After celebrating the little successes that Baby Elaina had in the last blog entry.... it is now time to give a big pat on the back for Matty.
Not sure if Matty had been influenced by his little friends in school or just a natural progression, he decided all of a sudden last Friday that it was high time he held the spoon on his own and insisted that he wants to do it. He has been doing well when it comes to self-feeding with fork... but little luck with the spoon and chopsticks with a tendency to spill the contents unless of some sticky consistency.
8 February 2008 is a date to remember - for the first time ever, Matty managed to feed himself a full bowl of fried rice without much help. The idea of "self-feeding" caught on and since then he has been taking his own meal, from rice, to porridge, to yoghurt and even soup.
I admit that this important milestone was delayed due to our reluctance to clean up the mess that he is likely to create after each meal... it felt much easier for us to feed him and still keep the place in order. But come to think of it... it probably is a lot easier on us if we just let him learn to take his own meal and free up our time to do something else. Mah-mah is definitely pleased because it means she can pretty much leave Matty alone these days during meal-time... and as he is now too preoccupied with making sure that his food gets to his mouth safely, he has no time to ask for toys or tv.
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Three Cheers for Elaina
Hip~Hip~Horray for Elaina!! For the 3 achievements today:
One... she mastered the skill of sliding down the bed while on her tummy.
Two... she clapped her hands when she was happy.
Three... she was able to climb the stairs.
One... she mastered the skill of sliding down the bed while on her tummy.
Two... she clapped her hands when she was happy.
Three... she was able to climb the stairs.
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
King on King-Size Bed
Since moving back in with Mah-Mah, Matty has picked up the bad habit of climbing onto our king-size bed in the middle of the night. We forsee alot of hard work in trying to get Matty accustomed to sleeping in his own room when we move out again. As for Elaina, Mummy bears half the blame... because we know that she will eventually go back to sleep as long as she can "smell" me somewhere near here, I would always carry her out from her cot and put her next to me so that I can go back to sleep promptly while she gets her "aromatherapy" session. It has become a habit for Elaina as a result. There were nights when the bed became too squeezy with all of us on it... of course the 2 babies didn't seem to mind.
Last night, Matty threw a fit when he woke up in the middle of the night realising that he was back in his own bed. For the fear that his tantrums would wake Elaina up and make the situation even more uncontrollable, we had to let the "king" have the bed. Not for long I promise! Hopefully when we move back home, he will not find it as convenient as now to crawl into our bed, since it definitely will require more effort on his part.
For now, Daddy takes it as a fair exchange. The "king" gets his king-size bed and thrown-out-of-bed Daddy gets to sleep on the more comfortable mattress which I don't understand why Matty would readily give up for.
Last night, Matty threw a fit when he woke up in the middle of the night realising that he was back in his own bed. For the fear that his tantrums would wake Elaina up and make the situation even more uncontrollable, we had to let the "king" have the bed. Not for long I promise! Hopefully when we move back home, he will not find it as convenient as now to crawl into our bed, since it definitely will require more effort on his part.
For now, Daddy takes it as a fair exchange. The "king" gets his king-size bed and thrown-out-of-bed Daddy gets to sleep on the more comfortable mattress which I don't understand why Matty would readily give up for.
Friday, 18 January 2008
Slacking and Lacking
As I was browsing through the blog last night and reading some of the old blog entries, it confirmed my recollection that Matty actually started to talk (as in like say a few words) when he was about 9 months old. In fact he was able to mouth a few words even earlier than that... at about 8.5 months old. To name a few, he was able to express words like "mum-mum", "up", "down", "go", "on", "off", "clock", "bird", "car" and "flower"... and it wasn't random sounds that he was making. He points to the item and says it clearly.
I was proud that the boy was steadily increasing his vocabulary back then. I have always attributed Matty's strong verbal skills to the amount of talking that we constantly do with him. It wasn't intentional... it was never in our agenda to "groom" him in this aspect. Maybe because he doesn't really sleep a lot back then and we ended up distracting him and entertaining him with constant chattering. We carried him and walked him around the house, the garden, the neighbourhood and gave him all the exposure that a child needs - the sight, the sound, the smell.
Flip side of knowing that Matty was doing well in this area is that now I feel we haven't done enough for Elaina and the guilt of neglecting her seems to have crept back quietly. At 10 months old today, Elaina has not been able to mouth any recognisable word... probably just "mum-mum" when she sees food, which we are not even sure if she is pronouncing the word itself or just random baby sounds made. The excuse of "time is so stretched" is often cited to get ourselves off the hook when we cannot get something done for someone. To say that I have failed as a parent may sound a little too strong, but I hate to think that I may not be doing enough for the girl. I have always tried not to compare Elaina with Matty and stay away from being uptight about a lot of things.... but with that, I seemed to have slacked in making the effort when it comes to Elaina.
Probably in a few months time or in a few years when Elaina has learned what she needs to know and able to do what she needs to do... the guilt will stop haunting me. Until then...
I was proud that the boy was steadily increasing his vocabulary back then. I have always attributed Matty's strong verbal skills to the amount of talking that we constantly do with him. It wasn't intentional... it was never in our agenda to "groom" him in this aspect. Maybe because he doesn't really sleep a lot back then and we ended up distracting him and entertaining him with constant chattering. We carried him and walked him around the house, the garden, the neighbourhood and gave him all the exposure that a child needs - the sight, the sound, the smell.
Flip side of knowing that Matty was doing well in this area is that now I feel we haven't done enough for Elaina and the guilt of neglecting her seems to have crept back quietly. At 10 months old today, Elaina has not been able to mouth any recognisable word... probably just "mum-mum" when she sees food, which we are not even sure if she is pronouncing the word itself or just random baby sounds made. The excuse of "time is so stretched" is often cited to get ourselves off the hook when we cannot get something done for someone. To say that I have failed as a parent may sound a little too strong, but I hate to think that I may not be doing enough for the girl. I have always tried not to compare Elaina with Matty and stay away from being uptight about a lot of things.... but with that, I seemed to have slacked in making the effort when it comes to Elaina.
Probably in a few months time or in a few years when Elaina has learned what she needs to know and able to do what she needs to do... the guilt will stop haunting me. Until then...
Thursday, 17 January 2008
New School
Matty has finally gone back to school after a 2-month break... except of course he is now in his new school. So far the one good thing that came out from it was that our fear of him rejecting school did not materialise. He insisted that he wanted to go back to his "old school" when we first brought him there to check the school out. That added on to our fear.... the fear that Matty needed Mah-Mah to stick with him in school for almost a month before he is convinced that school is a pleasant place, that he can face school all by himself and that he will still come home in one piece at the end of the day.
Even though we were told by the school that one parent can remain in the classroom with the kiddo for the first 3 days, the teacher - Ms Simmone persuaded us to just drop and go. Otherwise it will be very hard for her to bond with the child if the parent continues to hoover around. And so we did…. after spending 15 mins with Matty and basically showing him around the classroom just to interest him with the crayons, toys and books, Mummy left him there and only keeping close watch through the observation room. Circle time, snack time, playground, singing, free-play filled the 3 hours. He did well – not a single drop of tear! Of course, we weren’t too sure on the first day if it was because the reality hasn’t sank in yet and the tears will start to pour on the subsequent days to follow. We even pre-empted Ms Simmone of that possibility before she gets overly impressed with his “steadiness” on the first day of school.
Then came the second day. Unexpectedly, Matty’s enthusiasm for school started to show. Right after lunch, he insisted that he wants to leave for school even though it was still way too early before the class starts at 2 in the afternoon. He puts on his shoes and waited at the door for Daddy to send him there. So he ended up waiting for the class to begin in the deserted school… because it was only 1.30 and all the teachers were still out for lunch.
It has been almost a week and Matty seems to be enjoying his new school. Guess our worry was an unfounded one. Glad to be proven wrong in this instance. If not it will be another stressful month for everyone.
Even though we were told by the school that one parent can remain in the classroom with the kiddo for the first 3 days, the teacher - Ms Simmone persuaded us to just drop and go. Otherwise it will be very hard for her to bond with the child if the parent continues to hoover around. And so we did…. after spending 15 mins with Matty and basically showing him around the classroom just to interest him with the crayons, toys and books, Mummy left him there and only keeping close watch through the observation room. Circle time, snack time, playground, singing, free-play filled the 3 hours. He did well – not a single drop of tear! Of course, we weren’t too sure on the first day if it was because the reality hasn’t sank in yet and the tears will start to pour on the subsequent days to follow. We even pre-empted Ms Simmone of that possibility before she gets overly impressed with his “steadiness” on the first day of school.
Then came the second day. Unexpectedly, Matty’s enthusiasm for school started to show. Right after lunch, he insisted that he wants to leave for school even though it was still way too early before the class starts at 2 in the afternoon. He puts on his shoes and waited at the door for Daddy to send him there. So he ended up waiting for the class to begin in the deserted school… because it was only 1.30 and all the teachers were still out for lunch.
It has been almost a week and Matty seems to be enjoying his new school. Guess our worry was an unfounded one. Glad to be proven wrong in this instance. If not it will be another stressful month for everyone.
Friday, 11 January 2008
First Blog for the New Year
Couldn't bear the thought that the blog hasn't been updated at all since we crossed over to 2008. Just gonna write something for the sake of it. Let's see...
Matty and Elaina caught the flu bug from Mummy a week ago and are on their way to full recovery. Other than the 2nd night which was really bad and resulted in Mummy only getting 3.5 hours of sleep that day.... I think we were pretty lucky to say that the babies were not as cranky as what we thought will be. Maybe we should thank Dr Chan for the "magic green potion" which can even knock Matty flat out.
Elaina is starting to get very demanding these days. She throws her tantrum more often and over minor things at times. We can hardly strap her to the car-seat lately. She will cry as though something devastating had happened. Elaina is definitely more daring as compared to her brother. She had been letting go of her grip without much thinking and can actually stand unsupported quite well. Everybody is betting on her walking real soon. I guess we will find out eventually.
For Mummy... it has been alot of money spending despite the end of Christmas. Now we need to start buying clothes and shoes for the Chinese New Year. I can't help but feel that my pocket is burning a big big hole... and will only get bigger when we start getting the red packets out.
I think that's about it. Time to knock out. Nitezzzzz
Monday, 31 December 2007
BAD
BAD dreams - Matty obviously had a nasty dream last night when he kept mumbling for 15 whole minutes "my... my.... my Yizong".
BAD throat - Mummy is down with a sore throat and flu. What a way to end and start a year.
Thursday, 27 December 2007
Princess' First Christmas
Well... this year's Christmas is nothing more different than the last 2 years - Same Christmas tree, same honey-baked ham from Marriot Hotel, lots of food which we couldn't possibly stomach in one meal, lots of presents under the tree. The only difference is that we have our princess to share the joy *beams*.
Mummy is in a generous mood this year and splurged a little more on the presents this year. It has been a good year for Mummy... a promotion, a great increment and a salary adjustment. But after this (or probably after another round of spree at Old Navy if I can lay my hands on that hooded-toggle overcoat for Matty!) I really need to give the shopping a break before I break my bank and deplete it completely. Somehow I can never convince myself that Matty and Elaina have enough new clothings for the coming Chinese New Year even though what's hanging in the wardrobe can last them past the 15 days plus the eve of Chinese New Year.
Anyway back to the topic... Matty and Elaina each received a grand total of 8 presents. Most came in big boxes so much so that some were presents under the tree and some become "presents behind the sofa" because we ran out of space under the tree. After much anticipation, Matty finally got to lay his hands on the presents. I must salute him for the perseverance in continuously and consistently pleading to allow him to open the pressies and the patience nonetheless for actually holding out 3 full weeks before he get to see his toys. Elaina surprised us by her ability to stay up late that day. 2 hours past her bedtime and there was no sign of crankiness from her - the wonder of Christmas or should I say toys (lots and lots of them).
The person who got the most expensive toy is none other than moi. Daddy bought me a new mobile phone because the old one had been wonky for a while. It had done well to survive this long despite the many knocks and drools from Matty and Elaina in the last 2 and half years. To prevent the new phone from going through the same ordeal... we are keeping the old phone for those long car rides when you need a gadget or 2 to entertain the 2 kids.
Monday, 24 December 2007
Round One ~ Fight!
Yesterday marked the first war between Matty and Elaina.
Both of them never played well together - Elaina will try and grab whatever that the big brother is playing with (despite all the efforts that we try to distract her away from his toys) and Matty will push her hands away while trying to protect his territory. Understandably... since most children only learn how to play with peers at around the age of 3. The ignition of the commotion? Elaina actually snatched a toy out from Matty's hand when she would usually just take things that Matty leaves on the floor. Matty burst out immediately as though the whole world did him some big injustice. I reprimanded the little princess for her doings and gave the toy back to the big brother. She ended up brawling too. Frankly, as the mother... I can only say that both were in the wrong. She should not have played rough and he could have avoided the whole episode if he had agreed to share his toys with the little sister.
As much as I would like not to deal with situations like these, it will not be the last unfortunately... especially tonight when they get to open up their Christmas presents. I can just about imagine Matty trying to have a go at Elaina's toy while she lacks the ability to stop him... and her trying to get a feel of his toys while he tries hard to keep her away. I can only hope that not much tears will flow and end the Christmas eve with a not so nice note.
Both of them never played well together - Elaina will try and grab whatever that the big brother is playing with (despite all the efforts that we try to distract her away from his toys) and Matty will push her hands away while trying to protect his territory. Understandably... since most children only learn how to play with peers at around the age of 3. The ignition of the commotion? Elaina actually snatched a toy out from Matty's hand when she would usually just take things that Matty leaves on the floor. Matty burst out immediately as though the whole world did him some big injustice. I reprimanded the little princess for her doings and gave the toy back to the big brother. She ended up brawling too. Frankly, as the mother... I can only say that both were in the wrong. She should not have played rough and he could have avoided the whole episode if he had agreed to share his toys with the little sister.
As much as I would like not to deal with situations like these, it will not be the last unfortunately... especially tonight when they get to open up their Christmas presents. I can just about imagine Matty trying to have a go at Elaina's toy while she lacks the ability to stop him... and her trying to get a feel of his toys while he tries hard to keep her away. I can only hope that not much tears will flow and end the Christmas eve with a not so nice note.
Sunday, 16 December 2007
We All Get There Somehow
Weighing 8.1kg, our little princess will be turning 9 months old in a few days. Time seems to be creeping extremely fast since Elaina came along. Unknowingly she has hit many milestones as well.
Elaina is now a professional when it comes to changing position. Rolling over, sitting up, going onto her tummy, pulling up to stand and cruising... are no longer challenges to her. The only challenge is when we try to keep her still.
Mummy tried getting Elaina to drink through the straw yesterday and she actually did it even without being "formally trained" with any training cup and spout... unlike Matty. But of course Matty was able to drink through the straw at 7 months old. Maybe this is a good illustration that a child will somehow learn new tricks even without the parents nudging them to... other than the reluctance to do it when they are older and that they know how to express their unwillingness.
I can now fully understand why a second-time parent will start to get more and more relaxed about alot of things unlike with the firstborn. It will start out as the lack of time to worry too much and gradually you realise that the kid will still grow up and go through the same phase with or without the anxiety that parents go through.
With Matty, during the first year of his life we wonder about alot of things - when he will stop waking up for night feeding, how to make him sleep better and wake up later in the morning, is he napping enough hours, if he should be eating food that are more chunky to get him to learn to chew, if he is getting enough practice in self-feeding, is he hitting his milestones, if he knows how to wave bye bye, do we talk to him enough so that he will say his first word and the list just goes on and on and on. When it comes to Elaina, fortunately and unfortunately... we are thankful if she goes to sleep at some point, that she eats something regardless what texture it comes in, that someone actually remembers to change her diaper.
Elaina is now a professional when it comes to changing position. Rolling over, sitting up, going onto her tummy, pulling up to stand and cruising... are no longer challenges to her. The only challenge is when we try to keep her still.
Mummy tried getting Elaina to drink through the straw yesterday and she actually did it even without being "formally trained" with any training cup and spout... unlike Matty. But of course Matty was able to drink through the straw at 7 months old. Maybe this is a good illustration that a child will somehow learn new tricks even without the parents nudging them to... other than the reluctance to do it when they are older and that they know how to express their unwillingness.
I can now fully understand why a second-time parent will start to get more and more relaxed about alot of things unlike with the firstborn. It will start out as the lack of time to worry too much and gradually you realise that the kid will still grow up and go through the same phase with or without the anxiety that parents go through.
With Matty, during the first year of his life we wonder about alot of things - when he will stop waking up for night feeding, how to make him sleep better and wake up later in the morning, is he napping enough hours, if he should be eating food that are more chunky to get him to learn to chew, if he is getting enough practice in self-feeding, is he hitting his milestones, if he knows how to wave bye bye, do we talk to him enough so that he will say his first word and the list just goes on and on and on. When it comes to Elaina, fortunately and unfortunately... we are thankful if she goes to sleep at some point, that she eats something regardless what texture it comes in, that someone actually remembers to change her diaper.
Monday, 3 December 2007
Siblings Rivalry
If Matty and Elaina can communicate (in a better way) with each other, here's probably what they will say to each other....
Matty to Elaina:
Mei-Mei, I really love you as a little sister and I will give you all the hugs and kisses that I can, but there are some things which I do not share - Mummy, my toys and my ex-toys which by some miracle now belongs to yo, and all the new toys... even though some may belong to you (or so I was told by the adults).
My little bimmer and F1 car belong to me too... I am only letting you have it because it sounds more fun when I have you in one car chasing after me while I am in the other.
By the way, you are not to touch or smell my books... including mouthing them. In case nobody has told you this yet, yes those books belong to me. Likewise for my mega blocks and lego blocks.
Yes, there are times when I will allow you to set your hands on my toys and books only because I was told that otherwise I will not have access to your toys in the future.
Matty to Elaina:
Mei-Mei, I really love you as a little sister and I will give you all the hugs and kisses that I can, but there are some things which I do not share - Mummy, my toys and my ex-toys which by some miracle now belongs to yo, and all the new toys... even though some may belong to you (or so I was told by the adults).
My little bimmer and F1 car belong to me too... I am only letting you have it because it sounds more fun when I have you in one car chasing after me while I am in the other.
By the way, you are not to touch or smell my books... including mouthing them. In case nobody has told you this yet, yes those books belong to me. Likewise for my mega blocks and lego blocks.
Yes, there are times when I will allow you to set your hands on my toys and books only because I was told that otherwise I will not have access to your toys in the future.
Elaina to Matty:
Gor-Gor, you are my role model. I look at you in awe whenever I see you jump and run about on your own. I can't wait to grow up and be like you.
But growing up can be a painful process especially when you refuse to let me have a go at your toys and books. They look yummilicious. I'm sure that it is the same reason why you ate my biscuits... the whole box of it when I only managed to eat one.
I want to learn from you... including how to switch the discs and press the "play" button. At least next time when you take out my Baby Einstein discs and load in your Blue's Clues I know how to get my Baby Einstein back. I can't understand a word uttered by Elmo, Blue, Big Bird or Dora... so can't we stick to something more universal like Baby Einstein?
By the way, the feeling is mutual when it comes to me having to share my toys and Mummy with you. I will not take it lying down from now on and will not hesitate to scream at you like I did yesterday morning when you tried to play with the button on Mummy's shirt while I was at it.
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Sticky Superglue
Not only has Elaina picked up the habit of waking up in the middle of the night for milk, she has also morphed to became a clingy baby like Matty. She sticks to Mummy like glue and will cry her lungs out if she sees me walking away. Not only that she will refuse the first feeding in the morning and the night-feed unless Mummy is the one cradling her and feeding her.
Our king-size is also shrinking - because on most nights these days, only the smell of Mummy can calm her and lull her back to sleep (aromatherapy??). So naturally she ends up sleeping in-between Daddy and Mummy... but mostly closer to Mummy's side. Some time ago, Matty also decided for some unknown reason that the best place to sleep is next to Mummy... and he ends up next to Mummy too.
Mummy is flattered to know how Matty and Elaina adores the person who brought them to this world... but in the middle of the night when I can barely keep my eyes open or in the morning when we are rushing like mad to get ready for work... you would wonder if this is a good or bad thing.
Maybe I should just enjoy this phase while both of them are still willing to be my koala bears and me their big gum tree.
Our king-size is also shrinking - because on most nights these days, only the smell of Mummy can calm her and lull her back to sleep (aromatherapy??). So naturally she ends up sleeping in-between Daddy and Mummy... but mostly closer to Mummy's side. Some time ago, Matty also decided for some unknown reason that the best place to sleep is next to Mummy... and he ends up next to Mummy too.
Mummy is flattered to know how Matty and Elaina adores the person who brought them to this world... but in the middle of the night when I can barely keep my eyes open or in the morning when we are rushing like mad to get ready for work... you would wonder if this is a good or bad thing.
Maybe I should just enjoy this phase while both of them are still willing to be my koala bears and me their big gum tree.
Monday, 26 November 2007
Christmas Toys... Where?
Christmas Toys... Where?
Those were the exact words from Matty one day after the Christmas tree is up. Talk about efficiency!
Those were the exact words from Matty one day after the Christmas tree is up. Talk about efficiency!
Saturday, 24 November 2007
The Tree is Up Once More
Our Christmas tree sees the daylight yet again. Unbelievable how the year has zoomed past. It didn't feel like that long ago when Mummy was last shopping for Christmas pressies and decorations. This Christmas will be another meaningful one because it is Elaina's first Christmas. Somehow she doesn't seem to have taken notice of the tree though.
This year, Mummy has Matty buzzing around while putting up the tree. He still remembers that all the balls and bells need to go on and was frantically trying his hand on hanging the stuff.
We had to get the lights replaced... since quite a number of bulbs have blew. I wonder how long more will the tree last before we need to get another new one.
(Oh and for the records, Elaina only put on 50 grams in the last one month although we swore that she felt a lot heavier than that!)
This year, Mummy has Matty buzzing around while putting up the tree. He still remembers that all the balls and bells need to go on and was frantically trying his hand on hanging the stuff.
We had to get the lights replaced... since quite a number of bulbs have blew. I wonder how long more will the tree last before we need to get another new one.
(Oh and for the records, Elaina only put on 50 grams in the last one month although we swore that she felt a lot heavier than that!)
Thursday, 8 November 2007
What Happened?
Oh dear... it has been 2 weeks since Mummy last updated this blog. Let's see what have we been doing for the last ten days or so.
Matty's playgroup at My Gym finally came to an end.... I think he is starting to feel very bored at home with no where to burn his energy.... which probably explains why he seems to be screaming alot more (not like he wasn't capable of doing it in the past!!), messing up the place by throwing his books all over the place and so on. Perhaps all these help to channel his energy out from his system.... which inadvertently also causes everyone to be drained of energy. Now that he has given up his afternoon nap (because Mah-Mah has given up on making him take his afternoon nap) he has even more time on hand. Quite often he ends up spending the afternoon in Parkway for one reason or another. Talk about loitering the shopping mall... here's a true blue Singaporean in the making. We are starting to be a little bit concerned about his eyesight. Not too sure if it is a result of skipping the afternoon nap or overdose of the television, he seems to be rubbing his eyes alot more lately. Anyway the issue of watching too much television is an aged-old one. With Matty... alot of things cannot be helped. How else to make a hyper-kiddo sit down for even a minute so that you can at least get some rest yourself or even to have something entertain him when he use to wake up at 5 in the morning while his (poor) parents needed that extra one-hour of sleep before getting ready to work.
As for Elaina, she got her 2nd tooth shortly after sprouting the 1st one. However even with her 2 lower teeth in... it doesn't seem to deter her from sucking her thumb. Hopefully we won't need to resort to the unthinkable. She is starting to crawl her way around. Not quite the commando-style though like most babies. She will dig her feet and elbow into the bed and push her way forward. Elaina is also starting to be able to stand with support. Because of that.... she fell while in her bumbo seat just the other day. Yes... she tried to stand up and reach out for a toy and fell over. Lucky thing that the bumbo seat was on the floor and not on the bed.
Mummy is again busy with work, work, work and more work. I can't wait for the day when we can finally get an admin person for the department... provided if I am not made redundant in the coming re-organisation. Other than working... I have been busy doing retail therapy. Elaina seems to be growing fast and furious since she started taking solid food.... which means she needs more clothes (not like I hadn't been stocking up). It has gone to the extend that Mummy had to "abort" my plan of buying more pretty dresses until we get more pink hangers. So now what??? Found some sites that sell clips and custom-made bows. I think I must have spent almost a hundred bucks in 2 weeks on hair accessories for Elaina. Since she has so much more hair as compared to most babies of this age... why waste it right?? And since she has got so many pretty outfits of course we need clips of different colours and designs to match the outfit.
What about Daddy??? What else other than busy with his online game *rolleyes*
Matty's playgroup at My Gym finally came to an end.... I think he is starting to feel very bored at home with no where to burn his energy.... which probably explains why he seems to be screaming alot more (not like he wasn't capable of doing it in the past!!), messing up the place by throwing his books all over the place and so on. Perhaps all these help to channel his energy out from his system.... which inadvertently also causes everyone to be drained of energy. Now that he has given up his afternoon nap (because Mah-Mah has given up on making him take his afternoon nap) he has even more time on hand. Quite often he ends up spending the afternoon in Parkway for one reason or another. Talk about loitering the shopping mall... here's a true blue Singaporean in the making. We are starting to be a little bit concerned about his eyesight. Not too sure if it is a result of skipping the afternoon nap or overdose of the television, he seems to be rubbing his eyes alot more lately. Anyway the issue of watching too much television is an aged-old one. With Matty... alot of things cannot be helped. How else to make a hyper-kiddo sit down for even a minute so that you can at least get some rest yourself or even to have something entertain him when he use to wake up at 5 in the morning while his (poor) parents needed that extra one-hour of sleep before getting ready to work.
As for Elaina, she got her 2nd tooth shortly after sprouting the 1st one. However even with her 2 lower teeth in... it doesn't seem to deter her from sucking her thumb. Hopefully we won't need to resort to the unthinkable. She is starting to crawl her way around. Not quite the commando-style though like most babies. She will dig her feet and elbow into the bed and push her way forward. Elaina is also starting to be able to stand with support. Because of that.... she fell while in her bumbo seat just the other day. Yes... she tried to stand up and reach out for a toy and fell over. Lucky thing that the bumbo seat was on the floor and not on the bed.
Mummy is again busy with work, work, work and more work. I can't wait for the day when we can finally get an admin person for the department... provided if I am not made redundant in the coming re-organisation. Other than working... I have been busy doing retail therapy. Elaina seems to be growing fast and furious since she started taking solid food.... which means she needs more clothes (not like I hadn't been stocking up). It has gone to the extend that Mummy had to "abort" my plan of buying more pretty dresses until we get more pink hangers. So now what??? Found some sites that sell clips and custom-made bows. I think I must have spent almost a hundred bucks in 2 weeks on hair accessories for Elaina. Since she has so much more hair as compared to most babies of this age... why waste it right?? And since she has got so many pretty outfits of course we need clips of different colours and designs to match the outfit.
What about Daddy??? What else other than busy with his online game *rolleyes*
Monday, 22 October 2007
First & Last
FIRST.....
Elaina finally sprouted her first tooth on 18 October 2007... at her bottom left front. Exactly on the day she turned 7 months old. Mummy thinks it is so cute when the baby has a little tooth to show off.
She's weighing 7.7kg at the checkup last Saturday and able to sit and balance herself without support... although she still topples when she forgets that she needs to keep her balance
LAST...
It was Matty's last day at the playgroup on Friday. His favourite teacher, Lara (or known as Teacher Wa-Wa... due to his lousy pronunciation) was almost tearing. She even reminded him to come visit her whenever he passes by to get to the post office.
Elaina finally sprouted her first tooth on 18 October 2007... at her bottom left front. Exactly on the day she turned 7 months old. Mummy thinks it is so cute when the baby has a little tooth to show off.
She's weighing 7.7kg at the checkup last Saturday and able to sit and balance herself without support... although she still topples when she forgets that she needs to keep her balance
LAST...
It was Matty's last day at the playgroup on Friday. His favourite teacher, Lara (or known as Teacher Wa-Wa... due to his lousy pronunciation) was almost tearing. She even reminded him to come visit her whenever he passes by to get to the post office.
Monday, 15 October 2007
Diving Yet Again
It was just 2 weeks ago when Mummy wrote about Elaina's first dip. She took another dive over the weekend... albeit that it was a "dive" from the bed unto the floor. The first fall (and definitely not the last!) that Elaina suffered. Naturally... she cried buckets and it was made worse because she was hungry and tired then.
Should have been more careful and put up some "barriers" to protect her. Blame it on Mummy's over-confidence!! I was only walking away to drop something into the laundry bin and I didn't think much about it since it was only going to be a split second. Besides she usually rolls toward her right and she should have rolled towards the pillow going by the natural course that she takes.
We never quite worked out where exactly she bumped because until today there is no visible bruises on Elaina. But one thing for sure was that being a seasoned mummy... I picked her up from the floor in a matter-of-fact manner and tried to give her some comfort as though it was just another fall (actually come to think of it... it is and it will be). When Matty first rolled off and fell to the floor... I almost broke in hysteric and broke into tears myself. It was devastating. Not sure if its a good thing that I have grown used to such occasions and became immune to it.
Should have been more careful and put up some "barriers" to protect her. Blame it on Mummy's over-confidence!! I was only walking away to drop something into the laundry bin and I didn't think much about it since it was only going to be a split second. Besides she usually rolls toward her right and she should have rolled towards the pillow going by the natural course that she takes.
We never quite worked out where exactly she bumped because until today there is no visible bruises on Elaina. But one thing for sure was that being a seasoned mummy... I picked her up from the floor in a matter-of-fact manner and tried to give her some comfort as though it was just another fall (actually come to think of it... it is and it will be). When Matty first rolled off and fell to the floor... I almost broke in hysteric and broke into tears myself. It was devastating. Not sure if its a good thing that I have grown used to such occasions and became immune to it.
Thursday, 4 October 2007
Sticky Affair
Matty's latest craze - stickers!!! I think we all do fall in love with stickers at one point in time in our entire life... so yes Matty is in this stage of his life.
His first sticker books were freebies we get from buying his milk powder, Dr Chan's clinic... and bits and pieces of sticky stuff that we just stick on his hands for fun. Somehow he got caught on with it. Now the stickers serves as reward for every successful "business deal" that he seals. We are toilet training him at the moment... get the picture?? Or to distract him from whatever distress that he goes through... like being denied access to the computer. Mummy bought some Blue's Clues (another love of his love at the moment!) sticker books online recently. I hope he will be thrilled when he receives them.
Anyway... the stickers have become his life, his world, his everything. Nothing else is more important than his stickers. Just the other day while rolling all over the bed, Elaina nearly crushed Matty's sticker book which was placed on the bed. It was a near miss... Matty pulled his sticker book away from Elaina in the nick of time. Last night, he actually screamed at Elaina when she tried to grab the stickers. I don't think Daddy's effort in trying to educate Matty after that episode that he needs to learn to share saw any results. Even his mummy dearest (moi) wasn't able to persuade him to give me one little sticker. Biscuits, crispy, ice-cream... yes he will willingly give me a bite... stickers?? Nay! I think we now know where we stand in his list of favourite things.
His first sticker books were freebies we get from buying his milk powder, Dr Chan's clinic... and bits and pieces of sticky stuff that we just stick on his hands for fun. Somehow he got caught on with it. Now the stickers serves as reward for every successful "business deal" that he seals. We are toilet training him at the moment... get the picture?? Or to distract him from whatever distress that he goes through... like being denied access to the computer. Mummy bought some Blue's Clues (another love of his love at the moment!) sticker books online recently. I hope he will be thrilled when he receives them.
Anyway... the stickers have become his life, his world, his everything. Nothing else is more important than his stickers. Just the other day while rolling all over the bed, Elaina nearly crushed Matty's sticker book which was placed on the bed. It was a near miss... Matty pulled his sticker book away from Elaina in the nick of time. Last night, he actually screamed at Elaina when she tried to grab the stickers. I don't think Daddy's effort in trying to educate Matty after that episode that he needs to learn to share saw any results. Even his mummy dearest (moi) wasn't able to persuade him to give me one little sticker. Biscuits, crispy, ice-cream... yes he will willingly give me a bite... stickers?? Nay! I think we now know where we stand in his list of favourite things.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Big Dip
Nope... the "dip" we are talking about is not some lucky draw but the Elaina's maiden swim. She took her first dive (head above water dive to be precise) last Sunday - 30 September, at the club's pool. Its been a while since Matty last swam... in fact it was one weekend before Elaina was born. That was how long ago!
It was a last minute decision to bring both babies for a dip because Mummy hasn't been able to find the time and opportunity to scout for Elaina's swimsuit... eventually Daddy did manage to get one at Kiddy's Palace after he got his haircut on Saturday. Although Elaina didn't shrill in excitement like Matty did back then.... she did enjoy the big "bathtub" on the whole.
Matty on the other hand couldn't contain his emotions. First it was the anticipation of jumping into the pool but later he ended up brawling... I think he wasn't too used to seeing so many people at the pool. Took a bit of pacifying to get him smiling again. Somehow he doesn't mix well with strangers... takes him a while to warm up.
Daddy is planning to bring Matty and Elaina swimming again this weekend. Let's see if Mummy is up to it... a short swim requires one hour of preparation and another hour of washing and cleaning thereafter.
It was a last minute decision to bring both babies for a dip because Mummy hasn't been able to find the time and opportunity to scout for Elaina's swimsuit... eventually Daddy did manage to get one at Kiddy's Palace after he got his haircut on Saturday. Although Elaina didn't shrill in excitement like Matty did back then.... she did enjoy the big "bathtub" on the whole.
Matty on the other hand couldn't contain his emotions. First it was the anticipation of jumping into the pool but later he ended up brawling... I think he wasn't too used to seeing so many people at the pool. Took a bit of pacifying to get him smiling again. Somehow he doesn't mix well with strangers... takes him a while to warm up.
Daddy is planning to bring Matty and Elaina swimming again this weekend. Let's see if Mummy is up to it... a short swim requires one hour of preparation and another hour of washing and cleaning thereafter.
Friday, 14 September 2007
Matty's Cover Version
Matty re-wrote (or sing to be precise) 2 well-known children's song one night while trying to fall asleep... talk about inspiration! The lyrics in Matty's exact words...
Oh MacDonald Had a Farm
Oh Mac... e-ya-e-ya-yooT (note the distinct pronunciation of the letter "T")
And a moo moo here and a moo moo there
And moo and moo and moo and moo
Oh Mac... e-ya-e-ya-yooT
Alphabet Song
A-B-C-D-E-F-G
H-I-J-K-L-M-OH-OH-P
Q-R-S
T-U-V
W-X-Y and Z
Now I know my ABC
Next time (2-seconds pause).... single me
