Papa's birthday

My Papa was borned on 1st October in the mid-1970s. So this post will be more about him than me.

I have a loving Papa. He always tries his best to take care of me even if he has difficulty. Mama still remembers how he actually asked the nurse in Gleneagles Hospital to teach him to carry me when I was a newborn. Papa usually does not ask strangers questions even if some help is needed with say, finding directions. So this incident left a very deep impression on Mama.

See, Papa caring for me very tenderly when I was still a newborn.

When I was slightly older, say, about 6 months old, Mama went out in some evenings to give tuition. Papa was the one who carried me in a baby carrier and mopped the floor at the same time. Whenever Mama mentions this feat to her friends to explain how Mama is bad at using the baby carrier, she never fails to impress her listeners with this feat of Papa. She, of course, is very proud of Papa too.

Papa is also a very creative person. This explains the kind of pranks he played on me.

Papa likes his house to be neat and tidy. Hence, he set up a play corner in the house for me. This is so that the mess I make can be contained to one area as much as possible.

Papa is also a peace-loving person. He was asked what he wanted for Fathers' Day this year and his reply was : Peace and Quiet. To help me adapt to the playpen more easily and not to always cry when I was placed inside, he actually accompanied me in there.

Because of this aspect of his personality, Mama seldom uses cold turkey treatment on me when Papa is at home.

Papa is also my hero. He is the one who has more compassion on me and will carry me in his arms when he comes home from work to find me fussing and ignored by Mama who is either cooking in the kitchen or upset with me for giving her a hard time. Sometimes, he will try to offload Mama a little by taking me with him when he goes for his evening jogs so that Mama can cook in peace. But this is becoming more tedious because I now weigh 10.6kg and it is really not the easiest thing to jog and push the pram with me in it at the same time.

He loves to show me new things and Mama thinks he is very knowledgeable to be able to explain many things to me.

Papa drives a little car and that explains why we can go places like Changi Airport Terminal 3 , Botanic Gardens, the zoo and the beach.

Papa is also my good teacher. Mama had tried to teach me many times that I need to sit down before I come down a slide but I had never quite learnt it. It only took about half an hour for Papa to be with me and taught me how I can sit down and push myself down the slide. Playing with slides had never been the same for me since that morning. :)

Papa is the main breadwinner at home. This allows Mama to be able to stay at home most of the time to take care of me. Papa tries his best to give me a good environment to grow up in.

So you see, I really have a great Papa who always tries his best to take good care of me in ways that he can. Thanks for everything you have done and for being there for me as I grow up, Papa. Blessed birthday to you, Papa and may this be a happy day for you! :)

An Unusual Photo

Here is an unusual photo of myself. Mama said it's a black and white picture that shows what the inside of my body is like and it was taken on Sunday morning when Papa and Mama brought me to KK Hospital as I had rashes all over my body after high fever at night and coughing very badly the day before.

Mama was concerned that I may be coughing as I choked on her porridge a few days before and so she informed the doctor of the choking. She thought maybe the porridge or the minced chicken might have been fine enough not to block my windpipe but might still be stuck in my lungs and I was trying to cough it out. The doctor probably ordered an X-ray for me just to make sure there is really nothing stuck in my lungs.

I was given some ventolin puffs again at the hospital. After examining the x-ray, another doctor informed Papa and Mama it's a viral infection that is causing all the fever, cough and rashes. Papa and Mama is thankful to God that I need not be warded in the hospital this time round but was sent home to rest.

Mama thought that since it is just a viral infection and nothing very life threatening, it was interesting to capture this x-ray on her camera but she dared not ask the doctor to let her go closer to take a clearer look and so all we have is just a small picture. But still, it's good enough to see my ribcage. Mama is quite surprised that she clicked on this picture in the blog, she can actually see the x-ray quite clearly. Anyone knows how to read this x ray? :)

Oh, by the way, please don't worry for me. I am well on the road to recovery. The rashes and high fever had gone away by Monday night and I am getting pretty active again. Thanks be to God who heals me. :)

What's Up and What's Left

Hi all, guess what's up for me last Friday?

A haircut! Mama wanted to let me grow my hair a little longer but the hair that is supposed to be just above my ears is already touching my ears. Mama thought she can solve this by cutting the hait just above my ears and she did but Papa thinks I should go for a proper haircut and so here we are, at the salon again.

Papa and Mama prepared me for the cut while the hairdresser went to look for a suitable blade for me. Mama told me that an aunty is going to use a machine to run through my hair and that is what a haircut is about. Papa decided that I should have a botak cut but he also informed the haridresser that I should have some hair remaining. Here is Papa preparing me for the cut.


I did not enjoy it initially. Just look at what the aunty is trying to do to me.


But I was soon soothed and I kept more quiet with a pacifier. :)

This is the end product and what is left of my hair. :)

Papa likes this cut very much though Mama took a little longer to get used to my new cut. :)

Drinking Juice

This is me, being asked by Mama to drink carrot juice. At the age of 18 months, I can already feed myself, just that I also make a mess when I try to do so.

I am also pretty keen to drink on my own too. But it could well be that my bib caught more water than I drank ;p

An Award-Deserving Performance

Dear all,
You are about to witness an award-deserving act.

Who will award such an act?

My beloved mother and/or father.

What kind of award does this deserve?

A smack from my irritated and sometimes, embarassed parent.

A New Bib!

Last evening, after dinner, Mama brought me to Kiddy Palace to buy a new bib for me. She has seen a picture of her friend's daughter wearing a bib that can hold food that drops out from her mouth during feeding and she finally decided to buy one for me. Mama used to think such bibs look pretty demeaning and one looks undignified wearing it but well, she changed her mind over time.

So on my 18th month old birthday, I got a new bib and here I am, wearing it. It's probably the biggest bib I ever wore and it really works very well to catch the morsels of food that fell during feeding. :)

Don't you think I look cute wearing it? ;)

Caught in the Rain

Hi all, today, Mama brought me to Yew Tee to buy some meat for making porridge. When we were leaving for home, Mama noticed that the sky was overcast and she prayed that God will somehow hold back the rain until we reach home. Yet, it was not to be.

Barely a few minutes after our journey, Mama started to feel a couple of raindrops and she tried to wheel me faster. Big drops of rain started to follow almost immediately and Mama decided to turn back to Yew Tee MRT station for shelter. She wheeled me across the road towards Yew Tee MRT station really fast as the rain was getting heavy and you can really say raindrops keep falling on my head.

Although I love to play with water, I probably don't like the panicky mood Mama was in as she wheeled me very quickly and I was getting wet. After we entered the shelter of Yew Tee MRT station, Mama decided to take some pictures of me. This is the first time I was really caught in the rain.

We stayed for a while at the station and continued with our journey home after the rain has stopped. Mama meant to bathe me immediately when we reach home but I fell asleep along the way. That said, Mama still bathed me when I woke up after she tried to let me continue my nap in the living room. :)

Just in case you are wondering what I was holding in my hands, that is Mama's breakfast. A plain waffle that can be bought in many confectionaries in S'pore. Since we were taking shelter, Mama decided to let me have some food. I did not really enjoy the waffle but the packaging was something I have never seen before. I never knew such plastic bags existed. :)

Feeding

We went to Sakae Sushi for dinner this evening and Mama showed this off to Papa. Yes! I know how to feed Mama already and I really enjoy doing it. It's like a fun game!

But the fun lasted only for a while. I was so restless at the restaurant that Papa did not enjoy himself at all during the dinner. ;p

West Coast Park Outing

Mama brought me to West Coast Park for a gathering with her ex-colleagues last Wednesday afternoon. We went there by taxi after my afternoon nap. It was an interesting experience as the playground was kind of built on sand and I rarely go to playground with sand. In fact, I like walking on the sand so much that I was impatient about taking a picture with Mama and her friends and so she left me to walk on my own as she took another picture with her colleagues. See the difference without me? :)



Aunty Kar Boon also took some pictures for me. You can see them below. You know, Aunty Kar Boon, Aunty Alice and Aunty Dancia commented that I am very cute and handsome leh... :)

Mama also took some pictures of me especially when I went after Uncle Wei Meng's daughter who took off with the ball I was playing but they were not saved properly and hence lost. What a waste. Mama thought it was very funny that I went after Uncle Wei Meng's daugher with my right hand raised as if I want to ask a question in the classroom. Ha!

We left at around 6pm and shared a taxi with Aunty Siau Yen and her 2 boys who stay at Bukit Panjang. The taxi driver took a wrong turn and we were stuck in a traffic jam. We only reached home at 7.30pm. Mama thought I will sleep early that evening but I did not. Maybe the ride home was too long and I was overstimulated. ;p

Still, Mama had a good time. Maybe we should go for playdates more often! :)

Fishball

I ate fishballs for the first time when Mama bought some fishball mee tai bak for our lunch on 9th Sept 09. Initially, Mama only gave me fishcake as I have eaten that before but later, she thought she will le me try biting into the fishball. What a try, man! I ended up eating about one and a half fishball.

I like to eat fishballs, just like Papa and Mama when they were young. Mama told me her 4th uncle used to finish the fishball noodles that her grandma bought for his breakfast and leave the fishballs behind for Mama and her younger sister. Also, when Mama's grandma made fishball soup for dinner in those days, Mama and 3rd Aunt were rationed 2 fishballs each and no more than that to ensure everyone in the extended family gets a share. Maybe Mama may do the same to me in the future. Guess what we had for lunch the next day? Fishball mee tai bak again! The only difference is that Mama bought mee tai bak soup for me instead this time round. Mama has decided, no more mee tai bak soup for me for the time being. She will try to make her own version of mee tai bak soup for me next week. Let's see how things go. :)

Playing the Piano

Papa can play the piano and so can I. The only difference is, Papa plays a good tune while I, urm, churn out noise. But don't you think I just look like a prodigy here? That's a really important beginning, isn't it? ;p

Papa's Hanky

My Papa is one of the few rare good men who carry a handkerchief around with him when he is out. Last week, Mama stood at the entrance of the kitchen and asked me to help her with the laundry by taking a piece of Papa's hanky and leave it on the sofa together with the rest of the clothing that had already been washed and dried. I was very pleased to help her but guess where did the hanky end up?



In the dustbin! To think I was so pleased that I did Mama a favour! ;p

This is the Way I Eat My Bread

Do you know what I do when Mama gives me a piece of bread with a slice of cheese sandwiched in between? I pick out the cheese and eat it. Smart leh? :D

Playground!

This morning, Mama brought me to the playground. It has been many days since she last let me play at the playground as I had been ill since late August. But now that I am well, it's time to hit the playground again! :)

Nowadays, there are many photos of my backmaybe because Mama is spending more time watching me from the back. I am running around on my own more often and so she has to follow behind me. haha..

Mama is also pleasantly surprised that I am able to come down from the steps of the playground on my own though she will still keep a vigilant watchout for me. Here's a short clip of me doing it.

You see, about a fortnight ago, I actually fell from the bottom of the slide as I tried to go up on my own and played hide and seek with Mama who was hiding behind one of the panels at the playground. Mama could not see me as she was hiding and by the time she saw me, I was already on my back! I didn't even cry as she quickly hurried over to pick me up. After a while, she was still worried and brought me to see a doctor who assured her I should be ok as it was not a great height that I fell from. Thanks be to God that I am now ok and Mama will be more vigilant to keep her eye on me when we are at the playground from now on.

The Month of August

Today is the first day of September. Let's see what I had been up to in the past month....

1) We celebrated Mama's 31st birthday! :)

2) We visited a fire station!

3) I got my first set of masak...

4) I played computer game for the first time!

5) I walked all the way from the bus-stop to my door step without Mama's carrying me on the last day of the month!

6) I enjoy slides more and I want to try climbing up the slides too. :)

In terms of food, nowadays, Mama has allowed me to eat most of the things except for seafood. My interested food nowadays take on a different expression. When I am interested to explore the food in my mouth, I will spit some of it onto my palm, examine it closely before putting it back in my mouth again. Mama think it's gross and just yesterday, when Mama said,"Grossy-gross!", I really laughed very hard. The sounds of these words must be funny to me, Mama thinks.

Also, I seem to have become more picky about what I eat. If I don't want the food I am eating or if I am full, I will stick out my tongue with the food on it. Whenever Mama will ask me if I still want to eat and I will shake my head. She will then take this as a No though sometimes, she tried to push things a little and would try to feed me again and I will just take a couple of mouthfuls more. Seems like the communication needs to be refined here.

Nowadays, my fine motor skills is much more developed. Just this morning, Mama gave me a slice of bread folded into half with a slice of cheese in it. She meant for me to learn to feed myself. Instead, I actually pinched the cheese and ate the pieces I pinched off. Mmm... yummy cheese. Mama thinks I am quite smart to know how to pick out the choice part of the food but she is not too stupid either as she then pinched off pieces of the bread and gave it to me too.

Also, I am more adept at picking up small objects like a small grain of rice that has fallen onto the ground and accidentally left there overnight. But I don't like this grain of rice that I picked up and would hand it to Mama. Mama is not sure if I am entering into the stage of pretend play as many a times, I would hold thumb and index finger as if I am holding a raisin and then give the "raisin" to Mama when in fact, there was really no raisin at all. At first, Mama did not know how to respond to the Emperor's raisin and she has no idea what I really meant. Now, she will play along with me.

I am also more appreciative of the VCD that Aunty Angela has lent to Mama. It is from the Baby Einstein's series and it features different parts of the body from head to toe. Initially, I did not bother with watching any disc from this series and after leaving the series alone for a while, Mama decided to let me try watching it again and she chose the disc titled From Head to Toe as it may interest me more. Yes, I do like to watch it and I can sit quietly to watch it for some time.

This month, I also learnt to turn on the power for the computer and tv console. Actually, my fingers are already strong enough to flick the switch some time ago but this month, I learnt that I can actually flick the switches found at the wall and then, the digital display at video player will light up! With this, I can press a button and the video cassette will be ejected from the video player. Likewise, I can also take the VCD out from the DVD player with the press of a button. What a discovery! Here is a video clip Mama took when I was busy with my new discovery.

The computer can be powered from the switch from the wall too! But last week, Mama taught me a very painful lesson about switching on the computer. Yes, it is a literally painful lesson. She smacked me with a long plastic ruler and told me in the midst of my crying that I am not allowed to turn on the power switch for the computer. This afternoon, she added "No Pushing of Coffee Table" to my Do-And-Get-Smacked list. Looks like the days ahead will be getting more regimented. Sigh. ;p