Morning Greetings

Part of the routine in school is for the teachers to greet the students after the national anthem and pledge. 

"Good morning, children!" The teachers would say one by one. And the children will happily reply "Good morning teacher xyz!" or "Good morning ABC laoshi!"

This evening, AC shouted out.. 

AC: Good morning children! 

Me and +3: Good morning teacher AC!

AC: I'm not teacher AC! 

Good morning AC laoshi!

I'm not AC laoshi!

Good morning uncle AC!

I'm not uncle AC!

Good morning grandpa AC! 

I'm not grandpa AC! 

Good morning smelly boy!

I'm not smelly boy! 

Good morning handsome boy! 

Good morning!

Lol. 

My Silly Joker

The boy rolled up his dirty blue underwear into a ball and held it up to me.

"Mama, eat! It's a blueberry!" 

So I took a pretend bite out of it (gotta encourage creativity right), and soon after he asked me... 

"Why it taste like ... UNDERWEAR?" and burst into unstoppable laughter. 

Knowing His Limitations

The little one wanted a toy at the top of the cupboard. 

"Mama, can you help me to get the forklift at the top of the cupboard? I'm a short boy." 

Gratitude 31 Oct 2019

Today, I am thankful for friendships. To be surrounded by people who have good intentions for me and care about my wellbeing. 

Gratitude Posts, Here I Come!

It's that time of the year where I end up wallowing a bit in self pity and start comparing myself to others, so +3 reminded me that I needed to be grateful for all the good things in my life. He's right!

Today, I am grateful for a happy family. I'm really blessed with a supportive, smart and kind husband; a bright, funny and loving son; parents who love me so unconditionally; and a really emotionally stable environment (no emotional manipulation or abuse etc). Not everyone is so lucky. 

Father Son Conversation

Dad: you'll be stronger, bigger and better than daddy and mama. We won't be able to carry you around anymore...

AC: I'll carry you and mama, Daddy.

Sunday Funday

Sometimes the best days we have are the ones that happen completely unplanned.

Woke up in the morning, had breakfast at home, and decided to head to the field nearby to throw and catch ball with the little one. He wasn't too keen on that so we made our way to the basketball court and tried to play basketball (he's too little to throw that high) and ended up just running up and down the court. 

Went to the nearby coffeeshop to get a drink to cool down, walked back home and took a nice shower, prepared lunch and had a glorious 4 hour nap. (Which kinda screwed up my sleeping cycle cos it's 3am and I'm wide awake - but the day was totally worth it).

Boy wanted to go for a swim so to the pool we went. The water was nice and warm so we had a good time splashing about. He likes going underwater, sit on the floor, and back up. 

Dinner at Macdonald's and back home after. What a lovely day!

Big Boy

I'm not well so told the little one that I won't be sleeping in his room tonight. His dad said the same thing.

Dad: Mama will sleep with daddy tonight, ya.

A: NO, mama will sleep with A tonight! Daddy sleeps alone. You are a big boy already why can't you sleep on your own...

Happy Birthday to Me!

Woke up and the little one sang Happy Birthday in a three languages (with the Malay version being a completely wrong "Selamat Haleee Jaleeee"). Went downstairs to bring the boy cycling but we barely managed to pedal to the playground when it started drizzling. Headed back and made scrambled eggs for breakfast and just lazed at home cos it was a rainy morning. 

Boy played with his toys and then we went to the shops to get him some new pants, a birthday cake for me and window shop for toys. 

Had lunch with the parents, a very enthusiastic round of Happy Birthday song by the little one, cake, and a nice afternoon nap afterward. I fell asleep before the boy did! 

Booked a maxi cab (7 seater) and went to Conrad Hotel for our dinner at Oscar's. There was a staff promo so we ended up getting 30% off the meal - a really good deal. Was pleasantly surprised that Monday nights was ladies night, so ma, nanny and myself had a free flow of sparkling wine. The last time I had free booze during ladies night was probably more than 5 years ago. Hehe.

Food was good, the family was happy. Pa said that he if ate here everyday for a month, he would put on weight. Which I guess is his way of endorsing the place and saying he was satisfied with his meal. Plus, he happily announced that he had 16 oysters. Mom's getting lucky tonight hehehee.

My fav part of the day was just being able to spend it with loved ones. Good food, good company and just enjoying being with each other. 

One year older, one year wiser. :) 

Technically Not Wrong

Me: Where are you sleeping tonight? (Cos he has been sleeping in his own room for a couple of months but last night he slept in the master room)

A: Erm 10.30! (It's 9.15pm)

Me: No not what time, where are you sleeping tonight?

A: Erm... AUSTRALIA!

What's in the Cupboard?

The little one came to the office with me last week. As he doesn't really have anything to do in my office, I usually buy a toy and put it in my cupboard for him to discover. He got a long bus last year, and a dump truck last week. 

This morning, +3 had a conversation with the little one. 

Dad: Are you going to school today?
A: No! I'm going to mama's office.
D: But, mama left already...
A: mmm
D: What will you do at mama's office?
A: I will open the cupboard!
D: Oh, what will you find in that cupboard?
A: A BIG HELICOPTER!!
D: A big helicopter? I thought you have been wanting a Skidsteer?
A: A BIIIIIIIGGGG SKIDSTEER!!
D: A big one? I dont think I've seen it...
A: A small skidsteer then... Like the one in uncle Blippi video. Remember?
D: Aaaah. Ok.

Why We Work

Mama, I will go work and make money to buy underwear for you. Mama, you want underwear?

Overnighter

The boy had been sleeping overnight without needing to wake to go pee for a couple of weeks now. So now the next step is to figure out how he can sleep in the room by himself and teach him to look for me in the master bedroom (or toilet or kitchen) if I'm not next to him when he wakes. 

..

In other news, my hair is falling out by the clumps. ARGH. Don't know why but I made an appointment with the hair stylist to cut it short. It's been a while!

About the Boy

We bought a bed for his room a couple of weeks ago (3 weeks ago?) and he has been happy to sleep in his own room since. But he still insists on sleeping with me, and with me in recovery mode, I'm trying to avoid sleeping in aircon rooms so this arrangement works for me. 

He has also been sleeping through the night without peeing, yay! We've had accidents but thankfully put a waterproof sheet underneath so the mattress didn't get soiled. 

The boy is growing up! 

Recently he has been more affectionate, giving me kisses and hugs when I ask, compared to his younger days when he will turn his cheek when you ask him to kiss you (and you have to kiss him instead). He has also been picking flowers to give me which makes my heart melt.

He has been going for swim lessons every week unless he is sick, and you can see his progress from being afraid to jumping in the pool to enjoying to swim on his own while wearing the float. 

I'm trying not to be a tiger mom but I might be sending him for mandarin enrichment classes. This is more because we don't speak mandarin at home so I'm trying to give him more exposure. He will be going for a trial lesson next week so let's see how that goes. 

He enjoys watching titipo (the little train) and can watch the same 13 episodes over and over and over again. He also enjoys going to the Tayo station, an indoor playground at Downtown East in Pasir Ris. 

The TCM suggested I give him a massage before he sleeps, so that's part of our nightly routine as well. We have also been giving him huai shan (mountain yam) which is supposed to be good for the spleen, strengthening it so he can absorb food better. 

The boy has a cheeky sense of humour and loves to make us laugh. I'm sure he got his silliness from both sides, so is amplified in him. Haha 

Words cant describe how much I love the boy and +3 and this little family that we have together. I must have done something good. 

Three Months Since

Wow our Perth holiday was 3 months ago, how quickly time flies. I realise I didn't really finish writing about the trip and it's cos so many things happened during and after and I didn't really have the mood or energy to post something here. 

The Perth trip was full of ups and downs. We had a great time with family, as always. Celebrated mom's 70th in the day we arrived. Went to many parks and playgrounds, letting AC run and roll around in the grass and sand. We headed to a beach (Burns Beach, I think) near Uncle M and Aunty T's home and enjoyed a lovely stroll along the beach while waiting for the sun to set. 

There was also a trip to the hospital A&E, due to bleeding I had. Turns out I was having a miscarriage and I spent the rest of the week bedridden. I've said this before and I'll say it here again, if there was any place I could choose for such a devastating thing to happen, Perth would be it. I was surrounded by so much love and support, which made everything that little bit more bearable. 

Came back to SG, saw my gynae who gave me 3 weeks of hospital leave to rest. A week after he gives me the all-clear (I had bled everything and didn't need to do any procedure to clear out my womb), and the day after my appointment I started having high fevers. By the end of the week, I was still not getting better and feeling like death, I head to the doctor who suspects I have pneumonia. 

He gives me a referral letter and half a day later I'm admitted after x-ray scans confirm what he suspected. I spend 3 nights in the hospital before I would be discharged, and was given an additional week of hospital leave (total one month now). 

Since then, I've been seeing a TCM to help nurse myself back to health. He reckons my body was weak to begin with (low qi) and the body is smart and knows it cannot carry a pregnancy go full term so terminates it naturally.

The miscarriage then weakens my already weak body, which made me susceptible to viruses which would probably just give a normal-healthy person a running nose. Instead, I'm knocked out by the virus and hence the pneumonia - my body just can't fight it. 

2 months of TCM treatment later, I'm telling stronger. My cough has been on and off since but I do feel better. The TCM doctor says it is sometimes faster to be slower, which are his words of advise when I ask him about when I can start trying again. He says it is better to be patient and let my body build up it's strength, rather than rush into making another baby while my body isn't strong enough. 

Fair enough but sometimes it's hard to be patient. But patient I must be. 

I've also put my Masters studies on hold so I can finance my TCM treatments and focus on getting enough rest and not being too stressed. Will consider continuing it at a later time, and this gives me more time to save money for it as well. 

It all feels like a waiting game now, but good things come to those who wait, right? 

28 May 2019

See you again, Orb. 

Perth Day One (25 May 2019)

Aaaaand we're in Perth! Had a morning flight which was a little bit delayed cos there were some passengers who checked in but didn't board the flight, and everyone had to wait for the airline to remove their luggages. 5hrs + and AC was such a good boy the whole time (well, almost, if you don't think so much about how he he doesn't eat much). 

Coco and cheche picked us up at the airport, we got our data sim cards, picked up red rooster on the way home and had a good rest. Little one enjoyed playing with all the toys at home, and hanging out with his cousins.

Went to the community hall a couple of minutes walk away and met the rest of the fam there. Was nice having quick catch ups woth everyone, the last time I was there was in 2011 I think! 

Anyway the weather is gorgeous. 19 degrees when we landed at 1pm, and single digits as night falls. Sosososo nice to cuddle under the blankets and sleeping next to AC is like having your own mini heater. Hehehee.

I keep peeing, which is why I am up at 430am. Lol.

Hmmm

+3 was playing some classical music on the radio while he was having his breakfast in the kitchen. I walk in and he says, "Do you know what I noticed from watching Netflix? All the villians always play classical music when they are having breakfast in the morning." 

.. Is he trying to tell me something? 

Hehehehe

My Brave Boy

The boy woke up at 5am cos of the rain.

"Mama what's that sound? It's raining. The thunder is is angry. I'm so brave. I cover my ears and no more thunder." 

..

The other day, he was asking me to go to the room but the lights were off. It was late afternoon or early evening, so not pitch black but dark enough along the hallway and room for me to say, "It's so dark. Mama is scared. Come and hold my hand."

To my pleasant surprise, the little one replied me, "Don't be scared. You are brave. Don't be scared, come here Mama. You are brave, ok?" 

Waaah I must be doing something right!

A New Discovery

While playing with a wooden alphabet block:

"One side is M, the other side is W!" (turning it upside down)

Who Am I?

+3 went swimming this evening while the little one and I sat on the balcony at home watching. There's another lady in the pool swimming too and suddenly the boy asks me, "Is that mama?" 

Negotiation

The little one really knows how to get what he wants. He knows I go soft when he is well mannered and all, so will ask for stuff with extra emphasis on his pleases and thank yous.

 

Mama, can I have ice cream PLLEEEAAAASSSSEEEE? 

If that doesn't work, his next trick is to appeal to sharing with us. 

Mama, we share the ice cream ok? PLLLLEEEAAAAAASSSEEEEE?

And if that still doesn't work and he wants something that I have in hand.

Mama, I hold only. I hold the ice cream only. PPLLLLEEEEAAAAASSSEEEE?

If I do somehow succumb to letting him "hold only" and he is happily eating. This is what he says when I ask him to share with me. 

Mama, next time I buy for you ice cream ok? 

Then he happily runs off. 

Hello, Hello

So I'm writing this cos someone asked me over the weekend why I don't blog anymore. For one, I've just been rather lazy and caught up with life, and also, I didn't know anyone read this page anymore! 

Lol, so hello, hello. This post is for you.

Anyway, my last proper update was last year's trip to HK, and I didnt even finish that. We ended our trip in Disneyland, which was wonderful as usual. The boy enjoyed the rides, and actually stayed awake way past his nap time both days we were there. 

Plus point of the trip? He didn't fall sick! Hurrah! 

2018 came and went, and now we are already into the third month of 2019. Yikes. TIME FLIES. 

The little one turned 3 this year and we celebrated his birthday in school with cake and presents for his classmates (mini tubs of playdoh which you can get in a bulk pack). It's really nice to see how he interacts with his friends in school, and how much they have grown over the last year since he started. 

We spent CNY in Indonesia with the family - a laid back and lazy trip. The best kind, really. The boy enjoyed his train rides, but poor mama had a sore back from carrying him while he enjoyed his snooze. We didn't pack as many diapers this time round, as he is being potty trained, and had to really ration them out when he had a bout of diarea in the first couple of days. 

Anyway, potty training has officially begin and he even wears underwear in school. He isn't 100% potty trained yet and sometimes forgets to tell us when he needs to go pee or poop, resulting in a very wet pillow last night at dinner (he sits on a pillow on the dining chair so he is propped up a little higher). But otherwise, he is happy to yell out MAMA I NEED TO POOPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO then sprint to the toilet. 

The boy also is such a chatterbox and basically nonstop talking from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed. I wonder where he got that from? (guilty look). Hehehe. He is a funny little fella as well, and likes to say the opposite to get a laugh (like, if you say Good morning! he will say Good night!). He also likes making up words and laughing when we repeat it (word of the day now is ALIBO!). I need to work on his mandarin though. 

He started swimming classes with 2 other kids from the estate and so far seems to be enjoying himself. He doesn't dare to do some stuff like float, but will listen to the swimming coach and do it anyway. 

Conversation when trying to get him to float on his back 

Coach: Trust me. 

AC: I don't. 

Lol. 

What have we got planned for the rest of 2019? A trip to Perth in May (yay!) to celebrate Ma's 70th. We'll be there for a week and I think it will be nice to catch up and hang out with the family there. 

There is a nice 4 day weekend in August over National Day and I have half a mind to book a room facing the padang to enjoy the fireworks but the hotel rooms are expensive. Pfft. 

I think that's about it? Life is good :) 

3am Booger Conversations

*pointing his finger at me* "Nah."

"What's that? A booger?"

"No, it's iguana."

Lol