Another Trip to the Zoo with the SOH Family

Mike sms us last Sunday and was keen to know what time we will be at the zoo. By right, we should be at the zoo when he msg us at about 10 plus. Well, we were so late last Sunday cos we were over-stretched with classes and shopping last Sat!

It was an impromptu arrangement and we met the Soh family at the zoo at noon time. The weather was cloudy, with a little breeze. There was a big crowd at the zoo and the carpark was packed with cars and taxis!!

It was great to see the couple and their son again since our last meet up at Mommy Aik's house during CNY. See their handsome looking son, Marcus! He has very sharp feature, very inquisitive at this age, and he is a charming boy juz like his daddy =D *Yvonne, u r so lucky* heeheee ...

Look! I am Standing!

Excuse Me, Artist At Work!!

It was too early for anything this morning and we decided to work on Beatrice's aesthetic development.

Didn't know that Beatrice loves to draw and got style some more when she is at work! Haahaaa ... looks serious too!

Our little princess was so engrossed till she doesn't even want to have her shower and to play with her favourite bubbles!! And daddy has to give in to her after asking to have the crayon return. It is her birthday today and she is the princess mah =D hahaaahaaa ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to YOU, BEATRICE!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEATRICE!!!

Our little princess is officially One Year old today! Didn't know i have aged 1 yr & 10 months liao! heeheheee... Anyone wish to send Beatrice a birthday wish? You may do so in the comment and we will read to her =D

Beatrice is a joy to us and to all who knows her! She is a very happy and smiley baby who loves to sing, dance, learn and have lots of fun! Yes! Lots and lots of fun, she is a fun loving baby =P

Our lifestyle has changed ever since we have our daughter. Not really that great and drastic like some experience, but juz a little and enough to spice up our daily lives. In the past, we used to shop for hours and would indulge in movies every weekend before we were parents. Now, we would shop and catch a movie or two during the weekdays. And our precious weekends are now spend catching up with the loss time spend with Beatrice. In fact, we seem to have been swirled into and are so engulfed in the world of nursery rhymes, children story books, all that parenting tips and tricks where we could learn and gather from books, magazines and even forums! So much so that whenever we have our private talk sessions, it would evolve around the topics of where to bring her, to the zoo or bird park, how to coach our baby, what toys and books to buy for her and the list goes on and on and on ... We are always so happy and would always look forward to having Beatrice back home every weekend. Not to mention holidays =) Now that she is much older and knows what "play" is all about, it makes our activities and role play with her more fun and enjoyable!

Let us walk you through Beatrice milestones of her first year.

1. How has Beatrice grown?

Weight: @ Birth 2.5kg, @ 1 mth 3.1kg, @ 3mths 6.6kg, @ 6mths 8.6kg, @ 9mths 9.7kg and @ 12months 11.8kg.
I think my mom has done a great job in looking after my baby. From a mere birth weight of 2.5kg, now Beatrice is so chubby and healthy! Thanks Mommy :D

2. Beatrice understands the following questions when ask:

Do you want to shower? Do you want milk milk? Have you finished poo poo? Do you want to eat? Where is the light? Where is the door and window? Where is the room where you sleep? Do you want to sleep? Where is your swing? Where are your shoes?

3. Commands Beatrice understands:

Let's go. Arms up. Look up and down. Get up. Turn around. Pinch my nose. Do not pull my hair. Do not put your fingers into your mouth. Hi-Five. Shake hands. Pick up. Shake and nod your head. Laugh. Yawn. Sneeze. Sing and Dance. Peek a Boo. Point to your eyes, nose, ears, hair, knees and toes. Clap hands. Tap the drum. Tap your knees. Wave goodbye. Give flying kisses. Kiss and hug. "Sayang".

4. Words Beatrice would say:

Nan nan (milk), mum mum (eat), bao (carry), door, dog, hippo, duck, moo (cow), baabaa (sheep), bird, mouse (for mickey mouse), car, bus, tree, dad dad or daddy, mama (grandmom), nai nai (granny), book, spoon, poo, boo (for peek a boo), ball, clay (animated clay on playhouse disney channel), apple, hammer, bubbles, no more and elmo.

5. Beatrice motor skill:

Crawling, climbing, Walking with assistance or aids, Standing without aids.

Beatrice was the greatest gift to me last year when she was delivered a day before Mother's Day. And for this year, she has also given her mommy the best gift ever a day before Mother's Day again! My little princess actually stood up on her own for about 10 sec yesterday unaided in her music class! It happened while I was chatting with a mommy when I notice that Beatrice was making a squatting action (which she has been doing it), and the next sec, boom... she stood up! She was looking at me, smiling and standing so tall and straight ;P I witnessed it with thrill together with her teacher and other mommies. They applauded for her and Beatrice even clapped for herself! I guess she must be very very proud of her achievement like I do! In fact, she has been making that squatting action for the passed two months and struggled to stand on her very own without any furniture or aids nearby. And each time when I was about to bring Beatrice home, my mom would keep reminding me to make sure that I have to watch out for her in case she really really stand. Now I have to caution her liao. Haahaa... Well! Beatrice, your determination has paid off! Great job My Darling!!

Today is Beatrice's birthday, Daddy and Mommy would like to wish Beatrice great joy throughout her learning experiences and great health always! We Love You Dearly and Always!

Beatrice loves to look Pretty Pretty!!

Let's Walk Walk Walk ...

Beatrice says "No More"

Great Tasting Elmo!

For those mommies and daddies preparing for your little tots first birthday or those of you out there who juz wanna pamper your family with great tasting dessert! Check this out! We ordered this Elmo agar agar from James Chan and his wife. The agar agar taste so yummy! Not so sweet, great texture and we love it! The price is between $35-$45 includes delivery, and Elmo weighs 2.5kg. Beatrice loves Elmo, and we don't even dare to cut Elmo and eat it infront of her =) If anyone of you is interested, you may sms James @ 97887807! Have fun and Enjoy!

Beatrice's First Taste of Durian

Beatrice's first taste of the pungent smelling fruit, Durian! hahaaa.. she loves it leh! Must be that acquired taste that runs in the family. heeheeee...

Beatrice's First Visit to the Singapore Zoo

Look how Happy Beatrice was when she was at the Singapore Zoo last Sunday, 06th May 2007 !

We were at the Singapore Zoo last Sunday and it was Beatrice's first visit to the zoo! She was in awe when she saw the Orang Utans, Tigers and Hippos! Guess she must be wondering how come these animals are not in the goggle box like she uses to watch on the National Geographic channel :D hahaaa... our goggle box kiddo gets to see the real animals in action ...

Beatrice loves to look at the animals and mimic the sound of a tiger's roar, and saying "Ppo..." when she saw the hippo!

Yes! It was indeed a fun filled day for us @ the zoo! Larry and I last visited the zoo like 10 over years ago during our courtship days! And there were so much changes @ the zoo! Anyway, you will get to see us more often now that we have become members of the zoo!! Wonderful isn't it ;P heeheeheeeee ...

Well, juz like Wong LiLin and Allan Wu who bring their kids to the zoo every week! Beatrice will have more chance to be up close with those animals! Come and join us! And have fun with education @ the zoo. You get to exercise too while walking up slope and down slope with your babies to the animal trail =)

pssst ... we even say Jaslyn, the Mediacorp artist with her group of friends! She is so tall and pretty (",)

The Fun and Joy of Learning!

Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

"Babies love to learn new things, because of the joy that learning brings"

Yes! Our little Beatrice loves to learn! She loves to verbalize the way we talk and the way we do things. And she learns through "copying"!

Ever heard of "Monkey see, Monkey do"? I am sure you have and this is exactly how babies learn. They copy every single actions we do and they would say every word they hear. Not instant, but of course, after several observations and repetitions where they would "retrieve" that information from their memories and viola! You see yourself very much portrait by your little one in both words and actions. Scary ... Indeed! That's why we are xxxx-xtra careful nowadays when we talk and act in-front of our little one.

Let me share this interesting incident with you. Well, Larry and I was chatting and laughing away with Beatrice in my arms one day. And because I was teased, I gave Larry a "smack" on his shoulder with my available hand. Guess what! My little one leaned a step back, took a look at me while I was still laughing away, and then she gave a light "smack" on her Daddy's shoulder too! Woooow ... Beatrice might have different interpretation of that action! I was shocked and quickly stroke Larry's shoulder and told Beatrice, "Beatrice, let's sayang Daddy. Sayang ... sayang ..." Hoping that my little one will forget about what has happened early on. Learning how to mimic is through observation, and babies are good at this!

Has anyone ever wonder how come babies are born with such magnificent innate abilities and reflexes? Well, ever since I have my little one, I have been wondering and my learning curve has been "expolated" to a new height. I am learning and experimenting the way my baby learns every single weekend when she is back home. Looking at the video clip in this post, I have been exploring into the ways Beatrice learns to verbalize. When she was much younger, I used to read and emphasize the words to her. Now that she is much older, I see results in the effort I had put in. Beatrice learns to talk early (well, experts say early talker is not equal to intelligence) and every time when I introduce new word, she will look at my mouth very closely and then she will verbalize the word I say. Isn't it interesting? It is to me, very much and I juz love to share as much words to her as she wants to learn! Now that our little one is capable to say words with 2 syllabus, we will be introducing more words to expand her vocabulary and perhaps soon enough, you will get to hear her says "banana"!

Well, these may all seems so "kiasu" but I guess all parents want to give the BEST to their children, and me too ... hehehe ... Maybe this is the effect of reciprocation! With results, one tends to give more ... hahaaa...

Well, we watch the spidey show a few days ago and the "sandman" showed his fatherly love of wanting to cure his sick daughter by turning into a robber. Hmmm, even the poor is hoping to give the BEST to their children, what to say about the rest! So, Mommies and Daddies, try to read and teach your little ones when they are very young. Remember, they are like sponge and they are never tired of learning!

Babies love to learn new things, because of the joy that learning brings!