I'm watching the Oscars in the background as Aidan totters around, getting up to his usual mischief. He managed to STACK BLOCKS - isn't that a developmental milestone??! - scatter cracker crumbs around the living room, drool on the floorboards, and insert, eject, then re-insert the CD into the Nintendo Wii. Pretty nifty!
Oh hang on a tic. Gotta get him away from the X-Box now, before his Dada gets upset again.
Anyways, he's been articulating heaps lately, saying "pease", "tankoo", and "khock" a lot. It's hilarious! The little young'un is well on his way to verbalising his wants and dislikes ("noooooooooo"), even while dripping snot 'coz of his cold. Poor bubba! So far, his vocabulary consists of:
Boh-beh-ba! = STRAWBERRIES
Awwww-wah! = ORANGE
Gape = GRAPES
Pease = PLEASE
Tankoo = THANK YOU
Khock = CLOCK
Dada = DAD
Mama = MUM (he can also say por-por, dan-dad (grandad), ahn-na (his cousin Anna))
Ahmo = ELMO (he pointed to the Elmo packaging at the supermarket and said "AHMO"!! Amazing!)
Oh-pehn = OPEN
Beh! = PRESS (the Button)
When I can remember more, I'll add to this list. Still waiting on him to string words together to form sentences...
He's also developed a delightful habit of wiping surfaces, like the table, floor, windows, his face, etc... Yes, who needs a housekeeper when the creator of the mess cleans up after himself? ;-)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Happy Engagement Anniversary!
Today marks 6 years since EG and I got engaged. He'd proposed on the spur-of-the-moment at a church camp (Equipping Weekend), hemming and hawing as I stifled then released uncontrollable fits of laughter, protesting "No! Don't ask me don't ask me!!" while he half-kneeled off the dorm bunkbed for half an hour. Classy.
Sadly though, the place where all this occurred has been largely destroyed. Marysville has been obliterated by last Saturday's bushfires, one of the worst in Australia's history, surpassing Ash Wednesday and Black Friday. Yesterday, some of the survivors returned for the first time to view the wreckage they'd once called home. Where EG'd proposed, El Kanah lodge (which had changed management and been renovated since we'd gotten engaged), no longer exists.
Charred remains of a fuel station in Marysville
Aerial view of the township
Closer look at the carnage, from above
More devastating scenes can be seen here, as well as a video from a survivor's point of view.
I guess we won't be able to bring Aidan to see the place where his parents got engaged :-( Our prayers are with those in need.
If you'd like to give towards the effort, you can do so through the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal.
Sadly though, the place where all this occurred has been largely destroyed. Marysville has been obliterated by last Saturday's bushfires, one of the worst in Australia's history, surpassing Ash Wednesday and Black Friday. Yesterday, some of the survivors returned for the first time to view the wreckage they'd once called home. Where EG'd proposed, El Kanah lodge (which had changed management and been renovated since we'd gotten engaged), no longer exists.
Charred remains of a fuel station in Marysville
Aerial view of the township
Closer look at the carnage, from aboveMore devastating scenes can be seen here, as well as a video from a survivor's point of view.
I guess we won't be able to bring Aidan to see the place where his parents got engaged :-( Our prayers are with those in need.
If you'd like to give towards the effort, you can do so through the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I swear it's true...
I've never really won a significant competition in my life so far. Yes, there was that Christmas-card contest in church, some lucky draw, and most recently, a Border's gift-card for creative feedback. So it's to my chagrin that I'm awarding the Worst Mother in the World prize to myself, for successfully locking my son in the car, WITH my car keys, AND my bag, AND my mobile phone.
It felt like something out of a movie, or a poorly written sitcom at the very least. I stupidly handed my keys over to Aidan to play with after I parked in the garage on Monday arvo. As I got out of the car, the door shuts behind me (which I doesn't usually matter since I'm holding the car keys, right? Ohwaitaminit!!), and just as I reach Aidan's door, I hear a "phoomp", the doors are locked, and I'm standing there flabbergasted as my son looks at me gleefully through the car window. He'd clicked on the remote and LOCKED HIMSELF IN!
The next few minutes see me coaxing and pleading with him to press the "unlock" button on the car remote. He doesn't get it. He then drops the key. Then wails at me. I try not to panic. I call EG frantically, several times, but he doesn't pick up 'coz apparently he's on his bike returning to the store from the coffee roaster's. I call Chris, whose home number is saved on the house phone, and she starts looking for numbers to locksmiths on the internet. Finally, I get through to EG, he leaves the shop to come home with the other key. And I wait.
In the meantime, A is getting cranky (rightfully-so) at being trapped in the car, while I am standing outside singing silly songs and pulling funny faces, in between sprints upstairs to upturn every box I have looking for the spare manual car key (the type you insert directly into the car door).
Alls well that ends well though. EG finally got home, A was released from his prison, and I'm convinced not to let him play with valuable objects no matter how much he whines. The little bubba clung onto EG for dear life though, and shook his head violently whenver I reached for him. Serves me right I guess!
A couple of things I'm grateful for though:
1) The weather wasn't too hot - thank God it wasn't the 47-degree day! A was still pretty sweaty though, after being in there for half an hour.
2) We'd reached home when this had happened, and the door from my garage to the house wasn't locked, so I could call for help.
3) We'd JUST found our other car key the night before (hidden in the TV cabinet for some unfathomable reason).
What a day.
It felt like something out of a movie, or a poorly written sitcom at the very least. I stupidly handed my keys over to Aidan to play with after I parked in the garage on Monday arvo. As I got out of the car, the door shuts behind me (which I doesn't usually matter since I'm holding the car keys, right? Ohwaitaminit!!), and just as I reach Aidan's door, I hear a "phoomp", the doors are locked, and I'm standing there flabbergasted as my son looks at me gleefully through the car window. He'd clicked on the remote and LOCKED HIMSELF IN!
The next few minutes see me coaxing and pleading with him to press the "unlock" button on the car remote. He doesn't get it. He then drops the key. Then wails at me. I try not to panic. I call EG frantically, several times, but he doesn't pick up 'coz apparently he's on his bike returning to the store from the coffee roaster's. I call Chris, whose home number is saved on the house phone, and she starts looking for numbers to locksmiths on the internet. Finally, I get through to EG, he leaves the shop to come home with the other key. And I wait.
In the meantime, A is getting cranky (rightfully-so) at being trapped in the car, while I am standing outside singing silly songs and pulling funny faces, in between sprints upstairs to upturn every box I have looking for the spare manual car key (the type you insert directly into the car door).
Alls well that ends well though. EG finally got home, A was released from his prison, and I'm convinced not to let him play with valuable objects no matter how much he whines. The little bubba clung onto EG for dear life though, and shook his head violently whenver I reached for him. Serves me right I guess!
A couple of things I'm grateful for though:
1) The weather wasn't too hot - thank God it wasn't the 47-degree day! A was still pretty sweaty though, after being in there for half an hour.
2) We'd reached home when this had happened, and the door from my garage to the house wasn't locked, so I could call for help.
3) We'd JUST found our other car key the night before (hidden in the TV cabinet for some unfathomable reason).
What a day.
Monday, February 2, 2009
And the winner is...
Big thanks to the few of you who wrote in with a caption for this post, either or FB or on the blog.
And I declare the winner to be... Deadpoet!
Motorists wondered about the sudden downpour.
And I declare the winner to be... Deadpoet!
Motorists wondered about the sudden downpour.As the winner of this leg of the race, Deadpoet as received an all-expenses paid treat to a restaurant of his choice, valid in Melbourne or Singapore.
If you've missed out, don't worry, we'll run another contest again soon... ;-)
If you've missed out, don't worry, we'll run another contest again soon... ;-)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Busy little bee
Sarah Soh's lesson in vacuuming around the house:
Step 1. Pick the dustbuster up from its charger.
Step 2. Unplug the top bendy bit, pluck out the 1 or 2 pens stuck into it by Aidan, and attach the bendy head back.
Step 3. Vacuum as per normal.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Missing the family
I don't think that you ever really know what it feels like to miss someone until you've had a child.
As some of you might already realise, I'm back in Melbourne while Sarah and Aidan are still in Singapore till Chinese New Year. That means that I'll be apart from them for over 3 weeks. We did this last year but I don't remember really feeling as lost as I do now. Especially since I've had their company everyday for over 2 weeks straight and now to not have them around is torturing.
I think that when Aidan was 3 months, he hadn't really started to respond so much and wasn't very interactive, therefore I had not fully developed my relationship with him. But now that he's so chatty and loving, I can't help but feel like a part of me is missing. Coupled with that, not having Sarah around has kinda made me lose my bearings. To not have her by my side when I sleep or when we are watching TV, is really...can't find the right word, but you know what I mean.
3 weeks is such a long time apart and after only a few days, I'm really not sure how it's going to be. The house feels empty, the room feels empty and worse of all I feel empty.
Come home soon...
As some of you might already realise, I'm back in Melbourne while Sarah and Aidan are still in Singapore till Chinese New Year. That means that I'll be apart from them for over 3 weeks. We did this last year but I don't remember really feeling as lost as I do now. Especially since I've had their company everyday for over 2 weeks straight and now to not have them around is torturing.
I think that when Aidan was 3 months, he hadn't really started to respond so much and wasn't very interactive, therefore I had not fully developed my relationship with him. But now that he's so chatty and loving, I can't help but feel like a part of me is missing. Coupled with that, not having Sarah around has kinda made me lose my bearings. To not have her by my side when I sleep or when we are watching TV, is really...can't find the right word, but you know what I mean.
3 weeks is such a long time apart and after only a few days, I'm really not sure how it's going to be. The house feels empty, the room feels empty and worse of all I feel empty.
Come home soon...
Forager
There's a little bin in the kitchen of my in-laws' apartment, and Aidan's developed an annoying habit of rummaging through it looking for things to eat!
I vaguely remember throwing a Yakult can into it, but he appeared in front of me sucking on it soon after with a straw, and I figured I must have remembered wrongly. That was until later when I threw it away again and saw him emerge from the kitchen with the Yakult can in hand, lifting it to his lips. EEEK!
And now, I've just chucked my mango skins and seed away, while my little columbus is tottering in the opposite direction straight towards the bin!
It's bad enough that he's skinny and wolfs down food like a vacuum cleaner whenever we're out so people probably think I've been starving him for days, but this??!!
I vaguely remember throwing a Yakult can into it, but he appeared in front of me sucking on it soon after with a straw, and I figured I must have remembered wrongly. That was until later when I threw it away again and saw him emerge from the kitchen with the Yakult can in hand, lifting it to his lips. EEEK!
And now, I've just chucked my mango skins and seed away, while my little columbus is tottering in the opposite direction straight towards the bin!
It's bad enough that he's skinny and wolfs down food like a vacuum cleaner whenever we're out so people probably think I've been starving him for days, but this??!!
More photos from our trip
These were taken yesterday while we were out and about...
At Canale at Raffles City.
At Emmanuel's 1st birthday! Can you spot little A?
Almost...there...
hee...hee...hee...I...am...evil...
At Canale at Raffles City.
At Emmanuel's 1st birthday! Can you spot little A?
Almost...there...
hee...hee...hee...I...am...evil...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Happy 16 months!
Aidan turned 16 months TODAY! Happy "birthday" bubba! You're really such a charmer and rambunctious toddler...how do I keep up?!!
Gran said you had a blast at the botanical gardens today, chasing the pigeons and patting the...koi??! Haha... didn't know fish liked being petted!
And you sure charmed my friends at the potluck dinner, with your cheeky smile and exuberant nature. What's not too love?
And Aunty Joanne stole your first kiss (accidentally). Haha! Though she did say you leaned in!
Love you heaps my darling bubs.
And your Dada misses you heaps too.
Gran said you had a blast at the botanical gardens today, chasing the pigeons and patting the...koi??! Haha... didn't know fish liked being petted!
And you sure charmed my friends at the potluck dinner, with your cheeky smile and exuberant nature. What's not too love?
And Aunty Joanne stole your first kiss (accidentally). Haha! Though she did say you leaned in!
Love you heaps my darling bubs.
And your Dada misses you heaps too.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Howdy!
It's been awhile since my last post, hope you've all been enjoying the Twitter feeds (on the side bar), and getting real-time updates! Heh...
Things have been terrific over the last couple of weeks here in SG, after the initial adjustment period. Am thoroughly appreciating the love and help that our extended family has well, extended to us, with babysitting and feeding and entertaining duties. And everyone just is amazed and loves Aidan, which makes the trip so worthwhile! Just to see him interact with his 2 sets of grandparents and his cousins and uncles and aunts...lots of memories here. I can sense him changing and evolving during this trip, as he learns and absorbs and mimics from the people around him. Such a quick learner! And such a happy camper!
The flight over was a lot easier than we thought it'd be - so hopefully he'll be good on our way back! While we're here, everyone's astounded and the amount he can stomach for such a tiny body - I reckon he weighs in at about 9.4-9.5kgs now. Not even the weight of a sack of rice yet! But he's getting there. It can be quite embarassing though, the way he eats and how skinny he is - people might think I've been starving him! But he's just got heaps of energy to burn...running around here and there and getting up to all sorts of mischief. Following all the bigger kids around and learning how to play from and with them.
It's fantastic watching him grow up!
Anyhoos! Some pics, finally!
Dada and Bubba. EG in his new cool glasses!
Johanna and I at the Toastbox on Level 3 Vivocity.
(Notice my chipmunk cheeks - post-op effects from removing my wisdom teeth!)
Aidan and Jaedan. Looks like Little A has finally caught up to Little J!
("hey, stop running away from me!" his expression seems to say)
Things have been terrific over the last couple of weeks here in SG, after the initial adjustment period. Am thoroughly appreciating the love and help that our extended family has well, extended to us, with babysitting and feeding and entertaining duties. And everyone just is amazed and loves Aidan, which makes the trip so worthwhile! Just to see him interact with his 2 sets of grandparents and his cousins and uncles and aunts...lots of memories here. I can sense him changing and evolving during this trip, as he learns and absorbs and mimics from the people around him. Such a quick learner! And such a happy camper!
The flight over was a lot easier than we thought it'd be - so hopefully he'll be good on our way back! While we're here, everyone's astounded and the amount he can stomach for such a tiny body - I reckon he weighs in at about 9.4-9.5kgs now. Not even the weight of a sack of rice yet! But he's getting there. It can be quite embarassing though, the way he eats and how skinny he is - people might think I've been starving him! But he's just got heaps of energy to burn...running around here and there and getting up to all sorts of mischief. Following all the bigger kids around and learning how to play from and with them.
It's fantastic watching him grow up!
Anyhoos! Some pics, finally!
Dada and Bubba. EG in his new cool glasses!
Johanna and I at the Toastbox on Level 3 Vivocity.(Notice my chipmunk cheeks - post-op effects from removing my wisdom teeth!)
Aidan and Jaedan. Looks like Little A has finally caught up to Little J!("hey, stop running away from me!" his expression seems to say)
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Who's at the door?
Aidan saying goodbye to Tony and Chevelle as they leave our home...
he seems reluctant to say goodbye...
he seems reluctant to say goodbye...
Monday, December 8, 2008
Another recollection of an average day...
Cleaned and bathed Aidan
Dressed Aidan
Soaked Aidan's clothes in Napisan. Poo stains. Eww.
Fed him breakfast
Made my own breakfast. Gave him some of my breakfast since he wanted some.
Picked up my shed hair from the bathroom floor - with hands. No vacuum cleaner.
Drove over and collected the x-boxes from Terry
Put Aidan to bed
Made appt. to see GP tomorrow arvo
Cleared emails
Called Vera to remind her about documents for her wedding
Unloaded the dishwasher and stored away crockery and utensils
Brought bins in
Collected mail
Made Aidan's lunch
Ate my lunch
Fed Aidan his lunch and some banana
Ate a mango; fed some to Aidan
Cleaned up Aidan's lunch mess
Kept removing Aidan from kitchen - training time!
Did Aidan's laundry
Arranged for Aidan's ticket reissue for his flight to Singapore (Aidan spelt as A-I-N-D-A-N on the e-ticket!)
Emailed Aunty Kim the responses she needs for House church admin
Updated Flybuys address
Applied for concession on our water bill - so we can save some $$!!
Wrote fax cover for Aidan's ticket reissue (with him screaming in the background...)
Changed Aidan's bum (still screaming...)
Sang songs with Aidan - incy wincy spider and twinkle twinkle little star
Hung laundry to dry - with Aidan's help! (he pulled the wet clothes out of the basket and passed them to me. Until he got distracted by a clothes peg...)
Put Aidan down for nap
Planned weekly meals
Packed up Aidan's playtime messes
Did Italian homework
Put Aidan to bed
Cleaned up after dinner
Was supposed to bake scones for my class party tomorrow, and do the ironing, but I'm exhausted! Phew!
In other news, he's walking really well now! And I love it when he keeps saying "oooohhh!" in a really surprised tone at everything - his guys open wide! And just now, I found him in the courtyard (he's never been in there actually, I keep the door locked), really quietly, silently, dumping pebbles into the deep storm drain.
Dressed Aidan
Soaked Aidan's clothes in Napisan. Poo stains. Eww.
Fed him breakfast
Made my own breakfast. Gave him some of my breakfast since he wanted some.
Picked up my shed hair from the bathroom floor - with hands. No vacuum cleaner.
Drove over and collected the x-boxes from Terry
Put Aidan to bed
Made appt. to see GP tomorrow arvo
Cleared emails
Called Vera to remind her about documents for her wedding
Unloaded the dishwasher and stored away crockery and utensils
Brought bins in
Collected mail
Made Aidan's lunch
Ate my lunch
Fed Aidan his lunch and some banana
Ate a mango; fed some to Aidan
Cleaned up Aidan's lunch mess
Kept removing Aidan from kitchen - training time!
Did Aidan's laundry
Arranged for Aidan's ticket reissue for his flight to Singapore (Aidan spelt as A-I-N-D-A-N on the e-ticket!)
Emailed Aunty Kim the responses she needs for House church admin
Updated Flybuys address
Applied for concession on our water bill - so we can save some $$!!
Wrote fax cover for Aidan's ticket reissue (with him screaming in the background...)
Changed Aidan's bum (still screaming...)
Sang songs with Aidan - incy wincy spider and twinkle twinkle little star
Hung laundry to dry - with Aidan's help! (he pulled the wet clothes out of the basket and passed them to me. Until he got distracted by a clothes peg...)
Put Aidan down for nap
Planned weekly meals
Packed up Aidan's playtime messes
Did Italian homework
Put Aidan to bed
Cleaned up after dinner
Was supposed to bake scones for my class party tomorrow, and do the ironing, but I'm exhausted! Phew!
In other news, he's walking really well now! And I love it when he keeps saying "oooohhh!" in a really surprised tone at everything - his guys open wide! And just now, I found him in the courtyard (he's never been in there actually, I keep the door locked), really quietly, silently, dumping pebbles into the deep storm drain.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Sigh...
Re·lief (noun) \ri-ˈlēf\
Defined as the feeling that washes over you when you discover that though your baby has fallen off a change-table that's waist-high, he is all right.
Defined as the feeling that washes over you when you discover that though your baby has fallen off a change-table that's waist-high, he is all right.
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