Princes' Diary

Joshua: Ice Cream

2012-02-06T15:17:00.001-08:00

When I picked Joshua from school this evening, he was telling me excitedly that he has bought an ice cream during recess. (Hmm, not supposed to actually). The next moment, he told me that it was in his bag... I thought for a moment and not too sure whether I misheard him... Then, I started to doubt myself thinking that times could have changed and canteens are selling new stuff which I've never heard of and one of them is ice cream that will not melt... (Cos previously he bought a packet of yogurt which is in a sealable packaging...) How could Josh put ice cream inside his bag? He should have the basic knowledge that ice cream will melt right, having eaten so many ice creams before... Next, he told me that he did not have time to eat finish the ice cream so he put it in his bag... Now, I was beginning to have some doubts about the ice cream he was talking about... I opened his bag and to my horror, there was indeed a cup of ice cream and it had melted... Luckily, he put it in a plastic bag and the damage caused to his bag was not that great!! For that few moments, I really do not know how to react to his action when he kept apologizing to me with a guilty look. Once away from the mob of school children, I started to question him. Apparently, he bought it and wanted to eat it when the bell rang. I guess as a new P1 boy, he has been taught well to always assemble promptly when the bell rang. In his haste or anxiety of doing so, I guess he was muddleheaded enough to actually put the ice cream in his bag thinking that he could eat it after school as it has cost him $0.60. In the end, he wasted the ice cream and also the $0.60!!

I never expect my boy to be capable of doing such silly stuff but i guess the anxiety of adhering to the school rules made him lost his common sense for a moment :(

Jaydon: Colouring Progress

2012-01-30T07:49:00.001-08:00

I used to envy mothers with kids who can occupy themselves with colouring.

Joshua never really did or like colouring when he was 3-4 years old. He would colour his schoolwork but not leisure colouring.

Jaydon was (i hope) in this stage or even worse. It was very difficult to get him to colour. I remember when he first went to Pre-Nursery, the teacher had to hold his hand while he cried and coloured at the same time. At home, his colouring was mere scribbling. However, in recent weeks, I started to notice that there was a vast improvement in his colouring strokes, ability to colour within boundaries and perseverance to complete a picture. Most importantly, I observed that his attitude has changed - he enjoys colouring now, will colour at his own initiative, has varied colours and he is very proud of his work. The only thing that he has to work on is his sense of colours for the different objects. Not sure what causes the change within such a short span of time. From what he told me, he does alot of colouring in school this year and for children who did not colour properly, they will be given another piece to colour. And he's proud to tell me that he's not one of them cos he always colour 'inside the line'.

The above 2 pieces were done somewhere Nov 2011. Monotonous colouring in 'untidy' strokes.

Coloured on 30 Jan 2012. Colourful and with single directional strokes.

Joash: 6 Months Old

2012-01-30T00:24:00.001-08:00

- Joash weighed 7.35kg on 13 Jan 2012 when he went for the second Pneumococcal jab. He's about 5.5 months old then. He has put on about 550g since last visit to Dr Tan 5 weeks ago.

- His pearlie whites are out!! His two bottom front teeth are out though one is much more visible then the other. He is more advanced in this area than his two brothers...

- Fell sick for quite a while this time round. Had fever as high as high as 38.9 degree Celsius (coming to 5 days since 17 Jan). He is also down with cough, phlegm and runny nose. Hiyah, just when he is gaining weight, he fell sick and turned fussy when drinking. Went to see Dr Ong after a week of medicine from Dr Tan but no visible improvement. He was coughing badly and he kept choking on his phlegm. Was especially cranky for a few nights. When we took his weight at Dr Ong's clinic, he did not put on any weight since 2 weeks ago. As he was sick, we couldn't start him on cereal too on the day he turned 6 months which was always the 'highlight' at this stage. He also 'missed' the swimming in pool.

Being sponged without much retaliation

Sound asleep after being cranky

- At Dr Ong's clinic, I highlighted that Joash seems to be tilting his head towards the right. Upon checking, he said that his neck muscles on the right neck is abit tight and has to do physiotherapy. We went to the Rehab Centre at Mount A for his physiotherapy session. Basically, we will need to do some active exercising with him in order to loosen the muscles. Needs a follow up 2 weeks later.

See his head tilting to his right?

First exercise: Need to stretch his head towards his left for 15s x 5 sets per session. Each day 5 sessions. He doesn't like this. So to make it fun, have to play with him in front of the mirror.

Need to carry him facing forward, slightly tilting his body to the right so that he will 'balance' his head by straight. Need to do 5 minutes per session and 3x per day. Will need to carry him in this position randomly throughout the day too. Suddenly, his world is 'tilted' like The Leaning Tower of Pisa' :)

- He's enjoying longer period of tummy time when he will play with his teether. He tends to kick alot and seems to want to crawl forward by lifting his butt high and on his knees. But at times, instead of forward, he 'reversed'. A few days ago, i left him on his tummy for awhile while i did something. When i next saw him, he had 'turned' on his tummy more than 180 degrees anti-clockwise direction, just by kicking... Wow!! When he's tired, he can 'plopped' backwards to his right.

Enjoying his tummy time and teether

"I'm tired!"

Look at his butt!!

We were reading the book initially. See how far he has moved himself...

- He likes to play peek-a-boo and ball games like kicking soccer and throwing with Jaydon gorgor.

All smiles when playing peek-a-boo

Future David Beckham

Trying to hold a ball

- Heard him say 'mom mom' and a few sounds. He's usually quiet so when he uttered them, it was quite audible.

Trying to watch tv while being introduced to his sippy cup

- He celebrated his first CNY, collected his first ang pao and lo hei for the first time too... As he was sick, he didn't follow us when we went out to River HB, museums and Sentosa during CNY.

- Some of my favorite shots

Joshua: First Punishment

2012-01-28T00:21:00.001-08:00

Joshua came home on Thursday and told me that he got to stay back for five minutes during recess on Friday. Upon further probing, it was because of his sloppy colouring as he was rushing through his work in school. He was not the first one to do so but as he is quite a sensitive boy, he took it quite hard. He was upset that it was merely a little bit out of line (his teacher is very particular about neatness etc) and five minutes of his recess time is precious to him. Questions like 'Does it mean that the teacher doesn't like me?' came to his mind. That night, he had difficulty sleeping as he was crying over it. As a parent, I was concerned why wasn't a warning given to the child first prior to meting out the punishment. How will it affect his morale and enthusiasm towards school, afterall he's only in P1 and it's just the first month. On the other hand, I know the strict discipline will do him good in the long run. He needs to learn about facing consequences for his actions.

The next morning, I was anxious whether Josh would come and tell me he doesn't want to go to school. Just before we left home, he told me, "Mummy, although I have to stay back for five minutes during recess, I still like to go to school." When I heard that, I was so relieved and glad that he likes school so much.

That evening, after I fetched him from school, I asked him whether he stayed back during recess. He replied happily that the teacher had forgotten all about it and of course, he didn't remind her of it. Hmmm... another lesson to learn. I told him that he should just be honest, remind the teacher about it and get it over and done with. Naturally, he was reluctant to do so. Well, it's not an easy task to do, even as an adult who is in similar situations.

Hiyah, just a simple colouring work and so many teachable moments from it.

Joshua: Next Milestone - P1

2012-01-04T08:27:00.001-08:00

In a blink of an eye, the school holidays zoomed past and it's the start of a brand new year. 2012 is a significant year for our family, for Joshua. Our firstborn is entering P1, into the harsh world of academic pursuance. I have mixed feelings towards this stage of his life. On one hand, I'm looking forward to him 'growing up'. On the other hand, I 'can't bear' for him to grow up yet. Maybe it's too fast for me...

Anyway, this Mummy kept procrastinating in preparing his stuff, thus S and I were still busy pasting name stickers, packing books etc past midnight and even on the morning of the school itself.

On the morning of the first day of school, Josh woke up pretty early. He was very excited and his face was literally beaming with excitement and he chirped happily about what's to come. After lunch, S and I walked him to school under the scorching sun. When we reached school, we went up to the school hall where he joined his class. Meanwhile, S and I sat a distance away but we were still able to catch sight of Josh. When Josh saw us, he turned around occasionally to beam us a smile. We went through the routine of pledge taking and devotion, afterwhich he was led to the classroom. S and I, together with hundreds of parents sat through a talk lasting about 2-3 hours. In between, we were allowed to catch our child in action during recess. The children have been assigned a P2 buddy and Josh's buddy seems to be of Eurasian-Indian heritage. Surprisingly, he was quite proactive in chatting with his buddy and even suggesting to go to the library after his meal of nuggets and fishballs. After another hour of talk in the hall, we proceeded to the classroom to meet his teachers.

We are thankful and relived that he has gotten a very good and experienced form teacher. (I've heard of her during my teaching years) She was very forthcoming in her expectations - a very strict and particular person who will mete out punishment accordingly. She expects neat handwriting otherwise the children will have to stay back to practise writing, she expects circulars to be put in folder lest it become 'salted vegetable', she insists on silent reading to inculcate the habit of reading in children... and many more... what do you expect from a teacher with 30+ years of experience, with grandchildren and she's one of the two recipients of the inaugural President Awards for Teachers in 1998. Though strict, she knows how to tell jokes with a straight face and she is able to 'buy' the children's hearts. At the end of her briefing, I know Joshua will be in very good hands, academically and emotionally, though it's not going to be easy to meet her stringent expectation. We know that it will do Josh good though. Later, we also heard from friends that Josh's CL teacher is quite good too and very caring. So thankful for both of them.

From these two days of being a 'private investigator', I can safely say that Josh has settled in much much better than we've expected. I knew he's happy to see us around in school and yet, when he sees us, he wants to keep a distance from us as if he's trying to signal to us that he's a big boy now and he didn't want to get too clingy to us. He's very chirpy and upbeat when he talks about his school, even after 6 long hours in school. He shares with us excitedly about what has happened in school. He tells us what he plans to do eg. What snacks he wants to share with his buddy, what food he wants to buy. He is head over heels with his wallet, bringing it everywhere he goes at home. Actually, he's very excited about being able to buy food. Guess he's being empowered for the first time with some money for him to decide what to buy. It's so funny during today's dinnertime. Jay was whining about not wanting to go to school and Josh was excited and kept telling us that he's looking forward to school. He seemed to have grown up overnight. During the holidays, he was still grumpy, cynical, whiny, quarrelsome, attention seeking and a whole long list of attitude problems. It seems that everyday he was scolded for something. We thought that he will be grumpy over the long school hours, strict teacher, hot weather, heavy bag and so on and so on. Yes, he likes to complain alot just last year. But.... Nothing. Though he did complain about being tired and hungry, it didn't lead to whines and grumpiness like before. He took them in his stride. He was not scolded for any bad attitude or nonsense at all these two days. In school, he follows instructions well, is friendly and takes the initiative to chat with friends, is outgoing and jovial, didn't monkey around, takes silent reading seriously and not for show... Wow!! Finally, a breakthrough... I hope that his positive attitude will stay put and he will always enjoy going to school... Meanwhile, I'm savoring every minute of his enthusiasm :)

Day1:

All ready, donned in his new school uniform.

Going to school with Daddy.

Reaching school.

Day 2:

He looks like a ranger in this attire.

Enjoying his smacks during recess. The boy standing next to him is his buddy, Frederick.

His favorite corner in the library- the Young Scientist magazine shelf

Enjoying his Young Scientist magazine during recess.

His partner whom he has to hold hands with, Stella.

His class was being scolded for not walking in two straight lines.,

Heading towards the Parade Square for flag lowering.

Jaydon: Back to School

2012-01-04T00:07:00.001-08:00

Jaydon woke up pretty early, all excited about wearing his new school uniform, school shoes and going to school. However, in my heart, I knew the excitement will not last long when the separation anxiety sets in.

S and I sent him to school that morning. When we reached the school hall, loud wails could be heard coming from the hall. With trepidation and anxiety, we walked into the hall, towards the queue of his class. Fortunately, I saw quite a few of his ex-classmates in the same class as him. After taking attendance, it was time to go to the classroom. Jay started to cling onto us then. We held his hand, walked into the classroom with him, tried to distract him with things in the classroom. He was playing with his friends and we slipped out of the classroom without his notice. Within seconds, he started to cry after scanning around the classroom for us. Though it's kinda of heart-wrenching to hear his cries, we knew it's a passing phase. He had went through that in Pre-N and we know he will overcome it again. We just had to bear with the next few days (I hope, not weeks) of him being cranky and whining about not wanting to go to school. We waited awhile for him to be more settled down before we went for breakfast. When I peeped at him again after breakfast, he was alright and playing toys. And when I fetched him, he was pretty normal, happily running here and there.

Joash: 5 Months Old

2011-12-28T18:34:00.001-08:00

- At 4 months 9 days old, Joash's weight was 6.8kg, length was 62cm and head circumference was 42cm. He only put on 100g since his last visit a month ago. The average weight gain should be 300-500g per month. I believe the slow weight gain was due to his illness which caused his loss of appetite and fussiness in drinking. Also, as he usually can sleep through the night, he missed a feed. He is drinking about 120ml 5 feeds. His one feed can take 1-2 hours to feed. Dr Tan actually recommended to introduce cereal to him with the main objective of giving him more milk since he was fussing in his drinking. However, I decided against it and will adopt a wait-and-see attitude in the meantime.

- At 4 months 17 days old, Joash's weight increased to 6.97kg which is almost a 200g increase in a week. After the slow weight gain highlighted by the pd the week before, we increase the number of feeds to 6 per day and amount to 130ml per feed. He also latches on in the middle of the night now. Luckily, his fussiness in drinking has dwindled slightly and he can finish his feed in less than 20 minutes. During the week before we weigh him again, we could already feel that he has gained quite abit of weight. He's heavier and chubbier. Nearing 5 months, his fussiness returned and it takes quite some time again for him to finish a feed.

- He was brought to see a new pd - Dr Ho (as Dr Tan was on long leave) as he is still having a phlegmy cough and noisy breathing. He could be having a sensitive nose like Joshua which I hope will not turn out as serious as Joshua who needs long term
medication.

- He is turning to his right quite fast now. The moment we put him on flat surfaces, he will want to turn which makes diaper changing kinda of challenging now. Meanwhile, he is almost succeeding in turning towards his left.

- He can lie on his tummy with his head held high for a relatively longer period of time now without much fussing. At times, he will kick his legs vigorously as if he wants to crawl forward. He also attempts to lift up his butt.

- He's drooling ALOT!! Literally, a water tap. We can change his bib like 5-6 times per day. I guess he's teething cos we saw a white dot on his lower gum. This could explain also why he's not into drinking nowadays.

- We started him on the Bumbo chair and he seems to be sitting quite steadily and comfortably in it.

- Went for a Christmas dinner at Merchant Court Hotel with compliments from popo.

- Went for a stayacation at Hard Rock Hotel on 20-21 Dec 2011. For the first time, he slept on a bed in between S and myself. Luckily, he was pretty easy to handle during the trip. The only issue was with bathing. There was no bathtub and we had to bathe him under the running water from the hose, which was met with much resistance.

Walker Deprived Boy

2011-12-18T17:41:00.001-08:00

Jaydon did not sit in any walker before although we had one used by Joshua. We were concerned then with safety issues like Joshua pushing the walker around for fun with Jay in it.

We took the walker out again, this time for Javier to use. Jay was delighted to have a try in it and he ended up eating his dinner in it. What can I say? He wad deprived of it...:)

ABCs

2011-12-15T16:21:00.001-08:00

Just put up the wall organizer of ABC books for Jaydon. These books have serve Joshua well and I hope they will do likewise for Jaydon too... Seems quite difficult to get the ABCs into him... Keeps forgetting and it's a challenge just to get him to sit through these thin booklets... So sometimes will 'play games' like putting the cards into the right pouch, getting him to pick out the right card for me which he seems to remember if I use his friend's names eg. N for Nicole, S for Stella and E for Elisha... I don't remember it was this tedious going through with Joshua previously...

I'm starting to panic now as the criterion of entry for the ICL class which I have signed Jay up for requires the children to know their 26 letters, both upper and lower case. I have till 29 March 2012 to do so as the class will commence then.

Josh can still remember these books and he still likes to glance through these books when Jay is reading

Fun at Changi Airport

2011-12-15T08:19:00.001-08:00

Finally, we made it to the Changi Airport today after I cancelled the outing last week due to JJ misbehaving.

We had a quick (can be even quicker if not for Jay's nonchalant eating attitude) lunch at the food court. The boys were looking forward to the bouncy castle. However, on the pretext of resting their stomachs first before the strenuous bouncing, Mummy got to shop for awhile around the Basement 2 shops and carts. Bought another beanie for Joash and a shirt for Jay for CNY. Then, the boys went for the slide and Mummy had to go with Jay as he did not make the height requirement. The boys had played with this slide countless time and yet it it Mummy's maiden slide today. To be frank, I was a little fearful as I slid down as I was afraid that I will be trapped in this enclosed slide. So Jay only went once while Josh went twice. Next, they played at the mini playground while Mummy shopped again in the nearby shops. Finally, the boys could not contain their excitement for the bouncy castle and kept bugging me to move on.

Once the boys caught sight of the bouncy castle from afar, they were jumping about excitedly. After the administrative matters, the boys were free to play for 8 minutes. Jay was apprehensive at first and I had to go up with him three times. The fourth time, he did ask me to follow him too but he was distracted by other children climbing ahead of him. In no time, I caught him sliding down happily on his own and the rest is history. Mummy retired from the scene :).

We took a break at coffee bean. I had my Mocha ice blended and Josh had his huge banana muffin. As for Jay, I had forgotten to bring his snack and the way he put it 'Why you only bring gorgor's snack? Why you didn't bring my snack?' made me feel kinda of guilty. Anyway, I quickly changed the topic and brought them to see the giant Merlion and the angry birds near the departure gate.

Not long after, Jay pestered me to see his favorite - luggages. I do not know why but he loves to see the luggages which the passengers had checked in moving on the conveyor belt till it 'disappeared'. He stood right in front of the counter to watch for quite awhile before he moved on to the next destination - to see airplanes. Once up at the aviation gallery, he quickly scanned the runway for airplanes. All this while, Josh was moving along with us while still munching on his huge banana muffin. Once Josh was finally done with the muffin, the two monkeys started scaling the display structures. It was a good workout for them as Mummy took a breather.

We finally left the airport at slightly past 4 after much coaxing. On the way back, Jay suddenly remembered that we've not sat on the skytrain. Aiyoh, there's so much to do and so little time.

Sushi Making

2011-12-14T00:33:00.001-08:00

After an attempt in making sushi at Ade's house 3 weeks ago, I finally got the courage to do with the kids this afternoon. Why do you need courage to do sushi, you may ask. Well, I can't stand mess to begin with, and when you put J and J together with the sticky rice and each of them fighting to scoop the rice into the mould (with half a spoon of rice dropped on the table), and their hands and shirts full of sticky rice as they wiped here and there, then you understand why our sushi making involves courage :)

Anyway, here's the work-in-progress...

Jaydon was fanning the crabstick instead of the rice

Joshua happily cleaning up the leftover rice

Our final products... Not too bad right?

Chuggington Show

2011-12-13T06:22:00.001-08:00

We passed by the Chuggington setup a few times in Marina Square and the boys were looking forward to the show. Finally, we went early and queued up for the show after our lunch. There were 3 chuggers, namely, Koko, Wilson and Brewster. The show was rather lively as the cast engaged the audience with songs and simple actions to follow.

After the meet-and-greet session, the boys took a short ride on Wilson which travelled a short distance around the mall. The boys were all smiles, delighted with their goodie bags - a Chuggington pouch and badge.

Caught the Angry Bird

2011-12-13T06:02:00.001-08:00

Last Tuesday evening, we managed to catch the Angry Bird show at Takashimaya. After a lengthy introduction by the 'ranger', 3 angry birds appeared and there was a short shootout of the birds at the pig who had stolen an egg. Jay was afraid of the ranger and so in the end, he refused to take a picture with the angry birds.

Changi Beach Fun

2011-12-11T01:50:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since we went to a beach for some outdoor fun due to the unpredictable weather nowadays.

Seeing that the weather was glorious on Friday morning and since S is on leave that day, we decided to head towards Changi Village for some 'back to the old days' breakfast of nasi lemak, fried carrot cake and 'you tiao' in the hawker centre.

After a filling breakfast, we took a slow walk towards the Changi beach. The boys were admiring the bum boats as they skated on their scooter.

We found a shady place and soon we got ourselves comfortable. The boys and S were getting themselves dirty playing sand under the sweltering heat while Mummy and Joash hid in the shade.

The beach was pretty crowded that day with a group of volunteers cleaning up the beach. After 45 mins under the sun, we got the boys back into the shade for some ball fun. We would love to stay awhile more longer on the beach if not for the fact that we needed to get home to let the boys nap before our Orchard Road walkabout that evening.

Can you spot Joash?

Jaydon: Shopping with Mummy

2011-12-03T18:56:00.001-08:00

As Joshua was still recovering from his fever, Mummy brought Jaydon out alone for some Christmas shopping. This boy was all excited when I dressed him out. He even got S to style his hair :) which he was pretty proud of. Caught him looking into the mirror a few times when we went to the washroom...

After 5 hours out, we came home with just a bag mainly consisting of Christmas tree decorations... Mummy is not able to shop much cos firstly, the malls were crowded and we had a pram, secondly, we couldn't buy the bulky items as it was difficult handling a kid and a pram already. Most important of all, Jay kept wanting to play - play rides, play toys etc and he kept wanting me to be around with him... In the end, I gave up having to source hurriedly for gifts while keeping a close lookout for him... Anyway, it was nice to hear him say that he has enjoyed himself with Mummy :)

Joash: My New 'Hairdo'

2011-12-03T10:13:00.001-08:00

Finally, we got him shaved at 4 months 5 days old. Though we can't bear to part with his soft brownish hair, his hair is dropping. Now, he looks even more like Baby Jaydon.

Joash: Hello Mr Mousey

2011-11-30T12:17:00.001-08:00

On a boring late afternoon, Joash found a companion to chat with...

Joash: 4 Months Old

2011-11-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

- At 3 months and 11 days old, Joash's weight was 6.7kg, length was 62.5cm and head circumference was 39cm.

- Had his first out of four Pneumococcal jabs on 9 Nov with no fever after jab.

- At 3 months and 2 weeks old, he's able to flip his whole self to his right except his head. So he will be in this awkward position for a whole before he starts to get cranky. A day before he turns 4 months old, he was able to flip over totally together with his head. However, he is still not able to lift up his head high so... he is still stuck in another awkward position. Otherwise, he will lay his head sideways and start licking his 'lollipop'.

Half flip

Three-quarter flip

Help! I'm stucked!

Finally, I've flipped and enjoying my 'lollipop' now

- We gave him a pacifier (at 3 months 16 days) as we observed that he likes to suck his thumb nowadays to soothe himself to sleep. Surprisingly, he sucked the pacifier very firmly the moment it was put into his mouth instead of rejecting an unfamiliar object. The pacifier was still firmly in his mouth after he has slept for awhile. I took the opportunity to take it out. The reasons we gave him is because firstly, pacifier is easier to wean off than his thumb. Afterall, you can't throw his thumb but you can just discard the pacifier easily. From our experience with JJ, they automatically reject the pacifier when they turned one. Secondly, his thumb may not be as clean as a sterilized pacifier. Lastly, we do not let him suck pacifier every now and then. Only when he's going to sleep and only if he needs it to soothe himself to sleep. I've seen young toddlers or even preschoolers still sucking their pacifiers even when they are very much awake. That's a big no no for us. Anyway, he looks quite cute with his newly found friend :)

- Fell sick for the very first time at 3 months and 3 weeks old. His nose was blocked which resulted in difficulty in drinking and noisy breathing. The pd said that he is not really sick but has sensitive nose (same as Joshua). However, that same night, he ran a slight fever of 37.6 degrees Celsius which went up to 38.2 degrees Celsius the next day. On Monday, we went back to see pd again as he also started having runny nose. He was given one more nose drop and cough medicine. His sickness also resulted in his eczema again. Luckily, by Tuesday, his condition has improved. During this time, I've also discovered a new way of feeding him. Sling him to feed him. I guess the closeness and also the movement as we walk around the house help in his drinking.

Entertained by his mousey friend. Sometimes, I caught him smiling to it.

- He's drooling alot... Really alot... His bib gets wet faster than we can wash and dry them..,

- He has discovered his voice recently... Screaming abit more, shouting abit more and 'talking' abit more

- He likes to smile at the 'baby' in the mirror. I like to carry him in front of our big mirror and see him smile.

Little Bunny

Gor gors just love to take pictures with him

Jaydon: Musical Notes Part 2

2011-11-11T19:21:00.001-08:00

Another musical doodling.

He drew the treble clef from memory - without help or reference. Though it's not entirely correct, it's a commendable effort. At least I can recognize at once that it's a treble clef :)

Joshua: School Orientation

2011-11-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

11.11.11

It was a special day for Joshua. He had his first taste of his primary school as it was Orientation Day.

The foyer where the children were gathered were bustling with excitement. Proud mummies and daddies were busy clicking away while the children were seated on the ground, somehow looking abit nervous. In the midst of the crowd, there was a boy crying and the embarrassed dad was trying hard to pacify him. I'm glad that I do not have to face that from Joshua. We took a second look at him just before we went up to the assembly hall. He was pretty at ease chatting with a boy in front of him.

We went up to the hall to listen to an 'unexciting' address made by the school vp before we went to a classroom to settle some administrative matters. When it is done, we went to the canteen to wait for Joshua. It was only 4.15pm.

While we were chatting with other parents in the canteen, we saw classes of children being brought around the school. Joshua walked past us 3 times, and 3 times he shouted out loud for us. He looked happy. He looked excited. Looking at his reaction and chatting with him about the school later put my heart at ease. I know he likes the school and he is looking forward to it. I guess half the battle is won. The other half of the battle will be on 3.1.2012 where he will have to wrestle with the Zzz monsters as he begins his 6 hour academic life instead of the usual 3...

Hope it turns out well.

My little boy is all grown up. Luckily, I have another 2 for me to reminisce the adorable earlier stages all over again.

Jaydon: Musical Notes

2011-11-03T13:50:00.001-07:00

Jaydon always like to doodle on paper and most of the time, I can't identify what he is drawing. Last night, he drew quavers and a crochet and happily announced to me what he has drawn. At least I can recognize what he is drawing, for once. This says again much about his interest in music :)

Jaydon: Music Class

2011-11-01T10:23:00.001-07:00

We always find that Jaydon seems to like music alot. He sings, he claps, he rings his 'froggie' bells... Seeing that he has an interest in music, I went to look around for some suitable music class for him, not any particular instrument yet, more to let him enjoy and appreciate music for the moment.

Finally, we settled on Mandeville Music School at United Square. They have a Pre-Schooler Music Exploration Course and it's parent accompanied. I called up on Friday and it so happened they still have vacancies for a new Saturday class that started recently.

So on Saturday, I went with Jaydon for a trial class first. During the lesson, he didn't really participate much at first. He looked around cautiously and seemed to be observing and absorbing everything that was happening around him. I didn't push him to participate but merely allow him some free space and time to explore and settle in. I could sense that he enjoys the lesson cos he will beam me a wide smile after he does each activity. The critical point was when he asked me, 'Where is my book?' when the teacher returned to the children their books. I asked him whether he wants to come back for more lessons and he answered yes with much conviction. This attitude was in stark contrast with the last 3 enrichment classes that he went to -My Gym, JG and Shichida. So we immediately signed up for the class after the lesson and he was overjoyed with the instrument bag that he was given. He wanted to carry it himself. During our car ride home, I thought he will be tired and will nap during the journey. To my surprise, he wad all chirpy and smiley and chattering non-stop all the way home. I asked him why he was so happy that day and guess what was his reply? 'I'm happy because I like my music class.' I was very glad to see him so happy. It's the first time I felt that he truly enjoys a lesson. When he reached home, he showed S proudly his instruments and was totally occupied with them for at least half an hour or so.

The next few days, we chatted happily about his music class and he was very keen to do his 'homework' and he did more than what was given. I asked him about it and he asked me, 'How? Will Miss Tang scold?'... If you know Jaydon, he doesn't like to do colouring or 'homework' and he doesn't care whether Mummy will get angry or what... To think he was mindful of his music teacher, I think it says alot about his liking for the lesson.

The following Saturday, we went for the music lesson with Joshua. Upon reaching the school, he was eager to go in (we were early) and he wad telling Joshua about his school. He likes to peep through the small windows of the studios to see children having piano or violin lessons. During the lesson, he participated in all activities right from the start without much prompting. There was an activity where the parent will hold the child's hand to 'walk, run or skip' around. Guess what Jaydon told me when I stretched out my hand wanting to hold his? 'Mummy, I no need!'... I have underestimated his adaptability... He seemed to have grown up suddenly these few weeks... Too fast and sudden for my comfort...

I hope his interest in music will work out to something later on... :)

Joash: 3 Months Old

2011-11-01T09:41:00.001-07:00

Time flies and Joash turns 3 months old 3 days ago.

Happy 3 Month Old Joash!

Photo taken at exactly 3 months old

Some milestone checks:
- Neck muscles are stronger and can hold his head upright
- Wearing 'M' size Pampers (at 2.75 months old)
- Drooling alot (@ 2.5 months) though no significant whitish spots in sight yet
- Let out chuckles other than smiles

- Focus on objects and follow the movement of the objects

- Tried out swimming and he enjoys it

- Seems to be able to recognize people from looks or voices
- Attempts to turn sideway when lying on his back. Sometimes, he will try to lift up his butt using his legs to support especially so when placed in his rocker

- Attempts to lift up his body and head when we pull his hands to a sitting position. However, his neck muscles are still not strong enough to hold his head in line with the rest of his body
- Move his hands and legs in excitement when we read books to him. Will look at the pictures seriously.
- Attempts to 'hold a conversation with us
- Sucks his thumb and pointer as if they are delicious lollipops

Some interesting shots:

His sulking look...

Sitting upright with Joshua gorgor

Like the way he holds on to my shirt while nursing.

He loves this musical mobile especially with the blinking lights

Still can't really lift up his head yet

First time taking the Sentosa monorail

"Oops, look how much I've grown. This hat is too small for me!"

Joash: Baby Spa

2011-10-27T19:06:00.001-07:00

On Deepavali, we decided to bring Joash to try out baby spa aka baby swimming. Joshua and Jaydon never tried it out before cos we were rather skeptical about having a baby float 'suffocating' the poor baby's neck. However, after seeing Kayden enjoying his swim, we thought why not give it a try.

We went to the outlet at Vivo City and fortunately, we were the only family there thus not crowded and good attention from the assistants. At first, we were concerned how Joash will react to it. Surprisingly, from the moment he was undressed, to being massaged, to putting on the neck float and finally into the water, there was not a single expression of fear, awkwardness or anything of that sort. He's like a true born water baby. At first, he was rather still in the water. A while later, he started to get more and more active when the assistant cheered him on by 'beating' the water to create the movement. Soon, he was kicking round and round the tub, sometimes, even in froggie position. There was a point in time when the assistant removed his swim diaper and let him swim totally free in the tub... He enjoyed it alot... Seeing that he has been kicking vigorously for quite a while, the assistant had to stop him to give him some rest and at the same time massaged his legs. When it was time to bring him out, he started to cry in retaliation. All in all, I think he swam for close to twenty minutes. And this swim was not cheap. $35! Think I can set up my inflatable tub for him to swim at home and i foresee that the water bill will definitely start to head north :)

After the swim, he had his milk and fell asleep soon after... He must be tired from all the exercising...

Smiley Joash

2011-10-21T15:27:00.001-07:00

It's so enjoyable 'chit-chatting' with Joash nowadays as he is more responsive... Seeing him smile really makes my day...

Enjoying Books

2011-10-21T15:18:00.001-07:00

Recently, while reading books to Joash, I noticed that he starts to respond more actively during the sessions and more focused on the books. Sometimes, he will smile and coo while most of the times, he will move his hands and legs excitedly.

Some snapshots of our reading today:

Joshua's First Swimming Certificate

2011-10-19T14:02:00.001-07:00

Today, Joshua proudly received his very first swimming certificate for a 400m distance test which he took a few weeks ago. To qualify for this test, he had to swim 8 laps of breaststroke in the lap pool within an hour. And my, he clocked 40.27 minutes. To say that we are very proud of him is an understatement for this is definitely not an easy feat, knowing him well. I definitely can't swim that far.

During the test, he cried and wanted to give up halfway after 4 laps. However, Coach Sam encouraged him to continue so that he will not waste the efforts that he had already put in for the 4 laps. And I'm glad that he persevered to the end. Swimming is not just about learning the skills but more importantly, the discipline and persevering attitude that you need to have. Many times, Joshua teared during the lessons or he would tell me he doesn't want to go for swimming lesson. He has come a long way to enjoying his lessons now. Well done Joshua!!

Cute Conversations with Jaydon

2011-10-15T12:50:00.001-07:00

While chatting with Jaydon at bedtime...
J: I love you...
M: (heart melts) How much...?
J: 8 dollars... 5 dollars...
M: (jaw drops, expecting answers like 'alot alot'...)

J: Mummy, can you wear pampers for me?
M: No... (cos he was misbehaving awhile ago so Mummy refuses to wear for him)
J: Daddy, can you wear pampers for me?
D: (in a teasing tone) No
J: Ok, then tonight I peepee on Mummy's bed lor (in a singsong manner)
M & D: (stumped while trying to control our laughter)

M: Jaydon, can you give this small bolster to Joash?
J: (immediately and curtly) No.
M: But you have this new bigger bolster cos you are a big boy now.
J: (Hugging both bolsters tightly together) No.
M: Ok, I will buy Joash a new bolster then
J: (Immediately passed me the small bolster) This one give Joash...
M: (Amused at his practicality)...

A Typical Tuesday

2011-10-11T14:08:00.001-07:00

On Tuesdays when Joshua has no enrichment lessons, I always hope that the weather will be fine enough for us to get out of the house for a breather... I dread being stuck at home handling all the 3 boys myself (while Grace cooks dinner) and inevitably, arguments will arise easily... So, we usually have outdoor play on Tuesdays and it's great for the boys too to expend their energy...

JJ with their scooters and off to the playground

Mummy with her favorite sling

Joash is snuggled up , sound asleep

The boys watching intensely at people playing basketball and we'll have a chat sitting down on the bench

These are the moments of peace and sanity, and most important of all, simple moments that I treasure with my kids... :)

One of the Boys

2011-10-11T13:52:00.001-07:00

Didn't expect that this T-shirt will be in use again since Jaydon last worn it...

Nowadays, whenever I'm out with the 3 boys, some people (usually in the lift or playground) will throw us a second look followed by the questions/statements:

P: Baby girl or baby boy?
Me: Boy
P: Wow, all three boys ah! Very good hor... (and flash me a megawatt smile or a '佩服' look)

I wonder what's the underlying meaning beneath these statements and look??

What if... Just what if I have three girls, how will the conversation be like then?

Around the Bed

2011-10-07T07:20:00.001-07:00

This is how Joash has been sleeping like these few days... Very mobile - 向左转，向右转。

Self Portraits

2011-09-28T01:14:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday evening, we were walking along Orchard Road when we chanced upon a lady sketching a portrait of a little girl. It was quite well done and it bore a strong resemblance of the girl.

We asked JJ whether they would like to try too. Joshua agreed immediately while Jaydon was abit hesitant. So Joshua went ahead to sit down on the small chair, keeping still for 5 minutes in front of the many pairs of eyes while the lady sketched. If you look closely, Joshua closed his mouth rather tightly. I guess he didn't want to have a toothless portrait. :) As we looked at the finished work, I was kinda of disappointed that it didn't look very much like Joshua as I had expected it to be. Nevertheless, it was a good experience for him. I would not have done that with the many passers-by surrounding us.

Jaydon nearly chickened out at the last minute when it was his turn. Luckily, I managed to convince him by keeping him company by his side. He looked very cute sitting on the small chair with his legs hanging. He could not keep still for long and we had to keep reminding him not to move too much. Soon, the portrait was done after what seemed like an eternity to him. He ran forward to pay the lady and collected his portrait excitedly. His eyes looked more 'alive' as compared to Joshua's portrait. It was a fun experience for them.

Joash's Day 56 (First Visit to Dr Tan)

2011-09-24T09:34:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday, Joash had his first visit and injection with Dr Vanessa Tan, a nice lady pd whom we have been seeing for the past 6 years...

He is all well except for eczema as a result of his sensitive skin... Thus have to change his shampoo to those for sensitive skin... Josh used to have too... After a quick check up, he was given his first DPT injection on his right thigh with a little cry. Shortly, he was given the oral vaccine of Rotavirus. While 'drinking' the Rotavirus, Dr Tan commented that he seemed to be grumbling after each feed... Come to think of it, he seems to do so too at home when feeding etc... He doesn't cry out loud, just grumbling and whining at times... At times, he sounds like a cat purring... especially when he's trying to get our attention...

Some mini milestones to date at 8 weeks old:
Weight: 5.705kg
Length: 58.5cm
Head Circumference: 37cm

- He latches on pretty well and he drinks from the bottle well too... Now, 100ml each feed and at least 5 feeds per day and maybe 2-3 sessions of latching

- He sleeps most of the time and in some days, I didn't see him opening his eyes till evening time... Once, i woke him up to bathe... Guess what... He slept throughout the bathing session :) Amazing right...! Sometimes, I think he woke up feeling hungry. But if we are to carry him for awhile, he falls back to sleep again...

- He can sleep on his own at night at about 9pm (only when he is full, otherwise he will fuss about)... S will put him on the bed after his feed while still awake. Then, he will turn on some soothing music, kiss him goodnight, turn off the lights and leave the room. We will check on him a while later and usually he will be asleep... S will usually feed him again before S turns him for the night, about 11.30pm and Joash can sleep through till about 6am for the next feed. Yippee... Sleeping on their own and sleeping through the night are milestones that JJ could not achieve. We didn't really train them in these two aspects resulting in us still being 'tied down' by them at bedtime. I have to sleep with them, patting Jaydon and Jaydon will still wake up at about 3-4am for another feed... I feel so liberalized by Joash's 'independency'... I think his independency is also a result of us not being able to be at his beck and call as we still have to attend to JJ... :)

- He sucks his thumb. We did not witness it though... And surprisingly, it only happens once when my mum was carrying him and we were not at home...

- He smiles quite spontaneously nowadays... Especially when I sing those action songs with him... That day, he smiles quite a fair bit when I was reading 'Brown Bear' book to him... Think he's quite familiar with the story liao...

- During tummy time, he can lift up his head slightly and turn directions... When we carry him upright (his favorite position), his neck muscles is pretty strong as he holds his head up high...

- He seems to enjoy bathing time more nowadays... He doesn't look that tense and he doesn't frown as much as he used to when we bathed him...

That's all for now at 8 weeks...

Joash's Day 37

2011-09-03T09:41:00.001-07:00

Time flies and in a twinkling of an eye, Joash is already 5 weeks 2 days old. It seems like just yesterday that I've delivered him...

The confinement lady ended her stint with us on Tuesday and we're officially on our own now doing the graveyard shift... One important thing that we've learnt from her is to pre-empt the baby's feed by the cues that the baby gives. If he's moving and seems unsettled after awhile, it could be time to feed and we will quickly prepare the milk before he starts wailing. However, if it's still too early to feed, then it could be that the baby is uncomfortable and so we will carry him upright to burp him or settle him before we put him down to bed again... Since the cf lady came, we seldom hear Joash's cries especially in the middle of the night, which is in contrast to the first few nights when we handled Joash alone when the cf lady hadn't arrive.

Since the cf lady left, we tried the following night routine: S will sleep with Joash cos I'm a light sleeper and will be awakened up easily by the slightest movement or sound that Joash makes thus not being able to get a good rest. On the other hand, S will only awake if Joash really fusses loudly... S will feed Joash before he sleeps while I will latch him in the middle of the night... However, after trying for just two nights, we adjusted the routine as follows: S will feed Joash before he sleeps as well as in the middle of the night (usually once only) while I will wake up once to express... He will take just about half an hour to feed and Joash will go back to sleep till the next morning... On the other hand, I could latch him for half an hour, he sleeps for another half an hour, I will latch him again.. and I still need to express cos Joash didn't really empty and I feel full... all in all, it can drag up to two hours... Not only that, I need to settle Jaydon in the middle of the night too... After just two days, I'm zonked out already and thus we stick back to the routine when the cf lady was here... I just wake up once in the middle of the night to express... Half an hour and I'm done...

Ok... Back to Joash's development at 37 days old...

- He seems to have put on weight... He's more 'bah bah' now...
- I've cut his fingernails and he's off from mittens... However, his nails are still quite sharp at certain angles...
- He doesn't really like to be swaddled nowadays though S still manage to do so at night.., At times, Joash will make the grunting noise as he tries to struggle free... Once his hands are out, he's happy and will be sleeping again... Here's a shot of his latest sleeping position... The 'I'm free!' position...

- I've been bathing him on my own in the late afternoon since the cf lady left... This is my very first time bathing newborns... I only started to bathe JJ when they are much older and able to sit on their own... I'm proud to say 'no sweat man' though physically I'm perspiring alot due to the warm enclosed area... He didn't cry as much as when the cf lady bathe him :) it's as though he recognizes me and thus 'give me some face'...
- He's being bottle-fed 3-4 times a day (about 300-400ml) and he's latched on for the rest of the feeds... My express schedule is hay wire now... Instead of my strictly 6 hourly schedule, I only express when I feel full now.. So about 2-3 times a day...
- He sleeps most of the time now. He wakes up only to drink and fall asleep again unless he's not full...
- Since he had his first month celebration, we've brought him out to Vivo City, airport, Nex, Ikea and Marina Bay... He latches on when he's outside which is very convenient as I need not bring much barang like milk, cooler bag, hot water etc... He feeds on demand and sometimes, I wonder how much he drinks and whether he's full... Anyway, if he doesn't cry or fuss, I just assume he's full (3rd child syndrome where the mummy is more heck care liao)

At Vivo City

At Changi Airport

At Marina Bay Promontory - Kite Festival

Here are some shots we took this Saturday morning:

Joash's Day 26

2011-08-23T18:34:00.001-07:00

Time flies and in 4 days time, we will be celebrating Joash's first month.

Today, I realized suddenly that Joash has grown quite abit. The napkin for swaddling him seems abit small now... The shirt that he's wearing looks tighter now... His double chin is pretty obvious too...

He drinks alot nowadays too... We will usually start with 90ml and top up by 30ml each time... He drinks about 600-700ml excluding the latching sessions which can last an hour each time... His drinking interval can stretch from 3 to 4 hours at night... He is also more awake, usually from late afternoon 5pm till about 8pm... So during this period of time, he will bathe, drink, 'play', laze around, listen to stories or songs etc...

This afternoon, we left him on the rocker by himself. After a while, he tried to get our attention by cooing a few times... However, we ignored going to him immediately. We only acknowledged by telling him that we were coming. In the end, he let out a loud shout, as if he was trying to voice out his displeasure with us. In the end, we realized that he had pooed and he must have felt totally uncomfortable which explained for his behaviour.

He is getting more responsive each day and I love how he listened attentively to Joshua who was reading to him that day. Josh and Jay dote on Joash alot and they are very affectionate towards him, though I'm more wary about their 'roughness' when around Joash...

It's Bathing Time

2011-08-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

Nowadays, Jaydon 'rekindled' his interest to bathe in bathtub again after seeing Joash using it... He has always like it... It's just that we want him to 'quit' using it to cut down his bathing time...

This is a shot taken yesterday during his evening bath... He likes to soak and relax in the bathtub... With his head resting and his whole body submerging in the water... It seems that our little boy is having a headstart in 'enjoying' life... :)

Where's the Tooth Fairy?

2011-08-13T21:00:00.001-07:00

Is there such a thing as 'tooth fairy' in the world? We've read about it in stories where the tooth fairy will give the child who has dropped a tooth a coin in exchange for his tooth... Well... We introduced tooth fairy to Joshua when he first dropped his tooth in July 2010. He was extremely upset then as his friend had knocked on his teeth causing one of the front upper tooth to fall off. We told him about fairy tooth and how she will give him a toy in exchange for his tooth. True enough, he was elated the next morning to find the tooth which was placed under his pillow gone. In its place was a toy left there... Since there, there's always a sweet-bitter relationship when dropping his tooth. He will whine and groan about dropping his tooth and elated when he gets his toy from the 'tooth fairy' which is actually Mummy and Daddy. He believes firmly in his tooth fairy and goes around telling people about her.

On Wednesday, Joshua was about to drop his fifth tooth, bottom left tooth. It was late at night already and he was crying badly because the tooth was shaky and bloody. He refused to lie down on his pillow fearing that he may just swallow the tooth. He refused to drink his water too... In the end, after a long hoo-ha, he finally lay on his bed and suddenly, he exclaimed that he had plucked out that tooth, just like that, with no tears or whining... Finally, we could get some sleep.

The next morning, Joshua was quite disappointed to see no present although the tooth was gone. (Mummy and Daddy were quite unprepared for it so no time to get present). We told him to wait patiently cos the tooth fairy needed some time to get the present. Come Friday morning, he was not only disappointed but abit upset too that tooth fairy is taking such a long time. (Daddy still can't find anything suitable) That evening, Joshua told me that he wanted to sleep earlier (something which he always refused to do) so that tooth fairy will have more time to come to him. I was amused when I heard that. In the middle of that night, I woke up to go toilet. Joshua woke up suddenly and rummaged through his bed to try to find the present. By this time, he was running out of patience with the tooth fairy and was on the brink of tears complaining,'Why still no present from the tooth fairy?' S saw it and quickly asked him to look at the edge instead. The next moment, Joshua took out something and when he realized that it was an angry bird pencil case, he was all smiles and grinning from ear to ear. What an extreme change of reaction. We quickly asked him to go to sleep as it was only 4am then... For the next few days, he always walks around with the pencil case...

When shall we unravel the mystery of tooth fairy?

Joash's Day 16

2011-08-13T05:21:00.001-07:00

I read so much about reading to babies... I used to think why read when they don't understand yet... It's only when I came across an article recently about the importance of reading to babies... It's not reading so that they learn something but it's reading to bond, reading so that babies will recognize the voice... So, I packed some books by his bedside and picked one to read to him whenever he's awake... Luckily, he's still quite attentive, looking 'intensely' at the book and listening... Today, he was lying on the rocker awake. He was about to cry when I started reading 'Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?'. He calmed down, listened, looked and a while later, he fell back asleep again... Hope it's not that my reading is boring but maybe my reading is so soothing that he felt comfortable :)

Looking and listening intensely...

Drifting off to dreamland...

Fell asleep soon after...

Some shots of him earlier in the day...

Joash's Day 15

2011-08-13T05:08:00.001-07:00

Oopps... Another pimple popping out on his face... He has been having quite alot of milk rash or heat rash lately on his neck... Bought the California Baby Calendula Cream to apply... Hope it works although I know that it will go off naturally with time...

Joash's Day 14

2011-08-12T03:13:00.001-07:00

Time really flies by. Today, Joash turned two weeks old.

Some shots of the day:

First smile to be captured on camera

Why are you frowning...?

Classic surrender shot

Look at how he moved his body...

Ergo Carrier

2011-08-11T03:45:00.001-07:00

Recently, I bought the Ergo Carrier Performance Spring Green for Joash to replace the sarong sling that I've been using for JJ which is giving me back pain. However, we didn't buy the infant insert so Joash can only use it when he's five months old or when his neck is more steady.

As the carrier can hold up to 20kg, we decided to let Jaydon try it out first. So on Tuesday evening, S piggy-backed Jaydon in this carrier and walked with him and Josh to the fruits stall to get some fruits. Jay sat in it all the way to and fro. Although it is much better than using the sling or carrying Jay with bare arms, it can be quite strenuous to carry a 13kg for a long distance...

Joash's Day 11

2011-08-07T00:25:00.001-07:00

Today, Joash is 11 days old. Just a quick update of his 'happenings':

- His umbilical cord stump dropped on Thursday, after he turned a week old.

- His drinking capacity is quite erractic though at quite a regular interval of 2.5 hours to 3 hours. He can drink 60ml at one feed and the next feed 90ml or even as high as 130ml for one of the night feed. Usually, we will start off with 60ml and top up if we see that he is still hungering for more. On the whole, he's drinking a total amount of at least 500ml as the amount recorded excludes the amount that he latched on, which could be 4-5 times of at least 20 minutes.

- Initially, I was kinda of worried that he may suffer from flat head as he sleeps in a cot. Luckily, his neck muscles are pretty strong, and he turns his head left, centre, right to sleep, randomly. Sometimes, when we placed him on his tummy to sunbathe his back, we noticed that he could lift his head to turn to the other side, of course with much struggling... I think he's quite a strong baby.

- He likes to bathe now. He doesn't wail as he used to when placed him in the water. More so when he's being carried out of the water.

See how our little strong boy can move his body till this slanted...

Brotherhood

2011-08-06T22:23:00.001-07:00

There's no change to our blog title, still Princes' Diary even with the newest addition to the family.

It's been 11 days since the birth of Joash. How has he changed our lives?

Well, one thing definitely is that we are short of time to spend with each individual child and of course, 'me-time' is very limited and precious... Sometimes, I feel guilty not spending enough time with JJ especially when Jaydon asked, 'Mummy, can you play with me?' when I feeding Joash and 'Mummy, can you read book book to me?' when I'm reading to Joshua. Overall, I must say that the boys are very magnanimous. They are very lovey dovey towards their little brother, always wanting to hug and kiss him... Not much jealousy... Especially Jaydon... The moment he comes home from school, he will run to the rocker where Joash is and look at him lovingly. He will also automatically sanitize his hands before touching Joash...

The only time that Jaydon is cranky when it's milk time and in the middle of the night when he can't find me sleeping beside him cos I'm in Joash's room... This is what happens when both demands for my attention... I remembered it was the same case with Joshua when Jaydon first came.., I have to be super mummy to juggle both...

One is latching and one demands for me to hold his milk bottle...

Well... How should I spend time with each individual? My plan is to.... cut myself into three parts... haha... Just kidding... My plan is to spend time with Joash in the morning when JJ are both in school. In the afternoon, when Jaydon and hopefully, Joash are sleeping, I will spend time with Joshua cos he doesn't like to nap much... Comes night time or when Joshua is attending enrichment class, I will spend time with Jaydon then... Plan is plan, hopefully, it can be executed perfectly...

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my confinement now with a good cf lady to take good care of Joash and me... At least, I'm able to catch up with my beauty sleep both day and night... :)

Joash's Day 8

2011-08-06T18:38:00.001-07:00

Today, we went back to Mount Alvernia for another round of jaundice check. As before, S brought Joash to the lab to get pricked and from outside, I could hear his loud wailing. Then, we proceeded to the cafe for our lunch as we awaited anxiously for the call from Dr Ong's clinic. Almost 45 minutes later, I received the call and was glad that Joash's jaundice level has dropped though not much to 13.6 from 14.2. He has passed the period where jaundice will peak between day 5 to day 7. He just needed to sunbathe for the next few days and he should be alright. Thank God!

Studio Shot

2011-08-05T20:26:00.001-07:00

People says that Jaydon looks very handsome when he smiles and I think so too especially with his dimple. His smile never fails to brighten up my day... However, it's very difficult to get him to pose for the camera and even more difficult to capture that sweet smile.. Thus I was very surprised and pleased with his individual photo shot taken in school... The last time he took studio shots was when he turned one year old... Even then, not many shots with this kind of bright smile...

As I looked at his class photo, I'm glad that he has settled in well compared to the first month... However, theta are still times when he whined, telling us that he doesn't like school, especially his Chinese teacher, 陈老师. Well, I know it's not because the teacher is not good, but more so that he doesn't understand the language and thus he doesn't like it when the teacher keeps asking him questions in Mandarin. I'm glad that he has good teachers, like Mrs Eppie who is so kind, smiley and patient with the kids.

Graduation Photo

2011-08-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, Joshua came home excitedly to show me his long awaited graduation photo.

When I first looked at the photo, I can't believe its my baby Joshua, wearing the graduation gown and mortar board, smiling proudly. On a closer look, I realized that the photo has been given a touch up, Joshua has been given two tooth implants to fill up the gap of his two upper front missing teeth which has been there since July 2010. He looked very smart in the photo and I think he likes the photo very much too cos he kept taking it out to look at it...

Time seems to fly by and in less than 5 months time, he will be entering Primary 1, another milestone in his life, and ours too... I wonder what challenges will we face then...

Joash's Day 5

2011-08-02T03:57:00.001-07:00

Today, Joash went for his newborn follow-up appointment with Dr Ong at Mount Alvernia Hospital.

He was discharged from hospital with a jaundice level of 8+ but today, his jaundice level went up to 14.2 and the cut off point for admission is 15. So he is at the borderline and needed to sunbathe for the next few days before going for the next jaundice test on Thursday (urrgh... another round of pricking)... S brought Joash for the lab test and luckily, I was not there cos he cried very loud and for a long time as they took his blood for the jaundice test and metabolic screening test. The last time I took Jaydon for such a test, it really pained my heart to see him cry and so much blood being taken from him.

Other than jaundice, everything else is normal. He gained a little bit of weight from 3.01kg upon discharge to 3.16kg today. Thank God cos he seems to be sleeping alot and doesn't seem to be drinking much. He's on total breastfeeding since birth...

So here are more photos of him sunbathing in the morning and late afternoon...

Sunbathing in the morning...

Getting ready to go out, little cookie monster...

Took a picture with Dr Sim...

Sunbathing again at 5pm

Reminds me of the Anne Geddes series of baby photography

Luckily, he was sleeping all the way...

Joash's Day 3

2011-08-01T02:14:00.001-07:00

Joash being sunbathed early in the morning but not for long as the sky turned cloudy

As usual, JJ woke up early eager to be S's assistants again

S getting Joash ready for his bath... He seemed very experienced liao though he did mentioned that he wanted to go for a refresher course

S wiping Joash's hair...

... before putting him into the bathtub which was met with much resistance and wailing

Look at the boys again... They seemed to be sitting down very obediently but in reality, it was otherwise especially Jay who was playing with the water

Sunbathing again after his bath

Joash looks pretty hairy all over his body especially so under the sunlight

Finally, he can get to rest peacefully

Caught a picture of him opening his eyes... He looked exactly like Jaydon

Sleeping soundly beside Mummy

Occupying the boys were not easy as they kept wanting our attention

Joke of the day: Jay caught me by surprise when he did this action even before I use the pump for the very first time. He called it the 'moo moo cow' :)

Joash's Day 2

2011-07-31T08:14:00.001-07:00

Finally, we got the clearance to be discharged by Dr Sim at 11+am...

Although Joash was also cleared for discharge, he has jaundice (8+ points) and need to sunbathe him for the next few days before we see Dr Ong again next Tuesday... Before Joash was discharged, he was also given the Hepatitis B injection after the BCG injection given the day before...

Finally, S has someone having the same blood type as him: Joash is O+ unlike JJ whom take after the Mummy B+... That's why S always says that JJ are as stubborn and strong headed like me... I wonder which trait will Joash take after S?

At home, Jay started to get cranky in the evening when he saw me latching Joash. Not sure was it because he's tired due to a short nap or he's getting jealous... He insisted that I fed him milk instead...

A visit from Leaenn before being discharged

A shot of our deluxe room

JJ like to play on my bed cos of the remote control capability

The boys were eager to help S in changing Joash

All snuggled up, like a cocoon

Joash's Day 1

2011-07-29T05:46:00.001-07:00

Look at his chubby face... There's some pinkish birthmark above his eyes which will take 1-2 years to diminish

Mummy carrying him for the first time and trying to latch him on

Daddy's first attempt to carry him in order to pacify him

Presents from Joash to Joshua and Jaydon

Baby Joash Birth Story Part 2

2011-07-28T11:46:00.001-07:00

Finally, daybreak came. After sending JJ to school and S to the MRT station, I made my way to TMC to see Dr Sim as I had another show at 2am. She told me that the show was normal and it could last a few days, she checked my cervix and it was 2.5cm dilated. So she suggested that I get admitted and to deliver that day. Funny, this scenario went through my mind before but when she said that, I was still rather unprepared and became anxious. I quickly called S who luckily had already informed his boss. Then i called my mum and sms Grace to make the necessary arrangements for JJ. I was abit disappointed that I could not have a 1-to-1 bonding time with Josh whom I promised to bring to eat Subway for lunch on Thursday and Jay whom I promised to bring to eat Mac for breakfast on Friday.

I went to the labour ward at about 10:30am and got myself changed with the other necessary procedures. S came about this time too. Then I went to the Birth Room and had my epidural done at about 11.15am by a young female anesthetist whom I mistakenly thought was a salesgirl trying to promote some baby stuff. She's Dr Yvonne Lim and she bears some resemblance to the Channel 8 tv actress with the same name. After the epidural effects set in, Dr Sim came and raptured the water bag at 11:50am.

From then till about 1:30pm, the contractions were weak like 1-in-12 minutes. So at 1:30pm, the nurse put me on 'ginseng' drip as she called it to expedite the contractions. True enough, the contractions picked up till about 1-in-3 minutes at about 4pm although I could not feel it.

Then the baby's heartbeat dropped and the machine sounded an alert. The nurse quickly put me on oxygen mask before she checked my cervix which was fully dilated by then.

The baby was ready to pop and Dr Sim was quickly informed. The two midwives prepared the stuff and surprisingly during our chat, we found out that this pair of midwives were the exact pair whom helped to deliver Joshua six years ago. Soon, Dr Sim came and with about less than 8 pushes, the baby was out pretty fast at 4:31pm. He cried very loudly like Javier and cried non-stop.

He weighed 3.215kg, length 50cm and head circumference 34cm. Josh weighed the lightest at 3.13kg but was the longest at 51cm. Jay weighed the heaviest at 3.46kg but was the shortest. This baby is in between with the head circumference the same as Jay. And he does like abit like Jay too with a chubby face. However, he has a big mole on his left side of the face near to his ear. He was subsequently examined by Dr Ong EK who came down from Mount Alvernia. He is the same pd who we engaged for Jay previously. The baby was cleared by him although a blood test was done to make sure he's clear from GBS too.

After the baby was out was a long process of stitching me up in the birth room then in the OT then observation in the labour ward again. By the time I'm given the clearance to be wheeled back to my ward (which has been upgraded for free from single bedded to the deluxe room like when I had Jay previously), it was already like 7:30pm.

When I arrive at the ward, I was choked with emotions when I saw JJ... I guess I miss them alot and worry about them although I know that they are in very good hands with my mum and sis taking care of them... I guess I've never been separated from them for so long and JJ have NEVER EVER been away from us at bedtime before... Even while I was staying in hospital after delivering Jay, Josh stayed overnight with us in the ward too... Josh was very chatty, understanding and gentle when he saw me while Jay seemed abit lost and quiet though... He was not his bubbly and active usual self like when he visited Javier previously... He must be wondering who is this little person who caused his mummy to lie on the hospital bed.., I hope he will not experience the middle child syndrome...

Ok... Baby is no longer known as Baby No. 3. He is Joash Poh Yi Ern (En? Haven't conclude on this yet), a name that we finally felt strongly for while waiting for labour.

Joash means given by God and truly, this is a child given unexpectedly to us by God. And God not only gave us this child, He has also given us many things along the way as we waited for His provision. And that is why we named baby Ern 恩cos we are so grateful (感恩) for His timely provision.

During this pregnancy and labour, there were many hurdles that I've never experienced before while expecting my first two...
~ More severe morning sickness although still uncomparable to some mummies,
~ Unfavorable Oscar results thus having to go through amniocentesis which thanked God, gave us positive results... However, the month of stress that we had to go through while waiting to go for the test and waiting for the results...
~ GBS positive thus having to taking antibiotics before and during labour
~ Borderline fluid level 37 weeks which caused me to worry
~ One round of umbilical cord around baby's neck. Although common as told by gynae but it still cause worry to this paranoid mummy
~ Show resulting in me going to the hospital on 27 July only to be sent back cos of small dilation only. And this caused me again anxiety the whole night as written in Part 1 of Joash's birth story
~ Sudden dip in baby's heartbeat during labour thus having to put on oxygen mask
~ Profuse bleeding cos of bursting varicose veins. This resulted in more than usual loss of blood and it took a much longer time to stitch... As it was bursting and bleeding profusely while in labour ward, gynae decided to get me to the OT instead due to better equipment there... It's so scary while being pushed there as images of ER shows flashed across my mind... The bright lights, nurses hoisting me up and down onto beds, the loud voices of the nurses, the numerous medical alien terms heard, the intensive shivering-nauseaness-dizziness felt while I wondered whether I will pass out like how I did after I delivered Joshua...

There are also other non-labour related hiccups, stress and burdens that we went through during this pregnancy... Of course not forgetting God's provision too as we walked through these burdens...
~ S being laid off from job for almost close to 6 months. However, God opened just one main door for him just when we depleted his payout and he received no paycut at all. Hiyah, we still thought that we can make use of the payout to go for a holiday during the second trimester. But God has other plans instead.
~ Jay started his pre-nursery and went through almost a month of separation anxiety. However, things turned out better when S sent him to school instead
~ Renovating, shifting and adjusting to our new nest which we could never have done so smoothly if S was working
~ Looking for a good domestic helper and a good one came just 2 days after confirming her and just 2 days after S started his new job
~ Parent volunteering which we could never have clocked this numerous hours if S was working too
~ P1 registration which turned out successful cos of the close proximity of our new nest
~ Sourcing for a new confinement nanny after the one that we intended to have played us out
~ Having to look after two active boys which of course is a joy and I truly enjoyed the bonding time but not the discipline time though ( I bought Charlie just a few weeks ago but it's merely a threatening tool though I used it gently on Jay once)

I dunno why, but when I looked at the newest addition to our family, I just wondered how I could shower the same kind of love that I showered on Josh and Jay... But I know I will...

Mummy signing off at 6:25am cos she could not sleep thus the blog post...

No.3 Birth Story Part 1

2011-07-27T14:07:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, as I was bathing at about 5pm, I noticed blood flowing down and I presumed that it was a symptom of labour. I came out of the toilet, called my mum and S, and told Grace and JJ calmly that I'm going to hospital and baby may pop out soon... While Josh was pretty excited (he wants to go to the hospital with me), Jay seemed a bit lost as to what was happening... Fortunately, Josh's swim coach called at around this time to cancel his class at 6pm cos of some heldups. I brought them downstairs to play scooters while waiting for my mum. I'm glad that JJ took the news quite well and were not clingy or anything of that sorts... My mum came soon, I bade JJ goodbye before I drove down to TMC... To others, driving to the hospital may be the last thing in their minds, but to me, it was quite a therapeutic drive as I'm meaningfully occupied while I thought about what's going to happen and making plans for this and that...

Upon arrival at TMC, I met up with S who rushed down from his office. We checked in at the delivery suite - observation room. The nurse ran through some routine questions with me while I'm on CTG. Another nurse then checked me and told me that I'm only 1-1.5 cm dilated... Meanwhile, at my gynae's advice, I was monitored for 1 hour for contractions... During the whole process of waiting, I felt strongly that I'm not ready to deliver although there was a show and I might get sent back home. True enough, after monitoring for an hour, the staff nurse called my gynae again and told her their observations - weak contractions... In the end, my gynae recommended that I go home first to observe for further symptoms like more intensive contractions or bursting of water bag etc despite having the show... So we went back home at 9plus.

JJ were quite surprised to see me... Josh asked why the baby was not ready to come out while Jay kept asking me where the baby was despite me telling him repeatedly that baby is still in my stomach... He even asked whether the baby was in the car, sitting in the car seat... :) Even when we reached home, he was still asking and thought that baby might be with S who was sending my mum back home... And when S returned home slightly later, Jay asked again where's the baby and didn't quite comprehend what had happened... I was quite relived that the boys ate their dinner well especially Jay and they gave no nonsense to my mum... However, Jay was still warm (37.7 degree Celsius) and he was given medication...

So baby no.3 is not ready to see the world yet and here is Mummy blogging about it at 4:55am as she could not sleep the whole night since 2am... I'm anxious whether I will be in labour in the middle of the night thus having to leave the kids abruptly. I know that they will be more settled if I leave them during the day as compared to night time when it's sleeping time and drinking milk time (read: possible crankiness) I'm anxious whether I can 'tahan' till daybreak and send the kids to school. I'm anxious whether baby is moving actively. I'm anxiously monitoring the contractions... I'm anxious whether I will have sufficient time for the antibiotics to kick in for the GBS that I had...

How to have a good sleep with so many questions going through my mind...?? And why does the time seemed to pass by soooo... slowly...?? Daybreak, please come quickly so that I can get the kids to school and Jay for his very first excursion to the Changi Airport (haha, I still thought of going to the airport for breakfast and to peep at Jay while he's on excursion) then will I make my way to my gynae's clinic to seek peace of mind...

Will baby be coming on 28 or 29 (my dad's birthday)?

M: What's the first thing that you want Mummy to do when baby pops out?

Jay: I want mummy to 'baobao' (aka carry) me... (his reply really warms my heart as I recalled how understanding he has been during this period of time when I told him that I could not carry him...)

Marksman-to-be

2011-07-24T13:39:00.001-07:00

S recently bought a set of Nerf gun for Joshua which comes with 6 soft bullets... Joshua is in love with it and has been playing with it all day long... Meanwhile, the catch phrases at home nowadays are 'don't anyhow shoot' and 'don't anyhow point the gun at people'...

On Sunday when we went back to my mum's place, an idea hit me to put to good use Joshua's Nerf gun... Standing in front of the world map, Joshua aimed and shot at the countries that Mummy called out... I was surprised that his marksman skills are not bad... He could shoot 5 out of the 6 countries that I called out... This exercise aims to hone his marksman skills and also his geography knowledge... I wonder if he keeps on practising, will it help in his army training 12 years down the road?

Pizza Chefs in the Making

2011-07-23T08:15:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday, Joshua was supposed to whip up fish and chips in school as part of a lesson that he was going through... Unfortunately, due to time constraint, his group did not get to cook but other groups managed to whip up some pizzas... So... my little boy was very disappointed when I picked him up from school that day... Not wanting him to feel sad, this diligent mummy promised him that we will bake some pizzas this weekend...

On Saturday, after returning from Nex and after a session of mini basketball and gun shooting, the boys got down to making pizzas for dinner... They had fun cutting, spreading and sprinkling the ingredients although Jay abandoned his task halfway to play with his newly bought basketball... We tasted the pizzas and I would give a 9 out of 10 for the boys' first attempt... It's our first time baking and I'm glad our 8-year old microwave oven still works well for us... I'm so tempted to try more baking activities in time to come... We'll see... :)

All ready to cut cut cut...

Josh was pretty serious in his cutting

Jay was cutting the ham with a knife...

... before switching to using a cutter which was much easier...

It was a precious peaceful five minutes while the boys were engrosed with their cutting

Wouldn't you like to patronize Jay's pizza? His sausage is cut into chunks...

Josh trying meticulously to slice the sausages thinly

Spreading the tomato base

Jay and Mummy's pizza

Josh's pizza which resembles a mountain of ingredients

Enjoying the fruit of his labour

Eric Carle Show

2011-07-23T05:22:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, we went to watch 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Eric Carle Favourites' performance at Fusionopolis. It was a long awaited show and fortunately, baby is good and did not pop earlier than expected otherwise, I would have missed this brilliant performance put up by The Mermaid Theatre from Canada.

There were 3 short stories put up, namely, Little Clouds, The Mixed Up Chameleon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It was such a simple yet interesting performance that I was surprised that only 3 performers were involved throughout the show. At the end of the show during Q&A, some secrets to the use of props were revealed. Josh even asked one of the performers on the number of chameleons used. There were a total of 9 chameleons used for the 'The Mixed Up Chameleon' show to depict the different coloured chameleons. Jay was however a little impatient and he was unable to sit through the 1-hr show. In the end, S brought him to the sidewalk to appease him. Overall, I would give a big thumb up for the show...

The boys were all enthusiastic about the show...

The very futuristic look of the escalator

The long escalator ride which leads up to the Genexis Theatre... Look at Josh's fearful
look

The Genexis Theatre waiting lounge

The view from up there

View from the Ladies

The set up

See how the 'white' are illuminated with the use of glow light

Waiting and waiting... Though not very patiently

Jay was playing around with his hungry caterpillar

长短脚

2011-07-23T01:28:00.001-07:00

Our poor boy Joshua dislocated his ankle joint on Thursday during his school outdoor play. He was playing with the skipping rope when he landed his right foot awkardly. Since that day, he has been walking with a limp and we thought that he was just exaggerating his injury as he could still walk and sometimes even run, though not comfortably.

On Saturday, we decided to bring him to see the Chinese physician and luckily we did so. I thought that the sinseh was just going to massage the joint like how she did to mine sometime back. When we were in the treatment room, she placed both of Joshua's feet together and was about to show us that Josh has 长短脚 when she noticed that I was expecting and asked me to leave the room as the medicine smell was quite strong. In a way, I was glad to do so cos I can't bear to see how she would treat Joshua's foot. I knew she would 'crack crack' the joint and I can't imagine how Joshua would react.

A few minutes later, Joshua came out of the treatment room, teary-eyed and being carried by S. S recounted that the sinseh asked him to hold down Joshua's chest tightly while she 'crack crack'. Joshua was quite brave and did not shout, scream or struggle. He merely cried while telling S that it was painful. This reminded me of the time when he was hospitalized and how he struggled and screamed while being wrapped by a blanket as the doctor tried to insert a needle into his hand.

Look at him, like a big baby on the pram...

Finally... The Dust has Settled

2011-07-22T05:36:00.001-07:00

From the time that we've decided which primary school that we wanted Joshua to be enrolled in, to applying to become a parent volunteer (Oct 2009), to hunting high and low for a suitable nest just to be near the school (Nov 2010) to moving in and settling down (Mar 2011) to clocking the many crazy hours unheard of in other schools... It's like running a marathon, not knowing whether we will be granted a place...

Finally, we registered Joshua on the 18 July 2011 and we waited with butterflies in our stomachs as we monitored the statistics on the school website... And... this is what we've been waiting for...

The letter that we've been waiting for...

It's finally a load off my mind and I know that our efforts have paid off, not just for Joshua, but also Jaydon and the baby... We will be with this school for at least a decade with our 3 kids... As for now, I can go to the labour ward in peace... :)

My heart goes out to my PV peers, some of whom have to go through the nerve wrecking process of balloting... and got balloted out, and some who did not even have a chance to go through balloting... They have an even longer marathon to run as they file for appeal and wait for appeal results in October...

It's really not easy being a parent in Singapore...

On a side note, Joshua asked me recently whether I will still volunteer in this school now that he has gotten a place there... Well, he would love me to do so and I believe both S and myself would love to do so too, just that now, it's minus the pressure...

Rugby Brothers

2011-07-19T19:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was another bright sunny day where the boys had lots of fun with balls...

This time round, they decided to play rugby instead where they threw the ball to each other and then snatched it away from each other again... It's simply amazing to see how much fun they derived from this simple activity... They laughed, they shouted, they fell to the ground... much to Mummy's dismay as she fretted over the loud noise (which could be heard 10 storeys above) and the dirty ground that they were rolling on... Anyway, what the heck when you see so much joy and laughter in them in what would otherwise be a boring afternoon...

Basketballer Jaydon

2011-07-17T05:10:00.001-07:00

Jaydon loves balls... Especially basketball and soccer... Look at his dirty face after a game of balls with S and Joshua...

Marina at Keppel Bay

2011-07-11T18:08:00.001-07:00

After reading a mummy's blog about Marina at Keppel Bay, we decided to visit the place last Saturday. True enough, we were not disappointed by what we'd seen.

There's a tiny island, Keppel Island which is tucked in between Sentosa and the main island of Singapore. We got lost trying to the find the lane to turn into. Nevertheless, we were elated when we finally found our way and we were soon driving on the bridge which connects the island to the main island. Once here, it seems that we've been transported out of Singapore to another country's seaside. It reminds us of St Stephen's Harbour in Sydney or Mandurah in Perth with the numerous yachts at the background.

As we were still early for our dinner, we decided to explore the place abit.

The bubbly water feature outside Prive restaurant

The park facing Sentosa

Father and sons admiring the National Day aircraft zooming by and boats passing by

Jaydon was fascinated by the Police Coast Guard boat

Father and sons examining a dead millipede (that's what Daddy is for. Mummy will definitely be disgusted by it)

A lazy Jaydon demanding to be carried around

On the other hand, Joshua was full of energy, running here and there

I like this series of photos of the 2 boys on the grass patch... They were on a flower hunt...

The place looks beautiful against the setting sun

Reflections at Keppel Bay (Top) and Carribean at Keppel Bay (Bottom)

We were fortunate to catch the convoy of National Day aircraft zooming by towards the Marina Bay platform for one of the NDP rehearsals

Making our way towards TCC, our dinner place for tonight

Dinner at TCC, which is currently having 1-for-1 promotion for main course and pasta

Bidding farewell to the beautiful night scene... We'll be back... ;o)

Hello Didi...

2011-07-10T02:28:00.001-07:00

Beach Fun with the Aws and Tans

2011-05-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

It was a hot sultry Saturday morning. It's not the usual Saturday as this was the big day that all Singaporeans were waiting for to have their voice heard - the General Election day. Knowing well that there would surely be a crowd of eager Singaporeans all ready to cast their sacred votes first thing in the morning, we headed for the East Coast beach with the Aw and Tan family.

Surprisingly, the beach was not crowded as expected. Guess the crowd was in the polling centres instead. We found a shady place and the 5 kids started digging, pouring, scooping, sifting the sand happily. What warmed my heart the most was to see how our 3 daddies engaged with the kids while the mummies sat back and relaxed. It's quite a different chemistry too when kids play with other kids instead of their own siblings. :)

Jay looking at Josh and Maegan as they made their way to the sea to 'return' the fish to its home... Look at how they 'co-operate' to carry the pail though I doubt that it was thatttttt heavy...

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-10T18:19:00.001-07:00

A touching note which Joshua wrote all by himself in advance of Mother's Day on 3 May 2011...

Jaydon's first Mother's Day gift for me... :)

Jaydon's Easter Craft

2011-04-28T23:38:00.001-07:00

Ain't I a cute bunny too?

Tears Free Haircut

2011-04-23T15:19:00.001-07:00

Finally, a haircut without any tears... For the last 30 months, it's been a struggle to bring Jaydon for a haircut... He will always cry and struggle, be it with a Chinese lady hairstylist or a Malay barber.... Even when Joshua and Daddy cut hair together with him.... I have not been witnessing the actual scene as I dread the tearful scene... So it has always been the 3 boys going for a haircut...

Yesterday, the 3 boys went to the usual Malay barber and this time round, Mummy tagged along... Although Jay seemed to be in quite a good mood after the mini bowling session at Downtown East. I was still skeptical at how he would react when it was going to be his turn for a haircut.... Surprisingly, he was quite cooperative when asked to sit on the high chair and to put on the bib. However, he asked to hold Mummy's hand and I held onto his chin at the same time so that he would not move too much. It also helped that the barber kept assuring him that things would be ok and even let him touched the shaver to allay any fears that he might have... It was over and done with within 15 minutes and he aimed comfortable at the end of the session... He even asked for a lollipop (which is the usual
practice for kids) which he would not even eat it...

So has he matured already or was it Mummy's presence that Jay did not cry at all? Let's see in the next haircut session...

He closed his eyes but not his mouth...

He closed his eyes and mouth and the barber joked with him to ask him to close his nose too...

Feeling uneasy over the vibrations of the shaver...

Showing me a victory sign

Any Jaydon Repellant?

2011-04-15T15:45:00.001-07:00

Recently, Jay has been 'bullying' his gorgor... Either he will slap him on his back by swinging his whole arm or he will pinch him... His newest attack is to bite his gorgor... And mind you, he has been nicknamed an 'alligator' cos of his powerful bites...

Look at his victim... The bites immediately left a blueblack bruise...

This is a bite on Josh's shoulder when Josh refused to let Jay has a ride on the bicycle...

This is a bite on Josh's buttocks when Josh refused to come down from Jay's stool...

I read somewhere that this is a toddler's way of showing his power against an older sibling or it's a survival instinct... Hope this phase will be over soon...

This is how lovey-dovey they are when they are on friendly terms...

They love to read books to each other... :)

Saturday Mornings at the Beach

2011-04-08T23:25:00.001-07:00

Since Joshua stopped his Saturday swimming class two weeks ago, we have been spending our Saturday mornings hanging out at the beach. It's really relaxing to spend time at the beach, enjoying the nature after spending 5 weekdays facing the concrete walls... Most importantly, we want to give the boys their fair share of outdoor fun...

Last Saturday, we had a simple 'picnic' aka McDonald's breakfast at the beach with the Tan family. The boys and meimei Lianne worked hard under the hot sun digging for 'treasure' while the mummies and daddies 'relaxed' under the shade... As the sun shone down mercilessly soon after, we decided that they have enough of the sun and they switched to playing their scooters and bubbles...

How I love their adorable laughter and smiles...

This week, we went to the beach again, this time round, to exercise. We brought the boys' bikes and this time round, Jaydon is more comfortable and willing to try out his balancing bike. Though it was slow, he didn't give up. He rode for a while, then came down to push the bike before going up the bike to ride again... I think with more practice, we shall see him gliding down the lane on his bike soon...
S rented a bike too so that he could ferry Jaydon and go on a longer distance with Josh.

Meanwhile, as the boys went on their cycling adventure, here am I sitting on a bench, admiring the beach while enjoying the orchestra of music made by the waves, crickets, birds, airplanes, cyclists... It's a heavenly peaceful moment for me.... :)

Anpanman Dinner

2011-03-29T18:47:00.001-07:00

Last night, I prepared a special dinner for Josh and Jay using the newly bought Anpanman plates... The plates are sooo... adorable... Each 'bowl' comes with a cover which helps to keep the food warm...

Josh is more appreciative of my effort and he finished his dinner pretty fast... He wiped clean everything... On the other hand, Jay, though was fascinated with the plates, it didn't really improve his eating attitude... I still had a difficult time coaxing him to eat his dinner... Anyway, while the kids enjoyed their meals in their cute plates, S and I enjoyed our dinner on our new Corelle plates... All thanks to my mum who got a whole set for our housewarming... :)

Josh's dinner

Look at his more appreciative look

Jay's dinner

Look at his funny expression

Remembering His Thoughtfulness

2011-03-23T08:51:00.001-07:00

Getting tired lately of disciplining Joshua... (I just locked him out of the house today for kicking Jay in the mouth which resulted in bleeding)... Before I get overwhelmed by his naughty behaviour, I just want to remember that he can be a sweet sweet boy at times...

Last week, I went for my detailed scan and the 3 boys were in the same room with me. As I was getting off from the bed, Josh sweetly brought my shoes to me feet so that I can wear them conveniently... I was taken aback but at the same time pleased with his 'gentlemanners'... Even the nurse commended him for his act...

Last Saturday, Jay injured his toe badly and he was rather cranky and whiny... Insisting that someone holds onto his injured foot so that he would not feel the pain... So our kind gorgor attended to him attentively, holding onto his foot, gently massaging him at times.... Yes... He can be just so sweet to Jay at times....

Fun @ the Playground

2011-03-01T07:38:00.001-08:00

Finally, we can let our hair down after spending almost a week on tenterhooks...

A fun late Tuesday afternoon spent at the Pasir Ris Park playground in the company of two VVIPs - Kim and Kris yiyis...

Chocolatey Art

2011-02-28T06:19:00.001-08:00

What do you do when you only eat the biscuit sticks and not the yanyan chocolate?

Look at Jaydon and his chocolate masterpiece... The biscuit stick became his paintbrush and the chocolate his paint... :)

Learning 1 to 1 Correspondence

2011-02-25T02:12:00.001-08:00

Am impromptu learning session

Bullying in School

2011-02-24T01:33:00.001-08:00

Today, I was shocked, very shocked when Jaydon came back home from school with bite marks on his right arm. It was pretty red so I guess the 'biter N' must have bit him very hard. Surprisingly, both his teachers were unaware of the biting incident until S brought Jay back to school again after he first discovered it while trying to buckle him in his car seat after fetching him from school. When asked by S and his teachers, Jay replied 'N' did it. Jay seemed to have rather high threshold for pain thus he didn't cry. He's rather 'timid' in school as compared to when he's at home and that could be the reason why he didn't inform his teacher. I was very upset at this incident and how he kept quiet about it. Sometimes, I will playfully bite him and the red marks will usually disappear within seconds. So I guess 'N' must have sank her teeth into his arm rather hard and long ...:( so heartpain... Well, I'm going to see what the teachers are going to do about it... I can't believe how they could be unaware of it when the teacher to pupil ratio is about 1-4 in the class...

Jaydon's CNY Craft 2

2011-02-08T18:59:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year Day 1

2011-02-03T04:42:00.001-08:00

To Thee I Will Wed

2011-01-30T20:27:00.001-08:00

A few nights ago, Josh and I had a brief but interesting conversation and his candid replies caught me by surprise...

J: Is Ern Ern Ah Bo married yet?

M: No.

J: Why not?

M: Because she hasn't find that someone yet...

J: Why can't she just marry any man?

M: Of course not. You must marry someone that you like. Will you marry someone that you don't like?

J: No. (paused) Then I want to marry Hosanna...

M: (dumbfounded)

J: Cos I like her...

M: (just smiled at his sheer innocence cos she didn't know what to say)

**To the concerned yiyis who might be reading this post, please do not tease him on this ok... :)

Jaydon's Very First School Craft

2011-01-30T19:02:00.001-08:00

A Yummy Chicky Day

2011-01-27T17:04:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year Craft (1)

2011-01-26T07:24:00.001-08:00

As Chinese New Year is approaching, we decided to do some CNY craft and at the same time to learn more about CNY and its symbolism.

The first craft that we did was pretty easy though some preparation work is needed. I used double-sided tape to form the character 福 on a piece of red construction paper. Then, the boys peeled off the double-sided tape and sprinkled gold glitter on the sticky 福... As the gold glitter was spread evenly, a very beautiful 福 is formed. 福 means happiness and good fortune... I always thought that it meant happiness while S thought that it meant good fortune. In the end, both of us were right and we learnt something too...

May 福 descend upon our family this CNY... :)

Big Boy, Big Bike

2011-01-26T07:11:00.001-08:00

Creativity at Play

2011-01-23T01:20:00.001-08:00

1,2,3,4,5... Once I Caught a Fish Alive

2011-01-21T16:21:00.001-08:00

Back to the 80s

2011-01-20T23:28:00.001-08:00

Beethoven in the Making

2011-01-19T17:28:00.001-08:00

Impromptu Masterpieces

2011-01-18T18:10:00.001-08:00

In Love With Kitty

2011-01-17T14:57:00.001-08:00

Peanut Butter Delight

2011-01-16T15:06:00.001-08:00

Saturday Fun

2011-01-15T17:33:00.001-08:00

First 2 Weeks of School

2011-01-14T06:34:00.001-08:00

Jayson started his Pre-Nursery on Monday instead of the MOE official school reopening on Tuesday. The school staggered the levels so only Pre-N and N started school on Monday to allow deployment of teachers to assist in the settlement of the younger kids.

Before school started, we kept talking to Jaydon about school, reading to him books about school and even bringing him to the school compound just a few days before the school starts so as to make him at ease with the environment. True enough, he seemed comfortable and even excited with the idea of going to school.

On Monday morning, it was pretty easy to wake him up, feed him milk and changed him. Before he left for school, he bade farewell to Daddy, gorgor and popo very happily. Upon reaching school, he was still pretty upbeat and when I brought him to class, he took off his shoes and socks and put his stuff in his cubbyhole. Then, he moved around the classroom to play with some of the toys. Seeing that he seemed fine, I walked out of the classroom and although he saw me leaving, he was still pretty okay. He continued to play with one of the teachers while I chatted with some of the mummies outside. Soon, I heard wailing and I immediately recognized the voice. It's Jaydon. I peeped into the classroom and saw Mrs E carrying him and comforting him. He was crying quite badly although he was not screaming. As I sat outside the classroom monitoring Jay's crying, my heart was heavy. To me, he seemed so small sized and fragile and cos he's an Oct baby, he's only 26 months when he started Pre-N as compared to Josh - 30 months which is a mandatory age requirement for his school. Throughout the 1.5 hours in class, he was sobbing on and off and he's not one who is easily distracted or appeased if you offer him snacks or toys. When I fetched him from his class, he looked sad like an abandoned child. Though I don't feel good in my heart, I know that this is a passing phase which he has to go through and I have to be firm in handling the separation anxiety. I kept assuring him that I will fetch him after school. To make him feel happier, we brought him to eat McDonald and I guess he was pretty hungry cos he finished the whole harshbrown. The rest of the day went well until midnight. He started to cry un the middle of his sleep and he seemed disturbed about school. For the rest of that night, he slept and cried on and off.

All ready for first day of school. He was rather excited.

Posing for a photo with his new Thomas school bag.

Posing for a photo outside his classroom.

Getting warmed up in school.

Still okay with school.

The next morning, he started to get cranky and whined. I still went about changing him, taking note of his whining and gave him constant assurances. When I sent him to class, he started crying but I still let go and waited outside his classroom. Similar to the day before, he was crying on and off, refused to eat his snacks although I brought the snacks from home. When I fetched him that day, I saw that his teacher had given him a little keychain although I doubted it's effectiveness in appeasing him. After reaching home, we went to feed the fish - a little activity which he likes to do... That day, his crankiness started slightly earlier - at bedtime now. Just before he sleep, he started to cry and looked very unhappy. I knew he must he thinking about school the next day. It was rather difficult to appease him. In the end, he fell asleep but he still woke up several times in the night to cry.

On Wednesday, he started to cry in the morning when I try to feed him milk and changed him. And he tried looking for the Daddy cos Mummy seemed to be the bad woman here, trying to get him to school. Still, I went about changing him as per normal and sent him to school. When I was about to sent him to his class, he insisted that he wanted to pee. So I brought him to the toilet and we tried awhile but there was no peepee. I knew immediately that this is one his 'pattern' to buy time. I met with some resistance when I tried to get him to wear his pants as he insisted that he wanted to pee. I brought him to the classroom and the teacher immediately took him over, with him crying. As I was not able to wait outside the classroom today and since it's the normal school hours, I went home first although my mind was constantly thinking about Jaydon. After doing some chores, I went to his school slightly earlier and I caught him at the playground with his class. I peeped from afar and saw that he was not playing and just merely holding Mrs E's hands and following her around. When I fetched him from the school gate, I saw that he has some star stickers on his shirt given to him by his Chinese teacher for participating in one of the activities. He also got a lollipop. I gathered some feedback from Mrs N who said that he was still crying on and off and refused to eat or participate in the activities. He would just quietly observe the other children. That day, his crankiness started much earlier - after dinnertime. He would whine and cry and was very clingy to me. Similarly, he would wake up in the middle of the night to cry.

On Thursday, he was very cranky the moment he woke up. It was very difficult to get him to finish his milk. He was crying on and off. However, we went on changing him and we had to be fast cos Josh is starting his K2 that day. The whole family sent Jay to school first. When I sent him to class, he tried to cling on to me as he cried but Mrs N promptly took over and comforted him. When I left, I could still hear him cry. Then, we sent Josh to his school. It was a totally different scene at Josh's school. He was chatting and playing with his friends while waiting for the routine checks. He proceeded to his class, K2 Patience and met many familiar faces. He settled down quickly and waited patiently for the rest of his classmates. Once his class was bed led upstairs to the classroom, we left the school. On one hand, we are glad that he has settled in easily. On the other hand, we were quite worried about Jaydon at school. Finally, S and I got to enjoy our McDonald breakfast alone without having to look after the kids. After our quick bf, we went back home to settle some chores before I left earlier to fetch Jaydon. I went to his school earlier cos I know that it's usually outdoor time before dismissal and I can peep from afar to see him. As usual, he's holding Mrs E's hand and walking around with her. She tried to put him on the swing but Jay sat awhile and came off. When I fetched him that day, he looked okay though he was not smiling. He held a lollipop in one hand. Then, we went to fetch Josh who was all smiles when he came out from his school. That day, Jay's crankiness started even earlier at about 4 plus. So through the evening and night time, he was whining and crying on and off and nothing seemed to appease him.

Here is Joshua all excited about the first day of school.

Waiting for gorgor after his school. Look at his shirt of stars.

Posing with gorgor after Joshua's first day of school.

On Friday morning, when I tried to feed Jay milk while he was still asleep. He seemed to know that after his milk will come school. So he refused to drink his milk! He was rather cranky even when we wanted to change him. Once we reached school, he clung onto me and refused to let me go when I tried to put him down. In the end, the teacher had to carry him away from me and he bade me farewell in tears.

Playing happily with his blown-up bubble while waiting for gorgor.

Telling gorgor that he has no school the next day as it is Saturday.

Over the weekend, even though we kept telling him that there was no school on Saturday and Sunday, he was still rather cranky and refused to participate in his favorite activity - swimming. On Sunday, when we went to his Sunday school class, he was rather clingy to me and although he went to join his friends in front, he kept looking back at me and he was teary-eyed although he was trying hard to control his tears. However, after a while, I was relieved that he was back to his usual and he joined in the activities. What caught me by surprise over the weekend was that Jaydon kept singing a goodbye song and clapping his hands. He looked very happy as he sang.

The night came and it was the moment that we dreaded the most, I didn't upfront tell him about school the next day but I purposely pack his school bag in front of him.

On Monday morning, as usual, he was crying when we tried to change him. When I brought him to school, he insist that he wanted to peepee so I brought him to the toilet. However, there's no sign that he wanted to peepee but he insisted that he wanted to pee. He retaliated when I wanted to wear his pants back for him. It took me quite a while for me to 'bluff' him to wear his pants. When I sent him to the class, as usual, he was crying... What surprised me that day was that he was not cranky in the late afternoon nor at night. Even through the night, he was quite sound asleep instead of the usual whining.

Fetching him from the gate after school on Tuesday.

The next morning, I wanted to feed him milk but he refused. However, when I told him that I would change him first then, he replied 'Yes' without much resistance and he didn't even cry or whine at all. After we changed him, I fed him milk and sent him to school. He was rather well-behaved and when I sent him to his class, he walked into the classroom and to the usual corner when he would take off his shoes and socks. I was very surprised especially since he was still rather cranky the day before. And this 'good behaviour' happened for the next few days. He was no longer cranky in the late afternoon or at night and everyday, when I sent him to school, he would just walked into the classroom himself. It was a pleasant surprise as I thought that he might have to take a longer time to settle down. However, he was still rather passive in the class, refusing to participate in much of the activities and he would cry if he was asked to. Well, at least he has accepted the fact that school is part of his life and he no longer struggles to go to school. Just give him more time to adapt to the school and I believe that he will start to enjoy and participate in the activities soon. This is just a passing phase of every child's life - it's just a matter of the amount of time that they needed to take to adapt. Nevertheless, well done Jaydon and we are proud of you!

Finally, I saw him playing with his friends. Here, he was playing the see-saw.

Roaming around on his own.

He just likes to walk around on his own or follow the teacher instead of playing.

He received his very first goodie bag from school on Friday. It was Nicole's birthday.

Pageboy 2011

2011-01-01T01:59:00.001-08:00

Well... It was a last minute arrangement to have Joshua as one of the pageboys for a church couple whom we didn't even know personally... At least, we know the flower girl whom Josh is going to partner with -Hosanna...

Josh went to church early with Daddy for the rehearsal... Luckily, he could still fit into Joel's pageboy suit and I'm afraid it will be his last time wearing it... The suit is small, the shoes is small... That shows how much Josh has grown physically over the year...

When Mummy and Jaydon arrived in church, Josh and Hosanna were all ready to 'walk down the aisle'... These two kids seem to have grown closer over the past week since the Christmas party at Hosanna's house... They were very comfortable with each other, joking around, teasing each other, whispering to each other's ears, giggling and smiling non-stop... Shortly, the wedding started... The march-in commenced with a younger pair of flower girl and pageboy. Next were Josh and Hosanna. They walked down the steps slowly, steadily and seriously all the way to the stage... The next moment, they were at the back of the church playing with each other again... Their smiles and laughter are just so innocently adorable...

Playing Together

2010-12-22T23:50:00.001-08:00

I wonder is it cos they are boys or it is a common scenario at home of families with young kids...

While they started of playing together the wooden train set, the silence broke into shouts as each of them as their own idea how they want to move their vehicles... Then, Joshua decided to 'retreat' by playing another of his train set... While setting it up, he was grumbling here and there and exclaiming aloud that he would not let Jaydon play. Guess what happened next? Jay observed what Joshua was doing for awhile before he humbly went over to say 'sorrie gorgor' on his own accord. He said that a few times as he moved towards Josh's 'territory'... Think Josh was taken aback by Jay's apologies that his tone immediately turned softer and gentler.... So for awhile, they played together the new train set... It was really awhile cos soon silence broke into shouts again as Jay has his idea on how he wanted to fix the tracks... Again, Josh 'retreated' to play with another of his toy.... :)...

I know that Josh sometimes can be abit mischievous, but Jay can be a bossy bully at times too..

Started off really well for awhile

Playing harmoniously for really awhile

Look at how he 'bullies' Josh while he was sleeping...

Blowing Bubbles

2010-12-12T14:11:00.001-08:00

This is a different kind of bubbles blowing - not the soap bubbles but blowing bubbles in the swimming pool. Jay did that for the very first time today and he enjoys doing that... Hmmm... Will Teacher Rose accept him into her swimming class??

Day 9 of Advent - the Candy Cane

2010-12-10T22:45:00.001-08:00

The Candy Cane – This represents the shepherd's crook which was a strong stick with a curved end that could be placed around the neck of a sheep that had slipped down the hillside, so that the shepherd could pull it up to safety. The candy cane represents the helping hand we should show to others and reminds us that we really are our brother's keeper.

This craft is pretty straightforward though prior preparation was needed to cut out the candy cane template from cardboard and strips of red and white foam. We did this craft early in the morning shortly after the boys woke up. Still in their pajamas, they got down to 'craft'. They spread the glue on the cane cane template before pasting the strips of white and red foam in alternating pattern. When the glue was dried up, Mummy then trimmed the sides of the foam such that they looked like lovely candy canes.

Josh spreading the glue

Jay also tried spreading the glue but looked at his 'keep-a-distance-from-me-you-yucky-glue' pose

Putting on strips of red and white

Jay tried too with S's help

I'm done!!

Now, it became Daddy's craft time again

The final work

Walking with Dinosaurs

2010-12-10T05:23:00.001-08:00

This afternoon, Joshua, Kimberly, Kristal and I went for the Walking With Dinosaurs matinee show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. After hearing rave reviews about the show, we got ourselves Cat 2 tickets which are supposedly the better seats. Alas, for once, better seats did not give us better views as we were being blocked by some of the props and thus unable to get a full view of the moving dinosaurs.

Josh was pretty excited before the show. However, while we were sitting down waiting for the show to start, he began to get cold feet and was pretty fearful of what was to happen. Initially, I was using my hands to cover his ears and had to hold him close to me. I guess the loud sound effects had alot to do with it. After a while of getting warmed up, he was more relaxed and comfortable with the dinosaurs to the extent that he could sit back comfortably to eat his Poky sticks. To allay his fears, we kept reminding him that the dinosaurs were not real and they were being controlled by people. For the smaller dinosaurs, we could see the bottom half of a human body draped in the dinosaur costume moving about. As for the big dinosaurs, they had to be put on 'rollers' or 'scooters' (as pointed out by Josh) so that they could move about. I guess we overdid the part about the dinosaurs were fake cos when the flower and plant props 'grew', Josh immediately said that they were balloons and when 'butterflies' flew out from among the flowers, Josh said with a straight face they were paper. He's not letting his imagination run wild.... Haha... Everything is fake to him liao...

Overall, it was quite a good value-for-money show... The dinosaurs looked realistic and the narration was pretty good... More importantly, it was a precious 1-to-1 bonding time with Josh...

Cycling on 2 Wheelies

2010-12-09T18:56:00.001-08:00

This morning, we took Josh downstairs to try out his bike - without training wheels but with pedals. Previously, S removed the training wheels and the pedals so Josh has been 'cycling' for a while using his legs to pedal... The objective is to let him get the hang of balancing on his bike while using hid legs to control.

From S holding onto the bike while Josh cycled, to Josh trying to cycle on his own at the void deck to finally cycling in the park confidently. All these within an hour of practising. We are really proud of his 'achievement' within such a short time and you can see his confidence building up as he progressed forward. Kudos to the 'pedaless' bike which sharpened his balancing skill greatly and while he's cycling on two wheelies, he's not afraid of falling off balance cos he knows how to use his legs to balance... Looking forward to cycling to the beach the next time with him...

I'm all ready!!

Daddy holding onto the bike while Josh warmed up

Trying out on his own with Daddy still close by

Having fun now that he got the hang of it

Look at how focused he was while cycling

On the other hand, Jay was quite half-hearted in all the 'vehicles' that he tried. Within that hour, he changed from riding scooter to cycling his tricycle to driving his ladybug car. None could sustain his interest for long. In the end, S had to push the motor car since Jay refused to step on the pedal to auto move... Hope that he can persevere more in whatever things that he try...

All ready to charge into the lift

Looking intently at a group of grasscutters cutting the grass

Still distracted by the grasscutters

Finally, he remembered why he went downstairs for

Driving his 'BMW' in the park

Cruising Down Singapore River

2010-12-09T16:54:00.001-08:00

After Josh's Claycove lesson, we went to The Central with the river and bumboats in mind as we know that the boys love to see the boats.

We went to Billy Bombers for dinner and especially requested for outdoor seating which overlooked the Singapore River. Wow... It's such a nice and romantic ambience to have a quiet dinner and chit chatting while enjoying the breeze and the occasional screams from the GX 5. However, with 2 young kids in tow for dinner, it's not a romantic occasion as more than half the dinner time was spent in feeding Jay and nagging at Josh to quickly finish up his spaghetti. Nevertheless, it was quite enjoyable as the boys were excited each time a boat come and go. Sometimes, they would even shout hello and waved their hands to the boat passengers passing their way. Haha... Only two people responded to their 'warm hospitality'... After dinner, we proceeded to the river cruise which we promised them
during dinner...

The Singapore River Cruise was quite packed that night with a lot of foreign students... When we finally got on the boat, the boys settled themselves comfortably as the boat set sail down Clark Quay, then Boat Quay and finally to the Merlion and the Marina Bay Sands before making a turn back. All in all, the whole trip took about 30 minutes and cost us $38.... It was quite an experience for them (though Josh has sat on once before) and the boys and Daddy were busy chatting throughout while Mummy was busy trying to capture some nice shots...

Day 8 of Advent - X'mas Lights Up

2010-12-08T20:49:00.001-08:00

Today, we took a break from craft and as part of our Advent activity, we visited Orchard Road to admire the lightings and decorations...

It was pouring in the late afternoon and I was glad that we decided to go ahead as planned to Orchard despite the downpour. After our dinner at Ion foodcourt, the rain had stopped and it was quite a cooling weather to stroll down Orchard Road and it was not that crowded. The lightings were mesmerizing and it seemed as if that we had been transported to a fairy land. The decorations this year was not very spectacular though, most buildings were quite similar in their decorations - mainly X'mas trees. I didn't spot any Santa Claus, snowman or reindeer etc... The lightings at Centrepoint was disappointing too... It was merely plain lightings... I had expected that Centrepoint would keep up its past glory of producing one of the most spectacular decorations ... After walking the whole stretch of Orchard Road, the building that was most captivating is C K Tangs... It was the most vibrant one of all...

Despite the slight disappointment in the X'mas lights up, it was still an enjoyable evening spent with my dear ones... :)

Dinner at Ion Orchard

Lightings at C K Tang

Aren't they lovely?

It's quite difficult to get the boys to pose together for a picture

Taking a break on a cosy bed at Mandarin Hotel Shopping Gallery

Ferrero Rocher tree outside Heeren

One of the nicest X'mas trees outside Paragon

Say Cheese...

Day 7 of Advent - The Wreath

2010-12-07T19:31:00.001-08:00

The Wreath – It symbolizes the eternal nature of love; it never ceases, stops or ends. God's love for us is as unending as the wreath.

Today's craft was quite tedious as much work was needed on the adults to trace and cut. To make the wreath, we traced the boys' hands onto green construction paper before cutting them out. To cover the circumference of the wreath, we needed an average of 10-14 handprints from the kids. And it was not easy to trace their hands as they felt ticklish and were squirming here and there. Finally, got them done. So while S and I were busy cutting the handprints, the boys were busy cutting their 'stuff' too... Jay loves to cut nowadays...

When the handprints were ready, we spread the glue on a steering-wheel look-a-like cardboard before pasting the handprints in a circle form, overlapping one another. Then came the boys' favorite part - decorating. They decorated their wreaths with pom pom balls... What's lacking now on the wreaths are nice ribbons to complete the look...

Spreading the glue with Daddy's help

Putting in the glue

Pasting the handprints

Jay was more enthusiastic in the decorating than the pasting of the handprints

Decorating the wreath

My completed wreath

It can be a flower too

Handsome flower

Day 6 of Advent - The Bell

2010-12-07T19:29:00.001-08:00

The Bell – calls us back to God's fold. In the old days animals were very valuable to people. Keepers put a bell round the neck of each sheep or cow, so that they could hear where a lost animal was located. In the same way, Christ values all people, wherever they are and they are never lost to Him.

Today's craft was quite easy with minimal preparation needed. All we needed were two coloured tinsel wires and some bells. The boys threaded the tinsel wires through the small holes on the bells... When they were done, S bent the tinsel wires to their wrist sizes so that they could wear them as bracelets.

Well, Josh loved his bell bracelet alot and was wearing them whenever he's at home. He even wanted to wear them to sleep but was flatly rejected by us lest that we become panda bears the next day.

Concentrating hard at threading

Josh too...

Voilà! I'm done!

What's that tingling sound?

Rain Rain Go Away...

2010-12-07T16:13:00.001-08:00