I can use a fork

Thaleia has made some good progress on her self-feeding. She's got the concept of "poking" the fork into her food before bringing it to her mouth.

Realised that Chwee Kueh is a very good "training material" for practising the use of the fork as it sticks. Well done, my little one! Mummy can sip her morning coffee and happily read her Straits Times while you enjoy your "chwee kueh kosong" at 8am on weekends.

My First Kite

Thaleia and I had the luxury of spending our Monday this week with two wonderful Jie Jies, flying kite at Marina Barrage. Have heard so much about the place and I realised why it's such a hit amongst teenagers, kids and parents alike. The view of the dam, casino, singapore flyer and the wind can make one forget about all the blues in the world and focus on the lovely blue sky God has created instead. We tried to fly the kite 3 times but the wind was not strong enough to keep the kite up. But still, it was good fun to frantically pull back the strings when the wind speed drops and then frantically release the string when the speed of the wind picked up again.

The REAL highlight of the trip for her was the water play area and the water fountains. She ran straight into the water, made herself totally comfortable by sitting down, shouting "bubbles! bubbles!"...Boy, did she have a splashing good time! Marina Barrage is so going to be one of our frequent hangouts. And this time, Mummy will bring the swim diapers.

Hopelessly In Love with Bears

Thaleia has developed a love and attachment for bears. It probably started with a first mini carebear from Aunty Dawn. Last Friday, we left her purple carebear at Aunty Anna's place over Christmas and had to buy a new one to tide over the days. Good thing she agreed to get a different color, a red one. And, we cannot leave the house without it so bears are regular passengers on her carseat.

Here's a video of Thaleia identifying and saying the names of some of the animals from one of her favourite books,,"Brown bear, Brown bear, what do you see?". Now the animal she says most clearly and with most enthusiam is the word BEAR..hear her say it at 1:44.

This is the most wonderful time of the year

Over this Christmas, we headed for a "staycation" in a hotel around Parkway Parade, which is near to the East Coast Parkway. On the 25th, it rained a good half of the day so all of us ended up just relaxing in the cosy indoors. Then on Boxing Day, the warm sun came up! At 9am, armed with 3 picnic mats, drinks from Ya Kun Kaya Toast, bee hoon, "char siew baos", we set up our breakfast table by the beach and really enjoyed the sound of the sea, the warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze. Thaleia was so engrossed with sand play, she ignored everything else around her for about 30minutes...

Playing with sand is SERIOUS fun!

Dig Dig Dig...

Time to wash my feet!

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." - Burton Hills. How very very true!

Out with Uncle Patrick

Self feeding

After a good one week away from home, Mum is back to serious business in training the little precious in self feeding. Bought a huge toddler bib to faciliate this. Thaleia was all smiles when she saw her bowl and spoon laid in front of her. She enjoyed herself thoroughly but we can't say the same for David who had to clean up the mess!

The art of using a spoon takes years to develop..it's a long way there. Next thing to do tomorrow to buy a better training spoon and a floor mat

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Feeding the Giant Tortise

Headed for the zoo with a single objective today: To feed the giant tortise! This giant tortise weighs 270kg and is 70 years old..so it should be going through mid life crisis now since these giant tortises have a life expectancy of 150 years! Was an enjoyable trip..walking amongst these special animals with such extraordinary longevity..and watch them munch on apples.

First few words

My little 1.5 year old's first few words are....

Mama..Daddy..Duck..Star..Yogurt (which she says as "gurt") and Bird!

Still, whenever we speak to her in chinese, she keeps thinking it's a joke! See her reaction when Daddy asks her Ping Guo Hao Chi Mah (is the apple delicious?)

Wake Up, Kitty!

There is this stray cat near our neighborhood which Thaleia enjoys "fellowshiping" with. This morning, as we were making our way to the PD for her regular vacinnations. She saw the cat again and tried to get the cat's attention but unfortunately was not successful as the Kitty was so deep in sleep!

My First Piece of Art

This week, we decided to practise art with crayons every morning. On Thursday, interestingly. I could see, from her scribblings, that she managed to draw a black circle (upper left hand corner of the drawing). Thaleia's just beginnning to get the idea of how to hold a crayon and make some purposeful markings on paper. Hope she inherited some artistic genes from David..cos Mummy's art skills is almost non-existent.

Sore Sore Eyes

After HFMD..the next contagious thing which hit Thaleia was sore eyes. We had to steel our hearts and apply these eyedrops despite her loud protest and cries. So she wore a really pitiful look to Bird's wedding....

But within 2 days..she was well...and Mummy was next to get the infection!

A little Poem for a Bride-To-Be

Hello Auntie Birdie....

You are so much fun to be around with. You always wear the most interesting necklaces and rings and my fingers simply can't stop playing with them!

I love being carried by you.

And I'm glad you've also found your everlasting arms of love.

Come 1st October 2010, we shall celebrate Children's Day together in such a special way. Hurray!

With Kisses,

Thaleia

Hand Foot & Mouth Disease

As we were ferrying Thaleia this morning to Anna's place, I noticed 3 little red blisters on Thaleia's lower lips. Anna brought her to the doctor and confirmed that she has contacted HFMD. This disease is really widespread here now..kids get it from anywhere and everywhere..Thaleia does not even go to school and she gets it! Took half day off to take care of her today. Now.she's sound asleep..Lord, please heal her. Amen.

Fun in the Pool

Sunday 29th August was David's birthday! Which happens to be just a day after David's mum's birthday. David and Thaleia had some good bonding time in the pool, together with Thaleia's cousins, Ezra and Charity. Thaleia did not show any signs of fear of water but she did look irritated when there was water splashing into her eyes. And I think she needs a new swimsuit, she's growing taller,bigger..so quickly!

Running the race

Run with endurance the race that God has set before you..Hebrews 12:1

Great Job, Well Done!

Little Miss Pouty

Somehow Thaleia pouts really often.


And this is her ultimate POUT!

Where is the School Bus?

We were playing with a puzzle at home before we left for a gathering at Jalan Tiga today. When we came back home, I realised one of the vehicles was missing from the puzzle. "Thaleia, where is the school bus?" To my surprise, she walked straight to her push walker and picked up a piece of chunky wood..the School Bus!! I was totally not expecting and answer to my question. She remembered where she placed the School Bus even after 6 hours. Gee..her memory has surpassed mine.

A Walk in the Park

Update: Thaleia's stool results were normal, so it was just a case of stomach infection. Nothing serious..the PD previously mentioned possibilty of Rotavirus and scared the hell out of me.
The anti-diahorrea medicine turned her loose stools into solid rocks..now her stools are as hard as marbles! Guess the effect of the medicine will fade away in time..I sure hope so!

One of the places we enjoy bringing Thaleia to in the evening is the SengKang Riverside Park. It's big, beautified by greenery, and have 2 ponds teeming with fishes and turtles. Kids were throwing pieces of bread to feed the fishes.

I caught a brave turtle who swam all the way from the centre of the pond to near the "shore", just to have a bite of bread.

Entertainment Tonight

Thaleia's stomach infection seemed to have cleared. At least she does not give out loose stools for seven times a day anymore. I'm still waiting for her stool test results. Hopefully it's nothing serious. Dr Ang was shocked at the frequency of her loose stools and ordered a test immediately yesterday when we went to her.

She's been a happy cheerful babe despite her upset stomach.
Caught this really cute dance on video tonight..it was pure entertainment for Granny, Aunties, Uncle, Mama and Papa..who were all just chilling out on the sofa after a long day. Cousin Elijah, Yolanda, Ezra and Charity are kids who are very spontaneous!

Music and Lyrics

Hurray!! Finally found a piano without batteries!

Remembered playing with one of these when I was small.

Met my usual lunch kaki Dawn for lunch today and collected this from the online seller. It looks like a repro of the old classic one but for me, it's good enough..Can't wait to return home and play songs with Thaleia tonight!

She has 2 favourites tunes now..the good old Incy Wincy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars.

First encounter with Diahorrea...

Yesterday, after service, Thaleia's stomach acted up again.She had loose stools for 4 times after that. Her bum turned as red as that of a baboon's (I'm not joking..it's the same type of RED). Cried at the top of her lungs, refused to be carried in an upright position again..David and I took turns to cradle her through the night. We still fed her usual formula milk which we realised, the next morning, that it was the wrong move.

Thaleia's PD (Paeditrician) said she has an infection in her stomach. Having formula milk with lactose would only aggravate the stomach which does not process the milk well when such infection is present. He also explained the redness....all I hear is no milk with lactose, no fruits, no vegetables, no fibre for Thaleia for the next one week. I spent the whole morning waiting for our turn to see the PD. Thank God for Anna who helped and came along.

When I went to NTUC to grab a bottle of soy-based formula milk powder, there was a card at the top of the milk tin which says something like, "It's 2am. Your baby is having diahorrea..what do you do?" I never knew we should keep a bottle of soy-based milk powder as emergency. Another lesson learnt for the day.

A nice rainy and cool Sunday

Happiness! Reunited with Thaleia and David on Friday after a work trip to Shanghai this week..only 4 days away and I felt she looked different already. Unfortunately over this weekend, Thaleia had some stomach problems. She poo-ed for 3 times yeserday, refused to be carried in an upright postion and needing me to cradle her at the time.

But because she looked better today or at least there were no signs of discomfort, we whizzed her off for the Sunday Service.

Normally she would be dancing around with the music amongst the kids but today she decided to be the silent observer standing by..





And then she became Thaleia The Explorer..

Just when the class was about to end, Thaleia poo-ed in her pants and we headed for home sweet home. Praying that the stomach problem will go away soon!

Uninterrupted Session of Silent Reading

"Dear Zoo" was a Christmas gift from a good friend of mine, who is a happy stay home mum to 2 really beautiful children. It was her first lift-the-flap book and definitely generated her interest in books. We read this to her since she was 7months old and now at 15mths, she enjoys "reading" it herself..

Check out Little Miss Pouty doing silent reading

All about Books – I Spy with Spot (a turn-the-wheel book)

Picked up this book at the Popular bookstore in City Square Mall. It was the adorable looking puppy that caught my eye. The book was sealed up in plastic so tightly that it was hard to get a view of the contents inside. I was pleasantly surprised by the interesting pictures and concepts within. It starts with Spot waking up in the morning and looking out of the window, having breakfast, going to school, painting a picture and finally playing with his friends.

This quickly became one of Thaleia’s after-shower books. Daddy turns the wheel in “excitement” while Mummy tries to dry her, pull a romper over her head, wear a diaper before the pages finish. The vivid colours, the pretty pictures and the wheel-turning effect definitely held her attention.

Page 1:
Spot wakes up and looks out of the window. What does he see?
Turning the wheel shows a bird, then a kite, then a sun and then falling leaves..

Page 2:
Spot is having breakfast with his dad. What will he have?
Turning the wheel shows a cup of orange juice, milk, hard boiled egg and so on..

I never knew dogs can drink orange juice. And, this is a lucky puppy, when he wakes up, he has the TIME to watch birds!!

Out of the High Chair

Last week, we bought 2 little chairs, 1 from Giant and another from Ikea.

The height of the chairs were just nice, her feet could touch the floor when she sits on them.

Teaching her the concept of sitting still during mealtimes...hopefully this is a little start to potty training.
We placed one of the chairs at Anna's place (where Thaleia goes during the day). Anna shared with me that Thaleia made a lot of noise when her cousin Charity sat on her chair. Perhaps Thaleia was trying to scold Charity for usurping her throne . I think I should pass Anna my digital camera so she can capture and I can see such dramas. Well, I guess that's the usual complain of a working mum. You miss little dramas like this.

讲华语运动

Recently, David made an observation. Thaleia would give us quite a blank look when we start to speak to her in Chinese. So the campaign is on. Mummy is in charge of speaking Mandarin and reading Mandarin storybooks while Daddy does the English.



How Day 1 of the 讲华语运动 ended:





If only there were more Mandarin stories available in boardbook versions. That would save us some scotch tape.

Top 3 Adorable Moments

Adorable moments frequently replayed in my mind:

Number three: When she sticks out her little tongue at the question, "where's your tongue, Darling?"

Number two: When she sways her upper body left and right continously upon hearing songs with a nice beat

Number ONE:

The look on her face when she is eating her biscuit and half-dozing off in her car seat..check it out.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQRrQN7p6n0

Mastering the Art of Walking

It looks like my little girl has mastered the art of walking. I passed her a biscuit and see if she can walk and eat with a biscuit in one hand at the same time. She managed okay!

As Baby T's weight had hit extremes (to the right of the weighing scales) when she was around 2months, we were concerned if her weight would affect her physical development and mobility in the first year. After reading up on Glenn Doman's articles and advise on creating a condusive environment to encourage physical movements for babies, we took some deliberated steps:

1) The prone position for sleeping since 2 months:

According to Glenn Doman, this is actually a more natural sleeping style for the tiny babies and they actually belly-crawl in their sleep. I did not go to the extend of building a crawling track around my bed but most of the time, my little sumo was sleeping on her belly. It suits her well too.

2) Spending as much time as possible on the floor

No playpens. Just a floor mat, mum, dad and the baby having fun.

3) Arranging bedroom furniture to facilitate her "cruising" once she could stand

We bought a small low height sofa and right placed it against the wall, next to the mattress where she sleeps. Most of the mornings, when she wakes up, she rolls near the sofa and pulls herself up to stand and cruise to reach for the toys placed at the end of the sofa seat.

4) Playing catching once she could crawl
This game really put her navigation skills to test as Mummy chases from the bedroom to the kitchen with a "scary" voice, "I'm gonna catch you, Thaleia!"

Milestones: Flipped at 5.5mths. Commando crawled at 7mth. Crawling well at 8mths Cruising at 9mths Walking all right at 14mths. It is pure joy seeing her grow.

The Start of Home Lessons

Started a home lesson programme for Baby T since 7 June. Each night her little school bag is filled with her home school materials for the next day. Thanks to Aunty Anna for executing the lesson plans!

A typically day consists of:

• A theme
• A story of the day
• Hands-on fun
• A basket of things associated with the theme or story of the day
• A hand-sign of the day

Example:

• Theme: Colours
• Story of the day : Brown bear Brown bear, what do you see by Bill Martin
• Hands-on: Coloring with crayons designed for baby's tiny fingers (found this in Japan)
• A basket of balls in red, blue, yellow and green color
• Signing: Me (hand on chest, tapping once)

I must say, this masterpiece by Bill Martin is a godsend. This book is always there when we needed to have Thaleia's cooperation during the sometimes challenging routines like diaper change, clothing her after a bath etc. She enjoys the rhythm of the story, and the brightly coloured animals introduced to her through the pages. Hubby and I must have chanted this story at least 50 times. She does not get tired of it, it seems..

"Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a red bird looking at me. Red bird red bird, what do you see, I see a blue horse, looking at me..Blue horse blue horse what do you see, I see a ..." See! I can even memorise the story now..

Outdoors at Loewen Gardens

It is always such a joy to spend time with her outdoors. Seeing her basking in the sun, jumping deliriously on the trampoline, so carefree and vibrant, makes my day. Thanks Aunty Chiewy and Uncle Phil, for constantly engaging Baby T in play. Really enjoyed our brunch at The Pantry on a Saturday morning. It is a cafe designed for group outings, located at Loewen Gardens, complete with a playground, swings and Bobby cars! Her smile says it all.

Just yesterday, I chanced upon a website of a non-profit organisation in American called KaBOOM!..A "interesting" name indeed. Addressing the decline of play in the lives of American children, they have been involved in creating over 1750 playgrounds to date. After spending the day at The Pantry, I wish there are more places like it, for little people in our little island. Don't let play decline!