Encounter with A Different Kind

Last week at Fidgets, I was playing at the Small Fidgets' area meant for children below 4 years old.. there was this little girl in one of the play areas. Mama made some small talk with her Mama and found out her name is Livia and she is about 11 months old.

We were kind of quite interested in each other, as you can see from the pictures. what impressed Mama was that I actually put my face close to her so that she can explore my face with her fingers. Could it be that I am ready for a younger sibling? ;p

Fidgets Again....

Mama and Papa brought me to Fidgets on Christmas eve morning to let me spend half a day there... the idea is to let me expend my energy without frustrating Mama. Papa sent me and Mama here before going back to his office to do some work. So here I am, fidgeting again... :)

This time round, I tried about 75% of the "big" structure with Mama. Here's me at the suspension bridge. looks rather shaky but I tried it at least twice... sorry that there's no better video for this one. Mama thinks it's better to look out for me rather than film me lest I should get into an accident while she was filming...

Blessed Christmas, Everyone!

Dear all,

Hope all of you had a blessed Christmas and a great year ahead in year 2010... :)

Sorry to have kept you waiting for new posts for such a long time.. it's just that Mama had been too tired to post anything since she came back from the cruise but not to worry, God has renewed her strength and god-willing, she will back date the blog posts... :)

Here's me and Papa with my first Christmas present this year. It was from Aunty Elizabeth and Uncle Keng Hsin. Aunty Elizabeth met Mama in church on Christmas day and passed it to Mama.

This picture is Mama's favourite... we had this picture taken when Agnes jie jie from church gave me this Christmas present...

It's a pity that Papa and Mama did not prepare any present for anyone, maybe there is still time
to get some new year gifts before the year 2009 comes to an end.... :)

We are going for a cruise...

Dear all, God-willing, Papa, Mama and I will be going for a cruise in a few hours' time and coming back this Sat 19th Dec. I will be spending my 21st month birthday on a liner.... so blessed of me, right? May all of you have a blessed holiday season. Take good care and see ya around... bye.. :)

Handsome

Mama took this picture of me as it's like my first time that I climbed to this height at the playground on my own.. :)

Papa said I look very handsome in this picture and even put it up on the family computer as wall paper.. Mama initially did not think so but as she looked at the wallpaper more, she thought I look like a model posing for a shot with my facial expression. Click on the picture above and get a closer look.. what do you think? :)

Fidgets!

Last week, Mama read about an indoor playground, Fidgets, from the blog of another young mother and she found out more about it from the Internet. This is actually an indoor playground for kids from a very young age to about 11 or 12 years old and is located at Turf City at Bukit Timah. So Mama has kind of been looking for a chance to bring me there.

An opportunity presented itself this afternoon when my nap was abruptly interupted and I could not go back to sleep anymore. So Papa and Mama decided to take me out of the house and we went to Fidgets. Initially, they had a bit of difficulty locating the place but they persevered and we eventually found it.

See the 2 bolsters on the top left hand corner of the picture below?

I was initially quite contented to just stand next to them and just roll them with my hands. But after seeing quite a few times how some boys, a few years older than me, could actually crawl through them, I kind of wanted to try. Though I did not express my desire, Mama decided to help me with this. She first tried to let me put my head through between the 2 bolsters but it didn't quite work for me and so she put my 2 legs through them and then voila, I went over! I was really thrilled!! What a paradigm shift! But Mama did not attempt to go through them herself and so she could only hold on to my jacket to prevent me from wandering out of her reach.

Then Papa actually went through the bolsters himself and because of that, I was able to venture a little further. I was very thrilled to be able to go through the rollers a few times! What fun!

This is me, climbing up a slide and boy, I really climbed. Initially, I was not able to do it but with Papa's help and encouragement, I did it. So here is a clip of my climbing. Please pardon my Mama for not being more modest about my achievement at the end of the video.... ;p

A pity that Mama did not have better pictures or clips to show as her handphone was not working very well and kind of had little power left and so to conserve power, she took pictures sparingly. But well, Papa said maybe we can come back again during weekdays. Hopefully we will have better pictures then... :)

Come Closer...

Hi all, are you looking at me? Come closer...

And closer.....

And closer....

Even closer.....

Closer.....

HI !!!!

This is an interesting way to get my parents' attention last evening. Mama took a series of pictures and better still, she imitated me and touched my bum with hers. That really got me laughing. But the best is yet to be! Papa actually joined us too and did the same pose and so all 3 of us were in this stance for a few moments last evening... haha... :)

Somersault Step 1

Not trying to be rude but Mama was trying to capture this pose cos I am doing this quite a bit nowadays. hopefully she can get a better shot next time. by the way, this is NOT me bowing down to the TV though I watch it quite a bit. It's probably one of those moments when I try to entertain myself or perhaps trying to get my parents' attention. I have tried doing this pose in my own bedroom too... ;P

20 months?

Nothing special. Just that Mama took out some of my old clothes to wash before storing them away. But guess what, this piece that I am wearing is actually for 0-3 month olds.... ok, it looks a little tight but I can actually still wear it. Most toddlers would have outgrown all their newborn clothing by now. haha... ;p

Laughing

hi all, this is the first time Mama observes that I am laughing at a video clip that amuses me. it's like i can now appreciate a comedy! guess what is tickling me....

More 20 months old development

Nowadays, I not only say the syllabus "ba" but I can drag the sound to produce "bai" and it goes, "baiiiiiiiii". Just the other day, I really amused Da Yi Po and Aunty Cvannelle when we visited her place and I called out the name of Aunty Cvannelle's dog -Zai Zai by saying "zaiiiiiiiii". Da Yi Po said I had done it with very clear diction.

Also, I can recognise Papa's pictures and address him. There were many occasions when Mama took out Papa's NTUC linkcard from her wallet when we were going to pay for the grocery. I will say "Papa" when I see Papa's photograph on the card.

Talking about pictures, I am more conscious of the camera. Many a times, I know my picture or video is being taken. Just last Monday, Mama brought me for a meet up at Ikea with Aunty Siew Lan and Aunty Elizabeth who also brought their children along. Before we left, Aunty Siew Lan took a picture of the children. There were Sarah jie jie, Seth gor gor and Joy jie jie. All of them stood around the high chair I was in. I knew my picture was taken and I actually smiled for the camera when Seth gor gor and the other 2 jie jies posed for it. :)

In addition, I am able to lick the morsels of food on my lips back into my mouth. That's probably important for my speech/social development too.

When I see Papa in a shirt with pocket on his chest, I will try to reach into it and find Papa's car key many a times. Papa will also let me play with some coins.

Talking about car keys, Mama and Papa no longer puts me in a car seat nowadays when we go out. Mama just did not want to battle with me over strapping me down. She rather have me sit next to her while she read to me or let me stand and watch the scenery when Papa drives. Papa also wants to train me to sit still when travelling in a car and so when he drives short distances like from our place to Nai nai's place, he will let me sit next to him and use the adult seat belt on me. I am a little small and so sometimes the part of the belt that is supposed to restrain the shoulders sometimes cover my face. Also, I am able to keep still if I am a little tired.

Mama thinks I love it best when Papa allowed me to take the driver's seat and play with his steering wheel a couple of days ago. Could it be that I am a driver in the making?

I am also able to climb up the plastic rocking horse in church all by myself. Here I am. :)

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

Yesterday, we went to Jacob Ballas Children's Garden at Botanic Garden. This is me and Papa at the entrance but Mama is perhaps the happiest of us all as she had wanted to bring me here for a long time.




There is a water play area here. Since Papa and Mama did not plan to bring me here when they left the house for breakfast, they did not bring my swimsuit with me. But no worries because Mama brought some extra clothing and so here I am, decked in a singlet that may be a bit small but nonetheless, fit for the occasion. In case you are wondering, I was wearing normal diapers underneath the singlet. :)

Not to worry, I am ok now. Papa captured another clip of me shortly after this and I was ok. Here it is...

There is also a tree house with a playground.


Papa did not allow me to use the slides as the slides are covered and he is concerned that something may happen to me when I am in it and he can't see me. We will just have to wait until I am older.

There is also a short suspension bridge here. Here is another piece of evidence of my 'bravery'.

We had a good time here and I was so tired that I fell asleep in the car when we were on our way home.

Grossy Gross

hi all,

Here's what happens when Mama said I am grossy gross... according to Papa, Shu shu was the one who taught me this really cute facial expression.. ;)

Nai Nai's Birthday

Nai Nai's birthday falls on 18th October. So this post is really belated but better late than never. :)

On 18th of October, Papa, Mama, Yeye, Nai Nai, Shu Shu and me had dinner at Mayim restaurant and adjourned to Nai Nai's house for cake cutting. :)

Mama also took some videos of the cake cutting process using Papa's handphone. But they were all recorded when the handphone was in mute mode. No prize for guessing who turned off the voice recording function of the handphone. It's me. I did it when I was fiddling with Papa's handphone. ;p

When Mama took the videos, she wanted to turn on the function but she chose to seize the moment and hence the mute clips.. sigh. hopefully, we can do a better one next year.. ;p

Thanks too for the cake from Uncle Denton and Aunty Cheyanne. It was delicious.. :D

In the MRT

I had traveled more on the MRT for the past few days and just see how I behaved in the train. No wonder Mama and I are both tired after going out. ;p

The Damsel in Distress

Mama really regrets she did not take a video of this one and you will have to imagine everything yourself. But she did not cook this incident up.

This morning, I was walking towards the bus stop at my place when I heard a baby cry. I turned back and saw a little toddler, smaller than me, stood at the other end of the corridor. She was whiny and refused to walk to the bus stop and her mother was trying to coax her into doing it.

I actually turned back and walked up to her. She saw me come up to her and stopped whining. Mama said some words to encourage her and then I turned to walk towards the bus stop again. This little girl was then happy to follow me. What a pity there was no visual documentation of this incident. sigh. ;p

Swimming?!?!

2 days ago, Mama brought me swimming at Choa Chu Kang Swimming Complex. This is a nice swimming complex, slightly more interesting than most of the swimming pools found in the housing estates. It actually has a wave pool where a machine simulates the rippling effects of the waves at the beach hourly. There are also 2 small pools with water play features. Another pool has a waterslide that is at least 2 metres high but might have been closed down. There is also a jacuzzi pool and the normal swimming pool for adults who are swimming for exercise. Not to forget, a wading pool for people who just want to relax and float along a stream. There used to be big floats for rent for such cruising but the renting of floats have ceased operation. The only thing is that the facilities are a bit old and one can see rust at some parts of the water play features.

Here I am, playing at the wave pool. It just happened that the waves were coming in as we reached the pool at around 6pm.

Actually, I did not really swim but walked between the pools. This is my second time here. Mama did not manage to take more pictures as she had to keep a lookout for me. As it is, I actually slipped when I was walking in the pool and my head went into the water but Mama quickly fished me out. This happened because Mama was distracted by another young family whose child was quite near to me. Tsk tsk. Thank God that nothing serious happened to me and Mama even took a video of me combing my hair later in the evening. :)

That day, she brought me here on her own and Papa arrived much later. These were taken before Papa arrived. For your viewing pleasure. :)

This is the Way I Comb My Hair

A couple of days ago, Papa told Mama that Nai Nai was very impressed when I combed my hair at her place last Saturday. Here is how I comb my hair...

20 months old.

Dear all, I am already 20 months old. I am now getting really active. But Aunty Cheyanne and Da Yi Po and many others all said it's better that I am active and healthy and it means I am developing well. See, I am strong. :)

This month, I am able to reach the lift buttons found just outside my flat. Oh, buttons, I just love to press them, especially lift buttons. Mind you, I am not a prankster that presses every button that is found on the panel. Mama has taught me which button to press to bring us from ground floor to 11th storey where we stay and which button to press when we are leaving our apartment.

If you want to know if I prefer taking escalator or a lift, I will show you that I prefer a lift more. Mama found out when she brought me to Yew Tee MRT station where I could choose between the lift and the escalator. I always choose the former, running towards the button panel. :)

Also, I am very much Mama's little helper. Nowadays, when she takes me out, I will be the one to tap the Ez-link stored value fare card when we take a bus or the MRT. When she brings me to 7-11 convenient stores, I am the one who will place the loaf of bread on the counter and pay for it with the note Mama gives me. I would also pay for the grocery at NTUC by passing Papa's link card and Mama's atm card to the cashier aunty.

Mama asked me if I am iron-deficient because whenever I am on a supermarket trolley, I always like to put the trolley key into my mouth despite Papa's discipline and Mama's frequent warning. And I had been hit on the arms every time I do it nowadays. Papa did best when he just had to hit me once and I did not exhibit that behaviour during the entire grocery shopping trip.

I am also saying more words. I can now say Nai Nai and Mama though I still say it pretty generically. But I say Papa with a little more context. There had been a few mornings when the first thing I said when I saw Papa was "Pa".

Also, I enjoy raising my voice. Not to scold anyone or show displeasure but simply fun to be able to talk with increasing volume. I am also very amused when Mama says the word "dirty" or when the words "grossy-gross" are said to me.

This morning, I just surprised Mama by climbing up the chair in front of the computer all by myself. This caused me to be placed in my play pen for a while as Mama was going to preparefor my bath.

Nowadays, I am also trying to test my boundaries.

When Mama gave me a piece of instruction, say, come to Mama, I will deliberately walk further from her. Mama will repeat the instructions 2 more times before her patience runs out. She will then say,"Daniel, come here or I will start counting to 3." If I still refuse to obey her, she starts to count and when she counts to 2, I will walking towards her. I have learnt the hard and painful way that if she has to count to 3, I will be spanked a few strokes with her plastic ruler.

The reason Mama does not use a cane is because she fear she will miss the target and injure me since a cane is quite thin. Hence, she prefers to use a plastic ruler which has a greater surface area. Still, this does not work on me. Sometimes, when I am spanked, I will utter something as if I am complaining. Sometimes, I will shed some crocodile tears. Mama and Papa can tell if I am really hurt by the spanking or I am just pretending to cry.

On a more positive note, Mama can see that I have grown to be wider.


The width of my shoulders have increased and Mama thinks she is fattening me by giving me chicken wings to eat every few days. She is not deliberately giving me chicken wings but since I enjoy it, Mama thinks it's ok to let me eat it more often. Papa is afraid I may choke on the bones and so Mama tried to cut the flesh of the wing to smaller piece but really, she thinks it is more hearty to have me bite the flesh off the bones.

Mama is not sure if I have outgrown the fear of a moving kiddy machine or there was someone next to me that day but she has caught this footage on her handphone.

Ok, that is about all for the month. will update again if there are more developments. see ya..

Showing Affection

Mama read that babies have comfort objects like a small towel or soft toy. Not me though. I don't need these things. Perhaps my pacifier is my comfort object but even then, I don't exactly need it except when I need to nap and under some conditions, I don't even need a pacifier to help me fall asleep. Hence Mama thinks I am really cute when I show my affection to my soft toys.

Memory

Dear all, when I first got my shape sorter toy from Mama, I tried to put it on my head. This really impressed Mama not because it was an ingenius way to play but because this was exactly what we boys did in church school during play time. Matthew gor-gor, Isaac gor-gor, Ayden gor-gor and myself would put the shape sorter on our heads and wear it like a crown during play time. Of course, there were episodes when demand exceeds supply and we had to take turns with this.

But what impressed Mama most was that she had not brought me to church school play group for a few months and I had no chance to play with a shape sorter. Yet the moment I lay my hands on my own personal sorter, I immediately recalled putting this on my head. I do remember more things now! :)

Class again

Mama said I can't quite follow the class. I show her wrong in this video. I did stop using the shaker when teacher said stop.. ;)

First Class

Today, Mama brought me to a music and movement class at Kindermusik at Tanglin Mall. It is a trial class. Mama wanted to give me some new stimulation other than just watching Hi-5 at home and I am getting bored with the playground downstairs.

Maybe cos I slept pretty late last night, I was a little tired even before I reached Tanglin Mall but I was pretty cooperative. Mama tried to have fun with me in the class but I may be a bit too young. From the video clip above, I was seated when it was actually a walk-about song.

Still, I was able to follow through the class most of the time. For instance, I was able to get the bells from the basket. Just that I did not quite comprehend what it meant to "get 2 bells for yourself and 2 for your Mummy". ;p

I was also very cooperative when it came to returning the musical instruments. Afterall, one of my favorite activity at home is to keep my toys by throwing them back to my playpen.

Mama remembered I returned the egg-shaped shakers to the basket and then held the edge of the basket with the teacher.

Halfway through the class, I actually wanted to leave but Mama managed to keep me in.

What I did not know was that, if I had been more insistent and made more noise, throw a tanturm, Mama would have left the class and brought me home for my nap. But that is also what Mama loves about me, my good-natured behaviour.

There was also a story time where the teacher took out a book and we children sat on a mat. I wasn't particularly engaged but remained quiet enough. Maybe I was really tired and Mama allowed me to rest my body against hers and so that kept me nicely behaved.

By the end of the class, I was really tired out and lied on the ground, refusing to get up. But I didn't throw any tantrum like a tired child would do. Want to know what I did instead? Watch the video below...

Seeing that I could still hold out for a while after we left the centre, Mama brought me to Mac Donald's for lunch but I hardly ate much. At Mac Donalds' Mama realised she had left my shoes at the centre and we went back promptly to get them before going home in a taxi.

I was so tired that I fell asleep on my way home in the taxi and slept at least 3 hours. I was still sleeping when Mama wrote this blog.. now she is going to take a short nap too....

Going to the Zoo Again Episode #2

We arrived at around10.30 am in the morning. The weather was very good as it was kind of cloudy but it did not rain until some time around 6.30pm in the evening. It was already a little crowded then and Papa decided to wheel me around in the pram.

We came to this place which was like a miniature farm and Papa let me down for a walk.

There was also this enclosure where mandarin ducks and other small animals were allowed to roam freely. Mama was initially afraid to go in, being the citydweller she is but egged on by Papa, she decided to go in with us. There were no photos to show but I actually saw the mouse deer (what Mama thinks that is) and the mandarin ducks walk by me. What a close encounter.

Then, we came to the children's amusement park where animals like horses and goats are kept. There was a carousel and Papa decided to let me try riding on one. He went to buy the ticket while Mama kneeled down next to me and we watched the carousel go round and round. They then decided Papa will go on the carousel with me as Mama felt giddy just watching it go round and round. Well, you can probably tell from the pictures that I did not enjoy this very much. Maybe because Mama took our pictures when the machine has stopped and I would very much like to get down. ;p

Of course now that I am older, I can appreciate the animals better. We spend quite a bit of time at the enclosure where the goats are kept. I was interested in the goats but Papa and Mama were keeping a close watch that I do not touch their faces lest I get bitten by one.

Guess where I spent the most of my time?
Yup, the water playground! We spent an hour there. Now, it was Mama's turn to get wet with me. Initially, I was a little ginger about this, creating some ripples at the side of the pool with my hands. The water was cold but that did not stop me from having fun.

Egged on by Mama, we went closer to where the action was and we alternated between the middle of the pool where there were water slides and at the fringe areas where the "milder" sprays are.



Towards the end, I was brave enough to go a few steps up a slippery wet staircase and came down on a water slide all by myself while Mama watched me from the side of the slide, all ready to catch me in case I land myself in some trouble. But I only got to use the slide twice and we went to other water features. The next one was a fountain which was made by a circle of vents on the ground which sprayed water towards the centre of the circle. Initially, I only dared put my hand to intercept the water and then, I found out I can stop the water from leaving the vent by putting my foot on the vent. Mama was really heartened to see me gaining water confidence as I progressed from the side of the pool to the slide and from using my hand on the water from the vent to stepping on it. I really am growing! :)

After an hour or so, Mama decided it's kind of enough for me and she took me to Papa. They changed me and Papa made me a bottle of milk. I soon fell asleep after the bottle of milk. It's about 12.45pm, my nap time...zzz...zzz....