Experiencing F1 @ Marina

Last year's F1 Daddy was out of town, so this year, we decide to go nearer to the place of action just to experience the sounds and soak in the atmosphere. Mommy and Daddy din want to risk bringing me into the actual grandstand, so we decide to hang around Marina area for our own little walkabout.

We couldn't get to see a thing when we reached Marina Square, all we can hear are the vrooms and zooms ocassionally. Never mind, its all in the name of participation right? Even though we din get to see the actual F1 car, well, the display one in the shopping centre will do for us... hee

Did Mommy mention that this little princess is dancing right at the centre of the mall, to the strong beat and loud music too?? Look who is the one really partying...


And after dinner, its time to burn off those excess energy in me again! I seem to make new friends readily, or rather, usually there will be a jie jie who will look out for me, and she even ensures that she goes down the slide first, so that she can keep a look out for me when its my turn next.

Long weekend but wet weather

19 Sep 2009 (Sat)

Daddy is gonna cook for the family and we are having fried udon & homemade 水饺 today! In any case, I get to be part of the team and I help to lay the dumpling skin evenly into the plate (though Mommy will conduct QC and ensure its not more than a single layer) and scooping some meat onto the dumpling skin... oh and the last most important step is to dip my little index finger into the bowl of water to wet the corners of the dumpling skin so that the meat won't fall off whilst cooking. Having done all that, Mommy will proceed to fold and voila! our 水饺 are ready to be cooked!

We are so engrossed in the whole process that Mommy has forgotten to take a quick snap. Not with those sticky hands anyway...

I am more of a carbo & vege person so I prefer the skin more than the meat, and I rather stick to my familiar food of fried udon!

And that partly explains why recently I am into cooking for everyone, like bee hoon for grandpa and grandma... and I make sure I will go around and have everyone sample my food. You will have to pretend to eat and make appreciative gestures and expressions, and in turn I will offer you more food the next time, ok?

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20 Sep 2009 (Sun)

We are having steamboat for lunch at grandparent's place, but since Mommy has already prepared my food, I only get to eat some fishballs as I seat myself firmly on Mommy's lap... I enjoy the company as well as the food, and finally the lure of play pulls me off from my comfy position - hey cousin Matthew and Jonathan are here!

Let's go and play!

With mooncake festival just around the corner, I finally get to eat my first piece of mooncake... its sweet, meaning yummy! Oh, 婶婶　is eating grapes, and immediately both Jonathan and I stand in front of her, in anticipation that we get to be offered a bite as well... (do all toddlers behave like this, or more so cos they are born in the year of pig?)

And that's not all, I even get to have a few sips of the fu chuk dessert that Mommy is drinking... oh and it's my milk feeding time again! Bye!

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21 Sep 2009 (Mon) - Hari Raya Puasa Holiday

Not wanting to jostle with the crowd, after a hearty Ya Kun breakfast, Daddy suggested that we check out the new mall, City Square. Why not, aircon is much appreciated in this bad weather, extreme hot and cold, with unexpected showers at the wrong time!

So here we go, with our princess the most excited, cos we're going shopping! Shopping in her vocab means grocery shopping in general, where she can grab and put the food into the trolley/basket. Favourite word/food for the month is tofu, simply because "jie jie Coco loves tofu!" as she speaks animatedly. But I end up napping in the car and continue to nap on Daddy's strong arms/shoulder for another 45min!

Besides Metro, there are only a handful of shops ready for operation. But one particular shop caught mommy's attention - a lot of materials for card making and scrapbooking. Interesting indeed... The smell of new paint is evident everywhere, and it isn't nearer to lunch time that we realise most of the eatery places are not even opened! So we eventually settle for a cafe, being the most kid-friendly looking eatery around (oh, and they do not have high chair by the way).

What's for lunch today??

I have some mushroom soup, shepherd's pie (the beef version is a little peppery so I end up eating more of the potato), and finish off with more spaghetti. (Sorry, no mee siam for now, another time ok?) And since the lunch set comes with a single soup of ice cream, how could I miss it? Yummy, Mommy thinks besides saying "Zee Yann likes pear!" its soon gonna be "Zee Yann likes ice cream!"... haha

The rest of the evening is spent at home, lazing around. And look at the impromptu pictures that we take - it din take much prompt and I am very co-operative tonight. All done within 1 min!

My first 4 连拍

LNT parenting talk - How to support your child's learning at home

Mommy attended the session alone as Daddy gotta take care of the little one - its good to have some bonding time that is specially theirs isnt it?

The first half of the talk is more of a revision of what Mommy has read from the books, just to share a few tips here.

1> Identify areas of weakness (To rectify : practice, practice, practice... although in a fun way of course)
2> Improve bonding (and that means you have to invest time on your part to play, or even attend to the mundane routine stuffs like diaper changing, feeding and bathing)
3> Constant reminder - Say "I Love You" (Hugs, Cuddles, physical touch count too!)

The above reminded Mommy of what she has recently read from "The 5 Love Languages of Children". The 5 love languages being:

#1 Physical Touch
#2 Words of Affirmation
#3 Quality Time
#4 Gifts
#5 Acts of Service

As I am still a toddler, Mommy can't decipher what is my real love language yet, but the first 3 definitely ranks high for me. I love embraces and hugs, and love to be carried around. While I am self-motivated (they use the word "active") in general (cos I like to try new things), praises and compliments further motivate to keep doing and repeating my acts. I enjoy the company of people cos its no fun playing alone! So I always wanted Mommy or Daddy to sit next to me as we engage in lego making or play-doh sessions.

It will be fun looking back when I grow up to see what is my preferred language of love.

So much for the digress, back to the parenting talk...

Strategies of Home Practice :
(Children learn best when they are not stressed or distracted by TV, etc... likewise you have to be relax and calm (Think Fun!) for optimzed results.)

1> Set aside time (min 4days/week)
2> In a comfortable/relaxed setting
3> Choose time when child is alert, not tired
4> Take turns with spouse/grandparents
5> Set achievable goals for your child
6> Plan what you want to do ahead of time (eg you need to get the flashcards ready and in order before you initiate it
7> Ensure materials are safe for use (eg some flashcards' edges may be too sharp, good to trim the sharp corners)

Jenny shares with us some useful online resources.

For flashcards:
--> www.senteacher.org
--> www.readinga-z.com

As I have already learnt my ABC, so Mommy think phonics pronounciation in association with the letters are the next "goals".

For games, stories, songs, you can try these activities at home:
--> memory board
--> tangram 七巧板 - is a dissection puzzle consisting of seven flat shapes, called tans, which are put together to form shapes. The objective of the puzzle is to form a specific shape (given only in outline or silhouette) using all seven pieces, which may not overlap... from Wikipedia
--> puzzles
--> interactive books
--> puppets
--> education CD-roms
--> Music CD
--> www.preschoolprintables.com
--> www.starfall.com (highly recommended for phonics learning)

Except for the first 2, I am exposed to all other sources of learning already. Ok, that means I am on the "right track"?

For art/craft activities, Jenny has shared with us many of her DIY materials and its indeed a good learning tip. It will be good to involve the kids so that they can be involved in the process instead of just getting in touch with the end-product.
--> www.dltk-kids.com

Some other activities such as involving the kids in simple household chores or even in the baking of cakes or extraction of juices are good experience and promote good bonding too. Of course, nothing beats bringing your kid out for real-life experience like a zoo trip or to the beach.

So much for sharing!

Have Fun!

Just for fun

Mommy and Daddy have tried to let me choose my own shades, but somehow I only like Mommy's one... and see how I try to wear it like a headband but end up at the wrong side each time... and I give up!!

Playdate with Clara and Keira @ Vivo

It's been almost 9 months since we last met @ Keira's birthday party. Auntie Ashley is pregnant with another 妹妹 with the same EDD as me, albeit 2 years ago! What a busy year end, with so many babies expected to play with me.

These 3 young ladies seem to behave well durin lunch @ Crystal Jade... until the glucose in them act up!


The 3 active gals turn the restaurant into their playground!! What to do when our little cosy corner happens to have some steps for them to walk/climb up and down... And we even attempt to boogie together...


To make matters worse, I let out my enthusiasm with a loud cheer. Look how surprise Clara is with my verbal explosion!


Potential models in the making - Keira in particular? And the best smile award goes to.... Clara!!

Even as we are leaving the restaurant, the 3 young ladies are still amazed with the lobster and crab in the water tanks. "Fish up there!" says Clara as she points with her little finger.


And our playground gets extended to the shopping mall as we climb onto the bench. It's really "monkey see, monkey do" with Clara leading the pack.


We would have love to spend some time outdoors if not because of the heat. And I can't resist to take a closer look of the shrub but end up plucking it... oops! Mommy thinks its better for me to stay indoors, so I end up searching for familiar objects, YES, its LETTERS!

Keira is more interested in the small pebbles found in the pot, and she even take one with her as we move on to our next destination, Coffee Club @ Harbourfront for some rest (much needed for the 3 easily tired mommies) and a quick nap!

Virus attack!!

Just when we thought we have won the battle against the fever, next comes diarrhoea... and poor sweetie pie poos 4 times in a day, until she screams 屁股 pain pain!!

See how listless I look - I only manage to squeeze a smile when the Sesame Street song comes on... and Mommy keeps urging me to press the buttons (I finally giggle at last... hmmm what's so amusing about the phrase "Press the buttons"? Heck, so long as my little princess smiles again)

I am 22 Months Old!

I'm down with fever, just 1 day before I turn 22 months. I am contented to just lie on Daddy's chest while watching the TV... my highest-ever fever reading of 39.6 degrees, so freaking scary! Luckily the fever medicine works like wonder for me and within 1 dosage and a short nap, it has dropped by more than 2 degrees, else I may end up at one of the A&E tonite.

And that means I can't get to see baby Sarah until I am fully recovered!


I am beginning to be fearful of things (perhaps its not exactly fear even though I use the word 怕怕）which have never quite bother me, blinking lights in particular seem to be one common trigger of my so-called fear. It can be found on the wireless router, neighbour's lighting outside the windows as Hari Raya is approaching - but the worst fear ever exhibited happens during a night of thunderstorm and lightning. Mommy vividly remembers that on the wee morning of 23rd of Aug, I roll over to Mommy, screaming 怕怕, 怕怕 and simply wont let go of Mommy despite her repeated reassurance. Mommy has to hug this little frightened baby until she falls asleep again, and this happened the next 2 consecutive nights - and thankfully its only a short phase!

Gross/Fine Motor Skill
- Able to throw a ball overhand well
- Attempts to jump with 2 feet off the ground (1,2 cm at most!)
- Likes to unscrew nappy cream cap, and remembers not to squeeze it as instructed
- Enjoys creating animals with lego, issuing orders to mommy to sit next to her whilst she is playing
- Enjoys finger painting

Cognitive/Social Skills
- Continues to enjoy watching DVD and imitating the characters, such as playing the trumpet as seen in Barney's Making Music; asking for apple cos Argon the dragon loves apples in Wheels on the Bus (Moon Mouse); Mommy has no idea where does touching the nostril come from, perhaps from the book Come Rhyme with me?
- Continues to enjoy sing-a-long sessions with mommy and daddy
- Recognize basic colours like red, green, blue, yellow and orange although may get it mixed up at times (particularly light blue)
- Recognize numbers from 11 to 20, including 0
- Start to count from 1 to 5
- Able to repeat after Mommy 1 to 8 in Chinese and 1 to 10 in Japanese
- Start to make short simple sentences, using correct verbs like eats, drinks, sleeps, go, sits

New words:
- brother, peach, durian, pineapple, broccoli, heart, hungry,
- Sharlene, Hayley, Matthew, Auntie Grace, Claire, BJ, baby Bop,
- dragon, Argon, Coco, tuba, bell, brown, bedroom, chicken,
- cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, corn, dinosaur, crab,
- clock, deer, cherries, medicine, shopping, hairclip, drive,
- playground, after, ham, tired, sick, rest, angry, time, painful,
- cook rice, go home, fall down, what else, star fruit,
- toilet, behind, buddha, god, fox, banana, watermelon, honeydew,
- triangle, cross, oval, circle, rectangle, yo yo, cotton wool,
- baby lotion, sweetie pie, thank you, no squeeze (cannot squeeze),
- I tell you, I want to go here/there
- Jonathan (pronounced as turn),
- carrots (pronounced as carts)
- cucumber (pronounced as cu-umber)
- in front (misses out the word "in"), e.g. Daddy sits front
- 兔, 船, 坐, 穿, 前面, 吃饭, 一起, 眉毛, 鼻子, 嘴巴,
- 睡觉, 回家, 饼干, 饱了, 包菜, 白菜, 菠菜, 起来,
- 不要怕, 背娃娃, 泥娃娃, 不要怕,
- 我不要吃 cheese
- jia mi (Hainanese)

Numbers
- Recognize 0, 11 to 20

My first canine (top right) has just erupted!