Good enough to be packaged

It wasn't me! I must admit I probably would have done the same minutes later, but someone else beat me to it this time. Lucas my dear, we just couldn't resist, please forgive us. You look great as ever we promise.

The worst of the whatever-bug that got us all sick for weeks is over (i hope!). Lucas and I still has the lingering cough and stuffy nose but as long as the fever and aches stay away, I am good to function. I sprang into full-gear housecleaning since yesterday...ah...I miss my vacuum cleaner. Lucas has been acting up with little tantrum whines lately and I suspect it's partly due to him being not 100% well and also he probably is bored of being cooped up at home the past couple of days whilst we were all trying to get out of the rut. He hasn't been on a playdate, nor met any of his buddies for a while now. We are ready to roll in the New Year!

2007 has been an exciting year. Well, mostly the excitement came from experiencing Lucas and gaining new insights from raising a child and learning to see through his little eyes. There is a great sense of achievement and fulfillment just by watching him grow and I am looking forward to experiencing his toddlerhood; the years with perhaps the greatest challenges for a parent. Despite the seemingly endless hours of looking after a baby, I am gratified that I did find the time and energy somehow to proceed with my business expansion plans in 2007. Things are going well on the work-front and I cannot be thankful enough to be able to work from home and enjoy my time as a mother at the same time.

I am excited to welcome 2008. It will be an interesting year ahead, lots of plans, plenty of resolutions made.

Wishing everyone good health, lots of love, and happiness in the New Year!

How does the soup taste today, dear?

I am not breathing through my nostrils at the moment. They (the nostrils) have become victims of acute tissue attack. I think I have lost my sense of smell and taste at the same time too. Good news is that Edwin is on the better road of recovery and Lucas looks like he is over the worst. He ran a pretty high fever last night which got me all nervous. But being the trooper he is, he slept through the night with just a few grunts in between. I was too nervous to sleep last night after seeing him in such discomfort and not his usual self when I put him down to bed. Today was a better day for Lucas but looks like I am the one who needs to speed up on the recovery route. I am tired of blowing my nose and hearing my ears pop.

On a brighter note, here are some of Lucas' developments lately:
1. He is learning the animal sounds now and am able to respond with either the name of the animal or the sound. Duck, cow, and dog are the only ones he knows at the moment. Although it truly sounds like "mo-mo" instead of "moo-moo" but it's the sweetest thing when he so eagerly says it!
2. I have started him on organic homo milk on his sippy cup and he loves it.
3. He is beginning to identify more objects around the house when we ask him where they are. I am truly amazed how fast babies can recall from just one instance of identification!

Happy Birthday Viola!

Viola turned one last week and we were there to celebrate with the Tansumas!

Lucas and Viola met when they were about 3 months old and voila they have both graduated to become little toddlers now! It has been great watching you grow and develop into such a pretty, vivacious little girl, Viola. May you continue to bring joy and love to your Daddy and Mommy!

And the cake...wow. That is an awesome-looking cake and it tasted really good too!

Christmas in bed

It has been a fuzzy few days past. Between popping pills, downing water, trying to entertain Lucas and look after my coughing other half at the same time I don't remember much. Edwin has sick. It probably started a week back but he continued to work and not see the Doc, claiming it will help him recover. And no he did not. I think he got worse and after battling to fight off the bug from him for a week, my body finally succumbed to it on Christmas day. Lucas has been well until today. We are all going in to see the Doc tomorrow. If I can get my body out and moving tomorrow morning.

Eat, drink, be merry! Merry Christmas to everyone!

This one is for you, Elaine

Thank you for the presents!!

Just in time for Christmas too :)

Lucas got to open his present before Christmas because Mommy couldn't wait! Thank you!

"So good I would pay $10 to eat this"

Says Edwin. But he already had a mouthful in his mouth and did not pay a single cent. We have been really fortunate to be able to savour such craved-for Singapore food whipped up by our dear friend Wendy. It was really really good. Perfect. Even the chilli was home-made. Awwwww. I am so hungry now.

Surprise!

I love opening parcels. Especially when they arrive outside my doorstep and even if it was addressed to Lucas. Thank you Kah Wei!!!

My man's tribute to Dan Fogelberg

Great singer and songwriter, Dan Fogelberg passed away on Sunday at the age of 56. Edwin is a big fan of Mr Fogelberg and I am a big fan of Mr Fong when he plays his guitar.

He was playing rock on his electric guitar when we first met. Then age caught up and he drifted towards classical and started to fiddle with the violin and cello and miraculously accomplished these instruments on his own in less than 2 years. I was stunned when I returned from Germany and was invited to attend his first Orchestra performance. But I still prefer him strumming on his good old acoustic guitar. It reminds me of those days when he would serenade to me (hahahahah) and get caught by the disciplinary master in school. Gone are those romantic, hair-raising, heart-racing days! We are over-the-hill wrinkled parents who rush through dinners and the only thing remotely ever going to make me skip a heartbeat is probably my super-duper cute son.

Photos from Lucas' 1st Birthday Party

Thank you, Elisa, Desmon and Carolyn for taking the photos!

Why are Christmas songs so therapeutic

I took a night-out on my own yesterday and it felt really good. Although I am actually quite deprived of sleep right now and running on adrenalin after coming home pretty late. I decided to join some friends at their post Christmas dinner party after putting Lucas to bed. For some reason, I really enjoyed my drive to my friend's place. Maybe because Christmas songs were playing all night on the radio or maybe the lavender body lotion I had on really worked to send relaxation signals to my brain. Whatever the reason was, I stayed in my car for 5 minutes after I reached my destination dreaming of "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" and wanted to sleep in my seat.

The next morning I woke up and there were no roasted chestnuts or hot chocolate and reindeers, but the following made my day. I walked in to pick Lucas up from his morning nap this morning and there he was standing in his crib, holding his blankie buddy smiling at me. Next, he started pointing around his room and said "car", "book", "ball" all at once. Ok, smartie-pants, you have made Mommy's day.

Just so I can remember

Lucas' vital statistics @ 1-year of age :

Height : 29 inches

Weight : 21Lbs

What he has accomplished in his 1-year of age:

1. Sleeping through the night from 7pm-7am since 6-months-old.

2. He is able to say 9 words - "duck", "dog", "ball", "more", "book", "car", "mama", "bowl", "banana" (which sounds more like "a-nana") . His all-time favourite is still "ball" and "more".

3. He is able to stand momentarily on his own unsupported.

4. He is walking (aided) whilst pushing his car or some object.

5. He is feeding himself with finger foods like biscuits and fruits and learning to use the spoon.

6. Drinking from a straw since 10 months of age.

7. He recognises images from photographs and flash cards.

8. He signs for milk and has his own version of "all done".

9. Bounces and moves to his favourite music.

10. Claps his hands.

11. Goes on his potty twice a day.

When he was a day old and one year later

Happy 1st Birthday Lucas!

In all our excitement to have Lucas blow his first candle, we realised we do not have a photo of us and the birthday boy with his first cake on our camera today. We held a little birthday party for Lucas @ Gymboree Play & Music and invited some of his little buddies. I will post more photos from his party later when Mommy me gets organised and settle down from the frazzle and excitement from today.

I am glad we decided to hold his party at Gymboree versus home. It's great to have such open space and play area for the kids to explore, play and the planned activities hosted by Gymboree coaches were great and kept the kids intrigued and happy. We had just a teeny problem. The birthday boy was not in a perky mood today. When Daddy disrupted his morning 2-hour power nap today, I freaked out. By the time the party started, Lucas started to get sleepy and clung on to us. He was done. No parachute cake spin, bubbles, bounce, rock was going to excite him.

After we got home and after his nap, he was all ready for his presents. Thank you for all your lovely presents!!

Dear Lucas,
It has been an amazing year with you. It is a real adventure to watch you grow and develop into your own little self. Thank you for opening up a whole new world for us, for bringing so much joy and love to our lives. The next 12 months is going to be a greater adventure for you and for us, as you discover the world of independent mobility on foot and expand your vocal abilities. We look forward to sharing your little world of new discoveries.

We love you, boy boy.
Mama and Daddy.

One year ago today

Lucas turns one tomorrow. I can't help but think about what I did, what I am (was), and what happened one year ago today.

I had so many false alarms it wasn't fun at all. All the drama imagined of a screaming pregnant woman being wheeled into the labour room (and having a baby within seconds) did not happen. I waddled into the hospital thinking I have had enough contractions to make the baby make his exit and was sent home in disappointment (twice). I was already almost 5 days past my due date and my sister and family were anxiously waiting for the little one to make his appearance since they flew all the way from Singapore to witness his birth.

At this very moment, one year ago, I was probably lying on the hospital bed hooked up to some machine and hoping the doctor will not send me home. He did not. By this time, my belly was so huge and I was so tired from the waiting that I just wanted to lay on the bed and wait out the contractions. For those who saw me pregnant may know I was completely out of proportions and was getting too big for my little body by the end of my pregnancy.

Our little guy took his time to get out of me. He was born at 12:52pm the next day on 9th December. I am excited about tomorrow being his first birthday and being a day to remind ourselves what a wonderful year it has been, what a change Lucas has made to our lives, and how much I have fallen in love with this little person.

Are we done yet?

Lucas didn't know what to make of the falling snow. He looked stunned. Sometimes I wonder what is going on in his little mind.

His excitement of being in the supermarket cart lasts for about 8 minutes. After which, we have a squealing baby with a grouchy face. Complete boredom at check-out.

I am a shopaholic in the supermarkets. I need a pantry as large as the kitchen. I do have an unfinished basement where I stock up. I am not sure why.

How and when do you say "No"

"My son is so slim" - so says Lucas' "lao dou" aka "old bean" aka "Daddy" (a name I learnt from a friend which I find really amusing). Where has all his chubbs gone? If he will be anything like his Dad, he will probably turn out to be a "slim" toddler with skinny legs. I didn't know I missed his chubbs until I looked at his younger photos. He is not even a year but he has tons of photos in the computer. I have not been diligent enough to print and organize his photo album yet. It's still bright red on my To-Do list which just seems to get longer by the day. What happened to my 'super organizer' skills? Did it all disappear with the magical world of motherhood.

Lucas loves his banana which he calls "nana" and points eagerly at whenever he is in close proximity to the fruit basket in the kitchen or when hungry mama grabs one for her snack. He tries to feed Abby now with his left-over crumbs or if he is bored with whatever Mommy has given him. Abby is such a sweetheart and so gentle with Lucas. I am wanting to believe my son has some inclination towards music. Hopefully he takes after his Daddy in this department. He does have some sense of rhythm when he bounces to music and claps his hands - so I would like to think haha. He has been introduced to the strings of violin, cello and guitar.

I am entering the zone of how do I say "No". Lucas is exploring and discovering "forbidden zones" like the cupboards, toilet bowl, and electronic devices. Daddy seems to have a better grip on this than I do.

There is something about falling snow

We had this much snow over the weekend. It's all gone now with the rain and temperature rising to almost 10 degrees celsius. It was a pretty sight from indoors. Made me feel all fuzzy inside. But driving was a nightmare especially when we don't have snow tires. Yes, we don't. I don't think we ever had snow tires on any of our cars. The Vancouver we used to know didn't used to have so much snow or we didn't need it in all our years here. But the weather is turning freaky. We drove out yesterday in the middle of heavy snowfall because we had to go to a birthday party (or rather Lucas' buddy's birthday party). Half-way down the hill, my heart started pounding really heavily. The roads have not been cleared (yet) and the car was hardly moving. I think we practically slided our way down. Forecast is for better weather and sunshine for later part of the week. YAY!

Happy Birthday Larry & Lucas!

We celebrated Larry's & Lucas' birthday today @ Larry's home. Potluck-Singapore-style. It seemed like we ate, drank and yakked non-stop the whole evening. Edwin whipped up chicken rice which he claimed was 'Singapore hawker-standard' (a recipe he learnt from Larry the master chef). I made coconut agar-agar. Larry & Stephanie made Singapore Rojak and Curry Chicken. Wendy & Victor cooked fried beehoon and Dao Suan (hot dessert) and of course we had ice-cream cake. So much GOOD food and we had a great great time.

Lucas received his first car for his birthday present from Larry & Stephanie. He LOVES it! We have been wanting to get him one too and it was a perfect gift for him. Thank you!!

It was snowing pretty heavily by the time we made our way home. Coming down from almost the highest point in Port Moody was quite a challenge. I don't remember driving in such conditions in a long while. The last I recall was back when we were in Germany when a snow storm hit us whilst we were driving on the highway back to Frankfurt and hit some black ice too along the way. My dear VW is now parked outside unable to go up our garage. They say this is the coldest winter in 15 years. Brrr.

Life & Death

I have finally calmed down a little and came to terms with the news. Some of you may already have heard of the tragedy that happened to Singapore's National Dragonboat team at an international competition in Cambodia last week. Five young lives were taken when their boat capsized in the 10-m deep waters with strong currents.

I was in shock and very saddened by the news when I first heard of it as it involved the coach who used to train us back in College and it is also a sport Edwin and I used to participate in actively and competitively.

It has never crossed my mind this could happen in a sport like this. I have fallen off the boat, been hit by the paddles of other rowers in a competition, suffered blisters to the bum and hands, but who could have thought young, able, strong men could lose their lives in this sport. I guess it is a real tragedy where the water conditions, strong currents and perhaps even where they fell made it impossible for some to surface.

I have been up close and personal with death. But I still do not deal with it well. Especially when these are young, bright individuals and especially when it is a sudden departure. My heart goes out to their families as I know personally how it feels. Denial, anger, sadness - nothing can really describe it.

Do not disturb

Working hard. Twice a day.

Smitten

[Photos courtesy of Elisa]
This is how he looks when he says "Ball".
My little munchkin is sprouting 5 words now. "Duck, ball, dog, more, book" - in sequence.
It's an amazing, fuzzy feeling to hear him utter these words.
I want to remember this feeling, and the moments I just look at him in awe and am so much in love.

Crab Glorious Crab!

We met up with my ex-co-workers from the Airport last week and had a feast on the Alaskan King Crab - steamed and fried. I LOVE crabs, done in any way, Alaskan or Sri Lankan. I always have a good time when we meet up with the folks from the Airport office. Brings back memories and I get my dose of good humour and laughter. We met at the same restaurant we were last at when they met Lucas. He slept (almost) throughout dinner THEN. But not now. He wanted to keep pace with us as we ate. I think he had too many biscuits in one night. oh well.

Why is it called 'Yong Tau Foo'?

I was thinking yong tau foo just a few days back. And she heard me. Our heritage mountain yong tau foo lady answered my craving. Home-made sauce, chilli, fish paste-stuffed tau foo, vegetables, cuttlefish, and even the crispy brown thing I don't know what it is but it is the best!

We are so lucky. We have really good cooks up here on this mountain.

I can be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky - is there such a song?

[photo taken by Elisa]

Thank you for taking such wonderful photos for us, Elisa. We are so lucky to be able to see through your lens. We took the kiddos Viola & Lucas to Science World on Thursday. I am really impressed how baby and child-friendly the place is. We had a great time and I am sure we will be back. Even I (with a non-Science-wired brain) was intrigued by the exhibits. The weather looked perfect but it was actually very chilly out there. Looks like we are in for a frigid winter.

The new faces of Lucas

[Photo courtesy of Elisa - thank u!]

I am back. From outer space. From the land of 'out of sorts'. Seriously I am not sure where time has gone or what has kept me so occupied or preoccupied lately. All I know is that I have had no inspiration, desire or motivation to write other than writing or rather responding to my clients' emails and faxes. I hardly saw my camera too in the last 2 weeks. It has gone into hiding together with my spirits. What I did do was eat. I binged and fed my 'out of sorts' hormones. I know I can blame it on something and it starts with the letter 'P'.

Anyhow, this recent development of Lucas is too cute for me to miss blogging it. One day, he just decided he will move around with his toy in his mouth. It is hilarious to watch. He looked like a little puppy seeking play. He has also decided pouting and making silly noises with his mouth (whilst splattering saliva) is cool. He is really beginning to show his mischief these days. I think I do now have a little monkey on the loose in the house.

Besides 'duck', he now says 'ball' too. Still working on 'dog'.

Rainy days and playdates

It has been wet. I am not fond of the rain especially when I have an active, curious, bursting- with-energy baby in the house. Rainy days used to mean a hot drink, a good book or a weepy soap drama and snuggling under my blankets. These days, those things are a treat.

I did have some great comfort food; home-made hot soup, grilled sandwiches and soothing hot lemon drink made lovingly by my dear friend Atsuko. Lucas had a great time going through the grocery cart with 2-year-old Nico.

Breaking news: It's official. Lucas has a first word. It is not "Dog", much as we thought it was. It is "Duck".

Heed to my inner voice

Today was my last day in office. Leaving is not an easy thing for me. This is the second time in my life I have left a job or firm I had grown attached to. I started seriously thinking about whether I should return to work (after one-year of maternity leave - yes it has been a year!) about 2 months ago. I have been on the hunt for daycare for Lucas and have been on a waitlist for one of the best in my neighbourhood for over a year! Not being able to find suitable daycare and having to leave Lucas with someone else made me waffle on my decision to return to work. Plus I still am working on expanding my personal business. Even whilst I continued to look for daycare, I knew I already had the answer. Deep down in my heart, I couldn't bear to leave Lucas with someone else and possibly missing his first independent steps, or his first words.

Lucas my dear, I am all yours now!

Everything is a "duc" now

Lucas has been pointing to Abby these days and goes "Duc". But he also says the same thing to his rubber duckie. Today, I asked him "where is mommy's nose" and he pointed right at my nose and laughed. I realised he is really absorbing like a sponge these days. He knows who his blankie is, where the zip on my jacket is, who Abby is, finds his ball and car when I ask him to. It's pretty amazing!

Taking his first (aided) steps

Those pathetic-looking PJ pants of his (again!) Pure coincidence. Mommy does do the laundry.

Baby+Dog-sitting

I almost forgot how it felt to be living in a construction zone..since the man has been busy working on bringing down walls elsewhere. It's great to have Daddy home, even though he is actually working from home, even though his face speaks 'do not disturb', even though I have more mess to deal with when he is home. OK, but it still feels nice to have him home.

Back to the construction zone. Our water heater (in this 26 year old house) has bade us farewell and we had ordered a new tankless water heater. It arrived and Edwin has been busy changing all the water valves and installing the new heater. When he works on the house, I work doubly hard as well to (try) to clean up after him. Quite obviously, we have pretty different standards of what constitutes "livability".

Anyhow, besides the water heater, we had Jersey (neighbour's pooch) for 3 days = dog play = more hair = more cleaning. Abby and Jersey had a blast. And I had a blast at my vacuum cleaner as well.

This morning, I had my first experience of looking after 2 babies at one time on my own. Carolyn had to go to the Dentist urgently and I had Jack over in the morning. It was quite an experience but Jack is really quite an easy-going baby and it turned out easier than I thought!

October recapture

It has been quite a wild month for me. Change, surprises, new places and new people. In the world of astrology, the moon or some planet must have been in close orbit to some other planet. Let's see:
1. First time to the zoo
2. First time to the aquarium (for Lucas)
3. First time to watermania
4. First Halloween
5. Started boogie babies
6. Lucas stops nursing from me (turns out it was not a nursing strike afterall)
7. First time using the pump and spending hours on it just to get the milk going
8. First time Lucas has diarrhoea
9. Met new friends
10. Edwin turns 30
11. ..and finally completes the long-running project in West Van
12. I left my job and decided to focus on expanding my biz
13. Finally taking the leap to employ (currently we have 2 part-timers)
14. Attained 8 + 2 pending new client accounts in one month
15. This last one is hush-hush for now, but one of the biggest news for me this month which will change me, us, life in all its entirety.

And the photo above, I just love it. It captured my heart to see how much my boy has grown. He is looking so much like a little boy, all grown up and already learning to appreciate candy, my golly.

A baby-friendly Halloween!

There were no ghouls or goblins at this party. Just a scary pregnant vampire with a 'I'm not sure what to make of it' tail and a very friendly big-hair man with a giant bow tie looking like he escaped from the circus. Oh yes, and we also had an innocent fairy Godmother, a monkey, an elephant, 2 harmless tigers and an out-of-place Dinosaur! Not to forget, an Englishman dressed to look just like one.

It was Lucas' first Halloween and I think the parents, us, had a blast. We ate, drank, humoured ourselves with the props (courtesy of Elisa & Desmon - thanks guys!) and we get to keep the candies too. I think the babes were not so humoured by their oversized costumes and Lucas was definitely not amused by the big nose and glasses his momma was trying on.

It was a great party (thanks Elly & Simon for being such great hosts!) and it was a first for Edwin too to be doing the trick or treat with Lucas.