Long blog break

Tomorrow, we will be driving back to Kuala Lumpur. I won't have internet connection so I will be taking a long, long break off blogging till we come back to Singapore on 6th January 2010.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.

He also wants to travel

Perhaps Joshie has seen daddy dragging his luggage bag too often. Last week, he was happily treating the bag as his drum, happily beating away. I had my back turned and before I knew it, I saw him pulling the bag like this.

Last weekend

Some snapshots of Joshie when we were at Esplanade Mall last weekend.

He loves to help daddy vacuum the floor

Hubby is a real clean freak! He would clean the floor everyday and recently he likes to vacuum coz the little cheeky sometimes drops biscuit crumbs on the floor. So whenever he brings out the vacuum cleaner, the little cheeky would get all excited and say "eeeeeeeeeeeee", imitating the sound made by the vacuum cleaner.

Joshie would stick close to daddy as daddy vacuums every nook and corner of our 2 bedroom apartment. After observing a couple of times, Joshie also knows how to vacuum =) Looks like he will be a great help to us in the future eh?

Tall enough to be able to wash his hands at the sink

With the help of his overturned potty, my little cheeky can even wash his hands at the sink already. My my, this boy is growing up so fast. No longer a baby but a toddler. However he looks way bigger than his age thanks to the genes which he has inherited.

Salmon fish fingers and vegetables pasta

Homemade salmon fish fingers and star shaped organic pasta in vegetable soup.

It's very easy to make the fish fingers. Simply boil some potatoes and mash them with the already cooked salmon. If you prefer the fish fingers to be moist, you can add more potatoes, otherwise you can just mix equal amounts of salmon and potatoes. I also added some grated cheese so that the fish fingers will be tastier. Shape the potato-salmon mixture. Dip them into plain flour, followed by beaten egg and lastly bread crumbs. Either fry them in oil or if you prefer a healthier version, you can bake them in the oven at 200C till brown.

Joshie loves the fish fingers and would happily bite into them during his meals.

Aren't they a cute couple?

Joshie with his Japanese playmate, Rion.

Joshie dancing

"Yay, mummy. My favourite Hillsongs Kids CD is playing and I love to dance & sing along.........Look at me mummy, I'm going up the 'stage' to dance......"

"I wave to my audience first and then shake my bum-bum a little.........follow the beat of the music as I shake."

"Then turn my body sideways as I sing along......."

"And finally sway my arms too........."

My boy, the chatterbox

A picture of Joshie before he went into the swimming pool. Hubby was splashing water at him and he kept on giggling when the water splashed at his face.

His vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds in the recent weeks. So far, he can say the following words:

mama or mi mi - when calling his mummy, he has actually said "ma-mee" a couple of times but usually it's "mama".

up down - he will lift his arms up and down as he says those words

shesk - shake

qua qua - quack quack, when asked what sound does a duck make. He would also spontaneously say "qua qua" when he sees the picture of a duck.

mao - meow, when asked what sound does a cat make, or when he sees the picture of a cat.

dar - deer

a - when he sees his alphabet chart

go

ah-zoo - when he/somebody sneezes

oh-oh - when he/somebody drops something

dow - when prompted to say "do re mi"

That's all I remember for now. He has been talking a lot but we can't really figure out what he wants to say yet.

He can also point to his head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and ears when prompted to do so. Will also stick out his tongue when asked "where is your tongue?"

And previously he would only growl when he sees a picture of a tiger/lion. But now he also growls when he sees other wild animals like the bear. I wonder why........maybe he's grouping all the fierce animals together? =P

My little boy seems to be very musically inclined. He loves to sing and would dance along as well. Previously he would only shake his bum-bum, but since he turned 1, he has added more moves. He likes to sway his arms from side to side and move his body sideways as well. It's such a joy to watch him dancing away. How nice to be a kid huh? No worries at all, everyday just eat, sleep & play.

"Is he your child? But you look so young!"

Young? I am already 27 and I am certain that I don't look younger my age. Yet, I have strangers asking me if Joshie is my son. Doesn't he look like my son? I know he resembles hubby a lot (some people even say he's a photocopy of hubby) but don't I look like the mother?

Last month, I received this comment 4 times, in just a span of 10 days. Strangers whom I brushed shoulders with at the car park/shopping mall/market/gym seem surprised that he is my son and they are even more surprised upon learning that i take care of him full time. 2 weeks ago, someone asked if I am even 22 years old! And yesterday, the trainer at the gym says I look like a student instead of a mother. Gosh!

I guess we are at a age where marrying and having kids after 30 is the norm. That's why people are surprised that Joshie is my child.

Head-knocking?

I don't know where Joshie learnt this from but he gets very excited when he knocks his head against ours. Whenever hubby or I are sitting or lying down, he would take the opportunity and would giggle happily after that. Of course there are times when he knocks too hard and would end up rubbing his sore head.

And lately, he has been more generous with his kisses. Most of the time, he'd kiss us when we ask him to. And sometimes, he'd also give voluntary kisses. How sweet is that? =)

Keeping my toddler occupied

4 pieces of potatoes and 2 containers of paint =)

I let the cheeky go naked in the bathroom and also gave him 2 pieces of blank paper. He was curious........stared at the paint and slowly dipped his fingers inside. I shoved a potato into his hand and guided him. Soon he was busy painting, not only on the paper but on himself! =)

In the end, he had paint on his face, hair, tummy and legs! Luckily the homemade paints are washable, although a tad sticky.

Ingredients for homemade paint:

Condensed milk

Strawberry essence (for the red paint)

Lemon essence (for the yellow paint)

Easy to prepare and non-toxic.

"Mummy, what are you cooking?"

"Can't see what is mummy cooking, so let me stand on a stool. Hmnn, mummy, there's no stool in the kitchen......but nevermind, I know of a good substitute.............The rice container works as good as a stool right????? Hehe, what is cooking in the pot? Smells good!"

Dangerous right? I immediately carried him down as I was afraid he'd get hurt. My little boy is getting cheekier and smarter too. Knows how to reason things out and find a solution for his "problem'. He's really growing up very fast.

Yay!

This is a backdated post.

About two weeks ago, hubby was down with a flu. Then, he infected me.......... My immune system is not that strong but I also think it was because we still shared drinks, food and the same room/bed. I was pretty worried about infecting Joshie as I don't like to handle a crabby baby (who wouldn't?). Moreover, I was also not too keen on feeding him medicine. Thus, I was extra careful; washing my hands frequently, not kissing him, and even tried wearing a mask but the little cheeky pulled that off.

Well, I got well and there was no flu symptoms in the little cheeky. Yay! Double Yay! =P I am really pleased that his immune system is strong enough to ward off the virus that has been lingering in the home.

Second step towards child labour

Hahaha.....this one is unintentional. But it made me realise that my son is growing so so so fast and now has the ability to copy most of the things mummy does. First he copied me cleaning the table/floor/window as depicted in the pictures below. And then few days ago, he copied the way I washed my hair and scrubbed my body. Sometimes, when I am too sweaty and hot, I shower myself too when I give him his bedtime bath.

"Mummy, I can also help you wipe the table after our meals."

"Oops, my biscuit crumbs are on the floor. Let me help mummy clean the floor......."

"Ohh.......windows also have to wipe? Come mummy, I can also help you........."

Developing an interest in books

In the recent month, my little boy has developed an interest in books. He would sit on the bed and flip open the pages of his books, over and over again. The books can keep him occupied for a good 30 minutes. He has never, and i mean never, sat at one spot for such a long time. He is always on the move, satisfying his curious mind and itchy fingers.

And in the past 1 week, he has been coming up to either his daddy or me, take our hand and pull us towards his books. He'll take one of our fingers and point to a picture or sometimes word in the book and we'd read to him. But we seldom get to finish reading the particular page as he would be in a hurry to flip to the next one. Stop him and he'd let out a cry of protest.

I hope his interest in books continues through his childhood, teenage and adult years.

Kindermusik

Signed him up for only three sessions out of eight this semester as we will be back in KL for 3 weeks. Overall, I feel that the class is pretty good. Will blog more about the classes later as I am feeling sleepy now. Nowadays I can't go online during the day as my little cheeky demands his mummy's attention all the time. He would come to my chair and hug my legs with a pathetic look on his face. Sometimes he would reach out for my hand and try to drag me to his play area. Actually, I also feel kinda guilty if I don't spend time with him. After all, children grow up so fast and before I know it, he would be so busy with school, friends and other activites that I wouldn't see much of him. So better enjoy his company while I can.

Will let the pictures do the talking.

First, he was happily banging on the drums as the whole class (actually the mummies) sang Hickory, Dickory Dock.

Then, he decided that it's more fun to turn the drums upside down. He pretended that the overturned drums were now his pots/bowls and the drumsticks were the spoons/ladle. Happily stirring away. See the other girl joining in the fun.

Will he be a good boy? (part 2)

Yes, Joshie was a good boy. He entertained himself with some toys and also "tried out" the gym equipments. And the trainers there were very helpful too and played with him.

So is mummy going to sign up as member of that gym?

The answer is...................

NO!

Yeah, the gym is good. They measure your weight, height, BMI, percentage of body fat and other statistics which I have forgotten; they will even draw up an exercise plan for you and review the plan every 3 months. Also advise you on what you should not eat. BUT...........the fees are too expensive. It's beyond my budget and moreover, I am not 100% sure that Joshie will always let me exercise in peace. So, better not sign up and waste money.

I figured the first step to a slimmer body is not signing up as a member of any gym. I should get my butt of the chair now and spend quality time with my yoga mat, fitball or hula hoop instead!

Will he be a good boy???

Do you think this boy has ever sat still? Nope..........he's always on the move, satisfying his curious mind. As I am typing this now, I am keeping my fingers crossed that he will be a good boy later.

So where are we heading to?

Well, after a few months of contemplation, I have decided to try out a ladies-only gym. This gym allows moms to bring their child along as there's a small play corner for them. But I have a HUGE feeling that my little cheeky will not be interested in the toys! Old stuff! BORING! His eyes would be on the gym equipment. New stuff = Interesting+captivating!

I seriously don't know what I was thinking when I called up the gym to book an appointment. And right now, as I am typing this, I have already made up my mind that I will still go. No backing out. Well, never try never know. So wish me luck!

Cycling at East Coast Park

Since the weather was good, not raining but not too hot, we decided to bring Joshie to East Coast Park to breathe in some fresh air. Actually my neighbour recommended the Polliwoggs indoor playground but as hubby & I were down with flu, we decided not to infect other kids, but to indulge in other activites, such as cycling. I am quite paranoid when Joshie rides with me so hubby took the responsibility instead. Although I have never had any bicycle-related accidents, I am just too worried when Joshie rides with me and end up being very wobbly on the bicycle.

It was a very good outing. Hubby and I managed to burn some calories and we all enjoyed the cool sea breeze. Must do this more often.

Popeye's Potato

Easy peasy to make and very delicious.
First, wash and scrub the potatoes. Prick them all over with a fork and bake them in an oven preheated to 200C for 50-60 minutes, depending on your oven. Meanwhile, steam/boil a handful of spinach. Then drain them and chop into small pieces so that your baby/toddler won't choke on the leaves. Mix with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese.
When the potatoes are done, scoop the flesh out and mash them with a bit of milk. Combine with the spinach-cream cheese mixture and fill the potato skins. Top with some cheese and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Joshie enjoying his lunch. He finished the whole potato. Few days later, I substituted the spinach-cream cheese filling with chopped tomatoes and he loved it too.

First step towards child labour

How to make bread/biscuit crumbs:

Firstly, put the biscuits into a Ziploc bag. Seal tightly. Demonstrate to your child by using a spoon to "smash" the biscuits. He will most likely follow suit, as pictured above.

Voila, you have your crumbs.

First the dining chair, then the table

Getting onto the chair is not enough, now he has to get onto the table and check out the "interesting" items.

Even though I have scolded him, he still does it. And this time, I even beat his little bum-bum. That explains the crying.

Joshie's dinner

Plain rice with beef soup (he ate the carrots and radish), stir fried red spinach and steamed pomfret. Seems to prefer rice than porridge but my only worry is that he doesn't seem to chew his food properly. Everything comes out in his poo, in bits and pieces. Gross.

Pampering my BIG baby

Made a batch of soft-baked cookies with chocolate bits and pecan nuts for my BIG baby. Cannot always cook and bake for the little cheeky only right? Little cheeky's daddy should not be neglected as well. =)

I used to bake these cookies very often during our uni days in Melbourne. I have misplaced the recipe but as I baked it so so so often, I sort of remembered vaguely the ingredients and the quantity as well. However, it did not taste as good as before, so I am trying to figure out what went wrong. Anyone got any good recipes for soft-baked cookies? Hubby prefers soft-baked cookies.

Getting the hang of it

For the past 2 days, Joshie seems to understand how to "play" his Fisher Price shape sorter. Actually, he was more interested in putting the shapes in one by one, directly into the red bucket rather than through the yellow lid. I took the opportunity and guided him through and this time, he did not resist. Last time, he would get upset and just quit playing when I taught him how to push a particular shape through the correct hole.

I don't think he understands the rule of the game yet, but at least he is now trying to fit the shapes in through the hole, rather than throwing every shape into the red bucket. In this picture, he was trying to fit the green triangle through the triangle hole. I slowly guided him and he was really happy when the shape went through.

"Yay, every shape is in, Mummy. Please clap ckap for me."

A day at the zoo

Tiring but fun! Hehe........we left the house at 8:15am today and drove approximately 30 minutes to the Singapore Zoo. Rented a wagon for Joshie to sit in and thankfully, he sat in the wagon without making a fuss. Walked around a bit before we proceeded to Ah Meng Restaurant for a Jungle Wildlife Buffet Breakfast. The orang utans came out to say hello and we had the opportunity to take a picture with them =)

A family picture with the orang utans.

Joshie pointing at the pygmy hippo who was swimming together with the fishes.

And he was brave enough to touch a python.

Patting the guinea pig softly on the head.

And a picture with the rhinos.

We spent half a day the zoo. Saw a lot of other animals too; white tiger, otters, zebras, monkeys, lions, jaguar, leopard, bears, polar bears, ostrich etc etc. Also watched a show by the sealion and got wet as we were standing in front =) Joshie was too excited and skipped his morning nap although he was yawning a couple of times. Therefore we decided to leave at 1pm even though we have not seen the elephants and the Australian outback animals. Nevermind, we'll make sure Joshie sees them next time!

Another milestone........which also means Mummy has to watch him even more closely

He can now climb up the chair...........he has been trying to for several days but failed. Couple of days ago, he succeeded and has since been climbing chairs........oh no, oh no, oh no!!!!!!!!
I started making sure that the chairs are pushed close against the table to deter him from climbing but hubby said he could pull the chairs out. So how? Just have to watch him closely, I guess. Again, I am so thankful that the house is small.


Happily sitting on the chair and lifting his hands up & down. Of late, he likes to lift his arms up and down, and at the same time saying "ack, dow" (up, down).

Second hair cut

His fringe was poking into his eyes, so off we went again for a hair cut at Plaza Singapura. This time, he sat by himself although we had to placate him with raisins when the lady started cutting his hair.

Joshie & his daddy

To Joshie, daddy=fun. After facing mummy for a whole long day, he needs a break from mummy! Haha..........He would be very happy the minute his daddy walks into the house and would be chattering away, calling "da".

This is a picture of both father & son at Ichiban Boshi. Hubby was feeding his little cheeky porridge.

Favourite songs

"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream"

Current favourite song is The Wheels on the Bus. He is able to do the action (although not perfectly correct) of the wheels going round & round, the doors open & shut and the horns go beep beep beep.

Another recent favourite is Row Your Boat. He was sitting in the basket when I sang the song and proceeded to move his body as though on a boat. He would sometimes say "row".

He also likes "Eensy Weensy Spider" and "The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rocks".

Joshie seems very interested in music. Thus, I have signed him up for a trial class at Kindermusik. Since he just completed his gym classes last Monday, he is currently "activity-less" so I decided to let him try music.

Daredevil

My boy, he doesn't seem to fear falling down. His latest stunt is to try to climb onto our Ikea drawers from our bed. I purposely left quite a huge gap to deter him from reaching over to mess up our stuff but that did not work.

He grabbed hold of mummy's handphone and put it to his ear, as though talking on the phone to an imaginary caller.

Can pose for a picture somemore.......see where his little feet are.......at the sloping edge of mummy's pillow.

Surprisingly, he knows how to "reverse" when he has had enough. He would put his right hand on the wall for support and slowly lower his butt on my pillow.