Breakfast for one, or two?

I prepared breakfast for the husband this morning, for him to tapau to work. Nothing fancy, merely bread with peanut butter & nutella, with fresh strawberries. He left after me today, so I left it on the chair and reminded him to bring it along when he left.

I got this MMS from him:

See who stole my breakfast

HAHA! Gotta love them both.

Sight for sore eyes

It rocked

The weekend, that's what rocked.

Saturday started out slow, with the husband and I sleeping in as we'd both slept late the night before. Thanks to the MIL, we were able to catch some rest. We deliberated what to have for brunch and after much consideration, we ended up at a club - which was actually not open to non-members on the weekend, but we didn't know! The food was rather expensive and not super, so I shall not go into much detail there; but we dressed Kate up prettily in her birthday gift and here's a nice shot of her looking like a little lady.

Kate, looking very girly in her new dress

We headed to my mom's place after and spent the afternoon there resting, playing, eating and relaxing. The aunts and uncles came over and we all had dinner together. The husband and I made a date to watch a movie and we bade Kate farewell as we left her in the care of her beloved ye ye and Grandma. We caught the movie 127 hours, a show that left us marveling at the character's tenacity, strength and courage. Positivity is terribly important and I secretly felt scared that the husband may ever be in such a situation (literally, between a rock and a hard place. How unpleasant.) But as we all know, it's a true story that ends well so yay to such heartening stories and happiness. I was knackered after the show and while the husband made his own supper and mucked around on the computer, I knocked out into slumberland.

Sunday came bright and early, with the alarm going off. The husband and I had planned a day of fun out in the sun - a run at MacRitchie followed by rock-climbing. We met his friends at MacRitchie and started our run at about 9.30am. Within the hour, we'd all completed the short route (about 5km?). We ran within the trees, which was nice and cool despite the morning sun being out and about in full force. Very pleasant. I'm very happy that my stamina is strong, after running consistently the past 3 months. I was only worried that I'd slip on the rocky, muddy grounds, so I took my time when I felt uncertain. I liked how the place is full of people doing their own thing - walking, running, cycling, taking pictures, hanging out... very nice.

After washing up, we adjourned to have roti prata for breakfast. Sinful but oh so yummy. After filling our tummy, we headed to the rocks and hit them. At the end of 3 hours, we were all exhilarated (happy hormones from exercise rocks!), sunburnt and I even got some souvenirs that will last me for a few days.

The husband comforts (?) me by calling these my 'reward'

I then brought Kate to visit the bestie and the highlight of the visit had to be the walk that we took home. It's a lovely stretch of road along the canal. The road is accessible only to cyclists and runners and in the evenings, many people use it. I was very surprised by Kate's stamina - she practically walked the whole way home!

She suddenly sat down on the road! I don't know why but I'm very pleased I snapped this cheeky picture of my lovely baby

Checking out the scenery

Let's go, Mom! Gotta keep walking!

Kate was very happy playing on this slide

After dinner, Kate spent some time playing with the husband. This is their game, "Superman"

A picture with Lukas, her favorite didi (he may be 6 months younger but he rather looks like a kor kor!)

This picture pretty much sums up the weekend - awesome!

Friday

Received this morning MMS from the husband... took me all day to have the time to take a breather. I'm still at work! *boo

But, at least I have the weekend to be with my loved ones. Weekend weekend weekend come already!

I miss my babies

Have been working late every night this week. I even started off my day earlier today (& tomorrow too) and left the house before Kate woke up. The husband is very busy too, so much so that he worked through the night and didn't even go home to sleep yesterday. I'm still at work now and I just want to say "I MISS MY BABIES!"

Doing what's right

While walking home yesterday, I saw a family of 3 walking by. The child was about 3 years old. What was amiss with this seemingly picturesque setting is that one parent was smoking.

Some time ago, I witnessed a similar scene. The parent was carrying the child in a carrier so they were face-to-face and yes, believe it or not, the parent was smoking. With his face a mere centimeters away from his very young child who had to be carried like a baby kangaroo. I was very upset witnessing that scene and despite wanting to, I didn’t get round to expressing my outright displeasure (disbelief & disgust) through writing before. (I did, I remember, share the horrific scene with the husband.)

What I saw yesterday, however, triggered me to have to do this entry. I mean, what is it with these irresponsible people? Do they not understand the impact of their behaviour in front of their children? Kids are young and impressionable and research has demonstrated that youths are more likely to smoke if they have a family member who is also a smoker.

You are a parent. Do you really understand what being a parent means? The responsibility that comes with being the world to a child, who looks to you for direction, guidance, love and comfort? Alright, even if you do not think that their kids may imitate them (yeah rite), do not care of the impact on the young lungs?

I feel enraged. I feel disbelief. I feel… sad.

I feel sad for these parents and caretakers who continue with life without care nor concern on how they impact and shape the next generation. I feel sad for these young children, who grow up with tainted glasses towards the world, thinking that smoking is absolutely okay (it’s not!). I mean, I’m no prude. I have tatts, I used to smoke, I party and drink and I was young (& naughty) once but I wouldn’t impose these traits/lifestyle/habits on my child.

*feels sad

Music to my ears

Kate was asleep when I got up this morning. I dragged myself out of bed, and proceeded with the morning routine, washing up, preparing breakfast...

Just as I was done in the kitchen, I heard Kate call out "Mama Mama".

It's nice to know that she loves me, and calls for me the moment she doesn't see me when her eyes open.

Love!

Birthday party

The highlight of our weekend was probably the birthday party that I brought Kate to. It was a 1st year celebration of a secondary school friend's son and amidst the chaos, I didn't get a picture of Kate with the birthday boy. Here are some pics of Kate playing at the party:

Ooom oom (vroom vroom) she goes - she really likes these toy cars. This is her 2nd encounter with them and she can sit in there happily

ooon (ballons)

Oooo (the swoosh sound effect of sliding down)

ball ball

Jumping castle

Cranky

That's Kate's middle name for the moment. Ever since she fell ill this past week, her mood has been horrible! She'll cry and whine and is generally very impatient. Guess we know she's truly feeling uncomfortable and she's expressing it this way. My heart goes out to her, though it is very trying. Last night, she took two hours to fall in and out of sleep, yelling her lungs out each time she jolted awake. Usually, I'm the appeaser and she'll feel comforted with me by her side, but not this time. She still yells and cries and is very frustrated yet unable to express herself. I tried rocking her, cajoling her, speaking sternly to her, and yet every time I manage to capture a lucid moment where she's listening to me after I ask "what do you want, Kate?", she just collapses into a tantrum all over again.

She was pointing to her cheeks at some point and I guess besides her body fighting the bug, she is also experiencing pain in her gums from her molar poking through. I can only imagine how icky she is feeling.

I must admit, I lost my temper a couple of times because I truly did not know what to do. What worked in the end was no credit to me - she simply cried herself hoarse and collapsed from exhaustion.

My poor baby. I hope she gets well and feels better very soon.

Dear Kate

Dear Kate,

You turn 17months old on this 17th of February. You are a month away from 1.5years old!

Your growth, in all senses, is remarkable.

On the physical front, you got a free hair-cut before CNY. You now sport a cute stylish bob with china-doll bags. Very stylish, I must say. You have also put on a little weight (10.3kg as weighed yesterday) and seem to have grown about 2cm, according to the home-meter (the self-marked scribbles Papa and I have made by making you stand against the wall). Your face is as cherubic as ever and though Papa denies it, he so has bit into your cheeks.

What's most impressive, I gotta say, is your behavioral development. You've always proven yourself to be very clever, able to comprehend what we say. You continue to demonstrate to us that you do understand by choosing what you wish to do, or not. You feign ignorance at times that pleases you, and yet perform the same task with gusto if the mood suits you. It's terribly frustrating but also amazing that at this age, you already have so much character. You managed to learn to speak your first sentence just two days ago, a phrase that (surprise surprise *deadpan) is related to the non-animate love of your life, food. You also continue to build your vocabulary steadily with new words. Some of them require a lot more polishing in the pronunciation department (rabbit = jitjit) but we who are close to you know what you're saying most of the time.

You happen to be sick today (since yesterday), running a temperature but with the diarrhea under control, which is not fun. But besides being more clingy and whiney than usual, you're still up and about being your usual spunky self. There's an old folk-heresay that kids grow up after they fall ill, I rather fancy to believe that and look forward to more growth from you in all ways when you recover (quickly please).

You are a lovely, expressive child and this is something that Papa and I have consciously wanted you to be, by moulding the environment so that you will be this way. We always say "I love you" freely, because we do so love you very much; and we hug and kiss you all the time. In return, you have reciprocated the same way by hugging and kissing us too. In the past week, you seem to think that it's a game, kissing Papa and I repeatedly when we do group hugs. It's so heartwarming and lovely to see you express your love for us this way, and I hope that our family will always be openly affectionate because that's just how we prefer it.

Of course, it's not all been a bed of roses. You throw tantrums, you ignore us, you disobey us and those are trying times. I'll like to think that you're generally a good kid, but you can be sure of one thing: Papa and I will not spoil you. If you behave badly, we will reprimand and punish you accordingly. We will not tolerate disrespect, rudeness and any form of bratty behavior, so you can continue to test the boundaries; rest assured that we will do our part as parents to put you in place.

Being a mom to you continues to be the best thing I've ever done in my life. The past 17months has honestly been amazing growth for me too - learning to be a mom, a better person, a better wife, is the most challenging and rewarding job ever. You have made my life so much better, with more to look forward to, you are the meaning in my life.

Happy 17 months, Kate Kate. I love you.

Love always, Mommy

39.2

That's the highest temperature that Kate hit today, poor girl has a bug - diarrhea & fever. But, she's still in good spirits, my strong little trouper!

Roars goes the spunky girl

Kate's first sentence

Kate's (damn) good father has been teaching her to request for food in the proper way. Like, no wailing, no crying, even saying 'mum mum' alone ain't good enough. He'll say "I. Want. To. Eat." word by word, and Kate will parrot him. This has been going on for a while now, and I must admit, he's been the only one training her.

Last night, at dinner, our not-so-baby-girl said her first sentence! She was two days shy of turning 17-months-old.

"Please, I want to eat."

Video: http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150091849004296&comments

Aaahh, simple words never sounded sooo good to my ears.

I'm so proud of you, dear Kate *beams

Inked

Kate, the treasure at the end of the rainbow

You say this is my belated x'mas gift, I much prefer to regard it as my Valentine's Day gift. Kate is the result of our love and I think this gift is perfect! We'll always remember V-day this year.

Thanks and I love you!

Happy, busy weekend

Oh how quickly good times fly by. The 2nd weekend of Lunar New Year is over; Saturday was spent in a flurry with Kate and I doing CNY visiting with the MIL & Dage's family (the husband was exempted because he was "working" - in both the real and "visit-friend" house sense - the sister will get this). The night was then spent at Mom's with the brother's friends visiting. I had my tummy-tum-fill of steamboat - Mom's steamboat is the best!

Huat yusheng with the brother & our guests at home - photo credit Jean & Jon

Sunday was spent with the husband and Kate. We ventured to The Central and had ramen.

Mucking around with Kate

Monkey-face Kate!

We then headed to the airport for dinner with the family and to send my cousin off. He's going off on a new adventure, studying overseas (oh how fun & so much to look forward to!) for the next two years. It was fun at the airport, watching Kate run all over the place in sheer exhilaration! She brings such joy to our lives.

Lovely shot of my loves

Baby in a basket

A laundry basket, that's what it is. And let me mitigate all accusations that it was the husband or I who put her in there. We have to give this spunky little one some credit - she did it all on her own.

She was playing with it, pulled it out of the bedroom and into the living room. It fell over and she crawled in, wanting to pick up the hangers that were at the bottom of it. Haha, rather funny I must say. But she didn't enjoy being stuck inside.

Aahh, memories are made of these.

How'd I get in?

Arghh! Let me out!

Money well-spent

"It gives us great pleasure to welcome you as a Life member of..."

My application to the Singapore Chinese Girls' School Alumni has been approved!

Naughty Kate

She screams.
A bad habit developed recently, she yells “aah!”; a short shrill scream. She does this when she sees people, and she may do it a few times. It’s so rude and unacceptable. We tell her “No screaming” immediately, each time she does it. She still does it.

She throws.
This started even more recently, where she’d throw things on the ground. Phones, toys, pens… it’s not as if she’s pissed off. I’m not sure what it is, but she does it simply because.

She vandalises.
Two nights ago, I spotted some pen marks on our bedsheet. No prizes for guessing who did it. I told Kate that she’s not allowed to draw anywhere except on paper and I left it at that. Last night, I saw her with a pen in her hand and I also saw her masterpiece on the bro-in-law’s bed. She had drawn large long marks all over his bed! Terrible! I was very mad and I smacked her hand and told her “NO”; and I also gave her paper and told her to draw on the paper. I’m not sure how much she (wants to) understands, as she still went ahead to touch the tip of the pen on every piece of furniture she walked by. This morning, I overheard her saying “no no” and pointing to the pen marks on my bed. The true test is whether she’ll do more damage.

Oh, the woes of us parents with a growing child. I know she wants to test boundaries and I know she’s curious and I know it’s important that we discipline her but oh boy, it’s quite a test to our patience!

14 February

Yesterday, the husband sent me to work & the radio hosts were discussing V-day over the air. They were psyched up and excited about the pending occasion. The husband and I listened to them rave about the day with stoic expressions.

“Valentine’s day has lost its buzz for you?” – his statement was disguised in a vague form of a question.

I thought about it and I didn’t know how to respond.

Typically, we hadn’t always made a fuss of the day (not in my recollection). But I’m sure we did celebrate it some year or other. The most memorable V-day celebration with the husband took place some 15 years ago. We were boy-girl friends then and the husband had arranged a special dinner at a hotel. I remember dolling up in a dress (an unheard of, I was a tomboy at 16!) and we had a candlelight dinner. We took a picture, compliments of the hotel and there were flowers to top it all up. Aahhh, the romanticism of youth. Nice.

V-day is meant to be romantic and a celebration. To those who are out of love. It’s rather sad because they feel even more lonesome because everyone else is harping on the four-letter word (terribly dirty in their opinion. It’s L.O.V.E, I’m talking about la). To those who are freshly in love, the day is exceptionally sweet because it allows them yet another excuse/reason to be gushy and lovey and well, do an outright display of their undying love to each other.

So. Back to the question, what does V-day mean to me?

I’m not in either category mentioned above. I’m very fortunate to be in a relationship, a very happy relationship. Sure, the husband and I have our moments and ours is a real r’ship where we talk, work things out, fight, argue, get grumpy then make up and move on with our lives. So V-day isn’t a super special day, cos it’s just like every other day. However, I don’t dread the day because I am secure and happy being myself and where I am. Do I want anything special? Not necessarily. Though it will be nice to be able to have dinner with the husband and Kate because V-day is a day for loved ones.

Commercialism is rampant and we are unable to stop or control how certain occasions get done or over-done by antics. Also, if something exceptionally happy/unhappy happened to you, that day will always hold some sort of significance for you. I guess what I’m trying to say is, regardless of how you are feeling about any occasion, whether it’s V-day or Christmas or birthdays etc, as long as you have your mind and heart in the right place, you can tackle them as they come.

14 February is around the corner. What does this day mean to you?

Bottoms up

For some warped reason yesterday night, Kate decided she was thirsty. Very thirsty.

I was having dinner with the husband and I handed her waterbottle to her. We had a visitor at home, so she was entertaining (herself and everyone else) walking around with the bottle, saying "Cheers" and drinking. After a while, I saw her shaking the bottle and I didn't want her to spill water all over the house, so I took it from her.

To my shock/horror/amazement, she'd finished the entire bottle of water.

That's a lot of water ok! Her tummy was like a little taut ball and we were terribly worried that she'd have a tummyache.

Silly Kate.

Don't need a special reason

to dedicate a post to you:

Food & us

The husband and I are lifestyle people. By that, I mean that we spend most (a lot) of our money on eating out, travelling, enjoying life, in general. The amount of money that we spend on feeding ourselves.. let’s not even go there. And though it’s not the healthiest thing for our bank accounts, I daresay that it complements our relationship as we have plenty of opportunities to be with each other, enjoying the company & food (& wine & sashimi & buffets &… you get the idea). We just enjoy life.

The husband is lean by nature. I’ve shared before how he’s naturally athletic and his metabolic rate is very high, to say the least. And he’s also disciplined. He will stop when he’s full. How annoying.

Me, now I’m a different story. I’m not lean by nature and I have to work out very hard to be normal. And the moment I slacken off my exercise, it goes to my fishball face. And butt. I find it terribly difficult to stop eating and not eat so I try to compensate by exercising. I enjoy food a lot. And I can eat a lot.

Kate. Now, she is a feisty little one with a huge capacity for food. Many people have commented that it’s a good thing she wants to eat because it’s tons better than a kid who refuses to eat. As much as I agree with that preference, Kate has demonstrated a huge appetite. She’ll ask for food with food in her mouth, she’ll ask for food after her meal, she’ll ask for food when she sees food. This CNY, she's gone ballistic cos every household that she goes to, there is a large display of food & she'll keep going "mum mum" non-stop until we distract her. Roars. She has this rather cute little paunch that’s cute as a child, but I sure hope she’ll start to moderate her eating soon. And here’s a series of pictures that I found of her doing what she likes best!








I think gluttony is hereditary. =_=

The husband and I

I met the husband, then a boy, fourteen years ago. We were from different ends of the island, we were from different schools, we had (vastly) different groups of friends & our paths were very different. But they crossed one day; which changed both our lives forever.

(May sound dramatic, but it’s my story and I’ll tell it how I like it. You then decide if it’s dramatic, or fate.)

We met at Outward Bound School. We were both 16 & we were sent by our schools to partake in this adventure camp. We were in the same group, it was called Gandhi. Our group was made up of 10+ people, a co-ed group made up of students from three different schools. For four (or was it three?) days, the group stuck together playing games, eating, swimming, sleeping, getting to know one another & trying out different activities such as flying fox (my all time fave!), camping, canoeing (I remember I had a very bad allergy reaction and had sausage lips after eating some canned food one night). But I digress.

I think the husband and I were both attracted to each other already early on. He was a cute Chinese boy, very athletic & tanned. I was, well, this geeky tall girl with long hair and braces (ha! Every girl seemed to have braces then). I was gawky and not the most co-ordinated girl, especially in comparison to him. We struck it off rather well from the onset, and after the 4-day camp, we kept in touch. After the camp, I think Gandhi group attempted to stay in touch, but that didn’t succeed very well. The husband and I kept in touch though, and I think we both already knew that we were interested in each other.

It was months after this camp (6 months?) that we dated. For 6 months, we did the usual things that teens do when they dated. We did movies (a lot), we ate fast food (cheap food), we met each other’s friends, we hung out after school, we studied together (my bloody O levels) & well, we did movies (I said a lot, ok). It was fun, and I never took public transport so far before (he still lives in the same house today as then, and how amazing that today I’m living in that same room!). “Our” songs from the era were “PJ & Duncan”, “Celine Dion”, “Seal’s kissed by a rose”… I think my favourite was a song from All 4 One.

What impressed me about the husband then was how kind, generous & sporty he was. He played basketball a lot, he was on the school team, he cycled a lot, he was probably the healthiest, most active person I knew (I had limited male friends, coming from a girl’s school). He was always kind to me, he made me laugh, we never ever fought (one time, we ‘fought’ intentionally just to ‘spice things up’ hah!), he always sent me home & walked me right to the last step possible… he was always sweet. These traits still stand true today. He’s a very mature & stable version of what he was then.

That puppy love was not meant to be, and 6 months after it began, I got bored. Yes, I confess to the world that I was a fickle and myopic girl. I was about to embark on a different stage of my school life in a new environment with endless possibilities and a relationship held shallow meaning for me (then, no longer now please). I ended the relationship with the husband and till this day, I cross my heart & hope to die when I say that I never wanted to hurt him. I just was as ditzy and silly as a young girl could be. The husband wasn’t nasty, nor was he mean. He accepted the break-up and we parted our ways.

We stayed friends though, something that I wanted very much to remain. Because it wasn’t that the husband and I had fought or parted uglily, it was just, well, not meant to be. We were 16! And I say it again, I was truly as shallow & ditzy as a girl could be at that age. I wanted to party, I wanted to play, I didn’t truly understand the concept of a ‘relationship’ – my flimsy perception of it was that you spent tons of time together and enjoyed each other’s company. I headed overseas to study and despite that, we stayed in touch. Through all effort on my part, I daresay (I dare you to refute this), I’ll ring him, I’ll write postcards, I’ll email. I’ll arrange to meet up for coffee to chat and catch-up when we could, the meeting up probably happened no more than 5 times? We sometimes met up at night spots if we happened to be in the same area (though I think this really happened only once) Generally, I made the effort mostly because I’m friendly and sociable by nature, and when you’re my friend, well, that’s what friends do right? They keep in touch. But partly because I had a soft spot for the husband. This was a man that I liked and hung out tons with, and never ever made me upset. That made him special.

Fast-forward this sporadic, platonic friendship to December 2004. The husband and I were both working. I cannot remember exactly, but I think I probably rang him randomly (as always) & we decided to meet up. It was in Orchard, and I first sighted him in the midst of my errand and I spied him from the corner of my eye as I was standing at the counter. He was in a cap of sorts (I forget the actual name of it), a long-sleeved black Nike top & berms. I was, I forgot what I was wearing but that's not important. As always, I was happy to see him and we had coffee across the road from Ngee Ann City, where we met. We talked, and shared our life stories. Both of us were single at that point in time, and both of us were pretty much down in the dumps. I think I was probably in a worse-off state than he was, but we were both single and very much scalded.

I remember feeling all fuzzy and excited meeting up with him. But I had just broken up right? Men are off-limits! And so it began. This internal emotional turmoil that I went through, with this man so nice & available who’s there with/for me, yet me not wanting to get into anything serious. We hung out. A lot. We laughed and played and had fun. It was also tough on me emotionally and after a whole year (or more?) of unsettledness, of me pushing the husband away despite him being there with me, I gave into what had felt right all along. Needless to say, because of all my emotional baggage, the first two years of our relationship was pretty (damn) rocky. But it was also through those years that the husband proved himself to me. He gave me confidence, he built my strength and belief in love, in men, in relationships. This probably set the foundation of our relationship right and sturdy.

After three years of “real” dating (hey, I’m older and slightly wiser by now please), he proposed. I’m a lucky girl and I daresay I probably had the WORLD’S best proposal. We’ve been married two years & 11 months (3rd anniversary next month!) & we have a baby girl too. I thank my lucky stars that I have this man that I can rely on, whom I love and who loves me for who I am.

To the husband, I was inspired to write our story for the world to know how awesome you are. We have a great story to tell and I want to always remember it. I want to tell people about it. Most importantly, it’s simply awesome that we have anything to tell. We’ve had good times and bad times, and every bit of time is worth spent with you, because it’s what makes us. For no reason at all, I just want to say I Love You.

Chu Wu

It's the 5th day of CNY & we're back to work. In the sister's words, "boring snoring". Kate's feeling it too, since she's not out & about either. Here's her in the normal 'home garb' with unkempt hair. Haha!

Cheeky Kate - the one who refused to sleep last night

Capital D

for D.I.S.C.I.P.L.I.N.E.

Took me every single ounce of that to come to work today. Oh maaan.

More fun & good times

Highlights of the 3rd day of CNY:

Kate & Papa at his friend's daughter's birthday party

Kate & I at the husband's colleague's house

The best picture of today: stylo mylo Kate in Raybans!

Good times are made of these

There are more & much better pictures taken by the sister, but here's a sneak peek into our happy lunar new year thus far:

Reunion dinner at dage's house. One great shot with everyone (two wriggly young ones included) looking at the camera

Kate in her new Care Bears pajamas worn on chu xi, so that she'll welcome the new year in new apparel

Day 1 of CNY: family shot of the husband's side of the family. There were more than 80 people present and that was not even the complete family! Imagine the cacophony of fun & laughter with everyone in one place - happiness!

Kate & I on Day 1 of CNY. She's wearing her new 'angbao' dress, red & festive!

Day 2 CNY: Tired Kate, taking a nap while on the road. It was the first visiting pit-stop at the husband's eldest aunt's.

Day 2 CNY, evening: Kate in her festive garb (check out her new shoes!) at the husband's friends place where we had lo hei & made merry

The kids having a ball of a time with bubbles & a ball

My sweet baby :)

Chu Yi

Everyone's in a great mood cos it's the holidays and I'm no exception. Kate was a doll and a hit with everyone, young & old. I love how she charms everyone with her sociable self. The first day of the lunar new year started great with Kate waking up in an awesome mood and greeting us parents happily. Started the day right!

We did a day of visiting, not too much, just the right pace and ended it at my mom's with a lot of food. I also indulged way too much in all the goodies, rather regretting it now with mini ulcers sprouting in my mouth =_=

It's day 2 and I'm looking forward to another great day with loved ones, family & friends.

Gong xi fa cai!

I'm special!

The sister totally surprised me with a random gift yesterday evening. I'd read about her "project" & well, while I did secretly want to be 'the one' I didn't have any expectations. After all, we're talking about this little miss social butterfly who has friends from far & wide.

We met up for our 'date' and though it started off rather awkwardly (xiao jie, my friend mei you lai... private joke, sorry people), we all had fun, ate (too) much and accomplished the mission of helping the husband locate a suitable festive new shirt. I was presented with this surprise gift after dinner and I was elated!

It's so nice to be loved and to be surprised with love, to know that family rocks and to be appreciated.

Thank you my dear sister, we're not disgusting ok, just mighty silly. Love love!

Busy night

Everyone’s b*tching about the sh*t weather we’ve been having. I find it very troublesome to have to leave the warm bed while rain is pelting down, and even more so when you have to step out under it. The perk of it though, is that the temperature is rather low and well, I feel cold! I’ve had to take out my thicker clothing and long-sleeved stuff to wear, quite a nice change from the humidity.

Last night, Kate and I had disturbed sleep and I gather I probably caught a chill from the air-conditioning. My throat was itchy and I felt semi-ill and I was very afraid that Kate will get an infected throat from me (sigh).

It was before 4am (because I heard it chime 4), when Kate woke up and started to cry. She probably had a dream, or she probably is in pain from her teething (I’ve spied whiteness in her gums around the molars) but whatever the case, my unhappy baby woke up. When this happened before, I’ll immediately stuff the pacifier into her mouth and she’ll go back to sleep feeling comforted. However, now that my baby is no longer reliant on the pacifier (YAY! *throws confetti); I have to let her crawl over me, literally.

She has a habit of coming to lie on my tummy to play with my bellybutton, or she’ll put her head very close to mine (knocking me, really) and she’ll pretty much doze off after she tires. I usually brace myself cos I never know how hard she’ll lie on me, my hip bone, my collar bone or my skull. It hurts me, as well as her when she’s over-zealous, but generally, I rather enjoy the intimacy and how she very much prefers to have me sleep with her. She even has a habit of "requesting" for me to sleep with her by patting the bed and calling "Mama" *beams

So last night, we were both up until past 5 (I heard it chime 5!) and we both fell asleep after I’d switched off the air-conditioning (it was still very cool). I'm not sure what time I finally slept but I had a headache when my alarm rang at 7am. It was another day and we all had to wake up to do what we had to do (some have it easier where she basically just eats, sleeps and makes merry) so up I got and ploughed myself through the motion to get to work.

Throughout our entire night’s adventures, the husband was out gallivanting on his own adventure with his pals. I received a (half-dead) update from him at 8.30am this morning, where he declared to me that he was “alive and had survived” the torturous night, I’m assuming. He’d gone out before Kate slept and was fighting his own (drunken) battle with his friends.

All in all, it's been a busy night for us 3.