My Old Man and My Not So Old Carrier

Recently, Mama took out the baby carrier she bought at the beginning of the year and she was surprised that I was willing to be carried around in it and so she used it to bring me around more often compare to a couple of months ago.

Then Papa caught on to this as well and now, he uses it more often too and even carried me around in a shopping mall. Papa said it makes him feel he has regained some freedom now that I am strapped to him and not running around.

The only thing is that I am already 11 kg and the weight limit of this carrier is 14kg. I will soon outgrow in a few months if I continue to put on weight at the current rate. Even if I don't, it's still straining to carry me around in this manner.

Papa and the Straw

Remember it was blogged that my Papa is a clever man? Look what he came up with when we were eating at a Japanese Ramen stall... it sure occupied me for a while....

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

After we went to Toys' R Us, we had ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. To be exact, Papa and Mama had ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. I only got to drink plain water. Ok, to be fair, Papa and Mama did let me lick off a little ice cream from the ice cream sticks that carried samples of the ice-cream they wanted to try. But that was all. ;p

I Saw a Monster!

Last Sunday, Papa and Mama brought me to Toys' R Us at United Square and I saw this monster coming towards me. I was a little afraid and tried to push him away but he still came after me.



Do you know who the monster is?

Vivo City

During the Hari Raya weekend in September, Papa brought me and Mama to Vivo City. This picture was taken at the pool outside Food Republic Food Court. I love to walk in this shallow, ankle-deep pool of water. Mama wouldn't mind doing it with me had it not been for the lots of little pebbles in the water that made her feet uncomfortable when she stepped on them.

On our way to the car park, Papa went to the washroom and so we waited for him at a cinema lobby. I enjoyed myself playing with the stands that were supposed to mark out the area for queueing and Mama had to pull me away quite a few times to prevent me from pulling on the belts. :P

More West Coast Outing Pictures

When Mama brought me to West Coast Park last month, Aunty Dancia took some pictures of me. She has kindly allowed Mama to share the pictures she took on this blog and so here they are. :) For your viewing pleasure and thanks again, Aunty Dancia! God bless you! :)

New Toys

For the week that just passed, Mama had been amassing toys for me. Must have something to do with her increased salary as she did a little more tuition. You can see that I now have a shape-sorter toy. Mama remembers from her childhood that her baby cousin had one and she herself kind of enjoyed playing with it and she read that it's good for me in that it can help me in my development of the idea of shapes.

But I tell you, this toy makes no sense to me. I think it's easier to just turn over the bowl-shaped container and put all the toy blocks in. It's so much faster and an efficient way of keeping the blocks rather than look for the appropriate holes that fit the shapes of the blocks. What a hassle that is.

Still, Mama was pretty surprised that one of the first things I did when I set my eyes on the bowl-shaped container is to invert it and attempt to wear it on my head like a crown. I actually remember this is what the other children in church school and I did with the shape-sorter toys though I had not been to church school for the past few months. Yes, I already remember a lot of things! :)

Another new toy I have is this toy xylophone that Mama bought at a provision store opposite our place. I really like this toy and I spend a lot of time banging on it, hitting both the metallic strips and the plastic frame holding the strips together. You can imagine I make a lot of noise with this one but Mama thinks it's fine as this also allows me to expend my energy. :)

I also like to put the stick in my mouth and when Mama catches me doing it, she will try to stop me. Maybe it's because I am teething again.

Another set of toys that is not photographed is Rubber Ducky and his 5 friends. Mama kind of feels that she has deprived me as I do not really have any bath toys from birth except for 3 plastic hippos that she had been lazy to let me use which I do not really appreciate anyway. So when she had the opportunity, she bought for me a set of rubber toys that can squirt water so that I can have more fun at bath.

Also, 2 Sundays ago, Uncle Bernard gave me a little brown bear that Mama calls Mr Brown. Mama had wanted me to have a toy of attachment and wanted to buy me a sofy toy but she had not yet got me one. God really knows what Mama wants and so He provided for me through Uncle Bernard who was given a little brown bear when he was on a SIA flight. I enjoyed it for a while and it's now lying in my toy box again. Somehow, it seems that other than my Tutu and my Mama and Papa, I don't seem to form any attachment to anyone or anything. It could well be an independent nature that I have. :)

3 Lanterns and A Diaper

Last Saturday was mid-autumn festival, also known as Lantern Festival. This is not the first Lantern Festival since I was born but I was too young last year and Mama was not too interested to do anything with me. But this year, things are different.

A couple of days before the festival, Mama bought 2 small paper lanterns and that added to the one Da Yi Po gave to me some time ago. The paper lanterns need to be lighted up by placing a small candle in each of them.

After dinner on last Saturday, Mama took out the lanterns and had the lights in the living room switched off. She placed a candle in one of the paper lanterns but before she could pull up the lantern completely, I had already reached for the flame with my pincer grip using my thumb and my index finger. This coupled with the fact that the paper lantern was being pulled up extinguished the flame. I was of course, in pain and Mama found a little bit of wax hardened on my thumb moments later. But I soon thought nothing of this little burn and was back to my happy self again.

Papa then joined us in having fun and lighted the second paper lantern. We walked around in our house for a short while with the paper lanterns as the weather outside was not exactly suitable for us to be out of the house.

Around the same time, Mama noted that my diaper had kind of loosened but she thought that need not be changed as she is going to bathe me later. Well, I actually urinated and wet the floor! In the end, the whole lantern fun has to be cut short as Papa took me to the bathroom for a shower while Mama mopped the floor. What a way to spend lantern festival! :p

This is the Way I Eat an Apple

One morning, Mama decided to let me try eating an apple on my own as I seemed interested in it when she was preparing to grind it for me. She was pleasantly surprised that I can munch on it on my own! :)

Get into the Brick Truck!

This is what is meant about being able to get into the brick truck on my own. But Mama is going to keep the truck in the storeroom soon as the next thing I would do is to ask Mama or Papa to drag the brick trick around with me in it. It thrills me to be able to move at great speed in this truck but Mama is not too thrilled to pull me around as she has to bend herself slightly to do it and her back will ache. ;p

:)

18 months old

Dear all,

I am one and a half years old already! Time really flies! :)

About 10 days ago, Mama brought me to the polyclinic to have my booster immunisation jab. With this jab, I would have completed most of my immunisation as an infant. The nurse at the polyclinic gave Mama a bottle of paracetamol in case I become feverish after the jab and I did run a slight fever after that.

Mama chose to let me have this booster at the polyclinic as she was eyeing the free well-baby checkup that comes with the jab. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong time for me to have the jab at 12noon. When I was done with the jab, I was really tired and cranky and by the time I was brought into the doctor's room, I was already asleep and the doctor could not give me a proper check.

So based on Mama's answer to the questions found in the health booklet, the doctor commented that I was slow in speech because I could not say Papa and Mama specifically. According to the health booklet, about 90% of the children in Singapore can say Papa and Mama specifically by about 15 months old.

Sure enough, I had said these 2 words but I say Papa too frequently as the main sound I utter regardless whether Papa is around or not and I only say Mama when I am in severe distress. The doctor asked Mama to bring me back to the polyclinic in 2 months' time for a review after advising Mama to stimulate me more by reading to me.

Mama was somewhat worried but after reading God's word, she felt more assured. Papa also checked with his classmates doing early childhood studies that this is quite normal especially for boys.

Nevertheless, Papa has decided to let me start some playgroup classes next year to help me with my social development. They are now doing research of where to send me for playgroup classes.

Interestingly, after the visit to the doctor, I seem to be saying many more words and uttering more syllabus. In fact, just the other day, Mama let me watch a DVD and when a cat puppet showed up, I said "cat" and moments later, I said "bird" when a bird puppet appeared. Mama was very elated to hear me say these words but it was not producible. When she showed the same DVD to me in the same evening in Papa's presence, I only said "cat" and that is also not reproducible the next day.

In addition, I also seemed to be more clingy to Mama for the past 2 weeks. I would hold her hand and bring her to the window and reach upwards towards Mama's waist to indicate I want to be carried. So Mama has been carrying me more often nowadays. This picture was taken when she was carrying me on one of the afternoons.

On the other hand, I am pretty advanced in my kinasthetic skills. I can already climb some steps without much help from anyone by holding onto railings. Of course, when more superior support like my Mama's hand is available, it will be foolish not to use them, don't you think so? ;p

In addition, I also like to climb onto Papa and Mama's bed. This is perhaps one of my more prominent accomplishment this month.

Unfortunately, my abilities also mean I fall more often. In the past month, I have fallen many times. On separate occasions, I had fallen from the top of the slide, from the bottom of the slide, from Mama's bed and even from the armchair. Mama thinks the fact that I am still alive and well really testifies to God' s protection, mercy on me and grace for my Mama.

Another interesting thing that Papa and Mama observed about me is, I am beginning to take an interest in kiddy rides. In the past, Mama put me in these machines for her own pleasure to observe me in a different setting. Nowadays, I want to go on one myself. :)

The idea is, don't bother inserting any coins to activate the machines. I am quite uncertain about how to handle moving kiddy machines. Better to get off them. So I ride these machines as they are and my folks are fine with this since it can allow them to pass time with me without spending more money. haha. ;p

I can also hold a pen and scribble. Just look at what I did to my Papa's dictionary. :p

This month, I am also starting to show my preference for certain food or at least, my "food mood". I seem to have grown a filter in my mouth which can cleverly filter out those food that I do not want nor feel like eating. For instance, if I don't feel like eating sliced chicken and Mama hides some of it in my porridge and give it to me, I can cleverly swallow the porridge and spit out the chicken. On other occasions, I seem fine with eating sliced chicken. Perhaps the shreds of chicken were too big a piece for me to handle when I spat it out.

Also, with exposure to food with stronger tastes, I seem to be more uninterested in the relatively tasteless food that Mama served me in the past. The solution to this : pork floss. Mama has bougth a small bottle of pork floss for me to make my porridge more tasty and I sure like my porridge better.

I am also learning to drink. I exhibit keen-ness to try drinking from Mama's glass even if it is heavier than the normal plastic cups for children. It's perhaps time for Mama to let me use a plastic cup for children. :)

I am also a very good helper in the household area. I can throw away my own used diapers and I like to throw things into the dustbin, even the tissue paper that Mama has used for blowing her nose. Of course, Mama has kindly declined my offer to help with the tissue paper.

I also help Papa and Mama with vacumming the floor and not to mention, putting my toys away. The latter is at times, done without anyone prompting me. Papa and Mama is so proud of me in this area.

Ok, that's about all for the moment. Thanks for reading this far. Have a good weekend! God bless you! :)

A New Way with the Brick Truck

Hi all, I have been able to climb into the brick truck Aunty Cheyanne gave me for my birthday present. I even tried to swing my body a little to get it to move. :)

This is the Way I Pump Myself

Eversince I was warded in KK Hospital for wheezing in early April this year, I had been using a plastic column that allows me to inhale my medicine in vapour form. This helps me cope with my wheezing. Initially, I really dislike using it but now, I can carry out the steps Papa and Mama take to pump my medicine. Let me show you! :)

First, shake the bottle of medicine to ensure thorough mixing of the medicine. Next, insert the bottle of medicine into the pump. ( i am too young to figure out which end of the column to insert the medicine)

Then, squeeze the medicine to release a medicinal vapour into the glass column and place the pump at my mouth.

See the video below for a clearer demonstration. :)