Merry Xmas 2011!

Babies Prom

J managed to sit still for 15 mins of the Babies Prom. Maybe I shall try again next year to see if there's any improvement to his attention span?

First Family Trip to Lombok

What a trip! It didn't turn out to be very relaxing since caring for J took place 24/7. In particular, G felt that it was a hardship trip and admittedly it was more tough on him since he had to be J's main caregiver given that I was rather out of action with the bun in the oven...

J seemed to love it (though) since he was like a mini-celeb at our resort. The staff were always playing with him and were always very attentive to our needs :) I can't say the same for the chickens and turkey who roamed around the resort since they were repeatedly chased by father and son! We even saw a chicken flew up twice to escape the chasing!

J's performance on the outbound flight was rather good since we were able to feed him and contain in within the confined space. The return flight was another story altogether! He refused food and was always shouting for us to "GO! GO! GO!" Well, it was rather miserable for us and the rest of the passengers alike even though we know he was finding it difficult to fall asleep despite being very tired. sigh!

All in all, it could be a while before we travel with J again given this experience (even though I think his vocabulary has expanded since the trip). Here's a few pics of the trip:

Joy (J's) and Bane (mine)

We bought a tricycle for J. While he looks overjoyed riding it, he actually preferred a Winnie-the-Pooh version of it in the shop and refused to get up :( Then the one with Disney characters was snapped up by another customer during J's tantrum. In the end we had to order one but it was not in good condition when I picked it up :( How challenging can it be to buy a tricycle??? Eventually, one was delivered to us and J is a happy customer.

The bane for me is that each morning he requests to go on a ride. Since he's an early bird, we are out around 7 am! I feel like he's my personal trainer in charge of my morning exercise routine... a reward on the 3rd day of this new regime is that we saw a rainbow!

Family Portrait

Actually, this was taken with Didi too - but we didn't know it then!

When I grow up 2

I still have modelling aspirations :D






P.S. I should have posted these photos ages ago but I keep forgetting...

Zoo Hoo!

A rare shot of me and G - I love the various colourful elephants on display! They are the highlight of this visit :P

J's happiness moment came at the end of the Animal Friends Show when the bubbles were released :) Thankfully he did not fuss when we didn't visit the wet pool today since he just recovered.

J had a bout of illness following his 15th month MMR jab. Most depressing time since he was so clingy to me and I had to carry him excessively despite having to grow another baby :(

Thank goodness he was on the mend over the last 2 days and we managed to be out and about to celebrate our 5th ROM anniversary. We went for the 20th World Orchid Conference at MBS followed by the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay on separate days :)

Here's some shots of J and us:

Yuckie boogie!

My bump is showing

J's still looking at the Flyer

J's still not looking at camera...

Afternoon Tea at The Landing Point

and selected shots of the flowers on display:

I love to mimic

J having a twirl with the magic sweep away

(taken from my mummy while she's trying to clean the floor)

J pushing his own stroller...

See mummy, I am strong like daddy!

J reading The Edge with G...

hm... maybe's he going to turn out to be very intellectual?

New baby

Introducing Didi (yes, another boy!) - he's the reason for my tiredness (besides work and caring for J). Needless to say, there's morning sickness too but I am slowing getting over the worst bout now that I'm into 14-15 weeks! I hope to update this blog more often now :)

I have been telling J about his didi and he is actually able to say didi very accurately but he is referring to my belly button all the time! haha! :P

It has been so long since my last post... J has grown older but not much bigger. I think his physical growth has tapered (sort of) but he is making much progress in other areas.


J has rather keen linguistic ability and is learning new words very quickly. The funny part is that he may not pronounce the words precisely but he does it with lots of effort and I love how he's trying his best to learn :)
So bus comes out as bah, popo comes out as paw etc.

J's spatial ability has also improved. While he used to depend on us to help him with a sorting game (with shapes), he is now able to sort circle, triangle, square, diamond etc all by himself! Andat the end of it all, he applauds his good work and looks to us for encouragement too :)

His psychomotor skills have also become more steady. J is starting to appreciate the doodle board and I think he can be quite artistic at times :)He also seems to be running at times (even though he still tumble and fall). I think he favourite run of each day is when G returns home and he sprints towards the door shouting 'papa! papa! papa! :)

But, there are some things that never change... like his temperament. For instance, he expects to be comforted immediately/for his basic needs to be met and will clamour for attention until his demands are met. My most heartbreaking moment came on his 13th month (4 Oct) when he cut his head against the coffee table. He was scared to see the bloody tissues and was inconsolable at the A&E. There is now a small scar on his head and he points to it when you ask him 'pain pain where?' Otherwise, he is still a happy boy and I hope he stays this way!

Rango

J's first movie as part of a GV event:

I'm glad I chose the seats whereby his stroller could be parked beside me (since he likes to be inside it). So I managed to keep him seated for about half the movie by constantly giving him snacks. Even so, law of diminishing marginal return kicks in and I find him constantly fidgeting but we managed to stay inside the cinema. I saw how other kids kicked up a fuss and I'm glad we caught most of the movie! But, I am not planning to head to the movies with J that quickly :D

Maldives: An Unforgettable Trip

I think the pictures speak for themselves and I have taken many more photos of the beautiful scenes of Maldives (but nothing beats the real thing).

We chose Zithali, a resort that required seaplane transfer and it was a great decision since the ride came with breathtaking views of atolls. Our water villa at Zithali comes with a private pool, jacuzzi, rainshowers. For me, this was a holiday where I had no desire to be out of the hotel room to explore the surroundings. It seemed to be an incredibly expensive way to laze around (since J stayed behind in Singapore) but it was important time spent alone and as a couple. The most active activities we did were to snorkel and cruise around looking for dolphins and enjoy the sunset over the Indian Ocean. For someone like me who is scared of all other living creatures, the experience was outside of my comfort zone and it was actually fun!

On the return flight, I came across an article in the Singapore Airline magazine that listed the top travel destinations and unsurprisingly, Maldives made the list and it is definitely a place that I would revisit :)

Top 5 things about J

Coming in at number 5,

J is an Energy Zapper!

He is always game to play... with his toys or just crawling or cruising along... sometimes he hides at the coffee table or sofa and waits for one of us to call out to him and smile the widest smile :) He never runs out of energy and we can play forever the 'where is???' game while he points to the clock, fridge, bear or whatever object in question... I suppose this is the part of where parenting helps trains/builds patience (which I lack sorely).

At number 4,

J loves food! (no surprise here given his size)

His radar is perpetually on and he never fails to approach us whenever he sees/senses food in our hands! On the plus side, he readily gets into the highchair when prompted with 'mum-mum' and typically does not take too long to finish a meal. Still, I shall be monitoring his weight so he does not stay as a fatty boy boy for too long...

At number 3,

J loves people! (in personality profiles, he should score highly on Extraversion)

He is never shy around people and he is happy to meet people. There was a bout of separation anxiety (around 11 months) but I think he is very comfortable with people in general, especially other children. Sometimes he can be overly friendly and may accidentally scratch/pinch them. Oops.

At number 2,

J has a mind of his own (or is stubborn!)

He wants to get his way. For this to happen, he will 'tell' (i.e. point/ grunt/ wail etc) you what to do. This applies for a particular book he wants to read (or destroy), where he wants to go (usually out!), what he wants help with (e.g. wear does and then takes them off and then wears them... some game *groan* etc)...

And finally at number 1,

J is lovable! (he is my son afterall :D)

He's always ready to give a hug and can be coaxed to plant a kiss (wet ones and mouth to mouth too)! Need I say more???!

J's is ONE!

We had a small celebration with family and close friends. J was happy for most part of the day since we held the party in between his nap times. He even held little R's hand... hm... potential girlfriend in future. Thanks to everyone for your well wished :)

The only outburst that day was when he was choosing items (including a book, calculator, egg to represent food, ruler etc as dictated by tradition). After choosing the book, he decided to pick up the egg and for some unknown reason threw it onto the floor and when it cracked, it startled him and he wailed! what a funny moment and I captured it here:



We also took him to the studio for more professional shots to commemorate this milestone. Stay tuned for the pictures!

Meant to have J's first birthday party at Jacob Ballas but I figured the venue is more suitable when he's able to walk/run! Anyhow, we spent a very enjoyable evening at the park and I particularly loved these 2 pics of both boys :)

I can't wait for J to turn one! It is a big milestone for me too! :D