Weekend Pics and A Date!

I've been slacking at blogging, and busy with work. I also became addicted to KAW, which contributed largely to the lack of picture collages recently.

Here are some of the pictures from the past 2 weeks:

Old School Fun - bubbles and household chores

 - 30 Nov 2011

Christmas celebration with the girls - 10 Dec 2011

Caleb chatting with neighbour Lincoln

Caleb's First Wedding Lunch - 17 Dec 2011

Christmas Eve 2011

Ignored by kitty on Christmas Day

New straw milk bottle - slowing weaning Caleb off his milk bottle (26 Dec 2011)

Merry Christmas everyone!

We left the kid @ home, and went for a date! 27 Dec 2011

Busy busy year end

So busy with work that I have not been updating the blog. Caleb is fine already n back to his old n cheerful self (maybe a little more crappy, LOL).

I have also been busy playing Kingdoms at War on the phone. Previously I've always wonder what is all the fuss about. It was until I opened Bi's alternate account on my phone to earn some gold, that I finally joined the KAW addicts. LOL.

It's the eve of Christmas eve, and I'll just like to wish all a Merry Christmas n a wonderful new year. I'll update the blog with pictures soon. Hopefully next week will be a quiet week at work.

Stomach Flu

It's really hard to see Caleb sick. This time he was listless, tired n not his usual bubbly self.

I got the call that he vomited a couple of times when I was at work on Monday. By the time I got home in the evening, he has vomited 6 times. Bi got home already n I met them to bring pipi see a doctor.

He diagnosed that pipi got stomach flu n inserted meds into his butt. At night, pipi got loose stools n we had to change him n the bedsheets. Sadly, his beloved toy dog n pillow got affected too. We couldn't give him his stuff n had to find substitute. He vomited in the night n we had to change him again.

Usually when we change him, he will b moving around n we had to keep him entertained to finish. But these times, he just lie there. Once, he laid on his side n hug bi, sort of like reassuring us. Brought tears to our eyes.

Yesterday there was still loose n watery stools, esp after we inserted the meds agn. A couple of vomits n refusal to eat. He only wanted to drink milk. It was only until dinner time that he was eager to eat a bit. I made plain porridge with steamed egg. He ate about 1 soup spoon of porridge n 3/4 of the egg.

Hopefully he's on the way to recovery.

Caleb's Daily Schedule

I thought to jot these down for future reference, before I forget anymore. It seems that people tend to forget lots. Especially with all the newness of being a new parent, each day is taken as it comes, and put behind us when it's over.

I am very glad and appreciative of pipi's easy going nature, accepting changes and implementations readily. Not all children are like him. He makes us look good at parenting.

As of now, his schedule is as below, and has been for at least 2 months (see how easy it is to forget things?):

• pipi wakes up between 6am - 7am
• breakfast between 7.30am - 8am
• bath between 8.30am - 9.30am
• morning tea break of milk
• nap between 9.30am - 11.30am
• lunch starts between 11.45am - 12.15pm
• afternoon tea break of milk and snacks such as fruit/cheese/yogurt/toddler snacks, around 2pm - 2.30pm
• nap between 2.30pm - 4.30pm
• Dinner around 5pm plus
• Night routine start around 7.30pm, milk at around 8pm.
• Lights out around 8.15pm - 8.30pm

In the past before this, I just gave him water before his morning nap, as he was still supplementing his dinner with milk. After he increased his food intake, we removed the dinner milk and added a morning tea.

Now, I'm thinking of reducing his milk intake, to allow him more stomach room for solids. He's taking about 650ml of milk still, and research has indicated that 1 year old kids should drink about 350ml - 450ml of milk daily, and to supplement that with dairy products such as cheese, yogurt or milk shakes for calcium intake.

Our Weekend Pictures (19 - 20 Nov)

Weekend has flown by and it's back to work after a week of SAHM. Now that it's over, I actually don't mind doing it again.

Funny habit that Caleb has recently

We went for Qiwei and Lifang's (my secondary school friends) baby shower on Sunday. It's amazing to see how tiny a one month old baby is, and to have witnessed the growth of a tiny baby to a blabbering and walking tot. We really should marvel at the speed of their growth. When I look at Lifang's baby, I kind of miss the times where Caleb just sits there and smile at you, or wiggle his toes and pump his fists. I miss that rocking bed of his. But if he stays that way, I won't get my hugs and laughter from his antics.

Big Boy means a change in Habits

There's just so much to learn about parenting! Speech, movement, nutrients, etc.

I'm always very concern about his nutrients, fearing that he does not get enough to grow. With the one year old milestone hit, I need to adjust his food intake again.

Here are some articles that I found useful:
Caring for toddler
Solids by age: 12 - 18 Months
How to feed your toddler
Caring for your toddler
Social and emotional issues in toddlers

A Week of SAHM

How fast time flies. Caleb is one, and my week of being a SAHM has ended.

My MIL went for an overseas trip and hubby was on course, so I had to take leave the whole week to take care of Caleb. Overall it was fun, and we had a good time bonding with each other. There were ups and downs, with Caleb throwing tantrums, refusing his dinner and generally doing what toddlers this age do. But after taking into account him teething (7th tooth), he has been an angel for the whole week.

14 Nov
The day started fantastic, with a slight drizzle to give rise to a beautiful rainbow.

Beautiful rainbow, wishing Caleb Happy Birthday

We went out for lunch at Jurong Point. I wanted to bring Caleb to Vivocity to play in the indoor playground, but he woke from his nap too late to reach Vivocity in time for lunch and play. It was good that we went Jurong Point too, as I could bring him back for his second nap and I could rest myself too.

Out for lunch!

16 Nov
Hubby was able to take leave on Wednesday, and we went to IKEA for lunch. Caleb loves handling cold stuff now, and seems to have an instinct on what's cold and what's not. He'll always point to those cold items to ask us to pass them to him.

Happiness @ IKEA

17 Nov
I wanted to go to my aunt's place sometime this week. But sadly, she was sick and advised me not to, so that she won't pass the germs to Caleb. So we popped by our neighbour, Sabrina's place, for a playdate with her 14month old son, Lincoln. I really believe that babies can communicate with each other with their babbles. It's really very amusing listening to them eee-eee orh-orh arh-arh at each other! They not only do parallel play, but will play a little with each other as well. It's really interesting to see the growth and difference between babies of the same age. Lincoln is much better at communicating, using hand signs and could point or respond to questions. I believe it's because there are many more people with him throughout the day to stimulate his brain. Sabrina brings him to baby classes as well. Caleb is able to stand, walk rather steadily and sometimes even run. He'll rarely sit still or crawl anymore. In this case, he's better than Lincoln, as Lincoln still sit and crawl most of the time. I guess this is what experts always advise about babies developing and reaching their own milestones at their own pace. We parents are just facilitators and should not rush them to achieve any before their time.

Forgoing the spoon during self feeding practice

18 Nov
I must admit that I was rather upset yesterday. My MIL came back late in the night on 17th, but hubby only got to know about it the day before. She could have take over babysitting duties, and I could have gone for my company's D&D. I really really wanted to go, as I missed the one last year already. I feel that hubby could have checked instead of assume on his mom's date of return. Also, hubby could not confirm on the time he'll reach home, and that he may need to do OT. But in the end, he reached home around 6pm. I really could have gone to the D&D.

I thought that since I could not go to the D&D, I could have a half day to myself, sort of like a compensation for not going. My MIL could rest for the first half of the day, and take over for awhile in the afternoon. I was planning to go for a massage and a tea session with my book. But I had to take care of Caleb for the whole day, as my MIL was not feeling well due to diarrhea. Oh well, it's my own child and I don't mind sacrificing. But still, I kind of feel unappreciated by hubby. He really could have planned things better. 

Not wanting to spend the last day of my leave at home, I brought Caleb out to Jurong Point again for lunch and decided to treat myself to Lai Lai lamien. We did not stay long, as Caleb was throwing tantrums and grumbling throughout the trip. I just kept reminding myself that he's not always like this, and is usually cheerful and funny, to accept his occasional acting up. If I as his mom don't accept it, who will?

Mummy still love you, even with your tantrums

Cutie enjoying the toys and books at JP

And now, I'm having some quiet moments at work, reflecting on the past week and kind of wishing that I have another week of playtime with my baby. Haha, playtime is learning time for Caleb and exercising time for mommy. My calves ache with all the walking that I did with him, and have surely toned them a little!

Our Weekend Pictures (11 - 13 Nov)

Weekend started early! But I have been slacking in my posts, as I was engaged in engaging the toddler throughout the week.

We celebrated Caleb's birthday over last weekend, with a little celebration with close friends and family. I brought Caleb to Somerset Grand Cairnhill by myself on Friday, and we had a little mom and baby time before daddy came over after his work.

In the cab, and our 2-bedroom unit at Grand Cairnhill

Dinner at Somerset 313, The Handburger, and pics @ Charlie Brown cafe

Caleb did not go to sleep as his usual self on both nights. He kept crying and clinging to us until 9plus, and we had to walk and carry him to sleep. I guess it was due to the new environment and over-stimulation. With this experience, we've come to really appreciate his usual self, of being able to fall asleep on his own. I really wonder how parents who have to carry their babies / toddlers to sleep do it every night.

Saturday, 12 Nov, was the little celebration. See the 3 of us in yellow? Heheh~

Happy Birthday Caleb! You are ONE!

After checking out on 13 Nov, the girls (I booked a room for them as well) and us went for lunch before going home. It was a nice chit chat session over good food at Tonkatsu Ma Maison.

Antics of a funny boy

Love Letters - 12 Months

Happy birthday my dear baby! You are one year old today!

Can't believe that a year has already flown by, and that we have known each other for 365 days.

You've been a joy to us so far, and also to those who know you. Your cheerful character n interactive manner endears you to all who come in contact with you.

I wish you good health so that you are able to do whatever you wish to. I wish you wealth in friends and love. I wish that you are happy always.

We love you.  

365 days of a love affair with our little boy

Our Weekend Pics (5 - 7 Nov)

Yay! Long weekend! Boohoo, it's over. This weekend was a longer one, as Monday was a Public Holiday. Overall it was great. Here to many more lovely weekends. This coming weekend we'll be celebrating Caleb's birthday. Can't believe how time flies.

Long and I went out for a show and a little shopping on Saturday morning, and came back in the afternoon to spend the rest of the day with pipi. We brought him out to dinner at the Mac opposite Jurong Point, and had a nice long walk in a different park.

Pipi had a funny reaction to holding cold drinks, and we finally managed to take some pics of it.

So shiok! :D

We took him for his first MRT ride on Sunday, to Clementi Mall. It was really convenient, as a bridge connects the train station to the mall. He was rather quiet throughout the trip, but could be seen observing his surroundings the whole time.

Monday was spent at home, except for a short trip to Jurong Point for lunch. We ate Din Tai Fung, and I let him try wonton skin and also the clear soup. It's a battle between wanting to give him only home cooked food or to start to let him try outside food. I guess it's to play by ear, and test the food for sweetness and salt level before letting him try. We certainly do not wish to have a picky eater.

Funny boy @ our daily evening walk

Baby Mee Sua

I made mee sua for Caleb to try on Sunday. He took it as ducks to water, and finished the whole bowl. Hopefully he'll eat it when my MIL cooks it for him.

I didn't weigh the ingredients that I used, so below is an estimate:

Ingredients

A bowl of stock (I used chicken)

1/3 carrot, tiny dice

A bunch of spinach leaves, chopped

1/2 bunch of mee sua

Sprinkle of ikan billis powder

1 hard boiled egg yolk 

Method

1. Bring the stock to a boil and cook the carrot till soft.
2. Add spinach leaves and cook for a minute.
3. In the meantime, bring a separate pot of water to a boil and toss in the mee sua. Stir quickly for about 2 minutes. Drain and add the mee sua into the soup.
4. Add in the ikan bilis powder, stir, and turn off the fire.
5. Pour the mee sua into a bowl and crumble the egg yolk into the the mee sua.

Notes
* Ikan bilis powder was added for calcium and taste. It can be omitted if you do not have it.
* You can use water as the soup base if you do not have any stock.
* Mee sua is salty. Hence it is better to cook it in a separate pot of water to wash off some of the salt.
* The soup in the picture looks a bit pinkish due to the red spinach that I used.

Yummy mee sua at 11.5months

Our Weekend Pictures (29 - 30 Oct)

A fun-filled Saturday followed by a relaxing Sunday. How better could a weekend get?

Fun at Peekaboo! Caleb was a little scared of the balls and trampoline,
but enjoyed himself with the toys in the open space.

Daddy with baby @ Peekaboo

At least it was restful for the baby.
Mommy was not able to catch a nap in the afternoon. :(

Peekaboo was the start of Caleb's interest to pull things along as he walk. He looked so funny and cute doing that. These push toys are not really good, as the wheels do not have any traction and babies pushing them could just lose balance and fall flat on their faces. I really wonder why toy makers tout these as toys for kids to practice walking. Practice falling will be a better term. Anyway, I guess I have to start renting pull-along toys for him. :)

Diva - Help! My son, 8, is in a ‘relationship’

Diva - Help! My son, 8, is in a ‘relationship’

Kids these days are so exposed to matters that we were ignorant about when we were their age. They can read up about stuff that they do not know from the internet. They can watch "instruction" videos about things that arouse their interest. Gone are the days where kids have to ask their parents about things that they do not know. Gone are the days where we parents can give them vague, dismissing (don't ask; go and play with your toys) or weird answers (isn't "we found you at our doorstep one day" weird?).

I have a colleague with a 5 year old child, who already "likes" a couple of girls at his kindergarten! How early is that?!

I don't believe that we should dismiss their questions, but should answer them truthfully in a manner that can they can understand at their age. Haha! I don't know what I'll do when Caleb asks about the birds and the bees. But I do hope that he'll be at ease enough with me to ask. I hope that I do things right enough that my son will want to share about his 'relationship' with me.

Because it is only than that we as parents can check their growth, give them the right information, and hopefully, help to steer them in the right direction.

Caleb's First Birthday Preps

A big one or a small cozy one? Or to pass on it? That's the question that many of us go through when our little one is turning one. It's a small number, unlike the 60 years old or something as grand. But it's a year of hard work from both parents and child.

Parents, especially first-timers, have to endure sleepless nights, countless fears, tears and bickers with partners.I always wonder if I'm doing things right. If I'm giving him enough nutrients to grow, if I'm giving enough space to grow.

A baby is expected to triple his/her weight by the first birthday. That's already a tall order. Added to that, babies have to learn how to flip, crawl, stand, walk, eat solids, understand simple words, it's a wonder they have any time for sleeping!

With all these achievements, it's no wonder many parents decide to make the first birthday celebration a splashy one. But for us, a simple one with close family and friends means more to us than going all out. This page chronicles the things that we thought of and did, to commemorate Caleb's first birthday.

***************************

We're going to hold it at Somerset Grand Cairnhill, where I get to book units at staff rate. We were thinking of a BBQ, but decided to change it back to the usual buffet instead, as we didn't want to be at the weather's mercy.

After searching on the internet and asking around, many people seem to engage Pine Garden to bake the cake. Kiasu Parents actually made a list of the different bakeries that we parents could go to. How cool is that? We also went to Bengawan Solo, Prima Deli and Rive Gauche. We gave a passing thought to the current cupcake trend. Our main aim is to have a cake and eat it. Some children birthday cakes are so rich in icing and cream, that after scraping those away, guests are only left with a couple of mouths of cake. Bi likes the Orange Zest Chocolate Cake from Pine Garden. After some negotiation, we decided on Mango Chocolate Cake, as a way to combine the 2 of us. I love mango and Bi loves chocolate. Combine our likes, it's Mango Chocolate. Just like the 2 of us combined gives us our little boy. :D

These are the party supplies websites that we went through (and are currently deciding on theme and budget)
Kidz Party Store
The Party Stuff
Singapore for Kids
Party with Us
Party City
Bugs Party

We settled on Kidz Party Store and I've just ordered some simple decorations and balloons online. It's going to be so exciting!

Our Weekend Pictures (22 - 23 Oct)

Our cousins came over for pizza, PS3, basketball and fun. The babies had fun with one another and the toys too!

Sunday started slow, climbed to an exciting & wonderful afternoon and ended in a disappointment. We had a leisure dimsum breakfast at Zi Yuen Restaurant at 56 Lengkok Bahru. Caleb tried chee cheong fun (without the sauce of course), and he rather liked it! After breakfast, he had fun walking around the neighbourhood.

He refused his morning nap when we got home, and was rather clingy and grumpy throughout the afternoon, until his afternoon nap. The exciting part came from the Rugby World Cup final - France vs New Zealand. All Blacks WON!!!!!!!!!!! YES, YES YES! Les Bleus, we've paid you back for the insult last RWC. I did not get to watch the post-ceremony though, which was a disappointment. I so wanted to see McCaw lift the WE cup. Caleb was very clingy and kept refusing his dinner unless I'm with him. *signz*

Disappointment was for hubby, as Man U disgraced themselves 6-1 in their match against Man C.

Till the next weekend, or rather Wednesday, as it's a PH!

Restful Sunday started with Caleb taking his own bag to go to breakfast! hehe~

Diva - Teaching kids about money

Diva - How to teach kids about money

Diva - Teach your child about dollars & cents

A lesson that will cultivate a very important aspect of life. And it's a lesson that I have a few more years to plan. For now, let mummy splurge on the basic necessities and indulgent wants for you. :P

TV Discouraged for Babies

US doctors discourage videos for babies under two - Channel NewsAsia

No TV for you baby~ Doctors say so. :)

What Is The World Coming To?

These Heartless Chinese. I simply can't imagine how anyone can just walk around a little child who's lying on the ground, bleeding away. For god's sake, she's just a little girl. The people who walked by her didn't even take another glance at her, as if she's just a pile of rubbish on the floor.

I didn't want to watch the video at first. However, morbid curiosity egged me into watching, and boy, did I regret watching it. Having a child of my own, it's hard not to imagine my own being in the little girl's shoes. It's not hard to imagine how the mother feels right now. How helpless and angry at the driver and passerby the parents must be feeling now. Hit and run is very common. But being heartless enough to ignore a bleeding baby? I guess it's also very common in China, since almost 20 people did that in the video.

Critics said that the passerby may be afraid that they will be implicated if they help the little girl. Is calling for help or the police that hard? If they don't want to touch the girl, fine. Call for help! But no, they are just too busy passing by.

A quote from Martin Luther King, Jr - “Morality cannot be legislated but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.” If they can't educate and instill morality in these people, add/change the law. The passerby are as guilty as the drivers.

Our Weekend Pictures (15-16 Oct)

Good times always fly by just so quickly. Some parts of the weekend may be a routine, but it's never boring!

Saturday @ Home, PD, Sakae Sushi and Mac for dessert

Daddy & Baby - ice cream sharing
Daddy & Baby looking at each other while Daddy is eating
Baby: "I want that too!"
Daddy, blocking the dessert: "No, it's mine!!!!!"
Lesson learnt: Never come between a man and his hot fudge sundae.

Antics at Vivocity, Soup Spoon

Love Letters - 11 Months

I always tell my hubby, that we couldn't ask for a better kid.

You are (at least to us) the cutest little thing. You're funny and incite much laughter from us through your actions or "conversations" with us.

A darling who eases us into parenthood and let us take all credit for your good behaviour. I can't tell you how many times my friend, Diana, said that you are a good boy. You've adjusted well to each routine change and took to sleeping through the night with minimum protest when we introduced it. Even when you are sick, you'll smile, laugh and put us at ease.

A couple of weeks ago you started a habit of hugging us tight with your head resting on our shoulders before sleeping. You'll hold us close and kiss us at the end of your bedtime routine. It makes me feel all tingly and that I'll slay the world for you.

Thank you for being our baby. We love you very much. Happy 11 months!

Our Weekend Pictures (8-9 Oct)

Weekends passed just too quickly. Before you know it, it's time to prepare to sleep to go to work on Monday. But while it last, weekends are lovely. Be it a visit to the market after breakfast at the hawker center, or early Burger King breakfast at Jurong Point, or a stay-at-home-&-rest-all-day weekend.

This weekend, we tried a new dimsum place at 56 Lengkok Bahru. It was pretty okay, and there were no queues, unlike Red Star. We dropped by Ikea to buy a new high chair for Caleb. On Sunday, it was a restful one at home after the usual morning breakfast and marketing.

Looking forward to the next weekend! (or not, as we'll be bringing Caleb to the PD for his injection :X )

Caleb is as tall as his coconut tree!, Dimsum place, Ikea and Sleepy @ Anchorpoint

A stroll along Chinese Garden after dinner

Wordless Wednesday

Past photos of Caleb

14 Nov 2010

One Month Old

2 Months Old

2-3 Months Old

Favourite 3 Months Old pic

3.5 Months Old

4 - 5 Months Old

5 - 6 Months Old

6.5 Months Old

7 - 8 Months Old

8 - 9 Months Old