Gabe TTG

Gabe Migrates

2010-09-20T16:51:00.001+08:00

Come visit us at psalmhundred.net/blog

Reservoir Outing

2009-12-29T16:04:00.021+08:00

It was too beautiful a day to waste so we took the kids out to Lower Pierce Reservoir.

Found a site to camp ourselves, and Rou is happily gnawing on her pram's strap.

Tranquility.

Strolling along and enjoying the scene, and kept requesting to go fishing, until...

The mother decided that fishing indeed we will go. Then he panicked, for the idea of getting into the water was too much to bear.

Papa with Mei in the pavilion while Mummy and Gabe at the water's edge.

Sat like a king on his throne and watching, and nagging about fishing, as he watched a small company going about catching little fishes and snails.

What's so interesting about this picture? Gabe 大杀风景, adding nutrients to the environment.

Drag his feet into the shallow end, and we have a traumatized boy.

Pondering the simplicities and complexities of nature.

"Oh gorgor, you are back!"

We met Beng Gong for lunch, and he suggested taking us to Upper Pierce. So we made two new ventures today.

Rou, not walking yet, plonked on a stone table so we our tired arms can take a break.

A nice smile please?

And Gabe did it again. Image altered to protect the privacy of the said individual.

And another attempt at a family picture :)

Christmas at Cell

2009-12-15T16:35:00.008+08:00

Our cell group consists of four families -- one matured couple and their two children, and three young (both parents *wink* and kiddos) families. Here, the kids outnumber the adults, thanks to the addition of two lovely little ones this year. All 19 of us gather at firstjohn's every Friday and we feed the entire brood, sing, share and learn. This Christmas, after the usual dinner, we whipped out the camera and saved a few memories for years to come.

Emma and Zheng, the two youngest members, were born just days apart. These two heavy-weights (one by sheer breastmilk-power and the other good genes *ha!-I'm-so-getting-killed*) quietly rest side by side in their seats, amid all the chaos of running children and noisy adults.

The older girls are really our supernannies!

The four older, younger kids... if you know what I mean.

Firstjohn's big brood -- we're all really the result of her patience and mothering.

All the kids (minus Zheng who went off to zzz). We took quite a few shots but there was not one single picture without a blooper. Isn't it fun?!

Gastronomical Accidents

2009-12-08T16:52:00.013+08:00

Halfway through the movie Julie and Julia, I was drooling away at the Boeuf Bourguignon Amy Adams was preparing.. I could almost smell the aroma coming out of her oven and honestly, I was dying to taste it there and then. So as derod and I stepped out of the movie theater, I told him I wanted to try out that recipe. Derod volunteered to get Julia Child's recipe book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for me as a present. But I held him off, saying that we'll see if her claims -- recipes for servantless housewives -- are true before investing in it.

I downloaded the recipe, roped in livingjoyfully for the big project and made plans for the day. We dropped the kids off at my parents', shopped for ingredients at a supermarket and a butcher and busied ourselves in my kitchen for a good FOUR hours of preparation and cooking.

And so we began...

...by showing off the most expensive ingredients from the butcher.

We worked hard, at trying to ensure we were following the instructions correctly.

The sauteed bacon and beef chunks.

We were doing pretty well until we realised that the proportion of red wine and the beef stock didn't seem to look very right. Anyhow, we improvised (?!) and chucked the casserole into my oven. At this point, I have to say that my confidence in my oven has been seriously shaken. The last few trays I popped in there turned out pretty queer, and it was with fingers (and toes) crossed that we popped this casserole in there. As expected, it turned out a bit burnt, and not exactly as described in the recipe. Well...

We served it, along with plain boiled potatoes, and seated our husbands at the table. My personal verdict (and I believe I speak for livingjoyfully too): it was... alright... not fantastic at all, and I'll never attempt it again. The amount of time we spent at it, added to the cost of the ingredients and my casserole cover which I had to replace after its stint in the oven, and most importantly, how the dish turned out, it was not worth going at it again. Derod thought the more he ate, the better it tasted. But the verdict of the night came from KK, who concluded that the best part of the meal was ... *drum roll*... the plain boiled potatoes.

Well needless to say, I won't be investing in the recipe book.

Now to redeem my reputation, if there is any at all, is this accidental (now on the positive side) dish I threw together one day. In my household, everyone has to contend themselves with one-dished meals for lunch and most dinners. The only condition to these is that they have to contain carbohydrates, protein, fibre and if possible, additional ingredients.

I was at a loss of what to cook the other day, and decided to put together whatever was left in the fridge. I'd say it turned out looking rather pretty, and tasted quite good too. Gabe enjoyed the meal; polished up his bowl at great speed.

Stirfry garlic, carrots, asparagus, minced pork (I added fishballs on subsequent attempts). Toss in the ready pasta shells and omelette , season with salt, pepper and some herbs. Serve with grated parmesan and for the adults, some tabasco sauce. Throw in some real bacon bits if you have them available. Yums!

Gabe: Two Half to Three

2009-12-06T18:11:00.022+08:00

Gabe is now two half and about to turn three in a couple of months. Staying home with him, there are so many moments that are sometimes precious, but most times routine. Yet it is the routine, mundane and often carried out in drudgery, that I miss most when I look back in review of the journey.

Gabe was a great baby to take care of, and from a very young age, was able to respond to and obey instructions. He was compliant, obedient, able to sit in the pram for extended periods, not fussy, ate almost anything, active enough for a boy yet quiet enough in comparison to his hyperactive male counterparts. Gabe at two half to three is no longer that baby Gabe. He challenges all boundaries, pushing the parents to the limits of their patience and tempers, not to mention their capabilities on the decibel scale. (But I have to admit, in the same breath, he makes me laugh out loud with the things he says, all in the innocence of a little boy exploring the world.)

But humans are queer creatures. When I browsed through the photos taken in the last six months, the mother in me just feels that my little boy is all grown up and I actually miss that getting-harder-to-manage Gabe. And it just reminds me that staying home with him, watching him grow and just being able to spend that quantity time with him is a tough but satisfying decision.

Here are some snippets of what Gabe was up to in the last six months.

"Cooked" a meal for his furry buds. All dining and furry arrangements done by Gabe.

Fooling around with Mummy.

The indispensable barrier.

The usual night-walks. Gabe goes the distance with us on foot, while Rou gets a ride on her Combi. When Gabe reaches breaking point, he'll take a break on the pram and Rou will transfer into Papa's arms. When he was a little younger and tired easily, we would give him landmarks to work towards e.g. the bus stop ahead, or the traffic light, before he gets to go into the pram.

Stacking his cup and plate after his meal.

Enjoying Dutch Vla, courtesy of yee yee and the Smits.

BFF

Arranging the books after "reading" them. He gets horrifically upset when the sister comes and disrupts his arrangements.

Greatly tickled by Golden in his underwear.

Enjoying a drink with his furry friends.

He's been weaned off his finger sucking, but when he realises I'm not around, will still sneak them into his mouth. These are "fresh" out of the mouth after he drifted into deep sleep.

Not content to use only his hands, the boy has added the "kick drum" into the fanatic routine. Every night, he'll kick to the beat of the bedtime songs we sing.

We used to let Gabe take his last milk drink on our day bed but he spilled so many times (and I have to wash the milk stained covers and agonize over the stained cushion underneath), that I decided to let him drink it in the kitchen. Discovered a seat he could use, and he's been doing this ever since.

Loving durian.

Run out of slippers? Just slip into mummy's brand new ballet flats!

Driver's Mumbo Jumbo

2009-11-30T20:14:00.005+08:00

Gabe sat on his Ferrarri toy car, and mumbled something about forgetting the cashcard, pretended to take out a wallet, and said "Ok, I can go past now."

Lizard Scare

2009-11-30T20:14:00.003+08:00

It was a quiet evening. Dinner was ready and derod was on his way home. The kids were entertaining themselves in the living room. The washing machine chimed; the children's clothes are done. I transferred them into a pail, ready to hang them on the rack outside. I thought I saw something slim and long lying at the bottom on the machine's drum, decided it couldn't be what I thought it was, and continued getting all the clothes out, including the unidentified object.

I wrapped my fingers around it and all at once, these thoughts shot through me: realization of what it was, confirming my initial suspicions; disgust (accompanied by goosebumps on my neck), that I actually laid my hands on its raw texture; horror and disbelief, that I'm actually holding it with my bare hands; fear, I can't explain this, but just fear.

I gave a scream worthy of a ride down Universal Studio Singapore's Battlestar Galactica (Cylon side), flung the object back into the machine and made a dash for the kitchen door. The drama came to an abrupt end when I saw my two children looking up at me in quiet composure. For a split second, I was both embarrassed and at a loss for words in explanation. It was the ultimate anti-climax. Then Gabe began his series of questions. What happened? Why did you scream? What's in the kitchen?

I was ambushed (for the umpteenth time, though the encounters differ) by our domestic reptilian co-habitant. What on earth was a lizard doing in my washing machine, and among my children's laundry?!

When derod got home, I told him this was one of those jobs around the house that men are responsible for, and waited for him in the living room. He wrapped his hand in a plastic bag and proceeded to get rid of the already-drowned lizard. Then he swaggered into the living room and began jeering at me. It was a fake; a rubber replica of my household nemesis! I could have died!

Then I recalled Gabe's grandaunt playing with him just a few days ago at his great-grandfather's place and told him to take the rubber thing home to play. She must have stuffed it into his pocket without any of us knowing and that was how it got into the laundry. Urgh!! I shook with disbelief and the realization of the truth. To think I almost went into cardiac arrest for the sake of a piece of rubber! The rest of the family shook for a different reason - holding their sides and stifling their laughter.

Page boy

2009-11-22T00:07:00.017+08:00

About a year ago, I managed to get sunshineinmysoul to blurt out in confession that her boyfriend has popped the question. Aside from some queries on how to go about getting some procedures done, she asked if Gabe would walk down the aisle ahead of her as a page boy! Although I have to admit that I kind of saw that coming, I was still very much surprised that she would take the risk with a boy who was only going to be two plus years old. The chances of a successful and uneventful march-in were going to be really really slim.

Well, it was going to be about a year later, so I thought I'd just worry about it when the time comes. But when the time drew near, reality struck. How was I going to ensure that the boy complements the whole ceremony, instead of being the cause of any situation requiring resolution. Ok, that was a nice way of saying how I can, as a mother, prevent a situation of having the hundreds of guests witness or hear the deafening wails my son is capable of while the melody of the march-in song tinkles in the background. Nevertheless, I got on with preparations for sunshineinmysoul's big day.

1. Ethan (Gabe's second cousin) lent us the suit he donned for Uncle En and Auntie Kin's wedding. We did a trial fitting for him one night. It was a little baggy but it hung relatively nicely on Gabe's frame. Gabe's waipo got the boy a pair of black shoes to go with the suit and the assembly of the outfit was complete.

2. We took him out for an atas haircut.

3. MOST importantly, I've been drilling him on the descriptives of his role for months. When the date drew nearer, I upped my game by offering him a bribe: for every single successful trip down the aisle, he'll be rewarded with a chocolate biscuit. One hello panda biscuit with chocolate filling. I can't help but feel I'm a zoo keeper rewarding the little animal once he gets an act right. Gabe got so familiar with the instructions he was almost ready to do his part, mostly because of the salivating thought of the chocolate oozing out of the biscuit in his mouth.

The date of the rehearsal arrived. We left Rou with my parents and spent an evening at the traditionally-furbished church. We made friends with the two other children who were going to accompany Gabe down the aisle. The little girl was the best companion/ mother ever. Typical of an eldest girl in the family, she was caring yet bossy all at once. In my opinion, she sealed the deal of making this an easy and pleasant experience for Gabe.

Everyone did a couple of trial runs down the aisle, where the kids were accompanied by their mothers, and the bridesmaid by her bread-dinner in a plastic bag in place of the bouquet of flowers. They learnt to watch out for their cues, which centred around the musicians who were playing the violin and the piano. (Gabe spent a bit of time observing the musicians up close.) They took a break for the couple to rehearse their parts and went for a final round where no assistance was offered to the children. He did great, except that he needed to improve on his pace.

Every time Gabe finished his walk and handed the ring pillow to the pastor, he'll come running to me for his treat.

The runway.

Crowded runway.

Just the kids.

On the actual day, I was in a flurry, preparing everyone (derod and I were part of a song item dedicated to the couple) for the occasion. Honestly, I think I was the most excited and flustered one of the lot, that added to the suspense and uncertainty of how the situation would pan out...

...while Gabe was busy impressing the flower girl.

Anyway, it was time. Everyone took their positions, the music began and the introductory video began playing. The flower girl, first one of the procession, stepped up and got ready to go. Gabe was number two and then it hit him: this was it! He hesitated, didn't want to let go of my hand and requested for me to walk with him. My heart raced as I took him forwards for two steps, let go of him, reminded him to "go to papa", who was at the fourth row beckoning him and disappeared from his sight to wait for him in front. Well, you can see how he fared from this video: walking like he's in a world of his own, avoiding the petals on the floor, glancing around. But he did get the job done, and passed on the ring pillow to the pastor at the end. (Care has been taken to protect the identities of the bridesmaid and bride in the video.)

The sole motivation of his accommodating performance? "Mummy can I have my chocolate biscuits now?" Immediately after he stepped off the aisle.

After the ceremony, we hung around for refreshments and derod took out the camera.

Here's Gabe channeling Shahrukh Khan.

Effects of endorphins from the chocolate biscuits.

Mei made friends! Seen here with Trudy and RP.

I think sunshineinmysoul was also very glad her favourite boy (assuming he's still her favourite boy) managed to make her wedding an uneventful one :)

Pals for twelve years! I'm so happy for you, my dear. Have a great time as J's missus.

Hit Me Baby One More Time!

2009-11-21T00:07:00.005+08:00

Gabe's interest in and proficiency at the drums has increased by leaps and bounds. While I have to creatively divert his attention from going at it all day, he on the other hand finds creative outlets to release that passion and energy.

Dai seefu (big teacher) has a drum set and it's parked at but a stone's throw from our place. An invitation came to Gabe one day, for him to have some fun there.

Seen here, the little drummer boy and his rendition of Desert Song. Video courtesy of the dai seefu and his brother B. Gabe was 2.75 years old. You can see him receiving cues from his seefu; how anal he is when he has to stop and adjust things out of position; intensifying his "crashing" as the music crescendos. Oh, he left the place with a blister on each index finger, the result of the hour-long bashing on the drums. Looks like our friend has experienced what it means to be a committed musician!

UNglam

2009-11-16T16:28:00.004+08:00

Gabe was scheduled to spend the day at his grandma's and I was rushing to get him out of the house in the morning. I figured that since he'll be getting into the car from our car park, and going straight up to the other house, I can save the effort of changing him out of his training pants and into something nicer. No doubt the training pants do look very much like underwear. Ok, they are very much equivalent to underwear. But he'll be changed into similar comfortable wear when he gets to his grandma's anyway. So I made up my mind and got him to put on his sandals.

He was about to get out of the house when he stopped at the threshold and asked, "Mummy, can I go out like that?"

Taken aback, the mother stuttered and stammered and finally gave him the verdict, "Of course!"

Oh... what lesson on modesty am I giving my son?

New Excuse in the House

2009-11-11T16:47:00.003+08:00

Gabe's been throwing some tantrums at nap and sleep times. I figured it must be one of those effects of coping with a baby sister in need of greater attention.

One afternoon, Gabe cried at naptime, screaming to be carried. I thought something may be amiss like fears arising out of bad dreams. So here goes an edited version of the conversation that followed.

Cheoklet: Are you afraid of something?
Gabe: I'm afraid of sleeping. *WAIL*
Cheoklet: *threw forth various failed threats in attempt to stop the wails* Did you see anything?
Gabe: Yes!!! *WAIL* Mummy, I'm afraid of sleeping. I see something.
Cheoklet: What do you see?
Gabe: *in between sobs* I see lizard crawling on the wall!

Urgh. Try harder next time, son.

Day Out with Gabe Boy

2009-11-07T17:23:00.013+08:00

I don't know what went through my mind when I agreed to let Gabe take up the role of Page Boy at sunshineinmysoul's wedding. He was going to be only two plus years old. The date was drawing near and the boy needed a haircut in preparation for the big day. As you all know, I've been the person behind his haircuts and of late, I seem to be doing more damage than creative cuts. Check out this last monstrosity.

So we decided to make a good looking chap out of him and while we're at it, might as well try out those with televisions screening his favourite shows and see how effective they really are. Derod and I decided to make it a day out with Gabe and left Rou with my mother, a first since Rou's arrival. We went to one of the branches of Junior League, sat him down in front of the one-eyed monster and witnessed the wonders of this concept. Whoever thought it out has to be a genius, though I do question the long term ramifications of the relationship between television and today's young.

The long and short of it is, nothing happened. Gabe sat there, flinching occasionally, but was quiet. It didn't matter whether it was the scissors or a shaver being waved at him. There was no crying, no protesting, no bargaining, nothing. The only thing that came out of his mouth was a request to watch Barney instead of Thomas, halfway through the cut. The hairdressers were real professionals! They look a little "auntie" but their skills were impressive; they were fast, accurate and were experts at flicking hair away from the kids' faces. Derod and I were so caught up in wonder that we basically looked like two idiotic parents snapping pictures and taking videos. We walked away with a boy with a spunky do, complete with stand-up hair held together by gel.

"There she goes..."

"There she goes again..."

"Racing through my brain..."

"And I just can't contain this feeling that remains..."

Thereafter, we had lunch at a Japanese restaurant and then derod had to go back to work, on a Saturday. So Gabe and I made our way back to my parents' to pick Rou up. We walked down Orchard Road, all the way from Isetan Scotts to Somerset MRT, took the train to Dhoby Ghaut, crossed to the connecting line and to our stop, and walked back to my parents' home. Here are our adventures en route:

We walked all the way and Gabe was very well behaved. He walked throughout with me. When we reached the traffic light at Takashimaya, he started to shiver and tugged at my hand, refusing to go on. He was crouching awkwardly, grunting weirdly, refused to move a step. I was quite taken aback and a pang of guilt shot through me as I wondered if I had made him walk too far in the sun. Then the realization of what really happened hit me.

The boy was pooping right in the middle of Orchard Road!

He's been toilet trained right, which means his poop was now sitting nicely in his underwear. I was astounded. I grabbed him off the streets and headed towards Taka, all the while hoping his poop won't drop out of his pants. That will really test my reaction to the max. Well, it didn't drop out, not even as I lugged him to the kids toilet on level 5. The lift was crowded and the smell was so obviously diffusing in that small space. I pretended not to notice.

We went to the toilet, dunked the clump into the toilet, thanked God it managed to go down at the flush (poops in confined spaces clump into big lumps), wore the same underwear back on the boy and went on our way. All this while, I was nagging at Gabe, telling him how upset I was that he didn't tell me he wanted to poop, that he did it in his underwear, etc etc etc. He must have felt how cross I was and when I stopped to look at something, took the opportunity to say, "Sorry Mummy," *hugs me*, "I'm upset with you. I mmmm mmm in my underwear."

That misuse of noun got me stifling a little giggle, and the apology too. Then there's the absurdity of your son pooping in the middle of the streets of Orchard. I was actually quite amused but in the true spirit of a mother chiding her son for not telling her he wants to poop, I had to, as they say, give it to him.

The rest of our journey was uneventful. Then again, no event could outdo that poop-deed that day. So here ends our day out with Gabe boy, complete with a spanking new do and poop-stained underwear and butt.

Quips at 30+ months

2009-10-28T17:33:00.006+08:00

He asks nicely, "Can you please... with me?"

"What are you cooking for me today?"

Innocently and voluntarily reports his mistakes to me, "Mummy, I didn't do...."

Runs out from the bath declaring, "Papa, I'm not smelly anymore!"

Favourite Doctor

2009-10-28T17:33:00.005+08:00

Gabe HATES to visit the doctor. It must be a blessing then that he didn't fall sick at all in his first year and not very much so in his second year, so the parents didn't need to be traumatized by visits to the doc. (And we haven't even gone to the taking-medicine part.) Well, it's perhaps also because of the lack of "exposure" to these professionals that created this phobia in him. Anyhow, a typical scene of Gabe at Doc's goes like this:

- Mother will psycho him from home to clinic, till his name is called, telling him what the doctor will do (check his ears, listen to his heart and lungs, etc), procedures will not be painful, doctor is a nice man.

- Gabe verbally vomits all the information you fed him, back at you, throughout.

- Nurse calls his name. He panics and starts saying he doesn't want to go in.

_ Carries the crying boy in. Looks at doctor, cries. Doctor touches him, wails. In fact, he wails so loudly, the doctor gets a bit hesitant about touching him.

This happens for quite a few doctors that we have tried. Then Jemmy's mummy tells me about a pediatrician located a stone's throw from our home and we gave it a shot there. Proximity's important for a family with two kids and schedules, and pediatricians do tend to give medicines that taste better.

Dr V Tan gave us a very good impression. She was thorough, consultative, very quick and accurate in checking the kids and most importantly, firm yet gentle with Gabe. It helped that the clinic and her office were equipped with all things necessary to distract the kids, from bouncy things hanging from the ceiling to rattly things on her table and the "killing move" for Gabe, the little tub of xiao man tou that sits on the far end of the table. She would tell him what she was about to do, do it real fast before he can fully comprehend what was going on, and if he was about to cry, say "don't cry" to him firmly. That last instruction sometimes gets him stunned for a bit and by the time he recovers, it was all over.

And by the end of that visit, Gabe would ASK to come back again. For the xiao man tou!! And at subsequent visits, his crying totally stopped! The down sides: her rates are really high, and the waiting time estimates at 1.5hours.

Well, in any case, a big thanks to Dr. V for helping Gabe to overcome his fear of doctors!

Bye Bye Pampers!

2009-10-28T17:32:00.008+08:00

Round about August 2008, when I was in my second trimester of pregnancy with #2, derod and I set aside three days to pee-train Gabe. There is a certain philosophy that a child can be potty trained in three days, provided the following signs are exhibited:

Physical signs

Is coordinated enough to walk, and even run, steadily.

Urinates a fair amount at one time.

Has regular, well-formed bowel movements at relatively predictable times.

Has "dry" periods of at least three or four hours, which shows that his bladder muscles are developed enough to hold urine.

Behavioral signs

Can sit down quietly in one position for two to five minutes.

Can pull his pants up and down.

Dislikes the feeling of wearing a wet or dirty diaper.

Shows interest in others' bathroom habits (wants to watch you go to the bathroom or wear underwear).

Gives a physical or verbal sign when he's having a bowel movement such as grunting, squatting, or telling you.

Demonstrates a desire for independence.

Takes pride in his accomplishments.

Isn't resistant to learning to use the toilet.

Is in a generally cooperative stage, not a negative or contrary one.

Cognitive signs

Can follow simple instructions, such as "go get the toy."

Understands the value of putting things where they belong.

Has words for urine and stool.

Understands the physical signals that mean he has to go and can tell you before it happens or even hold it until he has time to get to the potty.

Obviously Gabe's more than ready, according to the checklist above, and we wanted to train him before #2 comes along. But alas, it was not meant to be and by day 2, we abandoned the plan as he was crying so hard when placed in front of the toilet bowl. Derod's concluded that it was impossible to pee when the boy was so traumatized.

A few months later, Rou arrived and Gabe was at my in-laws' everyday during my confinement period and my very hardworking mother-in-law basically let him go diaper-free. She was willing to wipe the boy and the floor up every time he wet himself so that he would eventually want to tell us he wants to pee. I have to salute her for the effort and the results for it very much began my journey of toilet training him.

By the time the confinement period was over, and Gabe was home again with me 24-7, he was able and willing to tell me that he wanted to pee. Because my son is so particular about his habits, coupled with his disdain of the toilet bowl, it was not possible to pronounce him completely trained. I decided to take baby steps and count each crossed hurdle as victory steps to the final destination. He was diaper-free through the day, except during nap and sleep times, and when he wanted to pee, I'd let him wear his pull-up pampers. Gabe learnt to "let go" when I gave the instruction, and communicated when he was done. Later on, I simply took his regular pampers and cupped it over his bottom. The final part was to position a cup (a "special" mickey mouse plastic cup) instead and this step was surely not easy. He protested and cried for half a day, and would rather hold in his pee for that long than pee into the cup, which was obviously very agonizing. He screamed down the entire block, attempted at bargaining in between sobs, begged for hugs and comfort, and basically cried till he was exhausted and stood dozing off in the toilet. But after this crazy day, the training was complete.

But we still put him on diapers when we went to church during this initial period, since there was a lot of movement and we didn't want any accidents when he went to the toddler's class. But now, we're happy to say that he's diaper-free everywhere he goes. It sure is more convenient, since the bag is lighter and we don't have to keep changing him every 3-4 hours, but new inconveniences also arise. We have to time his toilet trips, figure out how to position him at public toilets and in cases of emergency, how to water the grass along roads. Then we learnt not to let him sleep in the car since he's still not able to control his bladder when he's asleep.

Well, lots of savings from diaper buying though, and a milestone for both the parents and the kiddo. We've still some work to do on the pooping part, but like I said, baby steps to victory!

So for the record, Gabe was officially pee-trained not too long after his second birthday :)

Proudly donning his 1st set of underwear, Winnie the Pooh no less!

Yee's Graduation

2009-10-27T20:20:00.011+08:00

The kids' Yee Yee had a long academic journey, and probably enrolled herself into most of the types of academic institutions available in our country. If you could draw a graph depicting this journey, you'd find a steep progress curve round about 11 years ago and today, she proudly dons her mortar board at the graduation ceremony. Such an occasion, of course, calls for the entire family to be present for photo taking.

First with the favourite nephew...

And then with the favourite niece.

And then the dressed up grandparents take over the babysitting *snigger*

Blooper shot! You're supposed to look poised and preened at the grand piano.

Lots of great backgrounds for the graduates to pose in front of, but they were hogged up by hordes of others so we contended with some artistic fare.

"Wear your mortar board properly, Yee Yee. Sigh... I'll show you how it's done."

"Tadah!"

Laugh, mother, laugh while you can. It'll be a great many years before Gabe's turn, if he even takes that path at all... ;p

Little Drummer Boy

2009-10-20T15:17:00.005+08:00

Gabe is OBSESSED with drums. I tried recalling how it all started, but try as I might, I can't seem to remember how! If you do, please enlighten me.

Anyhow, he's obsessed with drums. He calls himself "a drummer" and sometimes tells us "I am gor gor Ben" or "I am gor gor An". Ben and An are the two drummers in our church.

One day, Derod asked him, "What instrument do you want to learn? Piano, guitar or bass guitar?" and his son replied, "or drums?" And we find our son strangely drawn to our friends who happen to have drum sets at home.

He "plays the drums" on a daily basis at home, requesting for songs from a certain album, jamming with two straws in his hand. I decided to add to the fun by turning his masak masakplates around and told him those were his drums. Every Sunday while the whole congregation is worshipping in song, he too will worship, standing on his seat and wave his straws "playing drums", mimicking the real drummer, who has to be in full view. He trained his ear to pick up the drum lines in songs, telling you specifically which drums are being hit - snare, hi-hat, cymbals, toms, kick drum. He does a verbal toom-toom-tak when he's bored. It's gone to a level where as long as he hears a song, those two arms start "clanging" to the beat - even the doxology can be accompanied by drums!

I have to admit he is quite good at following and even executing those beats, but the ridiculous things I have to put up with (not to mention the discipline part) are so not funny. But there are laughable moments, like when he went to gor gor Ben's place for an hour of drumming fun, and came back with two blisters on his hands!

You can check out some pictures others took of him at the drums on my Facebook. Otherwise, here are a couple of shots for your entertainment.

The Ribena Bargain

2009-10-20T15:14:00.004+08:00

Gabe's not very good with his fluids so sometimes, I look for an excuse for good behaviour to give him water flavoured with Ribena. Of late, Gabe's performance at bath time has improved tremendously so I took that chance to insert the ribena into routine.

Today, I decided that his behaviour didn't justify the reward and skipped the drink after bath time. He noticed the absence and asked for it after lunch. I explained that ribena is only for good boys. and listed all the "not good" things he did today. His response? Well, he paused for a bit and then quietly said "I looked up".

The reply totally threw me off guard and I burst out laughing. You see, Gabe has this issue with water on his face, especially his eyes. So you can imagine the protest during bath time. We've been trying to get him to look up when we wash the shampoo off his hair and it took a loooooong time for him to overcome his fear and obey the instruction.

In short, I accepted his "defense speech" and gave him a full cup of the drink, diluted as usual, true to my parenting style.

Traffic Supervision

2009-10-17T18:28:00.003+08:00

Gabe was riding around the house on his Ferrarri toy car and crashed into something.

Derod: Orh! Come here! I'm the traffic police. I'm going to catch you. Give me your licence. *took a piece of paper and wrote down date, time, etc of accident* Go to mummy. Mummy is the macik. Go and pay her.

Gabe: *obeys and after "paying the fine", went on his play* I'm driving very fast!

Derod: If you drive very fast, I will catch you for speeding.

Gabe: *goes past derod and pretends to give him money* Nah.

Derod: Wait! Stop! You give me money? You are bribing me. Give me your licence!

Car Tales

2009-10-09T23:59:00.004+08:00

Gabe plays on his own pretty much the entire day, but he'd always ask for company every now and then. I caught him making some new arrangements with his cars one day and decided to keep my thoughts to myself and just watch. When I finally asked him what the cars were doing, he actually had an answer for me. Kids, and their imagination at play.

Cars lining up at the traffic light.

I'm still clueless on this one; didn't manage to ask him what this is.

Glib Gabe

2009-10-03T11:34:00.003+08:00

When Gabe makes me angry, he'll quickly go, "Sorry mummy, I won't do it again. I love you Mummy."

Constipated Gabe

2009-09-22T16:19:00.002+08:00

Gabe has a constipation problem. He goes to the loo on an average of once in five days and when he does, it hurts. It's a vicious cycle - when you don't poop regularly, the accumulated stuff hardens and makes it even more difficult to purge. So it's not a surprise that he hates pooping. But he goes one step further in attempt to prevent himself from sitting on the toilet bowl. We have to drag him to the bathroom when we catch him in a crouched-up position, trying to "suck" his poop back in when it's so near to exiting, so he won't have to go through the mental and physical agony.

Apparently it's normal for kids to have constipation problems but it's interesting to see how each kid responds and in this case, try to get out of the situation...

"Wahhhh.... I don't want to mm mm mmm...!!!"

"Ahh... whatever..."

Wai Po's Birthday

2009-09-17T12:20:00.013+08:00

Waipo turned wiser again and we took her to a nearby restaurant that has become a regular destination for our family. It's never crowded, the food's not too bad, the prices are reasonable and best of all, the kids get to see a huge bucket pour water out at the swimming pool just one level up. But first, the assembly at our home for some pictures before adjourning to fill up our tummies...

The kids with their grandparents.

Then it's our turn. What you don't see is all the fanfare happening next to the camera. "Next to" because meimei's busy looking at the distraction and not at the camera!

Another attempt :)

The wacko family. Everyone gave a different expression, all except father and son.

The yeeyee attempting to make her face visible while holding on to the kids.

Foooooooood time!

Take the excitement down a notch and catch a clearer shot!

Rou entertaining herself after her dinner.

Happy birthday to waipo!!!!

The favourite grandson...

and the favourite granddaughter. Cos there's only one of each!

Cooking Mum

2009-09-10T16:21:00.001+08:00

Cheoklet: Shall mummy go out to work and someone else comes to take care of Gabriel and meimei?

Gabe: No. Don't want mummy to go out to work. Mummy stay at home to cook lunch for Gabriel.

Playground Date

2009-09-07T23:15:00.003+08:00

Gabe and I took a trip to a nearby playground one evening after dinner. He was playing around, enjoying having the whole playground to himself when a little girl joined in.

He started being a little jittery and pranced around a lot more. He kept wanting to be near the little girl and started saying things like he wants to say hi to his friend, and then ran to where she was playing.

After warming up to each other, they slid down parallel slides together, and ran up and down the bouncy bridge. I learnt that she was 3 years old but Gabe was the taller one. At one point, my son ran up to the girl and wrapped his arms around her, right under the nose of her father!

From a young age, Gabe has shown his preference for pretty females. From my friends to salesgirls to the foxy lady to passer-bys. Apparently, he found the little girl at the playground to be very pretty. How did I find out?

Cheoklet: Who is more pretty? Mummy or that jiejie? (He'd always say mummy whenever I ask him to compare between me and someone else. Of late, he's grown more diplomatic and would say mummy and someone else.)

Gabe: Jie jie.

I wonder how he'll respond to questions related to me and his future wife stranded at sea.

Spouting Opposites

2009-09-07T23:10:00.004+08:00

"My name is Gayle.

Meimei is a boy.

Mummy's a man.

Papa's a lady."

The Desert Song

2009-08-19T00:03:00.002+08:00

Gabe absolutely LOVES The Desert Song by Hillsongs.

Honestly, I can't even remember how it all started. But as of now, he would sing it throughout the day and it's such a hit that it can be used to coax him to shower, eat something he's not keen on, etc, like "mummy will sing the desert song if you..."

He doesn't know all the words but knows enough of the chorus and bridge to plague us with it all day. He'd want his bedtime songs to be replaced by it. He'd ask if Sunday's songs include it. He'd ask to view the song on youtube, hear it in the car. He'd even sing "Mari Kita" to the tune of it. (Don't worry, I know the title of our national anthem is Majulah Singapura.)

All this saturation got me looking at the lyrics of the song. It sings of a person living in dark days but his focus is on the character and promises of our God and in the depths of whatever agonizing situation, he cries "I will bring praise", and concludes that no matter what season of life he may be in, God is God, and hence the reason to sing and worship.

It is a humbling lesson and more so when the Lord uses my 2 year old son to convey it.

Gabe tapping his "drumsticks" to his favourite song.

Territoriality: The Sibling Edition

2009-08-17T13:55:00.006+08:00

There has been quite a drastic change in the relationship between the two siblings. While Rou is increasingly showing affection for her brother, Gabe has grown antagonistic towards his little sister.

It all started from the time Rou was able to move around (whether by wriggling, rotating or plain butt shifting) and reach out to pick things up. She has such a keen eye for little things lying around and will find her way somehow to get to them. She would pick up Gabe's favourite taxi and he would get upset. She would pick up whatever that belongs to him, and he would get upset. What was exclusively his is now in the hands of another and he didn't like it one bit; his territory was invaded from within the boundaries of his home, which was far worse than having to share toys when he meets with friends once in a while. It came to a point where Gabe would be playing in one corner of the living room, saw Rou make a move towards a toy lying out of her reach, dash past her to get to the toy first and "safeguard" it for himself.

Then Rou progressed to crawling, and at a relatively early stage at seven months. This mobility meant that she could get to whatever she wanted to reach easily. And it didn't help that she's attracted to her brother and would always want to participate in whatever he's doing. Gabe would be piecing his jigsaw puzzle together at one corner and she'd make her way there. Then she'll do what she does best - separating/ tearing apart items and fiddling with them for ages before putting them into her mouth. The brother is obviously not keen at being interrupted at play. He would shout for help the moment she showed some intention of coming towards him. If we weren't fast enough, he would shove her in frustration. And the snatching. All this got him into quite a bit of trouble with the parents.

With time, Gabe got used to having his sister around during play time, and probably gave up on chasing after her to "save" his toys all the time. We saw a sudden magnanimity over the masak masak, then the miscellaneous things that lie around and on good days, his cars and even his straws (which he uses as drumsticks)! But he still hates being disturbed at play, and if she thwarts any of his toy arrangements, we'd have to go back to the old drawing board again. We still see his protectiveness over things he believes are his.

The climate has changed to one where conflict is present, and I'm looking forward to another change, this time for the better. Waiting for the day that Gabe can see Rou as a playmate. Still, our prayer for the two siblings remains the same: that they will grow up close to each other and be able to encourage each other in their journeys in life, and their walks with God.

One of those rare shots

Apple Tree

2009-08-14T15:06:00.002+08:00

I was horrified to find out in April that should I intend to send Gabe to school next year, I would have to register him almost immediately. Apparently it is typical of many church kindergartens to hold their registration dates in April. Barely have we celebrated the little boy's second birthday, and I have to get going on his playgroup registration?!

After I recovered from the shock and stress of the impending deadline, I sat down and evaluated the situation. The main reason for sending Gabe to a structured learning environment this early was due to his lack of a preference for interaction with other children. He would stand aside and watch while his peers play. Or turn to his parents or familiar adults and declare that he does not want to participate in the xx activity along with the other children. He'll benefit socially from school, that's for sure.

I needed the school to be within walking distance from home. Then began the search for decent groups within the vicinity. I didn't have high hopes; what could I expect from a few blocks of heartland HDB flats? But I was pleasantly surprised. We found a branch of Apple Tree operating two traffic junctions away. So we went down on registration day and signed him up. My son is starting school next year! I feel so overwhelmed. My little boy, who seemed to have popped out not too long ago, will be dressed in uniform and saying bye to me on the other side of the school gate. Well, such sentiments will probably exist only for Gabe since the novelty will wear off by the time it's Rou's turn.

So, come January, it'll be a new routine for the family. A new phase for the boy, and surely, for the mummy too.

Oh, did I forget to mention how RED the uniform will be?!

Hot Fox!

2009-08-12T17:51:00.009+08:00

If you're regular on this blog, you would know that Gabe picks up my weekly copy of a local magazine and flips through them every now and then. It happened that this Foxy lady graced the cover not too long ago. Derod was with Gabe when this incident happened, and told it to me like this:

Derod: I have to show you what your son did when he was looking at the cover.
Cheoklet: Ok...
Derod: He was holding up the magazine and ogling at the picture.
Cheoklet: You used the word "ogling".
Derod: Yes. Then, he used his right pointer and started scratching here. *proceeded to demonstrate the attempt of a peeling motion at the location marked with the red arrow*

The next day, I took a risk at my ego and asked him if "this auntie" was pretty. He replied yes. I pushed my luck further and inquired if he thought "who was prettier: this auntie or mummy?". And with a quick, cheeky slant of his eyes, he answered, "Mummy".

Oh God, give me strength and wisdom to deal with my son when he reaches that age where hormones rage over brain cells.

Stomach Flu Part 2

2009-08-12T17:51:00.008+08:00

About two weeks ago, Gabe woke up complaining of stomach pains. It was very unusual but I thought he probably needed a bowel movement and we began the day with breakfast. I made the boy his favourite half-boiled eggs and he happily gulped his food down. Within a few minutes, he threw the whole thing up. Then he needed to use the toilet. Rou was still fast asleep and I was glad to have the time and space to attend to him and clean up the mess.

In the next hour, I would have washed him up at least twice for he soiled his diapers. He also vomited twice on my bed and in the living room. By this time, Gabe was screaming to be changed and cleaned and to be hugged because of the immense discomfort, and Rou was up and she must have sensed something was amiss because she looked at us and just started bawling, which was very unusual for her. I do not remember a time I was ever at a loss of what to do. I called for help and firstjohn asked me what exactly I wanted her to do. I couldn't answer her. I called my neighbour and she volunteered to go to the doctor's with me. We took the two kids (Rou's running nose and cough were getting a little out of hand), left the house in its messy condition and headed to the pediatrician's two junctions away. By noon, Gabe was no longer having pains, vomit or diarrohea. He was constantly hungry and thirsty but we were warned against feeding anything more than three teaspoons of food or liquid. But he was active as usual and in the next week and a half, recovered at an amazing speed.

Two weeks later, we came home one night after dinner and the boy complained of stomach pains while walking back from the carpark. That night, he threw up all over derod, the bathroom, his bed. I gave Derod a list of the medicines the pediatrician gave, instructed derod to request for a suppository to stop the puking and he whisked Gabe to a 24-hour clinic while I stayed home to clear up the mess. Some things I had to throw for they were impossible to clean up. But this time, his condition was far worse. He had stomach cramps for the next two to three days, hardly ate or drank (this time he had absolutely no appetite), was terribly grouchy, needed me to "sayang the stomach" all the time, refused his medicine (as usual)... it was horrid. He suffered and lost so much weight he was reduced to a bag of skin and bones. Poor boy.

We took him to his pediatrician again two days later and she informed that the child's gut requires about six weeks to completely recover. She put him on a course of antibiotics and warned us never to feed him half boiled eggs ever again. We were startled. We were fed half boiled eggs as a child but nothing ever happened to us. Apparently, things have not been the same since the bird flu and the government has encouraged all poultry and poultry products to be fully cooked.

So there goes Gabe's favourite breakfast.

Shoe Habit

2009-07-24T00:18:00.004+08:00

Everytime Gabe runs into the house, he'll sit on the stool placed at our door and remove his shoes. Then he'll take a shoe in each hand, place them together purposefully and then dash off to his toys. It would only take a couple of seconds but there has never been a time where he forgot to arrange his shoes; that little pair of adidas has never been carelessly thrown aside.

I think it says something about his personality. It's the same with his cars. If he lines all of them up, they have to face the same direction. He would run across the room repeatedly to correct me if I had purposely (unknown to him) lined them randomly. I wonder if Rou would be like that...

Stair Master

2009-07-21T23:05:00.003+08:00

It was our regular visit to Gabe's great-grandfather's for dinner. There was a lot of commotion in the house and we found out that not too long after our arrival, the one and only lift accessing the entire block of 21 floors broke down.

Derod's parents, who are past 60 years of age, had to climb up 19 floors to get to their dinner, and to their two grandkids who were waiting for them.

When it was time to go, the lift was still not working so all four of us had to trot down 19 floors. I am amazed and proud to say that my dear son worked those stairs all on his own, holding my hand of course. Way to go, little boy!

New Room-mate

2009-07-16T17:46:00.004+08:00

Gabe was a pretty cooperative boy after the arrival of Rou but with time, he began showing signs of not coping too well with sharing everything he possessed.

Rou's cot is parked in our master bedroom and round about her fourth month, Gabe started his bedtime tantrums. He'd want us to stay with him in his room indefinitely, request for one final song after another to stall for time, request specifically for us to switch off his air-conditioning, open the door, bring him to our bed, etc. It was so difficult to get him to fall asleep, and a vast difference from our usual routine of song, prayer, goodbyes, shutting the door and leaving him to fall asleep on his own quietly. Then began the midnight tantrums. He'd wake a few times in a night and make the same demands. And it further extended into the day-time naps. All descriptions punctuated with tears, screams, howls and what-nots. It was horrid. And heart-wrenching. It drained us physically and emotionally. We were frustrated constantly. No amount of psycho-ing, explaining, threatening, hugging would solve the problem. We figured it has to be the presence of his sister being able to be in the same room as us, and he was left alone elsewhere.

So after some thinking through and conversations between us and with some more experienced mothers, I decided to bring forward the day Rou would join her brother in the same room. My initial plan was to wait till she could sleep through the night so that I won't have to trot between the two rooms in the middle of the night. This move would eliminate the object of jealousy and we figured its banes would still outnumber those in the current situation.

Rou was about five months old when we shifted her cot over to her brother's room. He was told to stay in the same room as her and protect her. But the main message we sent across was that all of us would sleep in our own beds, in our own rooms and neither meimei nor him were going to share our beds (and deprive us of sleep).

In the next two weeks, his tantrums gradually died down. It never went away completely, with him still wanting us to be in the room for as long as he can stall, but the situation improved dramatically.

Unexpectedly, Rou slept through the night ever since she was shifted to her permanant location. She used to clock about 6-7 hours straight but now does 10 hours through the night. Both kids wake at about 7.30am and my day begins when they do.

My Goumet Son

2009-07-12T17:25:00.002+08:00

He's gobbling down:

Sashimi
Lotus roots and red dates (soft from double boiled soups)
Ho see (dried oysters common in Cantonese food)

Sentosa

2009-07-12T17:24:00.025+08:00

It was a Saturday. Derod and I were wrecking our brains, deciding where we could take the kids and the lot fell on Sentosa. So after a quick brunch, we headed off to the island and made the Underwater World our first pitstop. Free parking for visitors in open car park! Gabe panicked when his sandals touched the gravel ground so really, my first obstacle was to get him across the carpark on foot. We finally arrived at UWW after an eternity of persuasion and refusal to his cries of wanting to be carried across the "terrain".

Craning for a view at the creatures in the water

Rou sound asleep in her harness

Strike a pose! If you look carefully, it's me holding up his hand.

We saw huge fishes and sea turtles glide by from this glass display. Gabe was most fascinated. While papa was queuing up for tickets (discounted when paid with Citibank's card), the two of us watched a man drape snakes across the shoulders of tourists. The boy was actually quite open to the idea of touching the reptiles but alas, it's the mother who shuddered away.

You should have seen the boy exclaim "fish! fish!" as he dashed toward this display. Never mind the place was super crowded. He raced through all those pairs of legs and butts to get to this position.

Totally fascinated with the creatures in this tank, but absolutely refusing to put his hand in to touch them.

Father-and-son grins.

Urgh... too bad this shot was spoilt by the flash. It's one of my favourites.

We went downstairs to the main exhibit. And crawled through a small hole into a dome-like thing. I think the other people must be wondering what a weird person I am; seems only kids get into such acts.

Along the travelator...

Which intrigued Gabe more than the creatures swimming all around him.

Close-up shot of the jellyfish

Who would have expected a green screen? Derod is a no-body!

Pant! Taking a break from chasing the kid around the UWW.

Rou was asleep half the time. Caught a shot of her awake, and out of the harness.

Next destination: the Sentosa Skyride and Luge! Obviously one of us has to stay behind to tend to Rou, who failed to meet all the minimum requirements for the rides. Gabe and I in the snaking queue for the Skyride. This is the part where I psychoed him not to cry.

Our turn! His jitters are up on almost full mode.

Man had to carry him so that both of us can get onto the ride at the same time. Panic struck the boy.

Plonk!

And up we go. Gabe cried. What's new. I talked non-stop to divert his attention, and got him to set his sights on the surroundings. But I was starting to get jittery. It was actually a little scary. I lifted up my feet so my berks won't fall off too! The talking helped, both me and him.

We're supposed to smile when we reach the second tower. That's where the camera is. See Gabe protest.

And when we got off the ride, and headed for the Luge part, I had a hard time convincing him to put on the helmet. I gave up and dragged the boy to the queue. Who would have known that a pack of gummies from the attendant gave him full access to the boy's head. Down we went!

It was just seconds after we paid for all our pictures that it began to drizzle. With two young kids and no umbrella, we headed off back to the basement carpark a stone's throw away. But the rain poured without warning and minutes later, we were quite wet. Poor Rourou! Good thing we came prepared with towels and extra change though. All in all, expenses aside, it was a great time of fun.

Dear Uncle Ian...

2009-07-07T17:43:00.007+08:00

Mummy informed me today that you will soon be taking an aeroplane to the USA to work and I won't be seeing you for some time. I kept silent upon the news. I think I'll miss your Peugeot, I mean, miss you very much. So I agreed to making a short video message with meimei, to say goodbye to you. Mummy taught me to say something to you, and haha... I plagued her with it non-stop for the rest of the day. Sweeeeeet! Oh, by the way, you can hear meimei hiccup-ing in the background.

Take care, and see you soon! Vroom vroom!!!

Insignia of Cars

2009-07-04T22:43:00.007+08:00

Gabe recognizes these and will point them out as we travel along the roads.

Expect the Unexpected

2009-06-30T18:27:00.002+08:00

We transited Gabe from bathtub to shower more than a year ago and till today, we're still having battles at bathtime. He HATES to get water in his eyes, and we all know that it's an almost impossible task with an uncooperative kid, which means water will get into his eyes, which means he'll throw a tantrum, which means water will get into his eyes, which means... you get the drift.

So how would you react when at the height of the aforementioned battle, your son says to you, "thank you mummy for bathing for you!"

Wrong Fruit

2009-06-23T16:32:00.003+08:00

It was Fathers' day. We were in the car with Derod's immediate family, heading for a meal in the heart of town with my immediate family. As we came out of the Nicoll Highway and was about to make a right turn to Raffles City, we heard Gabe gave a loud shout of "Mango!"

There was a bewildered silence in the car and I craned to align my vision with his in the crowded car and that's when I saw it.

Our friend got the wrong fruit. I don't know who taught him the association with fruits though.

Funny Conversations

2009-06-17T23:07:00.004+08:00

Gabe: Mummy, there's fish and water there.
Me: Where?
Gabe: Inside the restaurant.
Me: Oh! *surprised at the usage of the word "restaurant"* Which restaurant? (We were on the way home from dinner at a restaurant.)
Gabe: That restaurant loh!

Gabe: Mummy, boys has ji ji and ball ball. (I did not correct his grammatical error here)
Me: What about girls?
Gabe: Girls has gap gap.
Me: Where's your ji ji and ball ball?
Gabe: *looks down* inside the xiao ku zi.

We were in Gabe's room about to begin the night routine. Derod sank into the sofa bed and heaved a tired sigh.
Gabe: Papa, are you alright?!

LRT and Me

2009-06-08T23:07:00.001+08:00

Before he even started to talk, Gabe has been excited by the LRT trains that zip past our home. He would sit at the window and watch the traffic and when he could talk, would announce the arrival of the trains.

He loves riding on the MRT and sat through long journeys, right from the time he was confined in a pram. Today he frequently requests to get to our destinations by train. So logically, we thought he'd share the same affection for the LRT, which is just a smaller unit of the large MRT. We were wrong.

His fear of the LRT started when he heard and watched it screeched to its stop. With time, this fear simply got so illogical that Derod decided to counter it with a ride on the LRT, to show how similar it is to the larger train. Alas, the moment our little one stepped on its platform, he started crying. He was so fearful that he hid behind Derod, refused to budge, insisted to be carried and for the whole train ride, buried his face in his hands. We dragged him out for a second ride a few days later and it was only then that he relaxed a little.

Gabe is now two to three months shy of turning 2.5 years old and he's finally overcome his great fear of the LRT. Who would have thought that the LRT would be part of his milestone chart!

Toy Name

2009-05-28T23:01:00.005+08:00

Gabe has a toy, which he refers to as...

大便车

Gabe and his Grandfathers

2009-05-28T23:00:00.005+08:00

Gabe has come to a stage where he can differentiate the lingos associated with different people. He'd speak Mandarin to his two grandmothers, Singlish to his waigong, Mandarin and broken English to his yeye and proper English to his parents.

But what totally gets me cracked up is the way he pronounces certain words when talking to his yeye.

"爷爷，我们去churt." (Read: church)

"爷爷，你[我]要money."
When I heard this, I was so horrified that he was asking his grandfather for money that I proceeded to give him a gentle lecture, all this while wondering at the back of mind how and when he learnt the concept of asking for money. Then, the yeye nonchalently replied, "好，回去给你看money."
I almost fainted at the realisation that it was "Barney" they were talking about.

"爷爷，你[我]要看vegetalian." (Read: vegetarian, which is supposed to be Veggietales)

"爷爷，那边有clan!" (Read: crane)

"爷爷，MRT tlack在哪里?" (Read: MRT track)

Give the boy a tiger... when he's older.

Cockroach Alert

2009-05-23T15:21:00.002+08:00

I found a huge cockroach in the study one night but the rolled-up magazine missed it completely because of its weird location. Urgh... it was tough living with the thought of a creepy pest lurking around somewhere in the house. What if it decided it needed some company at night and crawled in to bed with us, or worse, with the kids?! Anyway, out of sight, out of mind. By the next morning, this piece of information was chucked at the back of my mind.

Two days later, we came home after dinner to a dark house. I flipped the light switch on and Gabe immediately pointed out the presence of the unwelcomed resident. We located it among the legs of the dining table and proceeded to exterminate the pest. As it was past the kids' bedtime, we decided to clear the mess only after putting the kids to bed, but obviously someone wasn't too comfortable with the arrangement.

Gabe was supposed to drink his milk before going to bed but the proximity to the dead cockroach proved too much for him. He covered his eyes and refused to budge until the object in question was removed.

Little Rays of Sunshine

2009-05-19T14:31:00.007+08:00

Amidst the daily battles, Gabe still manages to make me laugh once in a while. Check out these little bits:

Gabe looked out the window and saw an ambulance heading off in the direction of Buangkok, where derod always takes him to get our groceries, on foot.
Gabe: Mummy! Ambulance is going to NTUC.

During lunch, Gabe suddenly burst into "I could fer fer lala lala... forever". I was caught by surprise since this song was led two weeks ago at service, and we've never sung it to him before. Looks like he does pay attention at service after all. Tune and rhythm were there, so I had to teach him the lyrics proper. I could sing of your love forever.

At bedtime, he taps derod and I on our shoulders while instructing, "Everybody sing together!" to whatever song he was going on at that time. And after the Doxology, he'll shake hands with everyone.

He was playing with his two-piece animal puzzles when he pointed to this and said, "Mummy, this is char siew."

Happy Mothers' Day

2009-05-16T15:47:00.003+08:00

I'm like the best mother ever! Thanks, canyoupleazzze for the video!

CNNBC video

Brush Teeth

2009-05-14T14:02:00.003+08:00

It'll suffice to say that Gabe is very particular with things and brushing teeth is just another item on the list. For about a year, I wrestled with him on a daily basis, just to get a little brush into his mouth and attempt to get its bristles somewhat against each tooth. Each episode would be accompanied by, at best, lots of cajoling and some rewards. Otherwise, we'll have a screaming kid messed up with mucus and tears, and a frustrated mum hot with anger.

I decided enough was enough when we received a brochure advertising lots of items on sale at AMK Hub. The Osim uSparkle, a kid's electric toothbrush set, was selling at a cheap price. So I reasoned that as long as I'm able to jam that brush into his mouth and have the brush touch his teeth, they'll be cleaned. With the normal toothbrush, I'll still have to ensure a few strokes on each segment.

We bought the orange set. It's quite cute, really. And the efforts (and money spent) have paid off. I can safely say his teeth are pretty clean. We still have the occasional battles but it sure trumps daily ones. Hurray to the uSparkle!

Good Helper

2009-05-08T23:42:00.002+08:00

When Gabe is in a good mood, he helps us with our laundry. I'd remove the dried clothes from the poles in the kitchen, roll them up so that it would be easy to carry, and the little one would literally pitter patter his way out to the living room, where he would neatly place the clean clothes on our day bed.

One day, I was taking down our day bed covers, and decided that Gabe could handle the relatively heavier weight. He hugged the covers, did his awkward run out of the kitchen, and exclaimed, "so heavy!" while he was at it.

But as he grows older, I think he's beginning to realise that such work really belongs to the category of "chores" and has been declining to help me of late. :(

Now I Know My 123s

2009-05-03T17:54:00.005+08:00

Auntie Kelly (affectionately known to Gabe as Juu Por) gifted him with a set of numbers puzzles for Christmas last year. It kept him entertained for a period of time as he worked hard at perfecting his skills. It was also because Gabe has limited toys so he ends up playing with this quite often. The mother was quited pleased generally, seeing that she could leave Gabe there to figure out the set on his own for an extended period of time, after she spent some time initiating him into the game.

At first it was just recognizing the shapes and placing them correctly. Then came the ease of differentiating between the 6 and the 9, which look exactly the same and if you squeeze hard enough, fit into each other's frames. Then came the identification of the numbers 8 and 0. I was unsuccessful at getting him to recognize the other numbers for a long time and then one fine day, out of nowhere, he was able to point out the numbers accurately to me.

I tried my luck at writing the numbers randomly on his magnetic board and he would get them right about 80% of the time. He still has problems with 1, 5 and 7 but well, it'll do.

Derod and I now have an easier time being in the same vehicle as Gabe. You see, for the longest time since he realised that "Bus 87 and Bus 27" come around our house, he has been assuming that all double-decker buses are numbered 87 and all single-decked ones with digitized numerals are bus 27s. So everytime we are in a vehicle, and we see a bus, we have to correct his "Mummy, this is bus 87!" or answer his "Mummy, what's this bus?". Try this for every journey, and every bus on sight for like, a few months!

Thank you Juu Por, for getting Gabe started on recognizing numbers!

Lifecycle of a Butterfly

2009-04-15T23:30:00.013+08:00

Our church organized a children outing to the Oh Chin Huat Hydroponic Farms in late March. Specifically, they took a tour of the butterfly section. Gabe got to ride on a coach bus, which got him really excited (and he couldn't stop talking about it for a few weeks) and fearful (I don't understand why either) at the same time. He came back reporting that he saw the caterpillars, touched the one that was put on papa's palm and asked to go there again some other time. But the highlight of the trip to the butterfly farm for Gabe, was the little water fountain that sports a pond with some fish swimming in it. Yeah... it's a "winning" statement.

So it seems that each kid was to be gifted with two caterpillars at the end of the trip but due to a shortage in supply, they came home empty handed. The good people at the farms compensated by personally coming down to our premises the next Sunday, with two caterpillars for each child. The package was complete with a plastic tub with a meshed cover to house the wrigglies, a satay stick and some leaves as food for them.

The excitment was felt throughout the church as kids and adults fuss over the little tubs that Sunday. Gabe was happy to bring them home but I think I'm the one who was really excited. Although we've studied the life cycle of a butterfly as kids, it was all just head knowledge. Plus, the wrigglies were really pretty, totally different from the plump, green ones from the textbooks. Obviously, the task of caring for the caterpillars fell on me, especially if I was to keep them alive to show Gabe how they would transform into butterflies.

The instructions were pretty simple: change the piece of paper that lines the bottom of the tub each day (cos those teeny things poop a lot), put in a fresh leaf every morning and evening, and when the butterflies emerge, set them free within a day so they will not starve. Sounds easy, but I was so freaked out with avoiding contact with the caterpillars while I took them out of the tub for the daily clean-up. It's this creepy crawly thing that gets my goosebumps up. With some practise, I managed pretty fine in the end.

It was fun watching the metamorphosis and Gabe was equally intrigued. We checked out the activity in the tub each day and looked forward to the day we released the butterflies. It left a pretty deep impression on Gabe. And he still requests to go visit the butterfly farm again...

Welcome, C1 and C2

I've never seen such a "prickly" caterpillar before!

Gabe could be trusted to play around the tub without manhandling its contents

I was doing my daily check on them when I found them stuck upside down to the satay stick one morning.

And in a few hours, they have shed their outer core (the two black lumps on the paper which are incidentally stretchable) and morphed into a semi brown, semi orange pupa.

In another couple of hours, the pupa or chrysalis shed the orange tone. At this point, I relocated the tub to the top of the TV where Gabe would not have any chance of accidentally knocking it over. They looked so fragile dangling from the stick I figured I shouldn't take any chance.

One week later, I was sitting from a distance wondering why the tub looked so crowded. Upon closer inspection, found that the butterflies have emerged. Here they are drying out their wrinkled, wet wings.

Flapping its semi dried wings

Gabe observing them up close. We decided to wait for derod to return before releasing them and as I returned the meshed cover to the top of the tub, the butterflies panicked and tried their very best to go free. They only settled down a minute or so later. That night, livingjoyfully came to join us for dinner and all of us took the tub with its precious contents downstairs.

They flew free and landed on nearby pillars where we finally had a good look at them from the side, a view not available while they were still in the tub.

Jesus Is...

2009-04-12T23:25:00.002+08:00

Derod was trying to get Gabe to tell me what he learnt at toddler's class today (Easter Sunday).

Derod: Jesus is a...
Gabe: A lion!

Hmmm... he's quite right too, you know, except that the answer we were looking for was "ALIVE".

Marina Barrage!

2009-04-10T16:10:00.018+08:00

It was one of those public holidays so derod and I lugged the kids out for a late breakfast, and made our way to Marina Barrage to check out this place we've been hearing our friends talk about.

Apparently, the place gets quite crowded on weekends and public holidays. We had to park at some construction car park a little distance away and roll Rou over pretty interesting terrain.

The boy looking cool in his shades.

Making our way across the building to get to the fountains.

Told you Gabe was a particular one. While other kids would throw themselves into the water, he just stood there for ages just watching his favourite "water fountain!!" but would hear nothing of going near them.

Finally, I kinda pulled off his shoes and dragged him nearer. Took loads of convincing to even get him to step into the pool.

And I've to take him walking...

do some demonstrations...

before he got a little warmed up...

and I got some rest.

Checking out the place on his own, with lots of caution and hesitation.

Then it was papa's turn to walk around with him and my turn at babysitting and camera duty.

Gabe got ambushed by one of these. He was walking around aimlessly when he happened to step on one of these at the exact time the fountain gushed. The best part was that he got so startled he ran for derod in the opposite direction. Two seconds later he discovered the mistake and turned around for his papa, only to rush head on into the spray in the process.

The father and son walk

What rou was doing most of the time

Great weather. We all got a tan! But the showers came just as we left the place.

Now that he's wet, we can finally leave.

But not before taking a family photo.

Riiing Riiing

2009-04-08T23:46:00.002+08:00

Gabe's been making up words or sounds that he couldn't find expressions for in his limited vocabulary. I'm particularly intrigued by this one.

Rou was napping in a sarong for about a month or so. So if she starts crying inside the sarong, my usual response would be to tug at it in attempt to get her back to sleep. Sometimes Gabe objects to it and goes, "Don't want mummy to riing mei mei".

I can only suppose that it's the sight of the springs responsible for the up-down motion of the sarong that led him to that expression.

Shame Shame!

2009-04-06T00:12:00.002+08:00

We have befriended a neighbour who lives on the first storey. Some days, Doreen would bring her niece up for a short while and Gabe would have some company. He had to adjust to sharing his toys and having another child around for a little while.

Once, Emma started frowning and fanning the air around her nose while declaring, "臭臭!" She exposed Gabe's quiet act of pooping in his pampers. During the time I've been trying to poop-toilet-train him.

On another occasion, we were about to get out of the house and that was the cue for the end of the play date. So the kids got to the door to wear their shoes, and Gabe sat on his stool to wait for me. Check out what happened.

Oh! Emma's one month younger than Gabe.

A Changed Mummy

2009-04-04T23:55:00.003+08:00

I'm no longer the same mother I started out as a little over two years ago. Maybe it's also because my son is no longer the same helpless babe.

I was always stern but gentle in my instruction and handling of him and to the amazement of others and myself, never even raised my voice at him until he was about 14 months old. He was that cooperative, obedient and responsive. The walking, talking, exploring, imaginative toddler burst forth into his big bright world at 18 months and by age two, became something I totally didn't recognize.

We have had daily battles. We're having even more daily battles.

Gabe is a very particular boy. I'm not sure if it's because he can articulate his preferences early, or is it a trade-off with the fact that he is easier in other areas. I don't know. Some times, I've even given up trying to think of reasons behind certain behaviour.

I've become so bad tempered now. Small things trigger a volcanic eruption. I've broken a few personal rules on a couple of occasions and I feel really bad about it. Some days I feel so guilty.

"It's a phase, it's a phase", I find myself repeating. I have to consciously find joy in what I'm doing. I have to talk to myself to remind myself of the big picture and how since on hindsight, I'm happy that I'm doing what I'm doing, then I'll be glad I stuck on when I look back a few years later.

More than ever, my responses, the words I speak, the unspoken gestures and values that are revealed in my daily life are caught on by my little one. It simply adds on to the tall order of being sane at the end of a day.

Scripture/ songs come to mind when I'm at my wits end. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Jehovah Jireh, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me.

The Lord loves Gabe more than I can ever ask or imagine and He is in control. Urgh... why is parenting so difficult!?!

Glib Gabe

2009-04-03T16:25:00.003+08:00

I'm not sure when it began but Gabe started paying me compliments when I get dressed to go out.

"Mummy's so pretty!" he'd gush, and even though I'm nowhere near gorgeous, it certainly feels great to be admired, never mind that it came from a kiddo who knows nuts about beauty.

He notices your clothes too. The other day I was wearing a blouse with two ribbons which I tied into a bow at the back. He rushed toward me declaring, "Mummy's so pretty! Mummy's flower so pretty." I got a hug too. Ok... he was just trying to reach the bow out of curiosity.

Ah what the heck. I'm pretty!

A Typical Day at Play

2009-04-01T00:19:00.005+08:00

Gabe would be playing in the living room and Rou would be lying on the bouncer nearby. They co-exist peacefully. Big brother makes an effort to steer clear of the bouncer, avoiding it when he runs around or when riding his Ferrari or tricycle, and little sister looks on the activity.

Chinese Songs

2009-03-31T23:30:00.004+08:00

Gabe has a pretty strong repertoire of songs in both English and Chinese. He belts them out without bias to any language but tends to sound like a Caucasian when he sings the Chinese ones. Doesn't happen when he speaks the language though. It's quite funny. Check out his version of 三轮车.

The Latest Fad

2009-03-27T00:19:00.002+08:00

Breastfeeding.

Gabe lifted up his shirt and announced, "Drink milk milk!"

When prompted to show how he should feed his papa milk, he did an awkward lift-up-shirt action that seemed to continue to something else but he just didn't know how. Oh, and he sometimes mistakenly thinks the belly button is where the milk comes out from.

Gabe Says in "Bumbo Chair"

2009-03-26T00:35:00.006+08:00

Gabe regularly requests to flip through his photo albums and this picture would be viewed about three to four times a week. But today, he decided to vocalize his interpretation and I finally know what's been going on his mind when he sees this picture.

"Gabriel mmm mmm on the table."

The Protective Son

2009-03-20T23:58:00.003+08:00

I was sitting on the bed this afternoon when Gabe came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my shoulders and declared, "Protect Mummy!"

I don't know where he learnt the word "protect", and wonder if he understands what it means but when the surprise wore off, the sweetness of the words spoken lingered on...

Gabe's Memory

2009-03-18T23:07:00.004+08:00

Little children never cease to amaze with their abilities in learning. Their intake of information has been compared to the sponge's soaking property. Still, with this preempt, we're taken aback by Gabe's development, especially his memory.

From a very young age, Gabe could remember and address the different members of our extended family. He could remember songs that you taught him, and filled in the blanks for most songs very soon after he turned one.

He remembers promises. If I told him at the beginning of the day, that we should wait for his father to come home in the evening before something can be done, he would keep quiet about it (and I didn't think he'd remember) until his father appears at the gate.

Gradually, with the increase in his vocabulary, he managed to bring up incidents from his memory. If we drove past Punggol Park, he would tell us that "Papa and Mummy brought Gabriel to Punggol Park to ride tricycle and see fish." He could associate various people with the places that they have taken him to.

He has a strong sense of direction, and it was evident from as young as a year and a half. He could lead you from our home to the nearest MRT station on foot. He could point out the direction of our home (and "auntie joanne's house") regardless of the direction of approach. Even if we visited a shopping centre for the first time, he would be able to navigate quite quickly, enough to lead us back where we came from, if the route wasn't too complicated.

But what astounds me most is that he could verbalise the landmarks on the way to a certain destination, in chronological order. If we turned left from our car park, he'll conclude we're heading to my parents', and if we turned right, to derod's parents'. Then he'll proceed to look out for his next landmark, and so on and so forth, until we reach the destination. He even recognises the expressways we take, though he's unable to name them. The CTE has two tunnels. The KPE is the long long tunnel where he gets to see the wheel and the skyscrapers. If we took a different turn, he'd question where we are headed.

Gabe parrots a lot; he repeats a lot of what you say and because of this memory thing, we are quite thankful for our determination in controlling what we say, with the exception of exclamations like "wa lao!". So the next time you speak with the boy, don't be surprised he remembers what you tell him. :)

Spelling Bee

2009-03-18T11:50:00.003+08:00

Gabe's picked up a few words, in that he can spell them. Actually, it's more like he can memorize the combination of alphabets of various words. He doesn't recognize the letters of the alphabet, save for the letter M and I honestly don't think he understands what he's doing when he's asked to spell these words. But it's just funny to see him do it anyway.

Notes:
Gabriel -- The mother was bored back then and decided to do something constructive, like repeat the spelling of his name. Well, he caught on and has been able to regurgitate it ever since. I think he was about 20 months old when it happened.

Taxi -- Credited to the waigong who's the sole inspiration of Gabe's passion to anything taxi-related.

Coconut -- The papa and gugu who taught him the spelling via the silly song.

Apple -- The mother decided to try her luck since he was able to accomplish the previous three.

Brotherly Love Part 2

2009-03-12T10:56:00.004+08:00

I mentioned how possessive Gabe is with his belongings. But it seems this little one is especially generous with his sister. He has offered his beloved sausage and his beloved taxi on a regular basis to his sister, to the amazement of the parents. It usually directed to the parents in the form of a statement like "give meimei sausage" but the toy is stretched out to her. By stretch, I mean that the taxi, a relatively heavy piece of metal, is hovered precariously over her head or other parts of her body. We are overcome by a warm and fuzzy feeling that Gabe is willing to share his most precious of toys with Rou voluntarily, but at the same time horrified at the possibility of an accident. So we thank the boy for his sweet gesture, and explain that meimei is still too young to play with the toy and request for him to share them with her when she grows older.

The other day, Gabe was sitting next to the bouncer by his sister and held her little hand while he made some "small talk" with her. She actually smiled at him in response! Yes, Rou is at the stage where she responds to conversations, but at her brother! It's something really small but precious to the parents.

We have also caught him giving instructions to her. They are not real instructions and sometimes even just mumblings that are not words, but done in the tone similar to ours when we give him instructions. Seems he has some understanding of some form of hierarchy present in this family.

God is So Good

2009-03-09T20:47:00.002+08:00

We introduced a new song at bedtime and Gabe caught on it pretty fast. After teaching him the first three stanzas, we wrapped up with a final one that summarizes the whole song. And we tried the complete-the-song stance, which went like this:

Me: God is...
Gabe: so good
Me: He...
Gabe: took my sin
Me: Now I...
Gabe: know my abcs, next time won't you sing with me [correct lyrics: am free, He's so good to me]

?!?!??!?!??!?!?

Can you please?!?!

2009-03-03T12:55:00.002+08:00

Derod was playing with Gabe and doing something silly like holding up the cement mixer truck with flying sound effects when Gabe went, "Can you please!"

?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?

Celebrate with Me!

2009-03-03T00:43:00.010+08:00

We celebrated Gabe's second birthday together with Rou's 1st month at the Community Club near our place. We rented an enclosed space, ordered a buffet spread and spent time with loads of relatives and some close friends.

It was chaotic in a good way, I think, but I hope never to do such a mass gathering again :p

Birthday boy looking so smart in his new clothes. Posing with papa in color coordinated outfits.

And with mummy

Yup, it's a Veggietales chocolate cake! It was supposed to be Junior Asparagus but the baker got a little confused and included Father Asparagus instead.

So wowed by cake-cutting.

Too fast too furious. Gabe loves this zoom zoom from uncle Max and auntie Connie. The other kids, boys actually, love it too. It was labeled "most coveted toy/ gift of the day".

The other zoom zoom. It's automated and has a gear stick to change from forward to reverse mode. A gift from daigupor, gupor and sumsokgong and families.

We were surprised to find this looking like a studio shot, with half a Nike tick behind us though. It was taken in much haste and hence none of the few shots had everyone ready enough to call it a good picture. Nevertheless, we're happy to have this family portrait for February 2009.

Territorality

2009-02-27T17:00:00.002+08:00

As part of the challenges that come with the terrible twos, Gabe has begun to get really possessive of what belongs to him. The items can range from his own toys to stuff that he is holding in his hands at that point in time. His angst is especially towards children around his age and to the dismay of the parents, he gets aggressive enough to shove the kids on top of shouting "no!" in instruction.

On our part, we have been trying to be consistent in teaching him that he should not push other children, or anyone for that matter and to share. We have also been very liberal in smacking his hand in response to his disobedience. It is the perseverance in consistency that is most tiring on us. Sometimes I wonder if this whole process if for the disciplining of the child or of the parent.

Anyway, we were surprised when he reacted the same way to others coming near to rourou's bouncer. He will also protest when adults whom he is not familiar with or close to, carry his sister. He'll verbalize "don't want so-and-so carry meimei". I wonder where he got the idea that meimei belongs to him since we never really drilled that part in. But well, the beginnings of protectiveness of his little sister is something we are happy to see in the midst of struggling with the problem of his territoriality.

Same Same But Different

2009-02-24T11:00:00.002+08:00

The gor gor

The mei mei

Brotherly Love

2009-02-23T17:19:00.011+08:00

Right from the beginning, our prayer was for Gabe to embrace his little sister and be gentle with her. We've also done our share of drilling - from how mummy's going to be away in hospital for the doctor to help to take meimei out from mummy's stomach, to how mummy needs to carry meimei pretty often to feed her milk. God has answered this prayer and thus far, he has been a very cooperative little boy. I know dynamics may change as the two of them grow, and we'll just keep praying for the big brother to love his little sister and take care of her, as the younger one learns to love and respect her gor gor.

Gabe was so excited to carry meimei in the hospital.

The usual cheeky face.

Let me take a closer look at meimei.

He was supposed to stretch out his hands under her, but it happened otherwise.

"Mummy let you sayang meimei!!" is the daily cry from Gabe. And he's really gentle with her ; )

Looks like we're beginning to collect pictures like this one.

Another one of those times where Gabe asks to sayang meimei.

Now papa's got his hands full.

A Happy 2nd Birthday

2009-02-19T17:50:00.010+08:00

Gabe is two years old!

His birthday happened to be right smack in the middle of my confinement period so we made do with a small celebration at home, with both sets of grandparents and aunties over for dinner. My confinement auntie volunteered to cook and whoa... did she cook up a storm. Can you believe it? We forgot to take pictures of the spread -- beehoon, curry vegetables, fried chicken, fried ngo hiang (made from scratch), and some soup just for Gabe.

The long-awaited cake cutting took place after dinner and you can see the glee on the boy's face.

I'm two and happy!!

Oh... that's meimei behind me.

Soooo happy when everyone was singing the birthday songs (both languages).

Serving cake to all the elders.

With waigong, waipo and yee yee.

With yeye, ah ma and gugu. Ah pek was at work.

Time to open presents! Rip rip rip. Gabe got so excited over this gift, which was from waipo's colleagues.
Not bad hor, so distant also give presents, and a very apt one samore. Cement mixer!

This, in yee's words, is the "bestest birthday present ever" and it's a vrooom vroooom Ferrari car!!!
Thank you Mark and yee!!

The Second Arrival

2009-01-31T09:46:00.005+08:00

Dear everyone, meet my little daughter, number two to the Boonite household, 陈智柔 Gayle.

Rou was born on 28 January 2009 at 3.41pm, weighing in at 2.96kg. She came out demonstrating how strong her lungs were with good bouts of cries and the first thing the nurses noticed was the two little lobes of flesh on her right ear.

More about her on her very own blog, when the mother has more time. Yes, I have caved. Visit www.rourou-tzg.blogspot.com for updates! Meanwhile, here are some pictures taken while we were still in the hospital.

Fresh out of the womb, cleaned, bathed, dressed and happily relaxing on the warmer.

Heh heh... she's still got mummy's eyes, just like gor gor.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-27T14:49:00.014+08:00

I have only just realised that I didn't blog about the last Christmas, so it's coming at the same time as the update for CNY.

This year's celebration was held at Gabe's sum sok gong's home, where we found an overwhelming amount of food, noisy company with lots of laughs and a mountain of presents under the Christmas tree. It'll suffice to say the adults were all stuffed with food and the kids with fun and presents.

Gabe and auntie Nikki at the sidelines of the water fight out on the balcony.

Fuel up before the real fun begins. I love the mini santarina hat!

As always, getting all four kids together for a picture tops the list of challenges.

And it's finally time to distribute the presents. Gabe's patience finally paid off when he was called to collect his first gift. See the glee on his face!

Waiting for his turn again. Last year, the wide-eyed babe sat through the distribution with nary an idea of what went on. This year, with the ability to participate, he was thoroughly enjoying the process.

Entertaining everyone with displays of purposeful ha-ha-s.

The loot. Gabe very obediently helped mummy to stack all the presents up until it was time to open them.

Carefully tearing up the wrapper...

Another conscientious effort...

And another...

And another...

Present of the year: the remote control Taxi! Incidentally, waigong bought him the yellow one and uncle ET got him the blue one ie HE HAS TWO of them!

Ending off the day with the bubble gun, which each kid got in a different color.

Those Two Fingers

2009-01-27T13:30:00.008+08:00

Gabe's obsession with his two fingers have been both a convenience and a headache. We didn't offer the pacifier past his first month and somehow, the little one managed to find comfort in stuffing his fingers into his mouth as early as the second month. The choice ones are the fore and middle fingers on his left hand, as opposed to the common thumb. So anytime and anywhere he requires some comfort, he'll DIY, and we won't need to lug out extra logistics (pacifier) and ensure they are clean and sterilized (especially if they drop on the floor). This is especially convenient if there's only one adult in the car and he/ she is driving and won't be able to attend to his needs.

But, this habit has its down sides. Major down sides. Although it came to a point where he'd only suck them when tired/ sleepy/ sleeping or when he's in the pram/ car seat, it was a tough habit to kick. Most literature would encourage parents to wean the kid out of the habit by age two, and if it has to go past that age, to limit it to the bedroom ie when the kid requires some comfort to fall asleep. So for us, the fingers-sucking habit when Gabe is lounging comfortably in his car seat will have to be first to go.

So began our strategizing. Again. Sigh... being a parent requires putting so much brain cells to work at such schemes. We decided and communicated to the boy that if he sucks his fingers during the car ride, he will not be allowed to "drive car when papa parks the car at the multi-storey car park at mummy and papa's house". It took a few days before the concept sank in but it eventually did. There were times when you'll notice him fighting a mental battle, where his hands will be wide opened and hanging around his mouth and cheeks. Other times you'll hear him giving you the instructions that "sek sao ji [sucking fingers] cannot drive car" as a reminder to himself. Then there were occasions he'd be so tired out while we're getting home that he gave in to his drowsiness, sucked his fingers, fell asleep and woke up nevertheless to the consequence of no time at the wheel. But we're glad to see significant improvement and we've reached a point where we're almost at 100% success, at the expense of his verbal diarrohea. I'll leave details on this for another post.

Apparently, my in laws have been very successful at getting him to sleep without sucking those two fingers, citing the popping up of the "bubbles" [the callouses that pop up as a result of the habit]. Somehow I've not managed to convince him to do the same. But there are occasions where I instruct him specifically not to and he'd cry in utter despair "mummy let you sek sao ji!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The interesting thing is that on these occasions, he'd obey but due to extreme grouchiness, cry uncontrollably until I have no choice but to allow him to do so. Then he'll settle back down to sleep peacefully. Looks like a long way to go on the bed part of this habit, but we do hope to break it soon.

A look back at the journey of Gabe and his two fingers:

Trying out the various fingers before he turned two months old.

6 months

8 months

12 months

16 months

The Gourmet Boy

2009-01-24T11:24:00.004+08:00

Gabe started to identify his foods as early as about 16 months of age. He'd look at the plates on the dining table, or scrutinize his little bowl of food and point out the items specifically. Then he progressed to request for specific foods, asking for fish, egg, or whatever that he felt like having more of. Because of this ability, we have also gotten a clearer idea of what he likes having and we'll entice him to take more of his meal by offering him a piece of whatever in the spoonful of food he was taking.

Many months ago, around the time where this ability became clear, there was a rare occasion where Gabe was having trouble taking his dinner. Derod decided to play a game with his son and hopefully trick him into eating more. So he told Gabe that he was supposed to guess what food papa was feeding him with. Derod would scoop up a single item along with the staple, cover it with his hand and stuff it into Gabe's mouth which was to be opened by the count of three. Honestly, when he was trying to explain the game to the boy, my eyes narrowed into slits and I was seriously thinking that my husband was wasting his time. I mean, how on earth are you going to get cooperation for a game with a kid less than 1.5, let alone succeed at the ploy of getting him to eat more from it!?

But I was proven wrong. Gabe actually enjoyed the game, and to top it up, he was able to tell us what went into his mouth by the sheer taste of it. We upped the ante by offering up to three items, excluding the staple, and he still managed to name them all. It left us pretty much flabbergasted and amused at the same time.

The other day, I decided to fry a big batch of shallots. Don't ask me why but I do derive quite a bit of satisfaction churning out a box of homemade shallots. Anyway, Gabe has this thing for condiments, and is especially inclined towards the addition of marmite, parmesean cheese and shallots (which we refer to as onions) in his meals. So when he heard that I was frying them, and add that to his penchant for observing cooking, he insisted on and obtained a full view of what was going on. Two days later, I was cooking lunch with the leftover shallot-frying oil and our friend yelled from the living room where he was watching his daily dose of Barney, "Onions! Mummy, onions!!"

Looks like he can sniff out good stuff too. And all this before he turns two! Obviously he didn't get these genes from the papa, who on occasions, can hardly even remember the taste of the food he swallowed just a moment ago. Ehhh.... *twitch eyebrows*.

Car Manners

2009-01-17T00:02:00.003+08:00

It's common knowledge that Gabe is a car fanatic and he'd jump at any chance to sit at the wheel and do his version of the vroom vroom. This means that everytime we are in a vehicle, he'd request to "drive car". After a really long time, we have managed to establish certain rules, which the little one will repeat to himself as a reminder/ instruction whenever a situation occurs.

1. "Baby cannot drive car on the road. Only papa and mummy can. Baby can only drive car in the multi-storey car park in mummy and papa's house." [That's after we have parked the car.]

2. "Cannot drive uncle's taxi. It's not waigong's taxi. It's other people's taxi." [He'd initially request to be at the wheel when we are paying for our taxi ride home!]

3. "Only papa can let you drive car. Mummy cannot let you drive car." [A rule I added upon the impending expansion of my tummy, which makes it difficult for him to be on my lap when I'm at the wheel.]

4. "May I drive car please papa?" This one took a long time to sink in. You see, Gabe would scream and shout in excitement when the car journeys up our multi-storey car park and his aggressive demands of "drive car! drive car!" are nowhere near our standards of a polite boy. We have gone through months of reminding him to "ask nicely", and upon this instruction will he then make the polite request. There came a time where enough was enough and we'd just keep quiet, give him a little more time (chance to request) before pretending to get out of the car. The training finally paid off. Gabe will wait patiently and quietly while derod reverses the car, pulls up the handbrake and just prior to turning off the engine, sweetly go, "may I drive car please papa?"

He Prays

2009-01-12T22:48:00.003+08:00

Much to our surprise, Gabe has been spontaneously sprouting out little prayers. This phenomenon started say, some months back, and it's occurrence is both sporadic and without specific targets. It occurs mostly when derod is saying our nightly prayers before putting Gabe to bed and in the middle of his father's prayer, Gabe will start his own.

It's always in the only form he recognises, which begins with "Thank you Jesus...". He's fished out names of unexpected uncles and aunties (our friends) and their children. But the latest one was really cute -- he was having a flashback of what he had for dinner and then his imagination took off as the prayer proceeded, as if he was lengthening the little conversation. It went something like this:

"Thank you Jesus for the dinner, have rice, have fish, have chicken, have egg, have vegetables, have meat, have soup, have mushroom, have papa's muum muum, have mummy's muum muum..."

All this while, derod and I were looking at each other with amusement and bewilderment, and me feeling a little overwhelmed by the sheer fact that my son is praying on his own (never mind that the content is really interesting).

And while Gabe took a moment to ponder on what other food he's missed out, the parents quickly came in to end his prayer in Jesus' name and continue with the original one.

Gabe's 1st Successful Professional Haircut

2009-01-09T15:09:00.006+08:00

I've been the primary creative source behind gabe's image since he was born, with the exception of the shaving of his hair at four months of age. During this time, we've gone from completely cooperative, magazine-flipping babe in bumbo chair to wailing sessions heard by the entire block to successful attempts on the highchair due to Veggietales. As I've mentioned previously, I enjoy cutting his hair. It's perhaps just me fulfilling a side of me that never existed, like an alter ego you know, except that creativity is never in my blood.

So, to end off the episodes of clean up (hair all over the living room is not at all fun), and in recognition that a small pair of scissors will never do what a wave of the shaver can, I took him to the hair salon downstairs my parents' place. I've been at the mercy of these neighbourhood stylists since my primary school days, and when I was finally financially independent enough to venture into the territories of "designer" charges, I was still very regular at the place for cheap but shiok shampoo sessions. So needless to say, we are very familiar with the ladies who now have the task of cutting my son's hair.

Our first session took place about two months ago, with me carrying the traumatic, screaming toddler. We succeeded at shortening the sides and the back of his head. He left remembering (and till this day still reiterates to us) the name of the auntie who cut his hair, and the little tank that housed a fish and two lobsters.

So with Chinese New Year around the corner, and the length of his hair seriously threatening the boundaries of his eyebrows, we made a date to the salon. The ploy is as follows:

- Waigong will cut his hair too, as a role model, and a demonstration that there's nothing to cry or scream about, and after the whole process, that waigong "is a good boy" for cutting hair without fuss.
- Waipo will bring the Barney VCD there and request for the ladies to play it during the deed, simulating those crazily-priced outlets at shopping centres, without paying the exorbitant prices. Idea credited to the cheapo mother.
- Mother will drill/ psycho the kid on the process of the haircut. Good boy must sit on the chair to let Auntie Jubee cut hair; watch Barney while cutting hair; no need to scream and cry; after that good boy will be rewarded with view of fish and lobsters.

So with fingers crossed, I took gabe on an MRT ride back to my old home and my entire family was waiting there (the yee yee took the opportunity to go for a shampoo). Gabe was placed on a huge block in the armchair, elevating him to a comfortable height for the stylist, turned in the direction of the tv and by the time the introduction song for Barney came on, he was staring at the screen motionlessly. I tell you, he looked so cute from behind -- this little kid with a little head, completely still and allowing Jubee to do all the mojo.

All four of us stood at a distance, marvelling at how our ploy worked. But it didn't last very long, and another lady had to double up as entertainer. Everytime he turned around to look at us, three of us automatically started clapping and praising him for being a good boy, much like how circus clowns are cued to respond. Later on, he began negotiations with Jubee, telling her he "don't want" the shaver and that he wanted her to "finish" the haircut, and she'll respond with various attempts to lengthen his time in the seat.

Well, you'll see that the final result is not perfect but already a stupendous (Barney's lingo) improvement to the track record.

And... how one kid can mobilize the entire family and two thirds of a salon in accomplishing the task of a haircut...

"Useless" Conversations

2009-01-08T17:36:00.000+08:00

I never understand why my husband bothers to have certain conversations with his son.

Derod: Do you want to learn programming?
Gabe: Yes!
Derod: Next time when you grow up, papa teach you programming ok?
Gabe: Ok!

Water Play

2009-01-02T21:10:00.009+08:00

We took Gabe out for lunch with the Ds at Vivocity on New Year's Day. It was a good time of catching up and the kids had a rather good time looking at boats and the monorail at the water front. We found the kid's meal at Marche's to be a steal, so the next time you venture into that territory, hesitate not and grab a kid's meal if you have a child in tow.

We made the playground a pitstop and since I brought extra change for gabe, he was free to explore the little jets of water. Tas preferred the playground and Yulia was too young to get into any trouble, so gabe took to his thing with the "water fountain".

He went from observing at the sidelines to standing near the steam of water, to putting his hand out to touch the stream of water, to being all wet eventually. Oh, and we noted a pack full of poo when we changed him out of his wet clothes. Derod figured he must have either had a lot of time doing his business standing there "meditating", or that sudden spray of water must have scared the shit out of him, literally (last picture).

Messy Developments

2008-12-28T17:01:00.002+08:00

Feeding oneself. That has to be one milestone every parent heaves a sigh of great relief at. I for one am familiar with all the benefits of a child who can feed himself, at least in my imagination. Jemmy's mummy was encouraging me to get this training going as soon as possible so that when #2 arrives, it'll be a great load off my shoulders. I tried. But I didn't make much headway. And it's because of me...

Every parent has some form of hang-ups. Mine's to do with mess. I can't take mess. I cringe when I see adults scattering rice around their plates, not stacking up the meat and fish bones in a neat pile, dripping soup while the spoon journeys from the soup bowl to their mouth. I see clips of children eating with their hands (read: all ten fingers and palms) and collateral damage extends to the entire highchair, their faces, bodies and clothes. Honestly, I think mess is healthy for children. I mean, when eating, baking, playing with brushes and just plain experimenting, I think mess is a good part of growth! But I just can't bring myself to execute it. I read Karen Cheng's account of her boys helping out with some paint work and I thought it to be such a cool and fun idea but like Karen, I won't be able to watch.

So... when gabe's mouth misses the spoon, when he tilts the utensil before it reaches him, when the food goes all over the highchair, into his bib pocket and onto the floor, I cringe big time and pick up each blob the instant it drops. That's not including the happy banging of the spoon, uncontrolled stirring of the food, and those itchy hands beating me to the food that has dropped. Urgh it's such agony on my part. But it has to be done, especially when Carissa has accomplished the feat at 1.5 years old! And so has that 1.5 yo boy sitting behind us at the restaurant yesterday!

I do think it's high time for gabe to go intensive on training. He's more than ready. And with the extra motivation by Carissa, I think I'll do better this time. But this goes against the very grain of my make-up, so fingers crossed and pat on my shoulder for encouragement ok!

Here's Looking at You Babe!

2008-12-24T11:19:00.004+08:00

We went for the 32 week growth/ detailed scan last week and mei mei gave us a surprise. Anyway, she's one cooperative baby, and all the measurements (via ultrasound) were taken with ease. As we didn't manage to make baby-sitting plans for gabe, he came along and saw how the doctor "check mei mei".

Ok, now for the surprise. We didn't expect to be able to see this:

It's such a clear shot of her face! Can you see her hands placed so daintily under one cheek? Gives you some idea who she resembles more?

The Barney Bag

2008-12-15T11:37:00.006+08:00

I walked by a pasar malam the other day and saw among other things, this.

Dangling amidst all the other "characters" was this super cheong-looking Barney. Stall holder said it costs $9. I don't believe it but I actually bought the bag. When I held it up to Gabe and asked him what it was, he replied "Barney!" without a moment's hesitation. Well, since the little guy can't tell the difference and grins from ear to ear when he's carrying it, we're all happy about the purchase *wink*. In fact, he even requests to "wear barney bag" (which we have to keep correcting to "carry the barney bag") when we do get out of the house. So on occasions, Gabe will be carrying his own change!

Doesn't he look like such a big boy with the "haversack"?

The Name Game... Again

2008-12-05T14:32:00.002+08:00

So here we are again agonizing over the name to give to #2...

We spent the entire 10 months of pregnancy deciding what to name Gabe and miraculously came to a conclusion just when he was to pop. In fact, for Gabe's case, we spent more time laughing over what not to name him (English name). Credit given to derod for 90% of the corny contributions. As for the Chinese name, after mulling over for what seemed like eons, and given limitations like the mandatory "源" to be included in the name, we decided he should be known as 智源, the origin of which is taken from Proverbs:

16:22 人有智慧就有生命的泉源 and
18:4 人口中的言语，如同深水。智慧的泉源，好像涌流的河水。

Now that this one is a girl, it doesn't seem to make naming any easier. It's not that derod and I are incompetent with the Chinese language but it's more of trying to discern what the Lord has in stored for her, or what He wants her to be known for and hence giving a name that fits that purpose that He has planned. As parents, I think the participation of the child's spiritual journey begins here and hence the significance of naming your child.

And just when we thought we'd finally hit the bull's eye, we discovered our choice for #2, when translated into hokkien, was worse than disastrous. It was the kind of suicidal name you laughed at and swore you'll never name your child. *WAIL!* Now it's back to the old drawing board for us.

Blabber Horror

2008-12-04T00:06:00.005+08:00

Gabe and I were scheduled for a trip out of the house today and after getting him dressed, it was my turn.

I looked through my wardrobe and declared to him in despair, "怎么办？妈妈没有衣服穿了..."

He repeated after me with "怎么办？妈妈没有衣服穿了！"

A few seconds later, he decided to have a go at it again and went "怎么办？妈妈没有穿衣服了！"

*FAINT*

"Thank You Mummy!"

2008-12-03T14:10:00.002+08:00

I made macaroni soup for lunch yesterday and I must say it tasted pretty good. But what do kids know about good food? Anyway, this happened at the lunch table:

I was feeding Gabe his portion and somewhere around the middle of the meal...
Gabe: Mummy cook muum muum.
Cheoklet: For who?
Gabe: For Gabriel boy. Mummy cook food for Gabriel boy. Thank you mummy!
Cheoklet: Oh! *quite startled* Thank you for saying thank you. You're welcome.
Gabe: Thank you mummy cook food for Gabriel. (And for the rest of the meal, he repeated this sentence every now and then.)
Gabe: Mmm... soup is niiiiiiiiiiice. Soup is gooooood.

I was caught off guard that he could voluntarily say thanks for something that I've been doing everyday anyway. Makes me wonder if he'll say thanks to mummy for giving him a shower. In any case, I thanked him for appreciating my efforts and told him that it was really sweet of him to do so. Sigh... *face wrinkled up in emotion* so sweet hor?

Oh No!!!

2008-12-01T23:24:00.005+08:00

Look what I'm doing already!!!!?!?!??!?!

And they are on sale.... **twiddles** Should I??????

House Elf at Work

2008-11-29T22:54:00.005+08:00

Gabe loves to "help out" around the house and will fight for his turn at the mop or magic clean. He will even request for mummy to clean the house just so he can help out. He details to instructions of cleaning under the various furniture but mostly just runs around excitedly with the stick that's much taller than he is.

Busy elf!

Dragging the two packs around as if he's heading for a holiday. They were with him everywhere he went for half a day.

Gabe & Golden

2008-11-29T22:50:00.005+08:00

Golden has gotten a status upgrade. Instead of simply being a sleeping partner (ie just lying beside Gabe), he's become somewhat of a comfort at times. I get amused at the various positions the two get into when I come in to check on the boy during nap times.

How on earth can one be comfortable like that?!

The arm first secures Golden before closing the loop with the two beloved fingers in the mouth.

Golden flat on top of his face. But Gabe tilted his face a little to leave some room for breathing.

Papa's Birthday

2008-11-27T15:20:00.010+08:00

We celebrated derod's birthday yesterday with both sets of parents at an outdoor steamboat dinner. Prior to that, we had some time on our hands and went to Vivocity where Gabe's sharp eyes zoomed in on "WATER FOUNTAIN!!!" located outside of the shopping centre when he was tucked about a hundred metres deep within the barracades of shops. So, father and son spent some time exploring the feature before stomach-filling time.

Gabe's favourite Chinese song is sheng ri kuai le. So imagine his delight when everyone was singing it while he was secured on his papa's lap. He's probably thinking that everyone's singing the song to him!

We are three, for the moment. And derod is three-ty something.

After all the fanfare, we returned home and carried out our nightly routine with Gabe. I reiterated that it was papa's birthday and asked if he'd like to sing the happy birthday song to papa. Gabe happily belted out both renditions in English and Chinese. We were so amused yet amazed. You see, we've always known that Gabe knew the song(s) but since we've never heard nor requested for him to sing the whole song on his own, we were never really sure of the extent of this knowledge, until tonight. And the papa was so touched, he told me that it was "the best birthday present ever".

The Fuzzy Wuzzy Feeling

2008-11-24T11:20:00.003+08:00

I've been taking time to prepare the logistics required for the arrival of #2 and today's task was to take out all the clothes that Gabe has outgrown, sort them out and repack them according to the different categories I have in mind. They go something like this:

Unisex Clothes #2 Can Wear
This would comprise mostly of home wear for the first few months. They are mostly in whites, yellows and pale blues. If #2 is going to be like her brother, then she would outgrow these by the beginning of the third month, if not earlier. Then they will be packed and stored away for certain buddies who are awaiting the arrival of the stork.

Boyish Clothes - For Home/ Rough Wear
Obviously #2 won't be needing these, which fill up a large vacuum bag. They are already packed and sitting in the store for the above-mentioned buddies.

The Choice Clothes
Most of Gabe's clothes were bought by family members and close friends, or were good quality hand-me-downs. Derod and I contributed to a few choice pairs of shoes. I had such a tough time sifting through these garments. To my surprise, I got quite emotional picking up and looking at these little pieces. Gabe spent much time in these choice ones. There I was, bathing and changing him into these little outfits then time flew by and he has outgrown them just like that. I recall him being so tiny and tubby, looking so wide-eyed and innocent in them. My baby is gone; he's all grown up into this talking, running toddler. I miss him. So I'm keeping some of these pieces with me as keepsake for times that have past us.

Such unexpected emotions at such mundane tasks...

20 November 2008 - A Good Day

2008-11-22T20:41:00.005+08:00

Gabe has somehow wandered into the realm of the terrible twos and life, at least for the parents, has never been the same. I have absolutely no idea exactly how and when this happened but it beginnings can be traced to somewhere after he turned 18 months. Someone once told me that the terrible twos do not begin when the toddler turns two and neither do they vanish on his third birthday. So the last few months have been an increasingly challenging journey for the parents, and especially me as the main caregiver.

Life with Gabe can be sooooo trying at times, there are days that poor derod returns from a hard day's work to a grouchy wife and a difficult child. But today, oh today, was glorious! Gabe was the most obedient, cooperative, amusing, polite little boy throughout the day. Today, being around him was pure joy and it magically erased the effects accumulated from all those months of horror.

On top of that, we had these two bits of conversations that stuck with me.

I was showing Gabe some pictures of him as an infant and pointed out someone who is in need of prayer. After describing the situation in simple language, and reiterating that we should pray for this person, Gabe put his hands together and said the only prayer he knows. "Thank you Jesus for xxx..." He hung on the last few words while looking at me for further direction and after giving him a few helping words, we closed the prayer in Jesus' name. I was shocked! I didn't expect a response, and one that required him to dig into his reserve of capabilities and fish out something that was closest to the situation and apply it. You see, the only prayer Gabe knows is the prayer at meal times; he says his own grace at milk/ meal times so it's the only one he can fall back on. But it was the gesture of him praying for someone that really touched me. Derod and I hope that he will be a boy who grows up to embrace the Father in prayer and to keep others in prayer too.

The other conversation took place after lunch. I was peeling one of two oranges for us to share and he was holding on to the other. After some rough handling, I reminded him that he should be gentle with the fruit and be careful not to drop or throw it off his tray. At one point, he got so carried away he actually threw the orange on the dining table, upsetting some utensils. Sternly but gently, I repeated my instructions (makes you wonder why mothers become naggy). He read the expressions on my face and the tone of my voice and concluded, "Cannot throw orange. Mummy upset. Kiss mummy happy."

?!?!?!?!??!?!??!?

Well, it was a wonderful day. Enjoy it while it lasts, cheoklet, even though it's only for one day.

Conversations with my 1.8 Year Old

2008-11-17T22:09:00.003+08:00

I can't believe the time has come for me to have conversations with my son. I mean, not too long ago he was still sitting there goo-goo ga-ga-ing away and here we are today communicating in long phrases and sentences.

Gabe started out repeating the things that I tell him. He does a lot of his repeating immediately, but what I meant from the previous sentence is that he'll see a situation/ scene which I gave him some description of on previous occasions, and tell me exactly what I told him back then. He'd also repeat instructions that were given to him some time ago when the same situation comes on again. Till today, he'll still be telling us, "Cannot come down the bed yourself. Must ask mummy and papa help. Cannot scream and shout and cry. " And this was the instruction that was first told to him when his bed arrived three weeks ago. The scary part of this memory thing is that he actually remembers promises (big or small) be it a day or a week later.

These days, he requests for things -- a certain CD to be played, a certain drink, a certain toy, to speak with someone on the phone, to go to someone's house, requiring you to perform a certain action.

He'll also tell us what's on his mind, and they reveal what he associates various places or people with. If we're heading to pick derod up from work, he'll rattle off that we'll get to go inside the tunnel (CTE), see water fountain (there's one just down the slope from derod's office) and name some of his colleagues. If we told him we're going out, he'd try his luck with some of his preferences e.g. to go to waigong and waipo's house. Then he'll fantacise that we'll "take the escalator and take the MRT train to go to Potong Pasir and drive taxi".

The other day I was home feeding him his lunch. He was so hungry that he asked for The Sound of Music to be switched off so that he could eat. I chided him for rejecting his breakfast and hence being so hungry that he couldn't wait for lunch to be served.
Cheoklet: See? You didn't want to eat your Sara Lee cake so now you're so hungry.
Gabe: Don't want cake.
Cheoklet: What about bread? What if mummy gave you bread instead? Would you have eaten it?
Gabe: *small pout and paused in silence for a while* Don't say "no!" to mummy. Cannot say "no!" to mummy.

There were so much unspoken thoughts in those two short phrases that I couldn't help but give in to laughing. I suppose I can still react like that for now, while his ability to comprehend is still limited. But not for long. Not for long.

So long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night

2008-11-08T22:31:00.009+08:00

Edelweiss

2008-11-08T22:06:00.003+08:00

Gabe was introduced to The Sound of Music a few months back and it struck a chord with him. He caught on the favourite tunes of Doe a Deer and the likes and has been singing them through the day. But it was the scene of Captain Von Trapp playing the guitar while singing Edelweiss to his seven children that really captured the attention of little Gabe. He'd often fantasize aloud when the scene comes on, saying, "Baby play guitar. Baby sing Edelweiss." Perhaps part of the reason for being so familiar with the instrument is credited to watching his father play in the church band.

So you can imagine his delight when Auntie Lili gifted him with a toy guitar. He beamed with uncontrollable joy and to our amazement, belted out Edelweiss while trying to look like a professional strumming the instrument. Henceforth, everytime he reaches for the toy guitar, he'll go singing either Edelweiss or Doe a Deer, imitating the actors in the show.

Check him out in action, in erm, distracted action. By the way, Gabe has always shown much ease when it comes to rhythm but I can't say the same with regards to pitching. But there has been tremendous improvement of late and hence, what you see today.

Training: Shower Time

2008-10-28T23:30:00.007+08:00

Most parents I know don't seem to have any problems showering their children. Gabe, however, proved to be a challenge when we transited him from the tub to the shower. The initial period saw lots of screaming, crying, and hence very wet and angry parents. He was so afraid of the water running down his face that the entire bath time would be traumatic for both him and us.

It took us about a month or so of long suffering persistence before he finally gave in to the idea. And it wasn't until about two months later that bath time became as enjoyable as before.

Jemmy's mummy again, gave some very helpful tips on how a mother with a growing tummy could get by bathing a toddler. Thanks, woman!

The latest fad is to burst into a run, out into the living room, screaming with glee and shouting "shame shame!" after the mother has removed all his clothes. Here's a shot of the boy goofing around before he enters the bathroom. He was very amused with the shirt being "stuck" on his head.

Training: Cot to Bed

2008-10-27T00:00:00.004+08:00

You'll notice that we're trying to get as much training done as possible partly because gabe is at the stage of readiness and partly in anticipation of the arrival of #2. To complete the training of these areas would mean that we will face less protest in changing habits when he grows older, and hopefully that we'll have an easier time when #2 comes along. And since #2 is going to take over some of gabe's logistics, like the cot, it makes sense to transit gabe out of it, and make it available to his sibling.

We did some homework, checked out what some of our peers are doing, and settled on this Ikea bed. We made a few trips to Ikea, introduced gabe to his new bed there and told him we were going to buy that for him. With fingers crossed and hearts prepared for him not being able to settle into a proper night's sleep for a couple of months, we set the date for the transition four months prior to the arrival of his sibling.

To further ease him into the transition, other than the brain-washing we've attempted, we got him a big pillow and a new companion to add to the new piece of furniture. The pillow, so that he'll stop fighting with me for my very own baby pillow, which I hug to sleep, and Golden, a stuff doggie he fell in love with at first sight on one of those trips to Ikea.

The big day arrived and the bed was delivered and assembled. That very night, we put him to bed with the sole instruction that he was not to get out of bed on his own, and that he must call out for mummy or papa to help him if he needed to. He repeated the instructions to us voluntarily and lay stiffly in bed when derod put him down after our nightly routine. In fact, he seemed so conscious of himself that he hardly moved at all. We figured it's perhaps due to the lack of grills.

And guess what?! The first two nights are fuss-free, as though nothing has changed. We thank God tremendously for this miracle and pray that He will continue to extend His mercy towards us to ensure that every night will remain as smooth as these first two nights.

Training: Toilet

2008-10-26T23:31:00.006+08:00

Gabe's pooping routine is rather predictable, and he's also able to communicate to us after he has soiled his pampers. So we started training him to poop on and into the toilet bowl a couple of months back. Thanks to jemmy's mummy, we got some tips on the kind of seat to purchase and some step by step procedures for the process.

We introduced the concept to him with a reward of a drink of ribena if he successfully poops into the bowl. The initial stage saw him protesting and sometimes crying when he was placed on the seat. Then he started protesting at the point where he realised we were going to drag him to the toilet. Today, he still makes his protests known, but we have less difficulty in getting him to the destination.

He does a hippity hop kind of dance on the spot and add that to the expressions on his face, and we know he's about to go. He is still not at the stage of volunteering the information of his urge but the signs are clear enough for us to whisk him to the toilet. There are times of false alarms, of course. We have also transited to the stage of rewarding ribena only when he does the full job in the bowl, and his pampers remain clean.

At the first sign of download, he will declare to us, "Good boy! Mummy give ribena!"

We've yet to succeed at getting him to pee into the bowl, which we really hope will take place soon, like before #2 comes along. It's funny because many mothers tell me that the pee-training usually comes before the poo-training. If anyone has any tips, please feel free to share with me.

Meanwhile, keep us in prayer as the boy transits from one stage to another into toddlerhood.

Note: image has been removed for modesty purposes

Update: 20 Months

2008-10-15T23:04:00.003+08:00

Funny English
May I have the go outside please mummy?
May I have the sit down please mummy?
Your wheel
Papa give you peace (It should be "Jesus gives you peace")

Direction Sense
Can navigate from home to Buangkok Mrt on foot
Points to correct direction when asked where his home is, where mrt station is from waipo's house

Transited to one nap a day from about 18 months.

Speaks so much I lost count. But never fails to surprise with unexpected statements or weird English to make us laugh. Experiments with sounds to make you laugh.

Loves cleaning. Picks up pieces of paper or cloths and starts wiping everything. Fights to hold on to the magic-clean mop to clean the living room.

Imitates the mother cooking, especially "chop garlic" and "beat the egg". Helps that there is a masak station he can unleash his cooking skills at.

Has a scary memory that never fails to remind us we should be careful with our words or actions. Even things that we take for granted on an irregular basis is remembered.

Favourite toy: sausage
Favourite past-time: sitting on the day bed and reading the magazine

TV Time: approximately half and hour a day, with Mondays being the exception of an hour so that cleaning lady can get stuff done in the house.

Somehow started screaming and shouting for things he wants, without anyone teaching him. Has to learn to ask for things nicely before he is given them.

Initiates creativity. Creates "fireworks" and "water fountain" with soap on the glass door at bath time. "Draws" "fireworks" on his magnetic board. These will always be done in large circular motions as if trying to bring out his understanding of the nature of these objects.

Shoe size remains at 7, since about 18 months.

By now, all canines and front molars are out but are at different stages of growth. Loads of gaps in between teeth though, not the kind in nice, neat rows.