What I will remember about 2008

1. First time we did not do our tour of duty/visitations during CNY because both sons were ill with high fever.

2. First overseas holiday trip with Peanut - so looking forward to the next with both Peanut and Sweet Potato

3. First time I saw cherry blossoms in Washington, US

4. My mum turned 70 and had a dinner celebration

5. China hosted the Olympics - the opening show was awesome, lavishly extravagant - a sheer demonstration of China's political will and might.

6. F1 came to Singapore - urr, what was all the fuss for? To me, it was inconveniences. Just glad that my office is not at Suntec or nearby.

7. First visit with Sweet Potato to A&E at KK Children Hospital at 1am the day after Peanut's birthday celebration - the funniest coincidence was he was issued with '369' as registration number. The number in Hokkien reads ''Salakau" and is his nickname endearingly coined by my sister. It is the name of a secret society, not a flattering nickname, I'm afraid. See Wikipedia's entry for more details on the gang.

8. Babies die from milk laced with melamine and all sorts of diary products, biscuits and snacks were removed from supermarket shelves in Singapore and Hong Kong.

9. US has its first black President - what an inspiring victory speech. And about time that US has an intellectual and intelligent political leader. Hopefully, he'll go down in history as a wise and inspirational leader and not one who had a shoe (or 2) thrown at him.

10. 100 year-old companies disappear overnight and banks stop lending to one another. Totally unheard of.

11. Singapore lost its first citizen to acts of terrorism outside the country. It could have been anyone of us who travel quite a bit for work ... Time to top up life policies ...

What a year! Wonder what's in store in 2009 ...

The Bros

Be honest - Are You a Bad Guy?

Are You a Bad Guy

This a game devised by Peanut. He would come to one of us and ask, "Are you a bad guy?". If the answer is "yes", it means you have surrendered yourself to engage in a gun shoot-out and he would chase you around the house with his pointed finger as his weapon of destruction. If the answer is "no", he would move on to his next target/victim. Ummm ... how do you explain to a 3.5 y.o that a bad guy will not admit that he is one under ordinary circumstances ...

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Favourite Words

His favourite words for the week are "enemy", "disappointed" and "capsicum" - yes, you are right, there is absolutely no logical nexus except that they contain 3 syllables and more, but he happens to like the sound of these words. Illustration of how the word "disappointed" is used:

"Mama, you are on fire. I'm the fireman. I put out the fire. You are disappointed." I don't have the heart to tell him that he has used it wrongly ^-^

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Bargaining

This morning's exchange:
"Peanut, get up, it's time for school."
"I want to sleep some more. 10 more minutes."
"Mama is late for work."
"5 more minutes?"
"Remember the music on the radio (the alarm). I have let you slept for another 10minutes."
"1 minute?"
Isn't it wonderful to start a working day by engaging in a bargaining session? Just what I need to prepare me for the rest of the day ... But he's really sweet, he kept to his end of the bargain and jumped out of bed after a mere 10 seconds.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Weekend conversation in the car

We were on the way to pick up my mum for our weekly marketing:

"Popo's house is far away"
"No, it is near. Yipo's house is far away."
"Hmm. Airport is far away."
"Yes, that's right"
"Hong Kong is far away."
"Yes, Hong Kong is far away. We have to take an aeroplane."
"I want to sit aeroplane"
"Ok"
"Sit aeroplane, not see aeroplane"
"Ok"
"Must bring passport"

I was amused beyond words ...
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Sweet Potato's Dictionary of Words

Slowly but surely, here is my 17months and 1 week old's growing list of words (in sequence):

1. Den-deng - I know this can't really count as a word; it's more like a sound effect to announce something ...but that's how it started

2. O-oh - yes, another sound effect when something drops or breaks whether by accident or by design

3. Kor kor - Loud and clear. Yes, that's officially the first word and it ain't papa nor mama. Obvious who he adores most.

4. There - Most well used, represents everything, answers to what, where, when, how and why; complemented with a stretched out hand and a pointing finger.

5. Papa - Said with much affection and oft repeated in pairs if not triplets
6. Yeye - Ditto

7. Mama - Sparingly used; only for desperate occasions like to get out of the high chair when no one else is around.

8. Wait - Said and executed with amazing effect; like someone has pressed the 'Pause' button on the remote control. So glad that I taught him this word.

9. Nish - It is short for 'finish'; replaces the wrist-turning movement which represents 'no more'.

10. Nai Nai - initially said with a flat tongue hanging out.

11. Hot - Another useful word

12. Eat / egg / step / go / duck /head

Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar

In my adult life, there are 2 areas I suddenly find myself very ill-equipped and lacking knowledge in - dealing with pregnancy and parenting. During my first pregnancy, both husband and I were desperately browsing book shops, surfing the net, reading up and faithfully following "Super Nanny" on TV. My husband even bought 2 DVDs by Dr Harvey Karp - "The Happiest Baby" and "Happiest Toddler on the Block"; the latter was quite a favourite with toddler Peanut who enjoyed watching his contemporaries.

Now, there are a few precisous lessons which I learn and find very useful from "Super Nanny":

1. Be firm and consistent when setting boundaries

2. Spend dedicated time with each child - it makes him feel special and if I may add, do wonders in avoiding unnecessary attention-seeking mischief.

3. A rewards chart - a tool to achieve pre-set goals, will tell you more in another blog entry.

Am particularly religious with the 2nd lesson as Peanut is a sensitive kid. Every evening, or almost every evening, I'd spend individual time with each kid. And once a few months, we would have our special outings with Peanut alone - holiday trip to Hong Kong, dining out and recently attending a concert. I enjoy these outings as much as Peanut, especially the last.

It was a puppet show by Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia from Canada, comprising of 3 stories illustrated by Eric Carle - The Little Cloud, The Mixed Up Chameleon and The Very Hungry Caterpillar, especially for young kids. It had all the right elements - brightly coloured props and settings, lots of enthusiastic kids (who kept asking, "where's the caterpillar" throughout the 1st 2 acts, named every shape the clouds form and every animal that the Chameleon met at the zoo), engaging narration, interesting stories. They even had a Q&A at the end to explain how they work the puppets - so thoughtful; otherwise poor parents, like me, will be struggling to explain the intricacies of the art and trying to answer all the 'whys'!

Peanut enjoyed the performance so much that he kept asking to watch again. It was a huge improvement from his first concert attendance. Here are some photos from the Q&A. I was so engaged that I forgot to take photos of the earlier part on the caterpillar - alamak.

23 November

Someday ... in my twilight years, I hope to attend musicals and dance performances in the arms of a young man who not only do it because I ask him to, but because he truly enjoys the experience.

Papa's broken armchair is my ...

The original version goes like this:

"Row row row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily Merrily Merrily

Life is but a dream"

I was so amused when I heard Peanut's adapted version. In case, you have difficulty making it out, here goes:

"And when you see a crocodile, don't forget to scream. Help!"

The Unintended Hairdo

Peanut is the best kiddie customer a hairdresser can ask for. From as young as 10 months old, he would quietly sit for up to 30 minutes (that was the longest so far) and allow the hairdresser to do his/her stuff, bending his head this way and that. I have seen other kids screaming and struggling so much that the parent probably wished the child was never born. Nah,just kidding - I doubt any parent would feel that way. Though Sweet Potato did cause a strong desire on my part to dash out of the shop the first and the last time he had his hair cut. And I am so not looking forward to his next hair cut ... week after week, I convinced myself that he has no need for one notwithstanding that his hair is sticking out and half covering his ears. Let's wait till the hair covers his eyes and he starts knocking into the furniture ... well, maybe then I can make do with a hair pin and wait till the hair interferes with his consumption of food ...

Anyway, now that Peanut is capable of talking clearly and can be understood by strangers, I stood by and left him to answer the hairdresser's questions which went like this:

"Do you want (or was it 'like'?) colour?"
"Yes."
"What colour do you want?"
"Red"

And so this is the result:





Poor kid, he was so upset. Kept saying, "Mama, I don't want this hair." He was probably expecting to get a colouring book or some colouring pencils!

The Neverending Story

Here's a typical conversation when I drive Peanut around.

"Mama, why cars go on roads?"
"Not just cars; buses, motor cycles, lorries also travel on the road as they have wheels."
"Why?"
"So we can go to places in a short time"
"Why?"
"So you don't need to stay at home"
"Why"
"So you can go out with mama"
There was a pause. It was the opportunity/cue for me to break the chain of neverending questions with my own question.
"Why do you have so many questions? Why?"
Peanut pondered for a while and answered, "I cannot talk like you."

Less than 100metres away...

"Bicycles have wheels right?"
"Yes, they can go on the roads"
"My car cannot go on the road?"
"That's right. It's a toy car"

A short while later, at the lights,
"Mama, why do you stop?"
"Because it's red light"
"Why?"
"So the traffic on our left can go"
"Why?"
"We have to take turns."

Car rides are such a challenge! I simply love and hate them.

Communal Bath

Another first ...

Happy Halloween

End of the World

21 October

Ever since my 3 y.o has started mouthing words, he has been a real entertainment and live wire for the family. Hang on, I should rephrase that - before he was our Marcel Marceau, now he's our Tina Fey/Sarah Palin.

His first word was dada (for dad) followed by mama. Then came duck, more, mer (for milk), bao bao (carry me), no, moo-moo, woof woof, nai nai, popo, yiyo (for yima), yeye, tar (for car - he couldn't pronounce 'k' sound and substituted it with a silent 't'), down, up - in that order. He then progressed to his first 2-syllabus word - obar (open), enuf and started to string 2 words together - big tar (garbage truck). Sentences came next with "Mama, music pease." (when we were in the car) and "Mama, pease make milk for me (that was after he stopped referring to himself as a third person by name)." It took him a while to figure out "here" and "there", though surprisingly, he got his left and right immediately right. " "L" and "r" sounds were the next hurdles he learnt to overcome. Before that pillow was pi-o and we had quite a fair bit of peace (please). Now he's into words with 3 syllabus and beyond - that brings me to his current favourite phrase "To infinity and beyond" (Captain Buzz from Toy Story). But his first quote from the movies was, "Where's my food?" in the sternest voice he could master (but it still came out too sweet because of the smile that accompanied it) - mimicking the grasshopper from "A Bug's Life". His current favourite word is "difficult" (in addition to his usual "what happened" and "why"). He can even say hippopotamus and excavator clearly.

This morning, after having done his no. 2, he went: "Broken. Spoilt already... cannot flush. Everybody dies ..." See the similarity? It's about as logical as Sarah Palin's claim to foreign policy experience. And by the way, the toilet bowl was working fine.

Yummy Biscuits

Here's a recipe I adapted from the back of a box of Nestle Corn Flakes:

200 g plain flour, 1 tbsp cocoa/Milo powder (A)

2 cups Nestle Honey Gold cereal finely ground (I used Nestle Corn Flakes)
100g white cooking chocolate, chopped or Van Houten choc chips
100g raisins (I cut this to 40g. Alternatively, drop the choc - otherwise you may risk having hyper kids)
100g chopped walnuts (Optional - I didn't use any)

250g butter
100g caster sugar
1 cup Nestle Corn Flakes, coarsely crushed (Again, optional)
2 teaspoons Nescafe coffee mix with 2 teaspoons water (Optional - I didn't use any)

Preparation
1. Sift together ingredients A. Stir in Nestle Honey Gold cereal, chopped choc, raisins and chopped walnuts. Set aside. (B)

2. Cream butter, sugar and Nescafe coffee mixture until fluffy (This step is important. The lighter the mixture, the crispier the biscuit. I used a manual whisk and got help from husband, Sweet Potato and domestic helper. The hard work is well worth it). Fold in flour mixture B and mix well until soft dough forms.

3. Drop teaspoonful of mixture into crushed Nestle Corn Flakes and roll until well coated. (Skip this step unless you are baking for someone who is crazy about cereals! I suspect Nestle is trying to push sales ...)

4. Place teaspoonful of mixture on lightly greased baking trays, allow room for spreading.

5. Bake in preheated 180 deg C oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven and let it stand for 20 minutes or so.

It's real easy. I have done it 2x and got amazing feedback - "As good as Marks & Spencer", "Better than Mrs Fields", "Like Famous Amos" and to my surprise, even satisfied my most picky 'customers' - my husband and Peanut.

The Real Banana Boat

My best friend, Joshua.


Ummm... that smug look on the face, where have I seen that before? Right, my childhood photos!

Here's my boat

Fire! Fire!

Today's email update from Peanut's school

Dear parents,
We had a fire drill today (our second practice this year). The children responded positively and together with the teachers, followed the fire evacuation procedures well. The teachers have explained to the children about the drill and procedures they should follow when they hear the fire alarm in school. You may also like to highlight to your child about fire safety at home too.
Best regards

Huh ... my boy taking part in a fire drill?? I wonder if the kids are getting the right message. I certainly hope they don't think it is something fun. Come on, the school is housed in a 2 storey semi-D, not a skyscraper. I can almost imagine Peanut wanting to play fire fighter in the exercise ...

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

2 August 2008

It's our 2nd visit to this park. This time we brought grandma along. It was a super hot day and Sweet Potato looked, rather was definitely, overdressed in a thermal suit .. hahaha, no thanks to a kiasu mother. Peanut on the other hand was down to his shorts because I forgot to pack his swim wear. That last photo of SP asleep and the one before that of the park are taken by his kor kor. The Panasonic Lumix camera is truly fool-proof, though not child-proof.

Peanut and Mia

A song comes to mind ... "... and they call it puppy l-o-v-e "

Peanut's 3rd Birthday

Thank you,

Yipo (grandaunt) for the set of Bob-the-Builder clothes which mama says I'll have to wait 2 or maybe 3 years later to wear;

Sheryl and Sherlyn bil-yi (aunt) for coming despite being in the midst of their exams;

Ah B kor kor for finding time to join us;

Auntie Wati for shopping for a set of blue clothes which was my bd request;

Popo (grandma) for the fire engine with a really loud siren - which I chose;

Yima (aunt) for the bua-yi towel costume which will match perfectly with my bua-yi hat - perfect costume for Halloween;

Ye-ye (grandpa) for another pen to my collection of pens that are not to be used;

Nai-nai (grandma) for the choo choo trains jigsaw puzzle which can join up to form a 9-feet long train;

Kow-gong (granduncle) for the play-doh barbeque set - you know I always enjoy cooking;

Elaine Bil-yi for the Sesame Street book;

Auntie J and TT for the fire engine book and the Sesame Street book which comes with a camera - how did you guess that I'm into fire engines (amongst trains, aeroplanes, helicopters, cars, motor bikes, excavators, trucks, car-carriers)?

Mama for the wall decor and the bd cake - just what I wanted;

and the ang-pows from nai nai, popo, gu-che (aunt) - I wonder how many toys I can buy with the money ... maybe a Maserati when I'm old enough to drive one. Mama and I just checked it out a week back, but she says I can't buy it with my 10 cent coin;

and most of all, everyone for coming to my bd party though it must be really boring for them; luckily the food mama catered from Deli Hub was yummy.

From Mama to Peanut:

Thank you, because of you,

I am constantly reminded of the joy and comfort of a simple hug and kiss on the cheek

I actually enjoy preparing for bd parties .. and I thought I was done with organising a party for life after my wedding dinner party

I can finally sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Chinese

I learn how to take 'no' for an answer repeatedly without the slightest dent to my self-esteem

I get to sharpen my negotiation skills, practice quick-thinking all the time

I have healthier home cooked meals with less salt, less sugar, less seasoning and a diet with more fruits

I understand the importance of being organised, planning ahead, making contingency plans .. and learn to be at peace even if things don't turn out as planned

I become more responsible for my actions and my words as I feel like a pair of tiny eyes and ears are following me everywhere. Bless you, you are more effective than a religious preacher. No wonder people say a baby is a God-sent.

I discover the luxury of having a bath or taking a pee without being disturbed

I become more humble as I realise there is so much that I don't know, each time you asked, "why?"

I started this blog ... and amazed my techy husband who is able to take a computer apart and build it up from scratch.

Small Talk

Teacher: "Who is this?"
Peanut: "My brother"
Teacher: "What is his name?"
Peanut: "Didi"
_________________
Security guard, Tiru teasing Peanut: "Can I take your brother home?"
Peanut: "No, he is mama['s] son."
Tiru: "What about you?"
Peanut: "No, I'm papa['s] son."
________________________
Just before bedtime.

Mama: "Let's go to bed."
Peanut: "No, there's a monster inside the room."
Mama: "But you are the monster."
Peanut: "No, I'm Chen Yi."
___________________
Peanut's Dream talk

From infant to 19 m.o : "eh .... er...erm"
20 m.o: "No no no"
24 m.o: "No auntie, no auntie"
2.5 y.o: "I don't want auntie. Don't want"
3 y.o minus one month: "I don't want to drink this. This is yours, mama."

Quite apart from the advancement in language skills, can't help but notice the consistent "NO" theme. The other day, my sister reminded me of how 18 m.o. Peanut couldn't say "Yes" nor was he capable of nodding his head to indicate "yes". Instead, for the longest time (until he was past 2), he would slowly bow from his waist - just like how a Japanese would greet another Japanese - except that it is done with his face looking up at you as if he has a stiff neck. It takes a lot of physical effort, literally, for my Peanut to say 'yes'; trust me, I'm not exaggerating. I wish I have a photo to show; it was really hilarious.

The Farm

28 July 2008

Peanuts was so excited about the trip. From the moment he arrived at school this morning, his standard greeting to every teacher was, "I'm going to the farm." And every other 3 minutes or so, he would ask, "Where's the bus, mama?" Am I glad that I didn't tell him about the trip until the night before, just when he was going to bed.

On the bus, I learned from his Teacher Vivien (a student attachee from the polytechnic) that he had made repeated requests for her to play "Old McDonald's" on her guitar and happily sang along, choosing each farm animal at the appropriate pauses.

It was only when we arrived at our destination that I realised we were visiting a koi farm! I should have known better. What farms can I expect in urban Singapore, except for vegetables and chickens?? Luckily there was a special programme for school kids - (a) a show and touch of white mice, gerbils, hamsters and rabbits and (b) a feeding session where the kids are allowed to hand feed rabbits, chickens, goose and of course, koi. Phew! Though that didn't stop Peanuts from asking a couple of times (which was totally reasonable and manageable), "Where is the cow? Where is the pig?". Lesson learned - never forget to manage a young child's expectations.

Four Firsts for Sweet Potato

20 July 2008 - First haircut ... and mama brought me to EC House ($10 cut in less than 10 mins). I had no idea what was coming and was happily rocking to the music. Then the lady began the torture with the electric shaver. Believe me, I cried so hard that no one, not even mama, could pacify me. Bet you I even frightened the adults in the queue. Mama forgot all about her plans to take 'after' photo and had to scramble out as I was beyond consolation at the end of the ordeal. Almost forgot to add ... first time I see Auntie Wati in a dress.

13 July 2008 - First Unaided Climb + bonus first taste of beef pie ... at Starbucks

13 July 2008 - First Independent Steps ... at Botanic Gardens

18 May 2008 - First Four Teeth ... mama forgot to take a photo of me with just my first tooth.

RSAF Open House

31 Aug 2008

I made his day, with the help of someone above who made sure that it rained intermittently and with logistics support from indulgent family members (my mum and sister) and domestic helper in tow - who walked through mud, braved the crowd, carried umbrellas, stroller, camera and a sleeping Sweet Potato (who as usual slept through most part of the adventure).

To be sure, this is a day which goes down in history as THE DAY for each of us as we make our first visit to a RSAF Open House. Ah, but there has been many firsts - like the first visit we made to SAM (Singapore Art Museum) by the same people except that I carried Sweet Potato in my womb then. It is fascinating how having a child made such enormous differences in our lives and made us do things which we (certainly the case for my mum and my domestic helper) may not get to do, want to do or even think of doing.

Just for the records, there was an amazing array of display of fighter jets, F16s, Apaches, Chinooks, armoured tanks, helicopters and of course endless queues of adults and children waiting to get into each.

The Pianist

A private (and, may I add, talented) performance by Sweet Potato in pyjamas ... urged on by an enthusiastic Wati .. accompanied by singing from his grandaunt ... and captured by a proud mother.

School is fun ...

Since the beginning of this month, Peanut has been attending 5 half-day playschool instead of 3. I enjoy sending him to school each morning as I watch the parade of parents with their mini-me's - it's like travelling back in time to see the child version of the adult.

One morning, Peanut brought a hard boiled egg for his breakfast and here is the exchange with his teacher:

Teacher: Where did the egg come from?
Child pointed to his lunch box: "Here."
Teacher: Who gave you the egg?
Child enthusiastically replied: Auntie Wati
(Teacher raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. Child's mother explained that Wati is the dosmestic helper.)
Teacher, still hopeful to elicit the answer she's looking for: Which animal gives you the egg?
Child was silent. (Child's mother trying hard to resist laughing)

The Ladybug Class

Here's the class of the Ladybug. Caroline(4th from left) eats only plain rice and gets her nutrition from milk. Barnabas (to Peanut's left) seems to be Peanut's playmate - outgoing and confident kid, that one. He was 'perming' my hair with a toy hairdryer at our very first meeting. And the kiddo in the extreme left - I suspect that's Jarryd. Totally independent, he has his own idea on what to do in class - always wondering off and doing something different from the rest. Reminds me of the other boy in Peanut's ex-school. Girls, somehow, are more conforming, more eager to please. And Peanut - he is just one of the regular toddlers, at times shy, at times confident, at times cheeky, at times obliging, at times clingy, at times independent ... phew!

All about me

Here is a form which I had to complete to register Peanut for his play school:

All about me because I'm Special

The special name I call my mummy is: mama
The special name I call my daddy is: papa
My best friend's name is: Auntie Wati (domestic helper)
The things I do well are: listening to instructions, art & craft
The things I enjoy are: riding my motorbike, playing at the playground, story-telling before bedtime
My favourite food are: noodle, egg, cheese, yoghurt, fruits
But I dislike vegetable
My favourite toy / game is: train, ball, aeroplane
Songs I enjoy are: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Rain Rain Go Away, Old McDonal
I have a pet, its name is Moogi (dog)
My worries and fears are: (left blank - couldn't think of any)
Other interesting things about me: I make my own milk. I enjoy cooking. I know the names of the different engines in Thomas the Train - Thomas, James, Percy, Gordon, Duncan, Bertie, Clarabel, Harold. I like to draw cockroaches.
My family would like me know more about (language, maths etc): loving and playing with my younger brother, Chenwei.

Happiness is ...

I was pleasantly surprised 2 weeks back when I returned home from work and discovered that SP could clap his hands. Before I became a parent, this would have been a strange statement for me. It's like urr, why should anyone be surprised? What's the big deal? But as a parent who has observed how her baby has developed his motor skills from day 1, when the bundle seems totally unaware of his digits, to discovering his fingers, learning to control his grasp, passing object from one hand to the other - each is a milestone and in all, a delightful journey of learning/discovery. I digressed.

Back to clapping. Initially, I thought the maid taught him. Afterall, my maid is superbly patient and has taught my elder son a couple of things - mastering shape sorting toys, numbers, songs. I was surprised (again) that he picked it up from watching a video with nursery rhymes and songs, in particular - When you're happy and you know it ... And he sure enjoys the song "Old McDonald" with all the animal sounds. It's a joy to watch how he interacts with the video - sometimes waving his hands, at other times rocking his body and even laughing. I remembered how we were religiously following kid experts' advice against exposing young children (less than 2) to TV/video watching when we were raising Peanut, making sure that he kept to 15mins at most in one session (and I believe that was when he was 15 m.o or so). The experts believe that TV/video watching kind of slow the mind and deprives the child of learning through human interactions/play. I suppose that is a general observation which does not apply to Sweet Potato. At the end, every child is unique. Oh, need I state the obvious? We are a lot more relaxed with the 2nd child.

Big Boss Small Boss

Here is a directive earnestly issued by Peanut to me on Sunday,"Next time, don't press lift, don't open door." You see, he is now tall enough to press the button for the lift and he is also able to open the heavy car door of our Volvo. That elicited a comment from my maid that he is the small boss. My response? No, he is the BIG boss because he is the boss's boss!

Having been subjected to all these assertions of self-independence from Peanut for several months and from SP for a few months, I have utterly amazed myself in that I still find it all so amusing. It takes tons of humour (patience is a given) when it comes to bringing up kids - it's THE way to keep your sanity. Someone tells me that your child is what you deserve. Well, I think she is absolutely right. Poor husband has to cope with a bossy wife and 2 bossy sons. Wonder what's his secret to keeping his sanity...

SP is another character. He'll be turning one in a week's time but he's sure slow at speech. His linguistic vocab is limited to "bao bao" (as in carry me) and "kor kor" (strange kid, can't call mama but can call his brother). I remembered distinctly how contented and elated I was when Peanut called me 'mama' at 8 m.o. But ah, SP has no problem communicating his wants and needs. Even as a 2.5 months old infant, he used to push the milk bottle away if he didn't want his milk - which was often because he wanted to be breastfed. And when he started on solids at 5 m.o, he would turn his head and shoved the spoon away when he had enough. If we didn't get the message, he would start to yell. When he needs to reach for something he can't get, he'll pull my hand towards the object. Crying is of course his best weapon of defence against Peanut's bullying. SP, however, is superb at his motor skills, he is able to twist and turn buttons/switches, climb up every stool, sofa, cupboard or any small ledge he can land his foot on, pulls and pushes at the tabs in the books and pick up the tiniest scrap of dirt using his thumb and forefingers in a pincer grasp. In short, hands-full.

My First Baking Experience

21 June 2008

Never knew baking scones could be so easy. All it took was a simple recipe, some measuring and mixing. Using the cookie cutters was just as fun for me as it was for Peanut. My only distant memories of my cooking/baking lessons in secondary school was baking rock buns and appreciative comments from supportive family members - something about 'no wonder it's called rock buns'. Btw, that was also the last time I baked anything! Tiramisu doesn't count since it did not involve any baking.

Father and Son

6 June 2008

They share the same thought.

My New School

Photos sent via email to me by Peanut's new school, Pre-School By the Park, of Peanut on his first day at school yesterday.

Looks like he's totally adjusted to his new environment and friends. For the 1st time, he said this morning, "Mama, I want to go school." This is exceptional from someone whose oft repeated phrase alternates between "I don't want" and an emphatic "no"; and when he desires something, it's a disinterested "ok".

Especially like the 2nd photo. There's something unusually sweet about it - to have one toddler driving (oops, I mean pedaling - like a modern trishaw?) another as passenger ... Peanut seems to be learning to share. Here is another piece of evidence:

It's pretty good value for money - $1 coin ride for 2. But that look on Peanut's face - priceless!