Daddies are important

I read this article in the papers under the "parent to parent" category, titled "A love measured in memories". It's written by Jason Wong, an active/highly-participatory Dad who wrote this very lovely article. I was touched by several things he wrote. It is very Dad-skewed but I think it is relevant and true to all parents.

Here's sharing some of them:

• "if you want to be in your children's memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today."
• "it is easier to build boys and children than to fix men and adults."
• (from wife) "...while everyone else looked up to you [writer] at work or within my other circles, no one knew what Iyou was like at home." [context: he had refused to help out with the child choosing to be in front of the telly instead and in frustration, his wife had written to him. This statement jolted him as he realised that what the wife said was true - that he was so quiet and non-participative at home that his children were alienated from him.]
  
• "... I received the best Father's Day gift ever. My son gave me a hand-drawn card. Each page had a picture and a sentence like 'Thank you for reading books to me' or 'Thank you for telling me ghost stories'."
• (Writer had taken his father out for a walk.) "My 10-year-old son came to sit with us [on bench], my dad looked at my son and said in dialect: "Your dad looks after you now. Make sure you look after your dad when he is old, just like what he is doing for me now."
• "The richness of a father's love is best measured in the lasting memories we leave for our children."

Another trick I picked reading this article: close your eyes and recall scenes of your parent and you.

What do you "see"? And what do you want your child to "see"?

Ladies of leisure

Yesterday was one of those days where the ladies in my family were all free; Mom, Jean and I were all not working and I’d planned a day to hang out altogether with Kate!

We started the day by picking up the mother and sister from home and swinging by a childcare centre. I wanted to visit the school to check out the environment, to see if it is suitable for Kate. [This childcare plan has been a huge topic of procrastination that the husband and I hadn’t tackled. We’d done a few sessions of school visits but truth is, nothing seems to be good enough. This deserves an entry of its own!]

Kate got startled by a couple of things – namely when the teacher tried to take her temperature and check her palms and feet (routine HFMD check), but she rather enjoyed using the automated sanitiser dispenser where she happily kept rubbing her hands with the liquids squirted out. She also displayed her independence, walking about the school, helping herself to the toys that were displayed all around. It heartened me to see how comfortable she was, though I’m still not entirely convinced that she’ll be comfortable following any sort of schedule led by the school. I believe it can be trained! [The husband and I really have to start thinking about this childcare arrangement!]

Kate at the school

After we left the school, we headed to Thomson Medical Centre where Kate had to take her final jab in her babyhood. She’s much older and aware of her surroundings now, and the moment she entered the doctor’s room she started clinging on to me like velcro and wailing, not liking that the doctor was touching her. She relaxed the moment the examination was over (it was merely the stethoscope really, nothing scary at all!) when I said “ok say bye bye!” and enthusiastically parroted “bye bye!”

The vaccination was a bit of a trauma cos again, she knew that something bad was looming and she yelled the moment I held onto her tightly and gee, can this girl yell. I swear she traumatized everyone – parents and kids alike – who were in the waiting room. I felt a pang of heartache seeing her react this way but it’s just temporary and vaccinations are good for her! It’s quite funny how she was all sensitive about her arm (it must be mildly smarting or ‘suan’ or something) cos throughout the day (till this morning), every time she remembered the jab or felt something, she’ll touch her arm and whine “pain pain”. On a side note, Kate now has a Certificate of Vaccination (never knew of such things?!) which goes to show that the husband and I have been doing something right (hah).

Lunch was at ION where I bought lunch for the ladies. We had yummy xiaolongbaos and noodles and we were all stuffed at the end of it.

Lady at lunch

Post-lunch, Kate was very tired and within 10 minutes of the mother patting her, she fell asleep. We adults had a quiet hour while Kate napped and we walked about ION strolling through the shops and teasing the sister about her inability to understand simple statements like “all civil servants…” I also made a happy discovery that my loot which I asked the sis-in-law to buy for me from Europe is much cheaper – yay! 30% baybaye)

Shopping & bonding

It was also a “watchful” day with my dropping my watch off for a battery replacement and Mom collecting her watch after dropping it off for some repairs.

So close @ Rolex

We ended off the afternoon having cake and milkshake – sugar overload! – which was truly yummy and decadent. Thanks to the sister for the treat!

She loves Barney

On the way home - tired baby

It’s such a treat to be able to spend a day of leisure doing yummy things like having cakes, shopping and laughing, and even more enjoyable when you do so with loved ones.

What a happy day!

We'll make it happen

I worked yesterday and because I took leave for Monday, Sunday (today) felt like a Saturday. I started the day with a lousy sleep-in (go figure - I sleep badly when I have the chance to sleep late! pfft) and was half hour late for my brunch/makan session with the gurls. It's a belated celebration for Eve. She's now 21weeks preggos and it's so nice to be able to enjoy a lovely, lazy meal with great company and friends who are happy to talk about the same topics - kids, sperms, ovulation, preggo-weeks, delivery, labour, parenting...

We have been friends since college and I realize with a start that we've been friends for 14 years. FOURTEEN!?!?!? Gee. Collectively, we'd been through several break-ups, several lousy relationships, 1 divorce, 4 marriages and exactly 2 & a 1/2 children. As we were recounting the number of "dones", Poo raised that despite all that, we 4 have never been away on a trip altogether. *GASP

We quickly decided that it has to be done! Of course, it's not that easy with 1 working Mom, 1 working pregnant Mom-to-be, 1 who just started a new job (ala no leave) and 1 non-working Mom who needs to look for childcare help. But, we will make it happen!

Let's do it, gurls!

14 years of beautiful friendship, and many more to come

The faraway bestie

Another bestie I have is physically a "faraway" one. I recently managed to tong pang some gifts with her family who were going to the US of A to visit her.

Favourite pic of the lot. See how monkey-matchy they are (faces & tops)

I cannot wait to meet this cheeky little missy monkey!

"Bye Mom!"

This was what Kate said to me this morning, before I stepped out of the house.

How cute! I didn't teach her to say that. But I guess she learnt it from somewhere.

Of course, her pronunciation can be improved (it kinda sounds like "dye Ma" right now) but I get what she's saying!

I'm so in love with Kate.

Baby Jaz

I visited baby Jaz last night. The bestie was tired from the entire labour process but she was generally in good spirits. Proud Daddy was grinning happily and I think he was still in a daze!

Baby Jaz and I

My bestie is a Mom!

Twenty-fifth May, twenty eleven. Baby Jaz joins us in our world.

I don't have details of her birth-time/birth-weight nor anything, but I've been following the bestie's progress of her labour process via SMS this morning, when she was still in the mood to joke, complain and share. There was a silent lapse so I texted her husband and he replied to say that the baby has arrived!

My first sighting of Mommy and Baby, pic courtesy of the bestie's husband via MMS.

Dear bestie, you're about to embark on the most exciting ride of your life, ever! I'm happy to be by your side and advise, help and nag you on many things! I'm so happy for you, you cannot imagine. *big grins

Dear Jaz, you are so beautiful! Aunty June is so excited that you're here and I cannot wait to meet you.

Love lots, June

MEH moment with Kate

I was blow-drying my hair yesterday when Kate pulled a naughty trick of rummaging through the bin. I shouted at her (over the loud buzz of the hairdryer) “Stop that, Kate!” which she conveniently disregarded. I had to stop what I was doing and stomped towards her. I took her hand and smacked it. She looked at me forlornly and pulled at my hair. SMACK.

[Note: the husband has reminded me that I have to give Kate warning before I smacked her. Which I agree with. So now, I make an effort to give her a chance before I smack her. In these cases, these are repeat offences as she has been told before that the bin cannot be rummaged through nor is she allowed to pull at hair.]

“No pulling my hair!”

We eyed each other steadily. Her lips quivered slightly; I saw her eyes shifting and I knew she was thinking.

She reached her hand out and touched my hair again – without pulling this time, merely holding it.

And she said “tham tham” (translation from Hokkien: wet wet)

It took me every ounce of sanity to keep my face still, not crack up and responded evenly “yes, Mommy’s hair is wet. Can you please not touch the bin and wait for Mommy to finish drying my hair? Go read a book and I’ll read with you when I’m done ok?”

“Oday (ok)”

Gosh – that’s one classic example of moments with the little one. She never fails to surprise me and it amazes me how she is aware of how to avert attention. In this scenario, she was the one who created the aversion. There are also times where either the husband or I are the ones to create an outlet that will allow her to maneuver out of the situation. One time, she was throwing a tantrum and refused to pick up a toy and after serious moments of unhappiness, I backed down and said that she can have a treat (eat a biscuit, play a toy, etc – any form of distraction, basically) if she did what she was told to – and she’ll usually do that.

Of course, there are also occasions where no party will budge – we are angry parents and she is the stubborn child. No one gets out of that in a pretty state as there will be loud voices, louder cries and plenty of stress involved, but I think what is important is that we, as parents, try our best to do what is right and being firm - which is important in disciplining a child, especially at this vulnerably important age of Kate’s.

So tired

Last night, the husband, Kate and I went to sleep at the same time. It wasn't planned, but we were so tired that we fell asleep the same time that we put Kate to sleep. I guess it's not difficult - the light are off except for a dim night light. The air-conditioning is cool and the bed is comfortable.

It was 2.19am when I looked at the time. I had a sip of water, set my alarm and quickly jumped back to bed where the husband and Kate laid peacefully. We three formed a letter "H" sleeping on the bed altogether, except that Kate slept near our heads than waist in the letter-formation. The poor husband got the lousier deal with Kate's feet kicking at his head. I had her head tucked into my body/knocking into my head.

I love sleeping together with my loved ones!

Kate the soldier

Some signs that this little girl is a tomboy:

1/ She gets into the prone position smoothly
Not sure where she picked this up from, but she likes to be in the prone position when she is drawing or reading. She'll lie on her belly and prop herself up and look terribly comfortable while doing so. One time, she threw a ball which rolled underneath a shelf. I’d kinda expected her to peer clumsily beneath but she didn’t. Instead, she took me by surprise by getting into a prone position (like a seasoned soldier!) to peer underneath!

2/ Barking instructions
As Kate becomes more developed in her speech & her vocabulary improves, we can have a decent conversation with each other. She can also tell us things she wants. And given her independent character, she’ll express her displeasure clearly if we don’t execute her commands swiftly enough. “Mama see!” “Papa come!” “No, no, NO!” “This one, no no, THIS ONE”

3/ A good soldier
Generally, I still feel that Kate is a great trouper. She can understand our instructions and undertake them very well if she is in the mood to do so. I have seen her keep her toys. I have also negotiated with her (pls keep your books and I’ll let you watch “Goldilocks and the three bears”) which she does. It makes me so proud to watch her develop so quickly and cleverly.

I love my little tomboy.

Why?

Why will anyone bring a child into this world if they didn't care about him?

I know there are plenty of scenarios that illustrate this in various forms but being a Mother (actually, you'll feel it even if you weren't a parent but the feelings are more intense with me being a parent) it saddens me to think about how the child(ren) are the ones suffering because of lousy decisions made outside of their control.

Today, I brought a group of kids on an excursion - they are neglected/abused kids who live in a Home. They are aged 18 and below and they are under the care of the Home, to protect them from abuse, neglect or other forms of unfavourable influence. Nothing is fair in this world and though it sucks to lead a lousy life, it sucks even more that these kids were given the short end of the lot, with nothing they could have done about it. I spoke to the caretaker from the Home and one thing she said really struck a chord, "they want a lot of attention."

Children are needy and attention-seeking by nature; imagine how it is like if their environment is not conducive and all they want is to seek approval from their parent(s) and unable to receive it simply because of lousy circumstances. They'll spend their lives doing attention-seeking antics to garner any form of attention and approval. Where will this sort of behavior lead them to years down the road? So it's no wonder that the kids' behaviour may be even more extreme compared to other children as that is their way of screaming "Look at me! Love me!"

I am thankful that I am not disadvantaged in any way, and in fact, given more than I've ever imagined. I have a beautiful family and though my mom was super strict in my younger years (& I deserved every bit of it, really), I grew up in a loving home. I feel sad thinking about these children and I just hope that they will be strong and toughen up in a positive way and lead their lives well.

It breaks my heart to see how these kids are like wilted flowers, unable to blossom and bloom because they weren't given the right care and love.

Lovely Saturday

I spent the entire day with Kate and it was absolutely lovely.

The husband woke up very early (9am!) and we immediately got up and about to visit Lukas. His parents are away (2 weeks in Europe!) and the MIL hasn't seen him for a while so off we went. It was only a short visit but I'm sure it brightened up his day!

I then brought Kate to a gathering with the colleagues. She was such an angel, behaving very well and playing with the other 2 children there.

Swinging away with Trevor & Janelle

She was slightly terrified of the dog (you can see it in the background) but she wasn't panicky or anything. She just preferred me to hold her and though the dog was roaming around, she didn't mind it very much as long as it didn't come too near her. I think she had fun just running amok, playing with the swing and eating along with me (she had porridge, crackers, cheng tng, cake, biscuits...). By the time we left, she was exhausted and took a 1.5hr nap!

Next on the agenda for today was an ex-colleague's wedding dinner. It was at Hotel Fort Canning (also known as The Legends, it's the same bla*dy place lo - pardon the language but it was so terribly confusing!) & the entire experience was mediocre (service, food...) The highlight was definitely hanging out with the husband and baby! Kate was well-behaved and eating most of what was fed to her (minus the vegetables & she doesn't fancy prawn) and it was so nice to see the husband all groomed and handsome. It was also very amusing to see how much Kate has grown. The last time we brought her to a wedding dinner was about 5-6 months ago and she was pretty much oblivious to what was around her then. Tonight, however, she was such a great spectator! She clapped along when people did, she pointed to the bride's gown and said "nice nice", she watched the screens along with us taking in the bridal pics on screensaver mode and the usual wedding-day highlights and she even picked up "yum seng"! She has grown so much and it is absolutely enjoyable to have her as company!

Haha a funny one as the husband seldom smiles this sweetly and this is her "new funny look"

I love you!

The bestie

The bestie and I go wayy back. We stuck by each other in our delinquent days, even past those days, to where we are today – both married and both with child (albeit hers is just within her still). I cannot put my finger on why we get along this well, except that we do. I think it stems from the fact that we played plenty of punk together & you know how it is when people bond through hardship (hah). But the truth is, I really appreciate her honesty, her care and concern and having had years of experiences together, I think we’re pretty inseparable.

When we were in our early 20s, we even got inked together! It was a design that we both agreed on and we did it in different colours. It’s a simple design with “creative looking” hearts forming a butterfly – we thought that the hearts represented us. (Aaawwww)

Lousy pic of my tatt (taken sneakily at my workstation). The bestie’s is in red.

The bestie is preggers and very very close to popping. Her EDD is 23 May, only 4 days to go! Yesterday, my little family met up with her little family and it was an enjoyable session of mediocre food & great company. I just wanted to hang out with her more - simply because I could. We had moments in our lives where we were both apart from each other ( - physically. We were in different continents) & now that we are re-united and practically neighbours, I really enjoy hanging out aplenty!

While the bestie and I get along very well mostly, we are actually rather different. I think we have both evolved over the years, in our temperaments, expectations and life experiences. The biggest difference I spy right now is our attitudes towards motherhood.

I am the "kanchiong spider". The over-doer, the troublesome one, the one who over-worries - generally am "overboard". She, on the other hand, is the chillest mom-to-be. She takes afternoon snoozes (ah, the lucky one who does not need to work), she is relaxed not only in the way she carries herself now while preggers, but it seems to even extend to her being a new mother & her newborn.

Now, I admire her relaxed attitude because I wish I could be like that (though I know myself well - it wouldn't be possible for me to be like that with my first child cos, well, I'm just not like that). But I'm really excited that the bestie will experience one of the most important and life-changing moments in her life to be blessed with child. I've seen her go through bad relationships before (as she of me), and to see her settle down with a good man and now, going to be a Mom, well, I just cannot be happier.

So days before she does the great push and delivers her beautiful child to this world, I want to wish her all the best, to have plenty of fun in the process (not the delivery, but becoming a Mother la!) - to remember to be patient and communicate & love thy partner, and most of all, to revel and enjoy the most beautiful gift that she will ever receive in the world - her daughter.

Aunty June is looking forward to meeting you, baby Jaz. I love you already!

Kate & unborn Jaz

Pasar malam

After missing Kate aplenty yesterday, I hurried home after work, gobbled my dinner and planned an outing with Kate. I knew the husband would be late at work so I had Kate all to myself.

We first took the car to the petrol kiosk to fill it up. Somehow, bringing her on a car-ride makes it more like a ‘trip’. After the petrol pitstop, we headed back home.

More and more of her (strong) character keeps seeping through every day. Yesterday, she bravely waved and said “bye bye” to me when I parked the car. She thought it terribly funny to remain in the car. And was not afraid at all. In fact, when I spied at her through the window, I saw her peeking cheekily at me! I take this as a good sign. My girl knows that she is loved and will never be abandoned. This should be good for her development & growth, as she is secure in her knowledge that she is loved & taken care of.

There’s a pasar malam going on in the hood and I took Kate on a walkabout there.

Enraptured by the "fishing pond". Love how grimey and ol' skool it looks!

Kate & her french braids. Watching the other kids play. Again, see how old the machines/game-stations are!

After doing the round at the game area (it was only like a 5-metre stretch), we headed to the food section where the usual suspects were being sold. Muah chee, kuehs, biscuits, etc. I rewarded Kate and I to sharing a red bean pancake. It wasn't that great - imagine a soggy & less crunchy waffle.

Kate and the red bean pancake

I got Kate to hold the pancake to pose for the picture. Mistake. Cos when I tried to take the pancake away from her, she refused! And cried!

Again, another sign of her being more grown-up and knowing in her ways. She knew that she very much preferred to hold the food on her own rather than me feeding bits to her. [O yes, on a side note, she has also been choosing her preferred foods and refusing some food. We cannot just stuff her face by our standards, anymore.]

After we were done with this snack, we walked through the food stalls and I offered to get Kate a steam-bun. The colourful ones? She refused. [See? Told you she has her preferences.] I was honestly quite surprised because I thought that she liked them.

In the end, we settled on buying some alphabet biscuits for her, some pineapple biscuits for the husband and chocolate ones for me. And enroute home, we made one final stop to get tutu kuehs. They were baaad. To anyone reading this who may be checking out the Teck Whye pasar malam, do.not.buy.the.tutu.kuehs.

I enjoyed my time out with Kate. I hope she did too.

Withdrawal symptoms

Have been spending plenty of time with Kate. We had a long weekend away for Desaru, plus a bonus Public Holiday on a Tuesday; coming back to work today (on a Wednesday) feels like a Monday.

And I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms from the little one.

So I rang home to want to say "Hello" to her... only to hear her saying "bu yao" resolutely to the MIL when she asked her to come to the phone.

=_=

Throwing one more in the mix

Just as I thought I'd figured Kate out, she gave me another surprise tonight. I'd mentioned before her preference of me patting her to sleep.

Moments ago, for tonight's bedtime special, she suddenly told me "no".

And proceeded to roll to the bolster at the end of the bed and hugged that... and gradually fell asleep on her own!

Haha. Nothing is ever boring with a child.

Precious moments frozen in film

The family did a shoot today. All 8 of us turned up in the "uniform of choice" - white & denim. My mom and dad, the sister & the boyfriend, the brother, the husband, Kate and I. The whole experience was interesting and I think I most enjoyed that it was team effort. Everyone was involved and that's fantastic!

I cannot wait to share the results.

Love the family to bits & many million pieces!

Mamamamama

For a while now, we have noticed that Kate's default word when she is unhappy/distressed/ upset/whiny/ confused (you get the idea) is "Mama". She will come to me for comfort and I find that very endearing - though it seems like she cries "Mama" even when I'm not around. It's cutest and most heartwarming when she hurts herself (whether it's a fall, a minor bump or anything that she feels disconcerted about) and quickly calls out to me while coming towards me. I like to pacify her (it usually works well) by asking her where she's hurting and I'll kiss it.

It's quite obvious that I am her key source of comfort - rather normal for most Moms. What is amusing is that this is translated to even when Kate is asleep! We have heard her call out "Mama" when she's dreaming and as I have just discovered (after attempting to put her to sleep for the past two hours), she even bosses me about in her semi-comatose state!

One thing she's been doing for a while is requesting "Mama, pat" when she goes to sleep. And if I stop doing so before she is knocked out, she will murmur "Mama, pat". I'm happy to oblige since that's usually the last metre-dash before sleepville. An anecdote is how Kate will even check that it is me who's patting her and not the husband! She will actually reach for the hand patting her and check that it is mine.

The other discovery is that my "services" include scratching her itch too! The poor girl has sensitive skin so when she gets a mosquito bite it usually lingers for a (long) while and it'd itch so bad that Kate will scratch it incessantly and that inevitably leads to the bite worsening. She doesn't control her scratching so there are times that her delicate skin peels. Just a week ago, Kate got not one, nor two but three mosquito bites. In a bid to help manage her itch and prevent her from killing herself through scratching, the husband offered to help her out. This way, we alleviate her itch and because we don't sandpaper her skin with brute strength as she does unto herself, her skin is less damaged.

Moments ago, in her pre-sleep zone, Kate called out "Mama, scratch".

Gee.

The naughty one

I think it's no secret that kids are constantly testing their boundaries, trying to find out what they can or cannot do. And attempting to do what they cannot simply because. I try to remember that they are kids afterall and it's all part of the growing up process. But man is it trying!

Here are some examples of Kate & her misbehaviours:

Not wanting to sleep. She'll play non-stop and refuse to sleep, even when it's obvious that she's tired. Instead, she'll prefer to run about, pull at the curtains, roll around the bed and all over me. She'll scream in protest when we try to pull her prone. This is a problem because I still wish that she can have more regular sleeping hours; & earlier to bed is preferred.

Insisting on feeding herself. I guess this is a good thing since she wants to be independent and I'm all for her learning to feed herself. The mess is part & parcel and I'm fine with it, but I so wish she'll allow us to help her and/or assist her. Instead, she'll (again) scream in protest if we so much as touch her sometimes. She has also developed this habit of using her fingers to pinch her food - it's rather clever, because she can actually pick bits of food that she wants to eat rather than the whole spoonful of food. But it is a bad habit and we all know how clean kids' fingers are in general.

Throwing a tantrum. This happens as and when her mood suits her. It may be triggered because we don't allow her to eat another biscuit. Or her to touch this/that. Or when she doesn't get her way, in general. She'll throw things, she'll scream, she'll cry... it's just intolerable! So far, how the husband and I have resorted to handling this is to speak to her firmly (sometimes yelling back at her because it's just too much) and after giving her a chance to do the right thing - where she usually will not, we'll then end up smacking her.

Now. Smacking her is a constant point of contention/discussion between the husband and I. Ultimately, as much as we do not wish to traumatise her, we do agree that corporal punishment is necessary. This is given that Kate has a very strong character and we'll only smack her if she does not repent or acknowledge that she is in the wrong after we give her a chance. Of course, we'll never hit her for the sake of and the husband and I constantly moderate each others' behaviour & methods of keeping Kate in check.

Anyway, I digress. After we smack her she'll obviously cry. But we'll stand firm and hold her (while she wriggles her life away) still while trying to repeat ourselves why she has misbehaved. We'll usually sound like a broken record "you cannot throw the toy." - repeat 25times. She is a stubborn little worm & she usually will not give in. Instead, she'll rather create a bigger fuss and cry even louder. This is usually a test of patience between us as it is terribly grating and frustrating to have her kick a fuss when she's in the wrong, at the same time us remaining firm.

This is all rather interesting and I always think that it is a test of development not only for Kate, but for the husband and I too.

Guess there's a reason why it's called terrible twos universally.

One night in Desaru

We planned this trip in less than 50 hours. It took us minutes to decide to buy an e-voucher coupon, & another half a day to confirm the trip. A few hours to drive by the agency to pick up the travel documents and off we went! All these took place over 5 days leading up to last Friday.

Overall, the holiday was a very short one and the husband and I have had better beach holidays. However, it was our first with Kate - first beach holiday with her & first holiday we 3 took - and I must say that it's rather enjoyable. For all of 2 days, the husband and I were left with nothing to do but be with Kate. It was tiresome at times, especially when she was in her moods, but generally I think it was worth it because Kate enjoyed herself!

She's at the stage where she can express herself, she can tell us what she wants and what she doesn't want. She tells us when she wants to play; where she wants to go play, what she prefers to eat and the toys she wants to play with. There were open spaces that allowed her to run amok and simple things like a little toy slide and playhouse kept her happy for ages. Packing along colour pencils helped as she's also at a stage where she wants to "draw draw draw" (not sure why but she has to repeat the same word three times every time she says it) - every time she spies a pen/pencil/paper.

She can also eat adult food alongside us, albeit the non-spicy, less oily options but which made traveling with her much more convenient.

Kate enjoyed the boat ride - not that she seemed to notice anything as it was just bobbing along rather uneventfully & comfortably - and o yes, a swimming pool with slides was still too much for her to take to but she still enjoyed splashing about the pool with water up to her shoulders.

I rather enjoyed myself, simply because our family got to spend time together. Such moments are precious and I'm looking forward to more moments of fun!

Love

Going off...

.. on a holiday!

In a few hours' time, we'll be heading to the ferry terminal to catch a ferry to Desaru, Malaysia. This trip was confirmed two days ago and I've just packed for Kate and I. The husband is out drinking with his friends and we're both going to be very tired when the alarm goes off tomorrow. & the husband is yet to pack.

YAWNS.

I've never been this ill-prepared for a holiday. But it's only 2D/1N so it's just a sleepover, really.

It should be fun! Woot!

He with the magic touch

I was out late last night for a work event and while I had my saga of trying to find my way home; the husband put Kate to sleep. For the 2nd time in the past week, he's had no problems with that. When he was on his own with her.

Maybe I stimulate her too much, cos I'm always the one speaking to her in dramatic tones and big actions (like the drama mama - literally - that I am). Doesn't really make sense though, because I've always been like that right? And I've always pretty much put her to sleep before.

Whatever it is, I think it's good that someone can tame the little monster.

A very cute little monster.

A burst of sunshine

Thanks for sending the pic across! Warms my heart to see you both while I'm at work. Love!

A little bundle of bazooka

Not too long ago, I wrote about how I enjoyed pre-sleep time with Kate. (Don't mock me, you! ggrr*)

How things have changed! Suddenly, the baby has decided that she does.not.want.to.sleep.

Then we had the fight.

& since then, night-time is now a war-zone; with Kate resisting sleep even more, adamant on playing, jumping, pulling hair, rolling around, singing, talking - anything but sleeping. It's been so tough that the husband and I have to work as a team to tackle her. Literally, by pinning her down to sleep (highly unsuccessfully, really). Sigh.

It's so tiresome & frustrating because we don't know what's changed overnight. I just hope that this is a phase and she gets out of it. Fast.

Our beautiful story

Here's the story of this beautiful bouquet of roses. 99 red roses in all.

It's the first time I've ever seen/received/held a bouquet this big. And the best bits?

• It's free!
  
• And it's also timely for Mothers' Day.

The husband and I have been wanting to do a short getaway for yonks. But we are always complaining that we're broke (there's always something else that needs to be purchased that's of greater importance, like diapers! Milk powder! Breakfast! Food! - you get the idea) & I heard this ad on Class95 where they were giving away a short holiday trip at some-island-somewhere (I forget). I rang the husband and I told him of this & he said quite spontaneously "write in la!"

So I did.

I did it in quite a hurry but I kept the juice of our relationship within - here’s sharing my exact submission on Class 95:

Tell us your love story... how you met, how you fell in love : The husband and I met when we were in secondary school. We were from different ends of the islands (West & North) and our paths will probably never have crossed, if our schools hadn’t sent us to OBS (outward bound school). We were in the same group & it was a 3 or 4-day camp. We were both keen on each other already, and a few months after the camp, we dated. It lasted all of 6 months – it was such sweet innocent puppy love but it didn’t last because we were so young and life was just “so complicated” when you’re the “grand old age of 16”. It was really playfulness that caused me to break up with him really, cos I wasn’t serious in the relationship. We kept in touch after though, because he is really a sweetie and I remember how we would meet up infrequently when I came back to Singapore on study vacation (I studied overseas then) and it was always pleasant and sweet. I know that I always regard him as “the sweet one”, because during our dating days, it was truly sweet, no other way to describe it. We went for movies, we held hands, we hung out at Marina Sq/Lido.. it was so simple. Fast-forward to 2005, when we were both single and hurt from our relationships. There was no denying the spark that was still there and we started dating again, 10 yrs after we last dated. His friends know me as “the one who broke his heart”/ “the true love of his life”… words that startled me because I never really knew that he still harboured feelings for me through the years. The relationship wasn’t plain-sailing – I was laden with excess baggage from my past relationship and my man stood by me. It took me nearly 2 yrs before I was able to rid the baggage and be in the relationship with a clear mind. He stood by me throughout, unwavering. 3.5yrs ago, he orchestrated the most amazing proposal for me. It was an underwater proposal and one that took me completely by surprise. We’d uploaded it on youtube but it was removed (cos we used soundtracks that are copyrighted) – let me know how I can share the link with you (via yousendit?); it really is the most romantic-est proposal and I’m not boasting! It’s been a fantastic ride since we got married 3 years ago and our daughter is now 19months old. I love my husband very much and he’s still pretty much the same sweetie as he was once upon a time. I think it’s fate that brought us together.

I kinda forgot about it after a while. I mean, it'd been 2weeks & I still haven't heard anything of it so I kinda let it slide.

Then one morning, last week, I got a call from the husband when I was at work.

"Babe, did you write in to Class 95? About us?”

“Ya. I wanted to win the short trip & you said ok remember? (obviously not) … why?”

“Our story was read out. My friend asked if my wife’s name is June…"

“OH! How does your friend know it’s your wife?”

“The underwater proposal la”

People who know us know of this amazing underwater proposal, so it’s probably us if you heard of this anywhere! When I logged into FB later that morning, I had two friends who posted on my wall that they had heard my love story!

Alas, instead of the holiday, the prize for last week was a bouquet of roses so while we didn’t get the holiday, we did get this bouquet of very lovely roses.

Sweethearts

SO. What do you do with this huge a bouquet? There was a family dinner planned for Mother's Day & I decided to split up the bouquet and share it with all the ladies (Moms & Moms-to-be)!

Working at the flower to spread the love around

Happy Mothers' Day!

I've been a bit of a grouch lately (the husband can vouch) and I blame it on hormones and the need to feel love (it's never enough!)

So today, I really wanted to just not plan anything and I'm happy that the husband stepped up to the task - to be fair, I wasn't expecting anything super-upsized, but I just wanted to have the day roll without me thinking of what was going to happen/I had to do. Just before we hit the sack last night, we had grand plans of visiting the Bird Park on Sunday.

We all woke up at 8.45am, when Kate did. This was tough for the husband and I since we were up till late watching the Singapore GE results live. But up we got and despite our efforts, it was past 10.30am by the time we left the house. I was offered two options for breakfast and I gladly chose one. It was nearly noon by the time we finished eating and I was very worried that it would be too hot to do anything. The weather's been terrible lately, very very hot. We'd obviously given up on our Bird Park plans very early on and the husband made a turn into Upper Pierce Reservoir. I didn't think there was much there (there isn't) but I was pretty sure that Kate would be entertained by monkeys (I was right).

The sun was at noons' best and the garden was pretty quiet when we reached. There were some couples walking about, a family fishing by the water, and some families sitting in the pavilions. Kate's initial reaction upon sighting a bunch of monkeys was "pa pa!" (scared). She was in the grey zone where she wanted to see them but was frightened. We watched the monkeys from a distance and after a while, she got comfortable enough to leave the arms of the husband and I and could walk on her own. We didn't do much at all, since the place didn't have a playground, or anything much. But I have to say, for 12pm, the wind was lovely and we had a nice time just walking about, sitting/lying about and watching the monkeys!

Wearing matching tops - I specially did this for Mothers' Day!

Papa, come. Sweeneeng (swimming - she wanted to swim. See water in background.)

Hunting for monkeys

Mama, there!

Enjoying the lovely breeze

Can never get enough kisses

After the hour, we headed back to my Mom's so that the grandparents get to spend some time with Kate too. It was truly a lazy Sunday and the weather didn't help, so everyone at home ended up napping. Kate took a solid nap for 1.5hours.

At my mom's, she still sleeps in the yao lan & at just about 4pm, when I happened to walk by the room, I spied some movement and when I peeked, I saw that Kate was awake - her eyes were open but she didn't make any noise, preferring to laze.

The little worm lazing - check out how her leg is raised & if you look closely, you can spot her open eye

It's a simple affair today & not terribly exciting, but that's what it is about. Communicating with loved ones, spending time and doing things together. I'm very fortunate to have a lovely & loving husband who pulls his weight in this parenthood game. I'm very proud of my clever little girl, who'll be turning 20months next week. It is amazing, this journey of being a mother and I hope that I am being a good mother to Kate. One thing is for sure, I appreciate my own mom a lot more because I truly understand how it is like to play that role. Just for kicks, before I end off, here's a quick look at the bubba one year ago:

Kate @ 8 months last Mothers' Day

She was more roly poly then, and she had all of 2 teeth with little hair. She was also at the stage where she could crawl and was pulling at anything that will hold her weight & allow her to stand up. She was also gurgling and crying and making her intentions known in those two forms. I was also still breast-feeding then & her diet was of milk & semi-solids. How much she has grown in a year!

I look forward to every special occasion spent with my loved ones - Happy Mothers' Day to me, and all Mothers!

99 red roses

This is the biggest bouquet of roses I have ever seen and held. It is the biggest bouquet of roses I have ever had. I'll put up another post on how this bouquet came about in my hands, but in the meantime, here's enjoying it. It's exceptionally timely, given that it's Mothers' Day!

The lovely bouquet, up-close.

Happy Mothers' Day to my dearest Mom!

Celebrating Mothers' Day for the 2nd year & the 1st time with such a large bouquet of flowers.

Flowers make people happy & I'm glad to share this happiness with my family & loved ones.

To chat or not to chat

I took the bus home from work yesterday. From the elevated viewpoint standing on the bus, I was able to look into the cars passing by rather clearly.

I did a random count of couples in their vehicles who were talking to each other, or not. The overall result was encouraging – 50%-50%.

There were couples in the cars with stoic and bored expressions. They were clearly not engaged with each other, not talking, just staring ahead at the road. There were 8 that I saw.

The other 8 which I saw told a different story.

There were varying degrees of conversations going on.

• One was sharing content on the iPhone,

• A few were talking casually – their postures were relaxed, both leaned back into their seats but talking and glancing at each other.

• Two were talking animatedly – with gesticulated arms & big smiles (that was very nice),

• And one car had kids in the back and the entire family was bouncing around (not literally).

Which kinda couple are you?

I’m hoping that those couples not talking with each other are chilling but happy to be with each other. After all, it takes a certain level of closeness to be able to sit side-by-side in comfortable silence. But my preference is to be the happy one! To be engaged in conversations always, to be laughing and sharing and communicating always!

Are we?

Making up

After the undesirable night yesterday, I'm glad I had time this morning to spend some alone time with the daughter. It wasn't much, just us at the kopitiam downstairs, sharing a kaya toast, me taking my necessary caffeine & her with her happy reward - watching Barney on the iPhone.

Dear Kate, I'm happy to have made up with you. It aches my heart to hear you cry and I love that you will always call me Mama, just like how I will always love you, forever. Moments spent together are ours to keep & hold close to our hearts always. I hope you enjoyed the mini outing together.

Love, Mommy

Kopitiam baby