It wasn't intended to, but when J tries to put on her swimming costume as a skirt, I had to give her an alternative.

That night, we left her in her playroom after her shower when I went to pick up the shower-stuff.
When I returned to the room to this:

"I'm princess. " she said gleefully.
A few moments later, I asked her what her name was.
She said her full name, ending with "princess".

It was hilarious.
I also struck me that we have been too uptight about this sense of entitlement issue.
After she removed her tutu skirt, she was back to usual J. That J that would jump off the couch.
The J that still says "Hi" to the neighbours.
The J who tells her mom not to cry when her mother is taking her medicine.
That J who would be okay when I say that we are not getting that toy.

Putting on a pretty skirt or dress and declaring that she's a princess wouldn't give my child a false sense of entitlement. It's our daily interactions that matter.

For now, I'll embrace whatever Princess-pretend -play we have and enjoy all of it.

Oh Baby! - Facebook ploys

J has been asking to look at her own videos in my phone.
Narcissism? Or plain curious?

Today was one of those days, but I was scrolling through my Facebook feed. Bad momma, but this is needed to maintain sanity.
Sometimes. '
I told her to give me a moment, meaning that she should wait patiently instead of trying to squeeze and peek at my phone. I've been trying to teach her delayed gratification - this little one is too eager.

When she finally took a peek at my phone, I was at one of those parenting Facebook pages, and the screen showed a little girl sitting in the grass.

"What's that?" she asked.
"Oh!" I gasped. "They say that children need to pick up their toys after they are done playing with them."

I wasn't actually sure what the article said. I had just skimmed through it quickly and they did mention "putting toys away", but it was more of the reason to why kids don't put their toys away - they don't remember where they should put it. Something along that line.

J looked at me, and very quickly disappeared into my sister's room (which has now become her playroom). I followed and saw her shifting her toy shopping cart back in place. She came out and picked up whatever toys she had lying on the floor.

For once, there's a change in the scoreboard.
Momma: 1  Baby: 0

{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,

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.

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.

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

Sick-and-rainy stay-in Sunday

Sundays are usually outdoor-days because a certain little person needs to expend her energy. Said little person is now recovering from throat infection so we were advised by my mum to stay in.

It was hard but the universe made it a little easier for us by giving us some rain.

Staying indoors for the entire day is torture for the little one. She is getting quite bored of the books we have at home. And the toys are less attractive now that they have been around for close to a year. Or two.

We managed to each crack our brains and came up with something to tide us through the long day. 

Imagination

J did her part and has been quite creative in pretending that the clothes rack is her playground. Well, if we can't go to the playground, we bring the playground in. It's nowhere close to being a playground but she sure had lots of fun. We had to cut short the activity because The Husband and I both feel that the clothes rack is quite light and we don't want the clothes rack falling onto J.

Invitation-to-play

A contact paper craft inspired by Let's Tot School.

It became more of an invitation to destroy at the end. And we had a little confetti fun.

Song and dance

I was at my wits end after the contact paper activity because I had no idea what else to do. Then The Husband brought in his phone with Super Simple Songs playing in the background. Lifesaver!

J is very tickled by "cookies" in this song.

And these songs are perfect to dance along to, which we did. And J got to move around like she needed to.

This is my favourite!

I guess a stay-in Sunday isn't so bad after all!

(Not really. I'll pick outdoors any day.)

I Love You!

We have been playing the *muacks* "I love you!" a lot lately. It's actually just an excuse to plant kisses on J's chubby cheeks. She likes that too.

J has also learnt to say the phrase after I play Hi-5's L.O.V.E to her once every few days. (I relaxed my no-screen rule a little.) 

That morning on the bus, she climbed onto my lap. I rolled my eyes, held my breath to control my temper, and was about to go "No standing on the bus!" when I felt her arms wrapped around my neck as she muttered a soft "I love you!"

It didn't matter that I had only three hours of sleep the night before anymore.

(And thank goodness I didn't yell at her.)

Oh Baby! #4 - Word of the Day

Smile smile

Pronounced as: foun foun

(If it's too difficult to pronounce that, say "found" and leave out the 'd' sound.)

Definition:

1. Smile (when taking photographs of others)

2. Camera

Examples of use:

1. "Foun foun, cloud. Foun foun bear."

2. "I wan(t) Mama's foun foun," says J, while pointing to my camera.

Thankful: Kisses

We were away from The Husband for four nights. It was supposed to be two but Fever came along and we camped at grandma's for a little longer.

J was excited to return home to Daddy this morning even though she thoroughly enjoyed the grandparent's and her uncle's company.

Just before bed, she made us kiss.

"Mama kiss papa."

We obliged, else we can say "goodbye" to bedtime.

Then she made us both kiss her on her cheeks simultaneously. While her hands wrapped around our necks. 

"Hold neck" was apparently an important criteria.

This went on for a few times before she finally settled down for bed.

I'm so thankful for this kid.

I'm thankful she makes sure we have family cuddles and kisses together.

I'm thankful she forces her parents to kiss - it helps keep the marriage alive. Sometimes, amidst the busyness, we forget to love. But this little one, she makes us remember. 

The Little Things (17 months)

I didn't realise how I used to document J's growth and progress until I found a post I wrote when she was four months old. That post, and all the little things she did, are now such important memories to me. 

I had a lot of time to sit down, reflect and pen my thoughts then. But now, as J is older and stricter with the use of gadgets around her, I seem to slow down a lot in the documentation of the little things. 

Here are some things I want to remember about J before she turns 18 months and start behaving like an adult (or a little walking disaster as most Terrible Two-ers are.)

1. Chores are more enjoyable now that I have a little helper, who makes me do the chores. 

J will ask for her broom (we got her her own wiper stick) as she leans on the household shelter door when her 'broom' is kept. Then she cleans under the bed, the sofa... She even moves small pieces of furniture away.

2. J is an empathetic child and I'm grateful for that. I will not forget the look on her face the day I fell and sprained my ankle. And the kisses she plants on my other thigh as she tells me "It's okay."

3. This little one is getting really friendly! Some days she walks around the mall like a superstar, saying "hi" to strangers. Once she held out her hand to high-five an executive as we walked past each other. He high-fived back. That made her day. Because of that, we say "hi" to more of our neighbours too.

4. Someone has learnt to request for us to take photos of her. She'll then pose and smile accordingly.

5. We gave her my old camera this week. She loves it. But she loves to drop it on the floor too.

6. Initiation is at its peak. J now wants to draw at the dining table because yiyi was doing work there. 

7. This kid is tall. I realised it finally one night when she's sleeping in her cot. In her sleep suit.

8. We need to have Daddy-time everyday. NEED. That few days Daddy was down with flu, we had a tough time going to bed. 

9. We conquered the slide!

10. J has started to talk a lot while having pretend play. We got her a toy kitchen and a doll pram. That baby doll now follows everywhere she goes whenever she's in popo's house.

11. J is now able to complete the last two words of each verse for some songs. For "Rain, Rain Go Away" and "Baa Baa Black Sheep", she can sing almost the entire verse.

12. Cheeky. Enough said.

{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

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 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. 

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!

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

The things I love about you #6

Your curls, baby. I love your little curls at the end of your hair.
It's funny how it curls only on one side but it definitely makes you look more like a little girl now. I still remember how much of a boy you looked when you were little, and the doubtful looks on strangers when I told them you are a girl. Even when you are all dressed in pink.


I love the way you speak.
That is before you learnt to pronounce the words clearly.
Your yi yang (same) and sayang.
Any word that ends with -ng sounds exceptionally cute.


I love that you have both the sweet, little girly voice and the rough, manly-voice.
It's hilarious to hear you go "Hello!" in a low, deep voice.


I love that you now want to fall asleep on the bed instead of having us carry you till you fall asleep. I think my arms love that too.


I love your hugs. Your very tight hugs.
Even thought it's almost like a headlock on most days.


I love your cheeky smile. We've been getting a lot of that lately.


I love how friendly you are. You love to wave to strangers and greet them on the bus.
I hope you remember to be as polite too when you are older.


I love how sensible you can get. You act like a really big girl on some days, and though we lament about how fast you are growing, I'm still very proud of you.

Linking up with: 

The Straw Cup

The straw cup.

Sigh, I'm still feeling emotional over this one.

J "graduated" to a straw cup about a month ago, and watching her sip from the straw makes me feel like my baby has grown up so much. We kind of skipped the sippy cup phase because she doesn't seem to be drinking much from the spout. She just bites it. So we continued with milk bottles for water.

We noticed that she could be ready when she held up a stacking cup to her teddy's mouth and made a sipping sound. Then she did it again, to me. Then I recalled that she could accidentally take a few sips from the straw when we tried it for fun one day at my mum's.

We bought the straw cup the very next day. That look of anticipation on J's face as I was washing up the straw cup was priceless. I did it as quietly as I could when J was having her lunch but my mum said "I think she knows." And she did! Can never hide things from this kid.

The cheeky girl gave a sheepish smile as I handed her the cup. She didn't even want us to hold it for her. I'm not sure if she really feels that way but she looked really proud of herself. So precious.

Well, she can do it hands-free now.

It's another milestone for the little one, and a reminder for me to treasure the everyday because my baby will not remain a baby for long. (Ah yes. The terrible twos have really started...)

{Dear Baby} Lullabies

Dear Baby,

I always thought that lullabies are universal.
That is, any lullaby would be able to lull any baby to sleep.
Apparently not.
I'm not too sure if it is the type of songs I expose you to, but typical lullabies don't exactly work on you. In fact, that 'magic' song that will calm you down and lull you to sleep changes every few months.

I'm starting to lose track of the songs that appeal to you so I thought I'd write them down..

The first few months
If You Are Sleepy And You Know It

White Christmas
Random Mandarin sleeping song I made up, mainly telling you that good sleepy babies go to sleep.


Seven-months-old -- Nine-months-old
Part Of Your World

The Disney playlist:  Part of your World, A Whole New World, Beauty and the Beast, Colours of the Wind, I See The Light


Nine-months-old

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas



Ten-months-old

The Wheels On The Bus
Michael Buble's Christmas Playlist

Right now at thirteen months old, it's a medley of Christmas songs, Disney songs and children's song.
I've sadly lost the magic songs now.



A special note, since we are on songs,
Let It Go - This song works like a freezing spell (pun intended) most of the time. Whenever it's played, or when I sing it, you just stop fussing and look at me.

Goodnight, everyone.

This is what it looks like each night after we clean up the playroom before heading to bed. "Bunny is sleepy." is the best way to get J to clean up the room as quickly as possible. 

After our latest addition arrived in the family, that's Maomao the cat, J has decided that it will sleep on Bunny's lap. I tried placing Bear Bear on Bunny once but that poor thing got tossed aside and J placed Maomao gently on Bunny instead. Not difficult to guess who the favourite is right now.

Once everyone is nicely "tucked in bed", we say goodnight, the lights go off, and it's our turn for bed.