Little Rookies

Bowling

2012-01-31T00:07:00.001+08:00

There is a mini bowling alley for kids at Orchid Bowl at Downtown East. It seemed to be the only place in Singapore which offered miniature bowling balls and pins for kids. We were quite lucky that the kids' lanes weren't occupied when we were there. The kids had a rolling good time as they were able to play about 10 games, uninterrupted.

Looking at the scoreboard. Jaden: I need to do better.


Hmm...Jaden needs to work on his delivery style.

Cry no more

2012-01-30T23:40:00.001+08:00

I'm proud to say that Lynette has adjusted to childcare and doesn't really cry when we dropped her off at the centre. All it took were two weeks and a few wailing sessions.

I think the turning point came when one of the teachers said that the cat on her shirt is very cute and she looked "美美" during the morning temperature checks. Lynette beamed at the comment and pointed at herself saying "美美". Such a mini vainpot :P

That's is. That day, she went into her class without any struggles and with a big smile too.

Happy 4th Birthday!

2012-01-15T23:39:00.000+08:00

It's Jaden 4th birthday! As usual, we had early celebrations in school. We didn't have any party for him this year but we will probably plan for one when he turns 5.

On his actual birthday, we brought him to SingKids, a pretty new indoor Playground at Vivo City. It's quite a small playground but i think it is more suited for younger kids, as opposed to those playgrounds with lots of climbing.

And, we round off the day with a ice cream treat for Jaden. Happy Birthday, Jaden!

Lynette's First Day in Childcare

2012-01-03T23:23:00.000+08:00

Like many others, Lynette started her first day in childcare today. (She is in Toddler class.) Parents are allowed to accompany the kids for the first three days and hence, there is no major meltdown from her :) Friday will be the big 'test' for her. She was a little shy and apprehensive initially but she soon warmed up after exploring the classroom and the toys.

Lynette, however, did cry after all. That happened when a teacher tried to bring her to the toilet to wash her hands. She started wailing when she realized that the teacher was not the teacher from her class. Other than this incident, she was quite participative in class, joining in for some ball play and singing.

But Jaden was too 'excited' at his sister being in the same school as him that he skipped his own class and kept wanting to gatecrash the Toddler class. I have much a hard time getting him out of the class as he will try to slip into Lynette's class when he sees any 'window of opportunity'.

Since it was her first day in school, we took Lynette home after the morning session. Look how tired she is. And she dozed off once we reached home.

Back again after a hiatus

2012-01-02T23:31:00.002+08:00

It's a new year! I just realized that I haven't been updating the blog for the past two months. A couple of factors contributed to this... work, busy, tired, no time etc.

Hmm.. it seemed rather meaningless to catch up on old posts now. I shall simply start anew from here then :)

However, I did create a collage two months back but never got to posting it. Shall post it up now. See how much my little Lynette has grown.

Our new toy!

2011-10-09T09:14:00.002+08:00

Daddy bought a new toy yesterday. Maybe this will motivate me to kickstart my exercise regime. Hee.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tantrum

2011-09-20T16:35:00.003+08:00

Look at little Lynette throwing a tantrum. She would 'throw' herself on the floor and stay there till someone goes and 'sayang' her.

Another tantrum and this time, it is in the kitchen.

and Jaden decided to join Lynette too... Tsk..tsk..

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Blogging on the go!!!

2011-09-20T16:12:00.004+08:00

Let see if this works. If it does, I can blog while on the way to and from work. Definitely much better use of time now!

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That's the way I like it.

2011-09-04T01:28:00.006+08:00

See the non-matching socks. Lynette insisted that she must wear both designs... at the same time! How vain :P

And, Lynette offered to help carry the plastic bag. And she refused to budge until we gave her the bag. Look at the little 'auntie'.

Balls and more balls

2011-09-04T01:10:00.004+08:00

Love these two pics.

We were at Amazonia, an indoor playground at Great World City. It's quite nice but I think the entry price is a little steep, compared to other similar playgrounds. Kids below 3 is $20 per 2 hours and $30 for kids aged 3-12 years.

Hmm.. will I bringing the kids there again? Maybe not... cos' I feel there are other places that offer similar facilities at much lower prices :)

Two in tow

2011-09-04T00:50:00.003+08:00

Yeah... finally, both of them can walk on their own now!

Is this the sign for less tiring days ahead for us or more running around instead? I think it is the latter... But it is nice to see them play together when both are in good mood and high spirits.

Bonding over bowling...

...paints...

...and in a ball pool.

Catch-up II

2011-09-04T00:44:00.002+08:00

Ha.. have been busy catching up on TV shows recently. Ever since, I got the Hubstation, I have rediscovered the 'beauty' of recording :) I can record all the shows I want and then watch it after the kids are asleep. Usually, I wouldn't be watching TV after they are asleep cos' usually there aren't any good programmes on at that time.

But now that I'm recording the shows, I can watch it any time I want and that also means I'm have lesser time to blog nowadays :P Not a good sign cos' I really want to keep up the blog to document Jaden and Lynette's progress. Now that I have finished a couple of shows and the new drama seasons haven't started yet, I'll try to catch up on some posts soon :)

'Ransack'

2011-06-30T14:15:00.002+08:00

This is what Lynette has been up to recently. Nothing escapes her small nifty hands.

Lynette's hospital stay

2011-06-25T01:04:00.007+08:00

Sigh, Lynette was hospitalised for bronchiolitis the week before (14-17 June). She was breathless due to her wheezing and so the KK A&E doctor advised that she be warded for treatment and observation.

This was considered her 2nd wheeze as she had her first wheeze when she was just two months old. At that time, she was easier to manage cos' she couldn't really 'put up a fight'. But this time round, she would cry every time the nurse administered the puff for her. And, mind you, she is a strong girl. Two nurses have to hold her down!

Furthermore, we were cracking our brains to come up with ways to entertain her. Definitely not an easy feat.

She was discharged after three days and we are glad she is back to her cheerful, jovial self :)

Art

2011-06-22T13:12:00.005+08:00

Carefully crafted by art master, Jaden Tang. Ahem...sold for 2 packets of instant noodles, a pack of rice and 1 bottle of shower gel.

Jaden's childcare centre has a charity drive recently and all kids will make a art piece to raise grocery items for needy families. Here's Jaden's art piece. Looks quite artistic, right?

Pictures

2011-06-22T12:43:00.001+08:00

I'm into collages now. So look out for more in the new few postings!

Happy 1st Birthday!

2011-06-22T10:57:00.006+08:00

As promised, here are Lynette's Birthday party pictures...

Unfortunately, Lynette was a little 'stingy' with her smiles that day.

Happy Birthday!

Catch-up

2011-06-22T10:52:00.002+08:00

Sigh...I'm so far behind in my blog posts... Time to catch-up now.

Party Accomplished!

2011-05-01T23:12:00.003+08:00

Have been super busy for the past week but yes, we still managed to celebrate Lynette's birthday last weekend. At first, we were thinking that we may have a to hold a belated birthday celebration in May. Thankfully, we were able to make the necessary arrangements and pull everything together with just a week's notice :) However, I have to add that we were able to do that, partially because I have been diligently 'researching' on party ideas months ago. Yes, I'm the kiasu Singaporean :P

Will only be posting some of the party pictures up later on cos' I'm too tired to sift through the pictures now...

Limbo

2011-03-21T23:10:00.003+08:00

Sigh, Lynette's birthday plans are still in limbo :( I have more or less decided on the venue but alas, I can't make any booking yet cos' we haven't decided on the party date. And the reason we can't decide on a party date yet is because we are waiting for a particular date to be confirmed.

Sigh sigh...I'm so late in my preparations already...

Swollen eye

2011-03-21T22:36:00.003+08:00

Lynette had a swollen eye last week. It seemed like she had put on eye shadow. Hee.

Look at her 大小眼!

Sick

2011-03-05T21:50:00.004+08:00

Viral fever attack...

Late

2011-02-21T23:39:00.003+08:00

Sigh, I'm so late in my preparations this time round. Yes, I have not done a thing for Lynette's one-year old birthday party and it is about 65 days away. I have been busy lately and will continue to be busy till end March. That will effectively left me with about 3 weeks to plan.

By right, I should have confirmed the party date and the venue by now. But, alas, we are still procrastinating on when we want to hold the party so that it wouldn't clash with a particular event and yet we have no idea when that event will be held :(

Can you imagine I booked Jaden's party venue 3 months before his actual party and now, I'm still sourcing for venues. Well, I have shortlisted some but didn't have the time to evaluate, much less make a booking. Arghh... have to try and confirm at least the venue by end of Feb.

Maiden visit

2011-02-19T23:22:00.005+08:00

It was Lynette's maiden visit to Marina Barrage and she had her first outdoor water play experience. See how she is enjoying herself.

Cheese!

Thanks!

2011-02-16T23:48:00.003+08:00

Auntie Denise, Thank you for sending your Ang Bao to us from Down Under!! Hope to see you soon!

Bicycle

2011-02-16T23:38:00.003+08:00

Jaden has started cycling recently. Now, he can cycle quite fast on his mini plastic toy bike. We tried putting him on a more 'sturdy' toy bike (in picture) but we found that it was a little difficult for him to maneuver.

So we felt that it is time to upgrade him to a real bicycle. Ta ta!

Like father, like daughter

2011-02-16T23:23:00.004+08:00

Daddy is trying to imitate Lynette.

Family Picture

2011-02-16T23:19:00.001+08:00

The picture will be great if Lynette looks at the camera.

Big girl?

2011-02-06T00:54:00.004+08:00

Don't you think Lynette doesn't look like a 9 month old in this picture? I thought that she looked like a toddler. Her outfit for 初二.

Hectic and tiring CNY

2011-02-06T00:04:00.006+08:00

It was our first CNY with two kids in tow. For the past two years, we found it manageable as there were two of us looking after only Jaden. This year was a different story. We were one to one and it was really chaos at times. We have to plan their bath, meal and nap times. Not forgetting the "essentials" like bottles, milk powder, diapers, handkerchiefs and extra clothings that we need to bring along.

During the visiting, it was difficult to keep Jaden away from the drinks and crackers. We have to stop him from all soft drinks as it will definitely trigger a cough in him. So, that's already a super big task for us. And of course, he ran around and explored the houses, oblivious to some of the dangers like sharp corners, wet floors etc.

Lynette was less of a handful. Just carry her around and she will be more than happy. Ha and it was easy to find people who want to play with her. All thanks to her *megawatt* smile :)

Lynette in her pink flowery dress with a rabbit hair clip.

All set and ready to go.

Only Playhouse Disney...

and the ipad can keep Jaden from running around.

Gong Xi Fa ....

2011-02-03T00:30:00.000+08:00

Erm... where is the Cai? Well, that's was what Jaden has been saying when we tried to teach him to say Gong Xi Fa Cai. He would say "Gong Xi Fa" and pause there and it end up that we have to prompt him to say "Cai" every time. So it is really weird that you wish someone wealth and yet the wealth is missing in the greeting :P

Jaden has been saying his "Gong Xi Fa" for the past week and we were about to give up when he suddenly managed to say "Gong Xi Fa Cai" all at once. Ha, just in time for Chinese New Year this week. Phew :)

We wish all a Happy and Prosperous Lunar New Year!!!

Happy New Year!

2011-02-03T00:03:00.005+08:00

Lynette wishes everyone a Happy Hopping Good Year ahead!

Well, some have asked me where is Jaden and why isn't he dressed up like Mei Mei. Well, the simple answer is that it is much easier to 'manipulate' a 9-month old baby than convincing a 3-year old with a mind of his own to do what you want. Not forgetting that his latest catchphrase to everything is "Don't want!" :)

Cutie

2011-01-28T00:33:00.001+08:00

Pretty in dress.

Lynette: You're taking my picture?

Stand Up!

2011-01-28T00:27:00.002+08:00

Lynette can stand with some support now but she can't stand up on her own yet.

A big smile for the camera.

New Toy

2011-01-28T00:04:00.004+08:00

The kids have a new toy recently. It is a Play Tree Climber! It was a pre-loved item given to us. Thank you Uncle William!

Jaden was really excited about it when he saw the slide. Luckily , it wasn't too huge and we can place it nicely at our balcony. Actually, I would love to have another of such playground so that the two kiddos can have more fun even without going to the outdoor playgrounds.

Not that I dislike the outdoor playgrounds, but somehow the playgrounds near us do not seem to be in the best condition and there are always too many insects there :(

Ha, seems like the slide is too small for Jaden.

Cake 'Master'

2011-01-16T01:00:00.005+08:00

Jaden had a go at being a cake deco 'master'. As it was his birthday, I thought it will be quite cool for him to make a cake for grandpa and grandma. Well, since we did not have time to really bake a cake, I gathered the next best option will be to decorate a cake instead.

Jaden and I @ the Icing Room. All ready to start.

'Master' at work. Do not disturb.

Next, the icing.

Jaden: Let me taste it first.

The finishing touch.

Ahem, of course Jaden had some help from us (Daddy as well) with the decorating, although I can't say we do a good job :P

In our excitement about the cake, we forgot to take the final product. But I guess you can tell from the above pictures how 'beautiful' the cake looked. Hee hee...

Party in School

2011-01-16T00:23:00.013+08:00

Jaden celebrated his 3rd birthday in school once again this year. Initially, I wanted to have a birthday party for him but then as Mei Mei will be having her 1st year birthday bash in April, I felt a bit paiseh to have friends and relatives attend two parties within a three month period.

This year's celebration was a much simpler affair. I just bought cupcakes and biscuits as birthday favours for the kids.

Cupcakes from Sweetest Moments.

These are the biscuits favours. Love the colours :) Really glad that I managed to find the single-coloured wrappers.

Happy Birthday, Jaden!

The thing I like having cupcakes as birthday cake is that no cutting is involved. However, I didn't anticipate the mess that the children created. There was just too much crumbs and cream on the floor and kids:P

Erm...some of the kids didn't know how to peel the cupcake paper liner away and ended up eating bits of the paper. Oops!

It's gift time!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T23:20:00.012+08:00

If I need a word to sum up Christmas this year, it will be "Uneventful". We didn't manage to have the usual X'mas get-together dinner at my place and we didn't have any turkey. So anyway, long story short, we just didn't have the energy and mood to wine, dine and entertain.

But, there's no way, we are celebrating Christmas without presents! I bought gifts for my two babies. Then I bought gifts for Jaden on behalf of Lynette and then I bought gifts for Lynette on behalf of Jaden.

So technically, yes, I bought all their gifts!

You may be thinking why I bothered buying gifts on behalf of the two kids. Well, although they may not really understand now, I still think that it is important so that Jaden will know that "Mei Mei" cares for him and vice versa. Maybe I'm thinking a bit too far but hey, they are kids and what's wrong with having more presents :P

The Great Gift Exchange!

Their 'loot' for the day.

Also, a big Thank You to families and friends who bought gifts for Jaden and Lynette!

Allergy attack

2010-12-29T22:51:00.003+08:00

To be honest, Jaden looked a little 'unsightly' for the past two weeks or so. He had these red patches on his cheeks and a slightly swollen upper lip. We don' know how it all started but we noticed that he started rubbing his shirt sleeve against his cheeks very, very often. It is almost like every few seconds. And as expected, the more you rub, the redder your skin becomes.

The doctor suspected to be an allergy but couldn't determine what allergen it was. So we diligently applied the steroid cream on his cheeks but it didn't get better. Cos' every time the cheeks get better, Jaden will start rubbing it again and the cycle continues.

So we brought him to another doctor and this time round, he gave us some anti-allergy medicine plus a stronger steroid cream. Well, the school called me two days later and said that Jaden's mouth and cheeks are very red and he seemed very uncomfortable. So we decided to bring him to KKH A&E instead (although I have to admit that it wasn't exactly an emergency.)

We were given some steroid cream (again) and medicine. Finally, the red patches cleared up and Jaden got his rosy cheeks back. Phew! We are keeping a close watch on the food that he eats and hopefully, we can identify the allergen without doing the allergy skin prick testing.

Bonding with Lynette

2010-12-19T23:47:00.004+08:00

It was one of the rare occasions that we brought Lynette out without Jaden. We reckoned that we should have some bonding time with Lynette alone as she is always being sidelined whenever we brought both of them out.

This is because Jaden will be fighting with her for our attention and given that he is more 'mobile' and vocal than Lynette, we have no choice but to entertain and pacify him first , lest he makes a scene in public.

Lynette is always ready to greet you with a smile.

Look at her big round eyes.

Lynette: Oops, let me adjust my hair first.

Ermm..do this count as a moment of 'fame'?

2010-12-07T00:17:00.009+08:00

Grandma was interviewed by RazorTV last week and Lynette was also filmed in the process. Ha.. my little girl's moment of 'fame'.

Lynette: It is going to be my turn soon?

Tree is up

2010-12-05T21:08:00.005+08:00

At first, I was still in two minds whether we should put up our Christmas tree this year. Firstly, there is the hassle of keeping the tree after Christmas is over; and secondly, I'm worried that my two babies will 'destroy' the tree. But then, how can I deprive baby Lynette of the Christmas tree for her first Christmas. So, I dragged the tree out of the storeroom and put it up all by myself!

Yipee, our Christmas tree is up!

Lynette and her first Christmas tree.

Time to get the presents now!

Morning!

2010-12-05T21:01:00.003+08:00

Bright and cheery at 7.55am on Sunday morning!

Multi-tasker

2010-11-30T23:29:00.003+08:00

Daddy is such a great multi-tasker, one hand on the vacuum cleaner and one hand carrying Lynette. Well, this lasted 2 minutes and then Lynette was back in my arms while Daddy continued with the chores :)

Update

2010-11-30T23:13:00.002+08:00

We brought Jaden to the doctor yesterday cos' he kept rubbing his right cheek, resulting in a red patch. When we told the doctor that Jaden was also bitten on the cheek, he seemed more concerned about the bite than the red patch on his cheek. He said that there are many bacteria in the mouth and the bite wound could get infected.

Oops... didn't know it could get so serious. Luckily, Jaden's bite wound is getting better although it still looked a little sore. But, as a precaution, Jaden was prescribed with some anti-bacterial cream for that. He was also given some steroid cream for his red cheek. Just 2 tubes of cream and it cost me $72. Sigh...

Bitten... again.

2010-11-26T23:39:00.005+08:00

I received a call from school today. My first thought was "Oh no, is Jaden not feeling well again?" Well, it wasn't, he wasn't sick but he wasn't too good either. He was bitten by a classmate... again. This is the second time he was bitten in school. The first bite happened in March.

According to the teacher, Jaden and his friends were playing outdoors. Jaden's classmate got hold of a ball and Jaden went to him and tried to snatch it from him. So the both of them were trying to snatch the ball away from one another. Then it happened. Suddenly, the classmate bit Jaden on the cheek. Jaden went away crying and there was this teeth mark on his cheek. There was some bleeding as well cos' I can see a small scab forming.

I asked if it was the same person who bit Jaden. Well, it wasn't the same person. During the first bite, it was a younger, smaller-sized gal but this time round, the teacher said that the intensity and strength of the bite was stronger as the classmate is of a similar built as Jaden.

When my colleagues heard what happened to Jaden, most of them offered advice on what Jaden should do next time, which is to - FIGHT BACK! Well, I wouldn't teach Jaden to bite the person back but definitely he should learn how to push the person away and protect himself. Ha ha, I was also surprised by what my colleagues did when they were young. They have their fair share of 'bullying' classmates as well and one even pushed a classmate into the science garden pond! :D

Jaden seemed a little moody today. Maybe he was still a little shocked at the drama today. Daddy was worried that he will hesitate to play with friends next time. Sigh, I hope not...

Cheer up, my little boy!!

Promotion

2010-11-26T23:36:00.002+08:00

Jaden will be promoted to Playgroup class from next month onwards! Going to be a big boy now.

Happy, Happy Lynette

2010-11-23T23:03:00.004+08:00

Here are some pictures of Lynette to brighten up your day!

Chaos@wedding dinner

2010-11-23T22:32:00.005+08:00

I brought Jaden to a wedding dinner two weeks ago and I can totally understand why wedding dinners and kids don't mix. Even before the dinner starts, Jaden was already getting impatient and even the ipad fails to entertain him for long :(

Then there's the issue of soft drinks. As he was still recovering from his awful cough (yes, his cough has returned once again), he was not allowed to have any soft drinks at all. Well, he was upset that everybody at the table has a 'colourful' drink except for him. So he made a huge crying fuss when we refused to give in to his pleas for the soft drink.

Well, all this happen before the dinner started. And when dinner started, he refused to sit down and went wandering outside the ballroom. At one point, I just felt like scooping him up and leave for home. Sigh...

Jaden attended his first wedding dinner when he was about 4 months old. We left after the 3rd dish as he was fussing non-stop. For this latest dinner, we managed to stay till the last course but the fussing this time round was much worse especially during the pre-dinner. In order to keep my cool and remain happy during such events, I would 'ban' Jaden from all wedding dinners unless absolutely necessary.

As for little Lynette, she stayed home with Daddy cos' her bedtime is 8pm and we didn't want to disrupt her routine and frightened her with all the yam-sengs.

Caught in the act...... with socks

2010-11-08T23:26:00.007+08:00

This post is a continuation of our little trip to the reservoir park. On our way home, Little Lynette was still pretty active since she wasn't playing much at the park. She found her socks a 'hindrance' and wanted to yank them off. But since she wasn't so nimble with her fingers yet, she decided to use her mouth to try to get the socks off.

And she succeeded!

In the end, she managed to pull off both socks and started playing with her toes. Ha ha.

Unexpected find

2010-11-07T22:52:00.015+08:00

We had an unexpected but pleasant find last Friday. We had went to Orchid Country Club to check out the indoor playground "Little O'zone". Ha, yes, the visit was part of my recce to source for suitable venues for Lynette's birthday party. Oh well, I admit I'm being kiasu but hey, it is better to take my own sweet time to do the preparations rather than rush things through in a frenzy. Okay, I digressed.

Back to our unexpected find. We were on our way to Botanic Gardens after the recce session when Daddy spotted a pretty nice park with walkways leading into the waters while driving along the road. So we decided to check out the place and it turned out to be Lower Seletar Reservoir Park.

It wasn't a very big area but it was a nice place for the family to chill out and take a little stroll. Plus, with the cloudy weather on that day, I just felt that we were a little lucky to find a nice spot for the kids to join some outdoor action.

Jaden, as usual, was estatic over the water playarea and jumped straight into the action. But as we didn't bring an extra set of clothings, we have to remove his clothes and he simply played on with just a diaper on. Oops :P

As for Lynette, she missed most of the fun and just have to be contented by being in Daddy's arms.

Oh, and for the record, I'm not holding Lynette's party at Little O'zone. So the search continues!

Effective 'babysitter'

2010-11-06T00:47:00.007+08:00

I came across this article recently "Toddlers' Favourite Toy: The iphone" and can totally identify with it.

Jaden is definitely one of them. We will usually have a difficult time getting the iphone out of his hands. But I have to admit that it is the most effective tool to distract Jaden (like 'bribing' him with the phone when he refused to leave the playground) or getting him to behave while we are having dinner. It is a most effective 'babysitter'.

In the article, someone said "Please... just say no. It is not too hard to distract a toddler with, say ... a book.”. I can't help but rolled my eyes. I'm willing to bet anytime that a toddler will choose the iphone over the book. Not that I'm against books, but somehow our kids today (yes, babies included) seem to favour electronic gadgets over many things. Lynette is already staring into the iphone screen whenever Jaden plays with it.

I'm not too concerned about the excessive usage yet cos' only Daddy has iphone now and hence Jaden can only play with the phone when Daddy is around. Phew.

Christmas is coming soon...

2010-11-06T00:16:00.004+08:00

Christmas decorations have already been put up at the malls. Can't believe that we are approaching the year end soon.

And, I have already selected Jaden's X'mas present.

Ho ho ho..

Give me the apple!

2010-11-05T23:48:00.003+08:00

Lynette loves to watch us eat. She was looking longingly at Daddy's apple and Daddy decided to offer her a "lick" (since she has no tooth yet). Look at how she hold on to Daddy's hand; she doesn't want him to take the apple away :)

A brother & sister moment

2010-10-26T23:33:00.007+08:00

Jaden: This is how you do it.

Lynette: Really?

Mission possible, I hope.

2010-10-26T23:18:00.004+08:00

I have an important task to do this week. But I'm not going to share it here :P Those who know will know about it without me saying much. Although my efforts may seem minuscule and probably a long stretch, I hope that it will at least set people thinking and ideally, evolve into something positive.

This is for you, pal:)

Haze, haze, go away

2010-10-21T23:50:00.004+08:00

Singapore is experiencing haze once again. There is haze every now and then, but it is never that bad. We can smell the faint burning odour when we step outdoors. And, the PSI hit 108 today - the unhealthy range!

Well, I'm concerned about the PSI reading and I have just bookmarked NEA homepage. As you know, my two kiddos have sensitive nose and their noses and throats will act up whenever there is strong smoke in the air. The 7th month is when we are most paranoid cos' we are just worried that every cough or sneeze will escalate into something worse.

Now, the haze is back and it is making me worried. First, the haze is much thicker. Second, we are not sure when it will end. Third, I can't keep my kids indoors all the time. (They will get too edgy or perhaps, i should say I will get too frenzy trying to keep them occupied.)

Already, Lynette was not sleeping well last night and she only slept more deeply after taking the ventolin. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't hear any cough or see any signs of runny nose from my two babies.

Canned pig trotters, anyone?

2010-10-14T00:02:00.008+08:00

Mummy had a good lunch and chat today, catching up with good old friends, Denise and Mingzhu. Auntie Denise had came back from Australia for a short break. It was nice to have girls talk without the interference from hubbies and babies. Unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures. But not to worry, we will have another get-together next weekend, this time with the hubbies and babies in tow.

You may be wondering what's with the title of this blogpost... Ha ha cos' somehow, the issue of where to get canned pig trotters received significant airtime in our conversations. Denise has been tasked with buying 50 cans of pig trotters for his brother's wedding and she has been scouting several stores looking for the best deal. For some reasons, the Narcissus pig trotters are really elusive.

I find this aspect of our conversation really entertaining. It was really fun discussing where to get them and then scratching our heads over why the Narcissus brand is preferred over the Gulong Brand. Well, to some, it may seem like a 'bo liao' topic, but hey, that's what buddies are - we can talk about anything under the sun :) It's great to have great buddies with you.

Good luck with the canned pig trotters!

Yummy!

2010-10-13T23:36:00.004+08:00

Lynette has started on cereal recently. While she has not officially reached the 6 month mark, she seemed ready for it as she would look with us with longing eyes whenever she saw us eating. And, we just love to eat in front of her... ha ha..

So, we started her on rice cereal. Well, the first try was a bit of a disaster. She didn't know how to eat from a spoon and soon she was crying her lungs out. As the saying goes, practice makes prefect, after a couple of feedings, she got the hang of it and now, she looks forward to meal times.

It's lunch time!

Yummy!

Can I have more?

Slurp!

Frankly speaking, I was feeling a bit 'rusty' when feeding Lynette. It has been a while since I fed cereal to a 5-month-old baby and was reminding myself to keep to small mouthfuls when feeding. Guess, I need to start practising again :P

Smiley :)

2010-10-04T00:35:00.003+08:00

It's has been a while since I posted pictures of Lynette. She is a very smiley baby. Just call her name and she will flash you her toothless grin :)

Bottles

2010-10-04T00:27:00.002+08:00

I find it amazing that we only have two kids in the house but we have at least 7 milk bottles at any one time...

Closed

2010-09-18T00:39:00.005+08:00

School has officially been given the order to shut for 10 days so as to break the HFMD transmission. Well, I guess it was just a matter of time that this happens since the cases keep appearing every few days.

So it is a 10 day break for Jaden but a super tiring time for us. Argh, now I know why parents are always up in arms when childcare centres are shut for one reason or another. But the school has prepared homework for the kids. Yes, homework for the toddlers. Frankly speaking, I think it is homework for the parents. Hmm, I shall try playing teacher and see how cooperative Jaden is.

I hope that I wouldn't be the one doing the bulk of the homework in the end.

My Blogbook is here!

2010-09-08T23:02:00.024+08:00

I have created a Blog book which is essentially a collection of my blog entries. Well, I decided to compile all my blog entries into a book because i don't know how long Blogger will be in existence and I didn't want to risk losing all my entries.

It took a while for me to layout the text and pictures. Although Blurb allows you to slurp your blog entries into a book instantly, you definitely still need to re-arrange the pictures and text to have a more coherent flow.

So, here it is: Book I of Little Rookies.

I'm 90% done with Book II and will be starting on Book III soon. Book III will start with Lynette and hopefully, I can get the book done before her first birthday. I reckon it would be nice to share her pictures and stories at her birthday party.

HFMD

2010-09-08T22:21:00.007+08:00

Jaden was down with Hand, Foot & Mouth disease (HFMD) last week. The HFMD virus has been going around his school for a while and we thought that he had managed to avoid it since he wasn't in school for the entire week when the first case at his school was diagnosed.

Unfortunately, the virus got to him eventually. When we first brought him to the clinic, the doctor said to treat it as gastric flu first as Jaden didn't have the tell-tale signs red spots on his foot, hand or mouth. But since some of the symptoms for gastric flu and HFMD are quite similar, we were told that red spots would start to appear on the 3rd day if it was indeed HFMD. So we waited and true to the doctor's words, spots appear on Jaden's feet, hand and tongue on the 3rd day.

Other than the red spots, Jaden was practically well and active. He had no problems with eating and instead, I found it more of a challenge trying to keep him entertained at home. I guess, his was a mild case of HFMD and I'm thankful for that.

Now, I'm just glad that Jaden has recovered from HFMD :)

However, I'm crossing my fingers that the school don't see anymore HFMD cases. (The school is just one case away from mandatory closure.) I would be hard-pressed to keep my active Jaden well occupied, if that happens.

Teachers' Day Gifts

2010-09-08T21:54:00.000+08:00

Teacher's Day Gifts for Jaden's teachers. I bought the cookies from Yoke Bakery and bundled them into mini cookie bouquets.

Jaden tries out the ipad

2010-08-30T00:31:00.003+08:00

Jaden tries out Yi Yi's ipad and he can spend a long time playing with it.

He didn't show much interest when we gave him puzzles to play with. However, somehow he likes to play puzzle games on the ipad.

Time to get the ipad for Jaden, Daddy?

Daddy and his girl

2010-08-30T00:09:00.004+08:00

Hmm: Is Daddy trying to look cuter than Lynette?

Lynette is fascinated with our food.

Lynette flips!

2010-08-29T23:53:00.003+08:00

Yes, my little girl has flipped (15 Aug) and I can proudly say that Mummy was the first witness to Lynette's flipping.

Hurray!

The horrible bug

2010-08-14T00:31:00.013+08:00

If you read my previous post, you'll know that my two kiddos were sick during the June period and poor Lynette was even hospitalised. Well, what you didn't know was that Jaden got infected again soon after he recovered slightly. The incident took place in the 1st week of August and I only have time to blog about it now.

Jaden fell sick again in end July, with on-off fever, flu and cough. He had returned to school barely for a week and we noticed that his cough started again shortly before the weekend. His cough worsened and he developed a fever on Sunday (1 Aug). We were planning to take him to his usual PD on Monday and then we realised that he seemed to be having difficulties breathing. He was figeting, like trying to gasp for air and then he suddenly burst out crying! The crying was different from his usual cries. It sounded like he was really afraid.

So we went to KKH and upon examination at the triage (A process for sorting injured people into groups based on their need for or likely benefit from immediate medical treatment), the nurse immediately ushered us into the treatment room. Everything was happening so quickly. All I know that Jaden was crying and clinging on to me tightly and the doctors and nurses came in a swift, giving him the puffer to ease his wheezing. It was pretty dramatic. At first, I only saw a doctor and two nurses. Less than 3 minutes, I saw at least 2 doctors and several nurses, all crowding around us, trying to find out more about his condition and to make Jaden feel better.

Jaden's oxygen saturation level was at around 71 (Normal oxygen level should be above 95.) and the doctors said that he had to be hospitalised as his oxygen level is low. So, Jaden stayed 2 nights at the hospital. This time, I accompanied him in the hospital as Daddy will not be able to handle a sick and whiny Jaden.

Jaden needs to be on the oxygen mask to bring up his oxygen levels.

Trying to figure out how the machine works. (This machine monitors his heartbeat and oxygen levels.)

Enjoying his milk while watching his DVD.

A balloon to brighten up his day.

Feeling much better now.

He is ready to explore the ward now.

Thank god, he is fine now and is happy as ever :)

Pictures of Lynette

2010-08-14T00:10:00.001+08:00

I will let the pictures do the talking :)

Jaden and our phones

2010-08-13T23:13:00.006+08:00

Daddy has been resistant to Jaden playing with his new iphone. For a whole three weeks, he has taken efforts to keep the phone out of Jaden's sight and hands. But well, mummy has been the 'naughty' one and keep instigating Jaden to play with Daddy's phone instead of mine.

My phone has been at Jaden's mercy and he kept making calls from my phone, especially to friends whose names start with 'A'. (Sorry my 'A' friends.... it is not me making the calls but my boy :). I have put in several dummy names but somehow Jaden always managed to get the calls through.

So, coming back, other than encouraging Jaden to look for Daddy's phone, I'm also guilty of 'forcing' Daddy to let Jaden try out his phone. Why waste the apps in the phone, right?

Daddy finally succumbed to my nagging and allowed Jaden to play with his iphone. And, Jaden is hooked on it. He was a bit unsure and didn't really understand how the touch screen and the apps work. But after a week, he is all so familiar. He can unlock Daddy's phone and will navigate to his favourite apps.

Jaden really enjoys playing with the phone and will demand for our phones regularly. We are concerned that he may get too addicted and are limiting his usage. So, we have resorted to hiding both our phones in his presence. However, this plan isn't foolproof, and somehow, Jaden will find our phones eventually:(

Help, we need more hiding places!

Activity corner

2010-08-13T22:43:00.001+08:00

I created an activity corner for Jaden in his room. The plan is to let Jaden do some drawing, writing or reading here (away from the distractions of the TV).

We haven't really tried doing arts and craft here but Jaden will take his crayons and pencils to do some doodling on his drawing block.

Discipline

2010-07-20T23:05:00.007+08:00

I have been struggling with Jaden's bedtime for the past two weeks. Previously, he used to sleep before 10pm but now, it had dragged to 11pm and sometimes even later. What's make it worse is that he will refuse to sleep and would want to continue even past his bedtime. He is also waking up in the middle of the night. (Well, that's a different issue and I shall blog abt it another time.)

I need Jaden to sleep early because he needs to wake up early for school the next day. And, it also allows me to have some ME time at night. I would let him 'play' around in the bedroom before his bedtime. I'm not referring to stimulating games...usually, he would watch some TV, flip some books or check out some of our items on the writing table. When 10pm comes by, I would usually be already patting him to sleep.

But, now I have to resort to threats and some scolding to get him to quiet down and sleep. It really gets on my nerves when Jaden ignored my instructions. Well, bedtime is just one area. At times nowadays, he would just ignore us when we told him to "stand further away from the TV" or " take out his fingers from the mouth" etc... Yes, Jaden has picked up some bad habits recently.

Jaden is definitely at the terrible twos stage and is testing the limits and pushing his boundaries. I have tried to be patient and explained things to him. But then, there is only so much patience that one can have.

Daddy is a 'no-cane' advocate. While I'm not against his 'philsophy', I seriously think that sometimes some discipline is definitely required to educate the child.

We shall see if things get better soon. But for now, I just hope for a smooth-sailing bedtime with Jaden. Wish me luck.

Children and dogs are always so cute when they are asleep.

Smiley Lynette

2010-07-05T01:39:00.002+08:00

Laundryman

2010-07-05T01:31:00.004+08:00

My little laundry helper.

Sports League@Clementi Stadium

2010-07-05T00:42:00.007+08:00

Organised by Jaden's childcare centre, this annual event is a platform for the children to showcase what and how they learn in school. As Singapore is hosting the Youth Olympics Games this year, this year Kids-In-Charge theme is Sports.

There were about 8-10 games stations for the kids to participate. Last year, Jaden didn't really enjoy those games cos' he was a bit too young to understand how the games worked. Well, this year, we managed to get him to try out some of the games. These are what he tried:

Ball & Spoon Game: Jaden prefers to play with the ball instead of carrying it with a mini 'scoop'. Oh, they let the toddlers use a mini scoop cos' there's no way a toddler can balance the ball with a spoon and walk about 20 metres successfully.

Score a Goal: Jaden knows how to kick a ball. However, he decided that it is much easier to score with his hands than legs and carried the ball into the goal post instead.

Hurdle Race: Not too difficult for Jaden and probably the only game that he played correctly :P

Pass the Baton: Jaden loves to run and he can run very well. But he loves running so much that he just dashed past his classmates and straight to the finishing line. LOL!

All the kids who went for the event receive a medal for their efforts. Ha.. Jaden's first medal.

It was a fun event for the kids and a good workout for the parents :)

Sick

2010-06-25T15:43:00.005+08:00

Jaden and Lynette fell sick last week. It all started with Jaden having a very bad cough and then Lynette started coughing too. Brought both of them to the PD and both were put on the nebulizer for about five days.

Jaden recovered quite quickly after a few rounds of nebulizer. However, Lynette's cough seemed to get worse and her face will turned all red after coughing. We can hear the phlegm in her cough but she can't seem to cough it out. On Saturday, she had a fever (highest was at 38.4) and we took her to KKH on Sunday afternoon.

Sigh, poor Lynette has to be hospitalised :( The doctors said that her cough was very bad and she had some infection in her lungs which was later diagnosed as bronchiolitis. Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs. She was warded for three days and fortunately, her infection cleared up and her cough has gotten slightly better. Daddy stayed over at the hospital with her while I looked after her in the day.

Lynette on the nebulizer at the hospital.

Lynette was still pretty alert and active despite being sick.

Thankfully, she is on her way to recovery although it will take another week or two for the cough to clear completely. Thanks to the doctors and nurses at KKH Ward 86!

Another 3 days...

2010-06-15T00:28:00.001+08:00

I can't wait for Friday to come!

'Licking' fingers

2010-06-14T23:50:00.000+08:00

Lynette has started to suck her fingers, or perhaps to be more accurate, i shall termed it as licking her fingers. She knows how to place her fingers at her mouth and will attempt to suck them. We were a bit surprised that she has started this finger sucking behaviour at just six weeks.

Lynette also went on her first outing to Fairprice supermarket today.

About to take a bath this morning.

Finally.

2010-06-14T23:34:00.001+08:00

Finally, Lynette's rashes are clearing up. Her rashes were so bad that she has to be put on antibodies for a week.

Pretty romper from Auntie Denise.

One Month Old!

2010-06-03T23:54:00.014+08:00

We celebrated Lynette's full month last Friday. We didn't have a major celebration since the star of the party was likely to be sleeping most of the time. I will save the big bang celebrations for her 1-year old birthday party :P

Food from Mum's Kitchen.

Party favours for the guests: Marshmallows, m&m chocolates and cookies.

Jaden having a field day, drinking the fruit punch. He will refill his cup when he finished his drink. Result: A cough on Sunday :(

Erm... our not so well-taken family picture.

Our star for the day.

Hope the baby rashes disappear soon.

Brother & Sister

2010-06-03T23:36:00.006+08:00

We have been asked how's Jaden is responding to his little sister. Well, he knows who mei mei is but he doesn't really acknowledge her presence most of the time.

However, he does love to pull her legs whenever he spots her sleeping in her cot. And, the funny thing is, Jaden will laugh out loud whenever he attempts to pull her. I guess he finds it amusing when mei mei just stayed there and did not 'retaliate'.

Here are some pictures of Jaden looking at mei mei.

Mother's Day Gift

2010-06-03T22:30:00.005+08:00

I received this Mother's Day Gift from Jaden. Ha, obviously, this was done by his childcare teachers. Well, Jaden probably only sticks the deco around the flower but it is still a nice gesture :)

Pictures of Lynette

2010-05-19T22:55:00.002+08:00

Thank you

2010-05-19T22:15:00.000+08:00

Daddy Nanny

2010-05-13T21:40:00.003+08:00

Daddy has been taking care of Lynette at night so that I could have a good night sleep. From feeding to burping to changing diapers, Daddy has done it all! Thank you, darling!!

Birth Story

2010-05-12T22:31:00.007+08:00

It's time to post my birth story up. It was a relatively short labour, compared to my almost 20 hours first labour. Here it goes...

26 May
EDD is expected to be between 25-28 April. Went for a check-up at Gynae, half-expecting that gynae will say that I'm ready to deliver. But nope, he said that I'm not ready yet and to see him again on Thursday.

28 May
9am - Woke up, feeling some cramps.

10.30am - While Daddy and I were preparing to go the the Robinsons Sale, I continued to feel the cramps regularly. But there was no pain, just some discomfort. Decided to go ahead to Robinsons :P

11.30am - Reached Robinsons and I was getting more conscious of the cramps coming on at regular intervals. We shopped around Robinsons but didn't really get anything other than some toiletries.

12.30pm - Decided to have lunch but keep wondering if I'm experiencing contractions. Well, I was induced for my first birth so I was a bit worried if this is indeed labour coming. Daddy asked if I wanted to go to Marina Bay Sands after lunch. I say no and told him that I just wanted to go home.

1.15pm - Reached home and immediately took a shower. Wanted to wash my hair, just in case :) The cramps aka contractions were getting a bit stronger but still manageble. I even took some time to surf the net.

2.30pm - Told Daddy that the contractions seemed quite regular. Was contemplating to visit my gynae but he has left for the day. The nurse told me to admit at the hospital and they will inform gynae if it is the REAL thing.

2.35pm - Timed my contractions and it was about 5 mins apart. Surprisingly, I was a bit reluctant to go to the hospital. I was expecting to be induced for my 2nd birth and was perhaps, having cold feet that I'm going into labour.

2.50pm - Decided to go to the hospital cos' traffic to Thomson Medical (TMC) is likely to be heavy soon (peak hour approaching) and I don't want to be stuck in a jam. Contractions getting more intense during the car ride.

3.30pm - Reached TMC and waited at the lobby for admission. Actually, I was supposed to go to the labour ward straightaway.

3.45pm - Went to labour ward. Get changed and nurse said that my dilation was 4cm. I was surprised! Decided to get the epidural although the pain was still bearable.

4.30pm - Epidural administered. But I continued to feel some contractions. Was told that gynae will reach at around 6pm. Nurse told me that she will order dinner for me and said that I probably would have delivered by dinner time. I was like, "Are you sure?"

5.30pm - Can't take it anymore and called for the nurse. Nurse increased the dosage for epidural and I continued to squeezed Daddy's hands whenever the contractions come on. Daddy was more experienced this time round cos' he knew when the contractions are coming by looking at the CTG system.

5.45pm - Getting really painful and waterbag broke! Nurse gave me some laughing gas to relieve the pain. At this point, I was almost in tears already :(

6pm - Gynae is not here yet but I already felt the strong urge to push. Nurse kept asking me not to push first and to relax. How to relax at this stage??

6.30pm - It was so so painful!!! I think I got a bit high on the laughing gas. The 'high' feeling is a bit indescribable. It is like your mind is 'floating aimlessly' but subconsciously you still know what is happening around you. Gynae finally arrived!!!!

6.40pm - Started pushing and the pain was just horrible, beyond words. (Mummies who had given birth w/o epidural will know.) Everybody in the room was just asking me to keep it up (with the pushing) and I was like "OMG, the pain is killing me! I can't push further."

6.50ish pm - Finally, Baby Lynette is born!

Mei Mei is here!

2010-05-02T22:21:00.005+08:00

Mei Mei has finally arrived on 28 April 2010. Stay tuned for mummy's labour story at a later date.

For now, here is Lynette's picture. Her Chinese name is 邓凯心.

Will try to post more pictures of her.

"Mi Mi"

2010-04-26T22:43:00.002+08:00

Oh yah, Jaden called me for the first time today. He looked at me and called 'Mi Mi' when we went to fetch him from the childcare centre. Well, he had addressed Daddy as 'di di' a few times already but this is the first time that he called mummy.

Although we tried to get Jaden to address me again, he simply refused to do so. Sigh.... getting this little fella to talk really depends on his mood.

Waiting for mei mei

2010-04-26T22:39:00.001+08:00

Waiting is no fun...

Science Centre

2010-04-26T22:10:00.007+08:00

We went to the Science Centre two weeks ago cos' the weather is really too hot for any outdoor excursions. Although most of the exhibits were too advanced for Jaden's age, he did have some fun pressing buttons or just walking around.

There was a children exploration area which is more suitable for kids, but still it is catered to kids 4 years and above. Nevertheless, Jaden did have some fun, going in and out of the toy house placed there, although it isn't very 'science-centrish'.

However, one exhibit really caught Jaden's eye. I couldn't remember the exact name but it looked something like this.

Jaden is so engrossed with looking at how the ball moves through the myriad of twists and turns.

"Masterpiece?"

2010-04-17T22:03:00.000+08:00

Jaden hard at 'work' here.

The "masterpiece".

Jaden on a Swing

2010-04-11T21:56:00.000+08:00

He loves the swing so much that we have such a difficult time getting him off the swing. Even after he fell from the swing, he was trying to get back onto the swing when we were trying to clean his wound.

Zoo Outing

2010-04-11T21:44:00.000+08:00

We went to the zoo and it was so HOT! We didn't take much pictures this time round cos' Jaden wasn't very cooperative and didn't want to take pictures.

This will be a good picture if Jaden has looked at the camera.

Bowling

2010-03-30T22:40:00.008+08:00

We passed by a bowling alley on Sunday and Jaden was amazed at the game. We sat him behind one of the stations and he was watching a particular guy bowl. Well, I think the guy must be under pressure playing under Jaden's watchful eye cos' he stopped bowling after finishing his game.

We had brought a bowling set for Jaden before and we thought it will be a good time for him to have some fun bowling at home. But, Jaden wasn't interested in bowling, instead he just played with the bowling pins.

Look at how Jaden has lined up the bowling pins.

And, here comes Daddy knocking down the pins!

Jaden: I have to do it again.

Obsession?

2010-03-30T22:10:00.012+08:00

For the past few weeks, Jaden has been playing with this gadget "V Smile Baby". It is an interactive system that teaches colours, shapes, numbers, animals and baby sign language. It was a birthday gift from Auntie Peiyu and Auntie Mingzhu. At first, Jaden wasn't too keen on the toy. However, it soon caught his attention and he would insist that we switch the console on whenever he is at home.

We were pleasantly impressed with the system cos' we noticed that Jaden has began to say words like 'green', 'star', 'square' and numbers after he started playing with the system. He will follow the programme and repeat words that he hears.

So we decided to buy a few more V smile baby cartridges, hoping that Jaden will learn more words from it. we couldn't get it at the stores here so we got it from Amazon instead.

However, when the cartridges arrived, Jaden refused to let us change the cartridge. We inserted the new cartridge and he immediately pulled us to the console and insisted that we put the original one back.

Hence, we haven't has the chance to play the other cartridges at all.Hmm.. I wonder if we would ever play the other cartridges :P

Bitten

2010-03-30T22:04:00.005+08:00

Jaden was bitten by a classmate in school the other day. According to the teachers, Jaden was sitting beside her and when he stretched out his hand, she suddenly just bit his hand. The teachers tried to stop her but it was too late.

Well, Jaden didn't cry so my guess is that it isn't that painful afterall. But look at the bitemark.

Chinese New Year

2010-02-20T14:49:00.000+08:00

Have a Roaring Good Year ahead!

2nd Birthday

2010-01-15T14:30:00.000+08:00

This year, we didn't have a birthday party for Jaden. The main reason was that I was too tired to plan the party and by the time, I decided to have a party, it was a bit too late to get the preparations done.

Since Jaden is attending childcare, we decided that he will celebrate in school instead. However, the preparations are not any simpler. There were the party pack, balloons and of course a nice birthday cake.

Party pack for the kids

Birthday cake and Balloons

Happy Birthday!

Jaden giving his classmates the party pack.

Bintan

2009-12-31T13:57:00.004+08:00

We went for a short family trip to Bintan during December. Although the trip was short, it was still a tiring and exhausting journey especially when you have an active 23-month-old with you.

The king of the trip. Our programme revolves around his nap and meal times :P

From climbing the stairs to refusing to get out of the pool, Jaden seems to be full of energy at all times.

Jaden giving directions in the pool. Gung-ho Jaden standing in the middle of the pool.

Intense.

A point to note about this trip is that: Children don't seem to get seasick. On the ferry home, the sea was so choppy that everybody on the ferry was feeling nauseous and giddy. But my little boy was so unaffected and even ran around the ferry after he got tired of watching his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Well, there were no pictures of him running around cos' Daddy was already trying his best not to puke while chasing after Jaden on the ferry. And taking pictures was the last thing on my mind at that time.

Jaden: Why, I can't be fascinated by the luggage belt?