Baby Sarah Full Month Celebration

Sarah mei mei is finally 1 month old! The thought of going to party excites me, and even more so thinking that Cheryl will be there to play with me. And of course, not to mention the yummy food...

As Mommy is alone and thinking that a stroller will be easier to manage all the barang barang, i.e. ME, Mommy's bag, pressie - it turns out that its not such a brilliant idea afterall. As we are trying to locate the bungalow, what greets us is a flight of steps, and there is no elevator that is in sight. So I was asked to walk down the stairs myself, whilst Mommy manages to drag the stroller et al all the way down! When we have finally made it to the ground level, that's when we saw auntie Val and uncle Adrian! If only they are a minute earlier!!

Can you see the changes in baby Sarah? (Top 3 pics are taken when she was just born, with the right most taken when she was 11 days old)


The hi-tea buffet becomes my dinner, as I tuck into fried rice, tempura prawn, zhui kueh, (oh, and you tiao which I help myself with) and complete with a chocolate eclair!

And Mommy has to remind me not to touch baby Sarah as you can see that I am still holding my you tiao in another hand! But who can resist a baby?? So quietly I touch baby Sarah on the tummy, and very gently for at most 1 or 2 times before Mommy pulls me away. See how sweet Sarah looks? I think she enjoys my company afterall...

Grow up fast ok, then I can show you the things that we can do together!!

Mid Autumn Festival aka Lantern Festival

Pre-run @ Punggol Park a few days before the actual day... there is only another boy with a Pooh and friends lantern.


Steamboat dinner + Belated Birthday celebration for Matthew... as usual, I am excited the moment I see a cake and I am all ready to sing the "Happy Birthday" song!


There is no special theme designated for tonite - but coincidentally we are all carrying Hello Kitty lanterns! (and mine being the largest, haha!!)


两小无猜？The more we get together, together, together...


Time to burn off the extra calories - no wonder we are all so thin!


I am even game enough to play with the "sparkler" - but strictly under supervision! I have so much fun today!!

Experiencing F1 @ Marina

Last year's F1 Daddy was out of town, so this year, we decide to go nearer to the place of action just to experience the sounds and soak in the atmosphere. Mommy and Daddy din want to risk bringing me into the actual grandstand, so we decide to hang around Marina area for our own little walkabout.

We couldn't get to see a thing when we reached Marina Square, all we can hear are the vrooms and zooms ocassionally. Never mind, its all in the name of participation right? Even though we din get to see the actual F1 car, well, the display one in the shopping centre will do for us... hee

Did Mommy mention that this little princess is dancing right at the centre of the mall, to the strong beat and loud music too?? Look who is the one really partying...


And after dinner, its time to burn off those excess energy in me again! I seem to make new friends readily, or rather, usually there will be a jie jie who will look out for me, and she even ensures that she goes down the slide first, so that she can keep a look out for me when its my turn next.

Long weekend but wet weather

19 Sep 2009 (Sat)

Daddy is gonna cook for the family and we are having fried udon & homemade 水饺 today! In any case, I get to be part of the team and I help to lay the dumpling skin evenly into the plate (though Mommy will conduct QC and ensure its not more than a single layer) and scooping some meat onto the dumpling skin... oh and the last most important step is to dip my little index finger into the bowl of water to wet the corners of the dumpling skin so that the meat won't fall off whilst cooking. Having done all that, Mommy will proceed to fold and voila! our 水饺 are ready to be cooked!

We are so engrossed in the whole process that Mommy has forgotten to take a quick snap. Not with those sticky hands anyway...

I am more of a carbo & vege person so I prefer the skin more than the meat, and I rather stick to my familiar food of fried udon!

And that partly explains why recently I am into cooking for everyone, like bee hoon for grandpa and grandma... and I make sure I will go around and have everyone sample my food. You will have to pretend to eat and make appreciative gestures and expressions, and in turn I will offer you more food the next time, ok?

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20 Sep 2009 (Sun)

We are having steamboat for lunch at grandparent's place, but since Mommy has already prepared my food, I only get to eat some fishballs as I seat myself firmly on Mommy's lap... I enjoy the company as well as the food, and finally the lure of play pulls me off from my comfy position - hey cousin Matthew and Jonathan are here!

Let's go and play!

With mooncake festival just around the corner, I finally get to eat my first piece of mooncake... its sweet, meaning yummy! Oh, 婶婶　is eating grapes, and immediately both Jonathan and I stand in front of her, in anticipation that we get to be offered a bite as well... (do all toddlers behave like this, or more so cos they are born in the year of pig?)

And that's not all, I even get to have a few sips of the fu chuk dessert that Mommy is drinking... oh and it's my milk feeding time again! Bye!

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21 Sep 2009 (Mon) - Hari Raya Puasa Holiday

Not wanting to jostle with the crowd, after a hearty Ya Kun breakfast, Daddy suggested that we check out the new mall, City Square. Why not, aircon is much appreciated in this bad weather, extreme hot and cold, with unexpected showers at the wrong time!

So here we go, with our princess the most excited, cos we're going shopping! Shopping in her vocab means grocery shopping in general, where she can grab and put the food into the trolley/basket. Favourite word/food for the month is tofu, simply because "jie jie Coco loves tofu!" as she speaks animatedly. But I end up napping in the car and continue to nap on Daddy's strong arms/shoulder for another 45min!

Besides Metro, there are only a handful of shops ready for operation. But one particular shop caught mommy's attention - a lot of materials for card making and scrapbooking. Interesting indeed... The smell of new paint is evident everywhere, and it isn't nearer to lunch time that we realise most of the eatery places are not even opened! So we eventually settle for a cafe, being the most kid-friendly looking eatery around (oh, and they do not have high chair by the way).

What's for lunch today??

I have some mushroom soup, shepherd's pie (the beef version is a little peppery so I end up eating more of the potato), and finish off with more spaghetti. (Sorry, no mee siam for now, another time ok?) And since the lunch set comes with a single soup of ice cream, how could I miss it? Yummy, Mommy thinks besides saying "Zee Yann likes pear!" its soon gonna be "Zee Yann likes ice cream!"... haha

The rest of the evening is spent at home, lazing around. And look at the impromptu pictures that we take - it din take much prompt and I am very co-operative tonight. All done within 1 min!

My first 4 连拍

LNT parenting talk - How to support your child's learning at home

Mommy attended the session alone as Daddy gotta take care of the little one - its good to have some bonding time that is specially theirs isnt it?

The first half of the talk is more of a revision of what Mommy has read from the books, just to share a few tips here.

1> Identify areas of weakness (To rectify : practice, practice, practice... although in a fun way of course)
2> Improve bonding (and that means you have to invest time on your part to play, or even attend to the mundane routine stuffs like diaper changing, feeding and bathing)
3> Constant reminder - Say "I Love You" (Hugs, Cuddles, physical touch count too!)

The above reminded Mommy of what she has recently read from "The 5 Love Languages of Children". The 5 love languages being:

#1 Physical Touch
#2 Words of Affirmation
#3 Quality Time
#4 Gifts
#5 Acts of Service

As I am still a toddler, Mommy can't decipher what is my real love language yet, but the first 3 definitely ranks high for me. I love embraces and hugs, and love to be carried around. While I am self-motivated (they use the word "active") in general (cos I like to try new things), praises and compliments further motivate to keep doing and repeating my acts. I enjoy the company of people cos its no fun playing alone! So I always wanted Mommy or Daddy to sit next to me as we engage in lego making or play-doh sessions.

It will be fun looking back when I grow up to see what is my preferred language of love.

So much for the digress, back to the parenting talk...

Strategies of Home Practice :
(Children learn best when they are not stressed or distracted by TV, etc... likewise you have to be relax and calm (Think Fun!) for optimzed results.)

1> Set aside time (min 4days/week)
2> In a comfortable/relaxed setting
3> Choose time when child is alert, not tired
4> Take turns with spouse/grandparents
5> Set achievable goals for your child
6> Plan what you want to do ahead of time (eg you need to get the flashcards ready and in order before you initiate it
7> Ensure materials are safe for use (eg some flashcards' edges may be too sharp, good to trim the sharp corners)

Jenny shares with us some useful online resources.

For flashcards:
--> www.senteacher.org
--> www.readinga-z.com

As I have already learnt my ABC, so Mommy think phonics pronounciation in association with the letters are the next "goals".

For games, stories, songs, you can try these activities at home:
--> memory board
--> tangram 七巧板 - is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape (given only in outline or silhouette) using all seven pieces, which may not overlap... from Wikipedia
--> puzzles
--> interactive books
--> puppets
--> education CD-roms
--> Music CD
--> www.preschoolprintables.com
--> www.starfall.com (highly recommended for phonics learning)

Except for the first 2, I am exposed to all other sources of learning already. Ok, that means I am on the "right track"?

For art/craft activities, Jenny has shared with us many of her DIY materials and its indeed a good learning tip. It will be good to involve the kids so that they can be involved in the process instead of just getting in touch with the end-product.
--> www.dltk-kids.com

Some other activities such as involving the kids in simple household chores or even in the baking of cakes or extraction of juices are good experience and promote good bonding too. Of course, nothing beats bringing your kid out for real-life experience like a zoo trip or to the beach.

So much for sharing!

Have Fun!

Just for fun

Mommy and Daddy have tried to let me choose my own shades, but somehow I only like Mommy's one... and see how I try to wear it like a headband but end up at the wrong side each time... and I give up!!

Playdate with Clara and Keira @ Vivo

It's been almost 9 months since we last met @ Keira's birthday party. Auntie Ashley is pregnant with another 妹妹 with the same EDD as me, albeit 2 years ago! What a busy year end, with so many babies expected to play with me.

These 3 young ladies seem to behave well durin lunch @ Crystal Jade... until the glucose in them act up!


The 3 active gals turn the restaurant into their playground!! What to do when our little cosy corner happens to have some steps for them to walk/climb up and down... And we even attempt to boogie together...


To make matters worse, I let out my enthusiasm with a loud cheer. Look how surprise Clara is with my verbal explosion!


Potential models in the making - Keira in particular? And the best smile award goes to.... Clara!!

Even as we are leaving the restaurant, the 3 young ladies are still amazed with the lobster and crab in the water tanks. "Fish up there!" says Clara as she points with her little finger.


And our playground gets extended to the shopping mall as we climb onto the bench. It's really "monkey see, monkey do" with Clara leading the pack.


We would have love to spend some time outdoors if not because of the heat. And I can't resist to take a closer look of the shrub but end up plucking it... oops! Mommy thinks its better for me to stay indoors, so I end up searching for familiar objects, YES, its LETTERS!

Keira is more interested in the small pebbles found in the pot, and she even take one with her as we move on to our next destination, Coffee Club @ Harbourfront for some rest (much needed for the 3 easily tired mommies) and a quick nap!