Happy morning

I had a rather pleasant & enjoyable morning - a great start to the day!

I got an unplanned morning call from the husband at 6.30am, telling me that he wouldn't be back home in time to handover the car (the poor man has been working all-night shifts); and what struck me as rather amusing was how he asked me if I was truly awake and he even offered to call me again if I was semi-asleep & not absorbing what he was telling me!

As I was already awake, I thought of going for a morning run & I was nearly out of the door when I heard "Mama!" The little one had awakened!

Now, let me digress a little to share with you how close K and I are. She's especially clingy to me at bedtime - before she sleeps, when she sleeps and after she wakes up. Before she goes to bed, she'll roll over my body, sit on my tummy, touch my face/arms/belly, sometimes she'll poke my eye (have to teach her to stop doing so!)... until she tires herself out and knocks out. When she's asleep, she may suddenly wake up to shift her sleeping position and sometimes she'll put her head next to mine or lay very close to my body, sometimes she'll slap my face (lightly) & her intention is merely to touch me and seek comfort in having me by her side. When she awakens, she'll like to have me by her side - again I just think she feels comforted. She'll wave to me (this is terribly cute!) and smile and just lay beside me in bed (she's a lazer). The MIL & the husband have both shared with me that she'll check to see who is in bed with her (they have tried cheating her by covering their faces) and she'll cry if it isn't me. I think this terribly endearing & I love her so!

So back to this morning - because she was up and calling for me, I abandoned my plans to run and had a leisurely breakfast with her. She was in great spirits before I left the house and I stepped out with a bounce in my step. Maybe it’s the lovely weather (cool air with warm sunshine), maybe it’s December – whatever it is, I’m feeling great!

Along the way, I spotted a squirrel! It was scrambling up the tree and I wanted to snap a picture of it, but I wasn’t close enough and I figured the quality of the picture wouldn’t have been great.

Happy Wednesday!

Happy tidings & a special yiyi

The sister has played a very active role ever since Kate was born – she was there on many occasions before Kate turned one, when K was merely a little bundle; and this was despite how she was not based in Singapore then. And of course, ever since she has returned to Singapore (of which I believe K was partial influence also), she has been great help to me every single time we are together. I have to say that the sister is indeed a great yiyi to bay-bee (how she fondly calls K), and I am always grateful at how initiated she is when we go out together (maria, how we fondly – jokingly of course! – call her). Not forgetting to mention how yiyi has captured only but 23,879 pictures of K, goes to show how much we all love and adore K, and the sister.

Two Fridays ago, the sister joined our little family for dinner. It was simple, we had dinner, we took pictures, we strolled around, we held hands, we laughed, we played, we ate, we talked, we hung out. Such moments together are always fun and I enjoy them terribly!

Love to the best yiyi in the world

K was mesmerised by the band

Gimme a smile!

Papa & K

Christmas is coming!

Rays of hope, love and happiness

Driving to work today, I saw sunrays streaming through the clouds. I wished I could have snapped the beautiful scene to share.

Love how it's a beautiful morning. I have plenty to be thankful for & much to look forward to.

Life is good.

MAMAMAMA

My little girl sticks to me like superglue these days and I've told the husband to try to snap a shot where she's clinging on to me. It's not happened yet, but you get the idea. I cannot even go to the toilet without her yelling for me, she'll much prefer me to be with her 90% of the time. Maybe it's because we spent a lot of time during my two-week break, maybe it's simply because I am her Mommy. Whichever the case, I totally revel in the idolising, the no-one-will-do-but-MAMA moments, the special waves and smiles she gives me.

This is what makes it all worthwhile.

Dear Kate,

Mommy loves you with all my heart too. I wish that we will always be this close, this special in each others' life.

Love, Mommy

Just gotta try it on for size

Parenting, that's what I'm referring to.

It's one of those things that you'll never know how it's truly done until you try it for yourself. And no matter how hard you try, you'll never know how it'd turn out.

It starts the moment you get pregnant - even before, actually. You gotta prep your body right for optimal fetus growth/development, watch your folic acid intake, quit smoking & drinking... then when you're pregnant you ought to take the right kind of omega-ness etc so that the fetus absorbs all the best stuff from you. You also got to have the right balance of exercise/diet/well-being (mentally, physically, emotionally) so that fetus grows in the best conditions.

After the 9-month journey of incubation, it's a whole new ball-game when the baby's out in the world. I never knew how tough a job can get and how much I can really push myself until I became a Mom - functioning on tight nerves, imbalanced hormones and fatigue. After the initial months, when the baby becomes more independent and responsive, parenting becomes more fun as the baby begins to communicate and interact with you. That's also just about when their already developing personality becomes clearer and it's a challenge trying to manage them.

Manage mightn't be the right word, it's more like hope-I-don't-get-found-out-that-I'm-an-on-the-job-trainee! Tantrums, terribly-twos, bratty behaviour... and years down the line, grades, school, boyfriends/girlfriends, lousy peers who are negative influences...

I guess that's the point I'm trying to make - no one is born to become a parent, nor is anyone totally ready to be a a parent, the ride is unpredictable, stressful, rewarding and unbelievably amazing - all rolled-into-one.

Sure, you can be as ready as you think you are, but when it actually happens, it is unlikely to be similar to what you've read up and tried your best to prepare for. Sometimes, you make the wrong choices (shouldn't have fed her that, it's too sweet/oily/salty; oops she fell because I wasn't watching her; I feel bad for yelling at her, she's only a baby afterall, she doesn't know any better?...) it never ends. But, I think we all try to be the best that we can, and hope for the best. There are, of course, some things that you can watch out for, especially in the areas of discipline - I strongly believe that every child can be taught to behave regardless of how playful he is, and it is crucial that parents instill discipline in their children because a child is not bad by nature, he is spoilt bad.

The best thing? Your child doesn't know any different and you will always be the best parent he has.

Fun times are made of these

Perfect start to the weekend

With a warm scone, peppermint tea, magazines