Hubby sprained his ankle yesterday so it was swollen today. Brought RaeAnne to playgroup and left almost immediately cos got to drive him to the nearby clinic. Long time since I drove, but can't bear to see hubby trying to drive with a painful swollen right ankle. Luckily I didn't knock into anything though my parking is still not perfect. Always needs 2 tries before I park in the middle of the lot. :P
RaeAnne's new school bag arrived by post yesterday so today I could pack all her barang barang into the bag. Teacher Chris was very impressed that they can actually personalised school bags with names, she said the bag is big, can use until K1. Teacher Suriya asked me where to order but I didn't have the url at hand.
Today, I took the time to explain to RaeAnne that I got to bring Daddy to the doctor cos Daddy's leg pain pain. I bluffed her that I cannot bring her along if not doctor see her, will give her injection/medicine too. :P Bad to bluff her actually since this evening, we got to bring her for her 18th month DPT booster jab. Her original appt is 2 Aug, Sunday but since the side effect is fever, I didn't want her to have fever on her official first day of school cos it'll be very disruptive if she got to miss school when she's supposed to be adapting. :P
Teacher Chris also helped to reinforce to her during class that mummy bring daddy to doctor so she accept it better bah. Told her I love her and will definitely come and bring her home. When she saw hubby with the bandaged leg, teacher told her, see, Daddy's leg pain pain, her face immediately changed and she cried. I had to reassure her that daddy already saw doctor, not painful anymore. Looks like our gal is sweet and soft hearted despite her usual boisterous and tomboy behaviour. ;)
Anyway, she was playing with plasticine on teacher's lap when we went back around 1040am. Didn't hear any crying which is good. Teacher Chris said she adjusted well today, only cried a bit from 9-930am when the door opened and other students came in cos she thought it was Mummy. Luckily she didn't beat any one today. She ate a bit of the pre cut bread bits that we prepared and teacher said she even gave some to her classmates.
When we fetched her, she even ran back to the classroom to hold teacher Chris's hand and bring teacher out to the waiting area again. Teacher Chris said she was very touched. She waved bye bye to both Teacher Chris and Teacher Suriya too. :)
The BRAND NEW Piggy Family
The cartoon is by Piggy Daddy who is a full time educator and freelance illustrator. Anyone who needs freelance illustrations, please contact us! :)
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Meltdown at playgroup
Intended to bring RaeAnne to playgroup today but she woke up at 710am today, an odd timing, maybe cos she slept late at 11pm last night. But I got no choice but to give her milk cos I could hear her stomach rumbling. She was still sleepy so as expected she slept after her milk feed. I got up to have breakfast and wash up. Thought I should let her sleep a bit more, if not, she'll be too tired by 11am.
Brought her to playgroup. She was ok when I was there but still not interacting with the others. Keep pulling hand to take the wooden blocks for her when the other kids are playing with teacher Suriya. I left the room when Teacher Chris was writing on the paper cups and she was so kaypoh that she stood near the table for quite a while.
But the moment I left, she started crying. Even teacher Chris couldn't pacify her. She carried RaeAnne but she continued crying. It got worse when teacher Chris had to come out of the room to bring an Indian gal to the toilet. RaeAnne was wailing inside and banging the door by then. :P Teacher Chris quickly went back to the room when the little gal finished but the damage was done. She was inconsolable, didn't even want teacher Chris liao. I took a peek at the window and she saw me. Oops, that made matters worse. She cried for nearly half an hour.
By 10.15am, I buay tahan liao and went into the room cos I know it's nearly tea break then. I also felt bad cos firstly I sneaked away without telling her and secondly, she has become a bit unfamiliar to the playgroup again cos we hardly went last week and didn't go yesterday. Had to bluff her that i went toilet, why you cry until like that. Carried her and show her different interesting things in the classroom until she calmed down. She was happy enough to take pandan chiffon cake from the teacher after that. Ate quite a bit too. Must be hungry from all that crying.
She was not like this 2 weeks ago. Think Wed's absence from playgroup did make a difference cos we stayed over at ILs place on Tues night. Also this Mon and Tues, we did not stay long at the playgroup, half an hour at most. :P Think she's also learning about separation anxiety. Yesterday when MIL went for Karaoke lessons at CC, she even cried at the door. She's never done that before.
Later on, Teacher Chris said RaeAnne even slapped an Indian boy who came forward to 'comfort' her. Teacher said she was the only one who ever did that. Most kids will just cry on their own. Aiyoh! So embarrassing. Had to remind ILs esp FIL again that they cannot allow her to beat anyone at home. Must scold and tell her it's wrong. Everytime, never scold, let her beat, that's why she end up with this bad habit of beating others when she's angry. :P
Brought her to playgroup. She was ok when I was there but still not interacting with the others. Keep pulling hand to take the wooden blocks for her when the other kids are playing with teacher Suriya. I left the room when Teacher Chris was writing on the paper cups and she was so kaypoh that she stood near the table for quite a while.
But the moment I left, she started crying. Even teacher Chris couldn't pacify her. She carried RaeAnne but she continued crying. It got worse when teacher Chris had to come out of the room to bring an Indian gal to the toilet. RaeAnne was wailing inside and banging the door by then. :P Teacher Chris quickly went back to the room when the little gal finished but the damage was done. She was inconsolable, didn't even want teacher Chris liao. I took a peek at the window and she saw me. Oops, that made matters worse. She cried for nearly half an hour.
By 10.15am, I buay tahan liao and went into the room cos I know it's nearly tea break then. I also felt bad cos firstly I sneaked away without telling her and secondly, she has become a bit unfamiliar to the playgroup again cos we hardly went last week and didn't go yesterday. Had to bluff her that i went toilet, why you cry until like that. Carried her and show her different interesting things in the classroom until she calmed down. She was happy enough to take pandan chiffon cake from the teacher after that. Ate quite a bit too. Must be hungry from all that crying.
She was not like this 2 weeks ago. Think Wed's absence from playgroup did make a difference cos we stayed over at ILs place on Tues night. Also this Mon and Tues, we did not stay long at the playgroup, half an hour at most. :P Think she's also learning about separation anxiety. Yesterday when MIL went for Karaoke lessons at CC, she even cried at the door. She's never done that before.
Later on, Teacher Chris said RaeAnne even slapped an Indian boy who came forward to 'comfort' her. Teacher said she was the only one who ever did that. Most kids will just cry on their own. Aiyoh! So embarrassing. Had to remind ILs esp FIL again that they cannot allow her to beat anyone at home. Must scold and tell her it's wrong. Everytime, never scold, let her beat, that's why she end up with this bad habit of beating others when she's angry. :P
RaeAnne's first school bag! :)
RaeAnne's starting 2 hours playgroup next monday and I only found out from the teacher yesterday that I need to pack diapers, an extra set of clothes, water bottle, lunch box. No way, her cute little backpack, a gift from my auntie will fit lor. So, no choice, got to start looking for a bigger school bag.
The playgroup that RaeAnne is attending is not a childcare centre, they only occupy one room at the RC centre so there are no personalised lockers or pigeon holes for bags. All the school bags and water bottles are put outside the classroom in a common rectangular plastic box.
So, it's quite 'luan'. Since I've gatecrashed many lessons, I always hear the teacher asking "XXX, is this your bag? Is this your water bottle?" Think the teachers are confused especially since they got new students nearly every 2 weeks. :P
So I'm not surprised when the teacher told me best not to duplicate and buy a bag of the same design for RaeAnne. So, I went to survey and took photos of the other gals' bags outside the classroom. I counted Dora, barbie, disney princess, minnie mouse, and barney. I've seen all these designs at Kiddy palace before because they are the most common/popular. If I can't choose from any of these designs, what's left then? :P
In the end, decided to get the personalised Stephen Joseph bag from BP since there's a 10% discount now. My ex colleague got 2 Stephen Joseph personalised bags as gifts for her niece and nephew and they loved it.
It's $43+ after discount and including normal postage. Expensive to some people but we think it's worth it. The Vinyl bag is big (12" x 13.25") so technically can last her until kindergarten. It's also waterproof so I don't need to worry if her water bottle leaks. Wipes clean easily with a damp cloth. And with her name on it, at least I don't need to worry that anyone will accidentally take away my gal's bag.
But I had to check with the supplier first if they could rush it out for me cos normal processing time is 3 weeks for personalisation. Told the supplier if they can't send it to me before next Mon then I won't order liao cos I really can't wait. Will just go find a bag from KP or BHG this weekend though I don't know what design I'll end up with. :P
But I'm lucky, the Gogo cheer that I wanted was OOS but last minute got a client change her order to another design so they had one left for me. They personalised it for me with her name embroidered in light pink and sent out today. Such great service! :) So, I should receive it by this Fri/Sat and RaeAnne will have a new bag for next Monday.
Hope she'll enjoy school and like her new bag. Here's the link in case anyone is keen. http://www.babyatwork.com/ :)
The playgroup that RaeAnne is attending is not a childcare centre, they only occupy one room at the RC centre so there are no personalised lockers or pigeon holes for bags. All the school bags and water bottles are put outside the classroom in a common rectangular plastic box.
So, it's quite 'luan'. Since I've gatecrashed many lessons, I always hear the teacher asking "XXX, is this your bag? Is this your water bottle?" Think the teachers are confused especially since they got new students nearly every 2 weeks. :P
So I'm not surprised when the teacher told me best not to duplicate and buy a bag of the same design for RaeAnne. So, I went to survey and took photos of the other gals' bags outside the classroom. I counted Dora, barbie, disney princess, minnie mouse, and barney. I've seen all these designs at Kiddy palace before because they are the most common/popular. If I can't choose from any of these designs, what's left then? :P
In the end, decided to get the personalised Stephen Joseph bag from BP since there's a 10% discount now. My ex colleague got 2 Stephen Joseph personalised bags as gifts for her niece and nephew and they loved it.
It's $43+ after discount and including normal postage. Expensive to some people but we think it's worth it. The Vinyl bag is big (12" x 13.25") so technically can last her until kindergarten. It's also waterproof so I don't need to worry if her water bottle leaks. Wipes clean easily with a damp cloth. And with her name on it, at least I don't need to worry that anyone will accidentally take away my gal's bag.
But I had to check with the supplier first if they could rush it out for me cos normal processing time is 3 weeks for personalisation. Told the supplier if they can't send it to me before next Mon then I won't order liao cos I really can't wait. Will just go find a bag from KP or BHG this weekend though I don't know what design I'll end up with. :P
But I'm lucky, the Gogo cheer that I wanted was OOS but last minute got a client change her order to another design so they had one left for me. They personalised it for me with her name embroidered in light pink and sent out today. Such great service! :) So, I should receive it by this Fri/Sat and RaeAnne will have a new bag for next Monday. Hope she'll enjoy school and like her new bag. Here's the link in case anyone is keen. http://www.babyatwork.com/ :)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
First time in history
Today is a significant day cos tonight is the first time when RaeAnne doesn't want to go home with us. Hubby tried putting her on the stroller 3 times but she resisted and slide off the Maclaren stroller each time. Then when we asked her to say bye bye to Ye Ye and Nai Nai, she hugged Nai Nai around the neck and protested until Nai Nai carried her. Then she pointed to Nai Nai's bedroom. Ye Ye and Nai Nai carried her to the bedroom and she lay on the bed happily while we waited outside in the living room.
After a short while, we tried asking her to come home with us again in the living room. But she still didn't want to go home. They went back into the bedroom and when Ye Ye pushed Nai Nai's bed against the wall, she laughed happily. Told MIL that it's ok, I don't have to bring her to school tomorrow but must make sure she wakes up early at 8+am, if not, she'll have a problem waking up for school next week.
I went into the bedroom one more time and told her "Gal, if you don't want to follow Mummy then Mummy is going home. Say Bye Bye to Mummy. Usually, she'll want me when saying Bye bye and realising that I'm leaving without her but this time she said Bye Bye happily without any hesitation. Even as we walked off and closed the door, she didn't come out of the room.
So, we left. But it felt strange that our gal doesn't want us and is exerting her independence and choosing where to sleep. Has our gal really grown up? Haha, maybe sleep-overs at ILs place will become more common in future once she grows older. :P
For tonight, hubby can enjoy watching tv while marking his scripts while I slather on as much stretch mark cream as I want to without worrying about RaeAnne putting her face and fingers on my tummy. :)
After a short while, we tried asking her to come home with us again in the living room. But she still didn't want to go home. They went back into the bedroom and when Ye Ye pushed Nai Nai's bed against the wall, she laughed happily. Told MIL that it's ok, I don't have to bring her to school tomorrow but must make sure she wakes up early at 8+am, if not, she'll have a problem waking up for school next week.
I went into the bedroom one more time and told her "Gal, if you don't want to follow Mummy then Mummy is going home. Say Bye Bye to Mummy. Usually, she'll want me when saying Bye bye and realising that I'm leaving without her but this time she said Bye Bye happily without any hesitation. Even as we walked off and closed the door, she didn't come out of the room.
So, we left. But it felt strange that our gal doesn't want us and is exerting her independence and choosing where to sleep. Has our gal really grown up? Haha, maybe sleep-overs at ILs place will become more common in future once she grows older. :P
For tonight, hubby can enjoy watching tv while marking his scripts while I slather on as much stretch mark cream as I want to without worrying about RaeAnne putting her face and fingers on my tummy. :)
Monday, July 27, 2009
Cranky, sleepy gal.
Had a hard time putting RaeAnne to bed just now cos today she napped less than 1 hr at ILs place (disturbed by people pruning trees when she was asleep. Of all days, we had arranged for the insurance agent to drop us the hospitalisation insurance policies that hubby bought for me and RaeAnne. She only left close to 9pm so I quickly showered and gave her milk.
I was lying down with her on the bed after her milk feed but she kept pulling my hair to get me up because I was ignoring her 'bao bao' cues ie. putting her hands on my shoulders and making the 'uh uh uh' sounds. Kept telling her to call 'Mummy', cannot pull my hair but she ignored me. :P
Had to carry her to the window 4 times (kept telling there there is no one around cos everybody go home and orh orh liao) and the fridge 1 time to take magnets (she don't want Daddy to carry, sigh) before she's finally willing to sleep. :P Finally slept at 1020am, hope she can wake up tomorrow before 830am. :P
Oh ya, Mummy enjoyed the pre natal massage at Rustic Nirvana so much that I signed up for their post natal massage. It was much better than the pre natal massage that a Malay lady did for me which didn't relax me or help relieve my lower back ache. Currently, Rustic nirvana have promotion: 5 home post natal sessions free 5 post natal massage & full body wrap to be done at the spa. The 5 home post natal session comes with sea salt application, jamu massage, 子宫收缩，steam session using herbs, 5 baby massage. And a free binder to keep. By joining their Mother2Baby club, I also got another post natal treatment voucher and a free baby hamper when baby is delivered (need to call them immediately after I deliver then they'll send to the ward) So I thought the promotion's not too bad.
Of course, using my 三寸不烂之舌，I also got the sales consultant to allow me the flexibility to swop the 5 spa post natal session to pre natal session and throw in free scrub if I do that. I also got a 1 time Free Onsen soak at the Rustic Nirvana spa and best of all, 1 free Amara Santuary stay at Sentosa worth $250. All the treatments have no expiry except for the 2d/1N Amara Santuary stay which is only valid for 1 year. My best bargaining chip is that I'm a SAHM with no spending power. If they can't give me a good package, how can I justify spending so much $$$.
How much did I spend? hehe, it's a secret, suffice to say that to relieve my guilt, I paid for it using my own credit card and I'm going by installment plan. It's not as expensive as post natal slimming packages which I don't think I'll need so I'll splurge on massages/scrubs and wraps bah.
I was lying down with her on the bed after her milk feed but she kept pulling my hair to get me up because I was ignoring her 'bao bao' cues ie. putting her hands on my shoulders and making the 'uh uh uh' sounds. Kept telling her to call 'Mummy', cannot pull my hair but she ignored me. :P
Had to carry her to the window 4 times (kept telling there there is no one around cos everybody go home and orh orh liao) and the fridge 1 time to take magnets (she don't want Daddy to carry, sigh) before she's finally willing to sleep. :P Finally slept at 1020am, hope she can wake up tomorrow before 830am. :P
Oh ya, Mummy enjoyed the pre natal massage at Rustic Nirvana so much that I signed up for their post natal massage. It was much better than the pre natal massage that a Malay lady did for me which didn't relax me or help relieve my lower back ache. Currently, Rustic nirvana have promotion: 5 home post natal sessions free 5 post natal massage & full body wrap to be done at the spa. The 5 home post natal session comes with sea salt application, jamu massage, 子宫收缩，steam session using herbs, 5 baby massage. And a free binder to keep. By joining their Mother2Baby club, I also got another post natal treatment voucher and a free baby hamper when baby is delivered (need to call them immediately after I deliver then they'll send to the ward) So I thought the promotion's not too bad.
Of course, using my 三寸不烂之舌，I also got the sales consultant to allow me the flexibility to swop the 5 spa post natal session to pre natal session and throw in free scrub if I do that. I also got a 1 time Free Onsen soak at the Rustic Nirvana spa and best of all, 1 free Amara Santuary stay at Sentosa worth $250. All the treatments have no expiry except for the 2d/1N Amara Santuary stay which is only valid for 1 year. My best bargaining chip is that I'm a SAHM with no spending power. If they can't give me a good package, how can I justify spending so much $$$.
How much did I spend? hehe, it's a secret, suffice to say that to relieve my guilt, I paid for it using my own credit card and I'm going by installment plan. It's not as expensive as post natal slimming packages which I don't think I'll need so I'll splurge on massages/scrubs and wraps bah.
Ba luku, blueberries and Jam
Yesterday we went over to ILs place around noon time, FIL said she ate only a small portion of porridge but they have no choice but to give her milk. I brought over a bit of rice that I cooked for lunch (rice cooked with chicken/veg/mushroom stock and sliced mushroom, diced yam, chicken and lap cheong). Hubby gave her the rice and bits of chicken and she kept pointing and saying 'um' 'um' for more. MIL asked me if I added salt, I told her just about 1/5 of a teaspoon into the rice water cos hubby always complain tasteless when I cook kids friendly food. She tasted the rice and said not salty, very sweet. Hope it was a compliment. :P Anyway, I told hubby I rather cook for RaeAnne, at least she's more appreciative of my cooking than you cos he always have nothing to say, when prompted/pressed, he'll patronise me and say not bad then add on 1 or 2 more criticism. So demoralising for the cook. :P
We've been more and more relaxed towards RaeAnne's diet now that she is 18 months. Hope that we can cook a family dinner where she can share our food and eat with us. So, on Sunday, she tried baluku at waipo's house then today, she tried blue berries and she stole jam from my bread. :P
The baluku she took about one small slice all in all, the blueberries, only one (and she doesn't like the skin so got to peel off). When MIL tried to feed her another blueberries, she spat out liao, maybe got distracted by other things on the kitchen table. She made noise and refuse to cooperate when Ye ye was trying to feed her cheese bread so I got no choice but to carry her to the living room where I was trying to eat my breakfast (bread with goober and bread with blackberry jam).
To distract her, I let her feed me as she pinched the bread from my sandwich. But when she pinched too hard and got the jam part (instead of just plain bread), she stare at the white and pink bread and sent that morsel of bread into her own mouth instead of feeding mummy. So naughty but so clever. After she tasted the jam, she kept pointing to the bread and wants me to feed her the jam. I fed her with bits of bread with just a hint of jam and she 'cheated' by picking up only the jam part and licking it off her fingers. Sigh, why do all kids like sweet stuff? :P
Oh ya, tried our best to make her sleep earlier last night, she slept at 10:30pm so that I can wake her up earlier today. She's starting playgroup next Monday so I need her to get up at 8am or she'll be late for school. It was difficult for me to wake up though I already set alarm cos I took cold medicine yesterday. :P At 830am, after I press the snooze button for umpteen times, I finally got up and started washing up. I hoped that my brushing teeth, washing face and toilet flush will wake her but she continued to sleep without even stirring at all. She looked so peaceful when asleep but I had to be hard hearted to wake her. Kept calling her name, noticed that her fingers had some skin tags so I started to cut them off using the nail clipper while continuing to talk to her.
She finally woke up at 840am. Luckily she didn't cry cos she was fascinated by my nail clipper. Changed her diapers and put her on the potty, no poo or pee today though she did pee in the potty yesterday night at Waipo house before her bath. When we finally left the house, it was already 910am. :P Tomorrow, got to try and wake her earlier again. Slowly adjust everyday. :P
We've been more and more relaxed towards RaeAnne's diet now that she is 18 months. Hope that we can cook a family dinner where she can share our food and eat with us. So, on Sunday, she tried baluku at waipo's house then today, she tried blue berries and she stole jam from my bread. :P
The baluku she took about one small slice all in all, the blueberries, only one (and she doesn't like the skin so got to peel off). When MIL tried to feed her another blueberries, she spat out liao, maybe got distracted by other things on the kitchen table. She made noise and refuse to cooperate when Ye ye was trying to feed her cheese bread so I got no choice but to carry her to the living room where I was trying to eat my breakfast (bread with goober and bread with blackberry jam).
To distract her, I let her feed me as she pinched the bread from my sandwich. But when she pinched too hard and got the jam part (instead of just plain bread), she stare at the white and pink bread and sent that morsel of bread into her own mouth instead of feeding mummy. So naughty but so clever. After she tasted the jam, she kept pointing to the bread and wants me to feed her the jam. I fed her with bits of bread with just a hint of jam and she 'cheated' by picking up only the jam part and licking it off her fingers. Sigh, why do all kids like sweet stuff? :P
Oh ya, tried our best to make her sleep earlier last night, she slept at 10:30pm so that I can wake her up earlier today. She's starting playgroup next Monday so I need her to get up at 8am or she'll be late for school. It was difficult for me to wake up though I already set alarm cos I took cold medicine yesterday. :P At 830am, after I press the snooze button for umpteen times, I finally got up and started washing up. I hoped that my brushing teeth, washing face and toilet flush will wake her but she continued to sleep without even stirring at all. She looked so peaceful when asleep but I had to be hard hearted to wake her. Kept calling her name, noticed that her fingers had some skin tags so I started to cut them off using the nail clipper while continuing to talk to her.
She finally woke up at 840am. Luckily she didn't cry cos she was fascinated by my nail clipper. Changed her diapers and put her on the potty, no poo or pee today though she did pee in the potty yesterday night at Waipo house before her bath. When we finally left the house, it was already 910am. :P Tomorrow, got to try and wake her earlier again. Slowly adjust everyday. :P
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Detailed scan and TMC fish soup
Did my detailed scan on Fri late afternoon. Dr Wong showed us the 3 lines on the ultrasound sound pix, so triple confirmed that it's a girl. :) Baby Raelynn is now 335g, 50th percentile but mummy gained 2.5 kg in 1 month!?! My weight is now 49 kg. I checked my old post. For RaeAnne, I was only 46kg during the DS. Must be all the durians that I ate in recent weeks. :P
Dr Wong was surprised by my weight gain but she said baby is only medium size so please don't go on diet. She said durians are quite nutritious, still ok but cut down on soft drinks if I'm still worried about my weight gain cos it's pure sugar and no nutrients.
Baby's head is also slightly bigger, around 55th percentile and seems like she may have a broad face according to the biparetal circumference. So, Dr Wong deduced that Baby Raelynn probably took after Daddy's face cos Mummy has a small head and slim face. :P
Finally tried the famous fish soup at TMC cafe, had to preorder the day before. It was yummy, not very fishy taste (maybe cos only 3 slices of fish). Noticed that the papaya was not green like the ones CL cooked, so the soup wasn't bitter nor fishy. Anyway, I ordered one to take away and the waitress said since it's frozen, I can keep it for 2 weeks as long as I reboil before drinking. Yeah! Can have papaya fish soup again. :)
I'm down with slight cold and sore throat since yesterday. Sigh, FIL has been coughing since Monday but did not go to see a doctor, MIL also fell sick on Fri, and now it's my turn. Must be the same bug. Hope it's not H1N1. :(
Dr Wong was surprised by my weight gain but she said baby is only medium size so please don't go on diet. She said durians are quite nutritious, still ok but cut down on soft drinks if I'm still worried about my weight gain cos it's pure sugar and no nutrients.
Baby's head is also slightly bigger, around 55th percentile and seems like she may have a broad face according to the biparetal circumference. So, Dr Wong deduced that Baby Raelynn probably took after Daddy's face cos Mummy has a small head and slim face. :P
Finally tried the famous fish soup at TMC cafe, had to preorder the day before. It was yummy, not very fishy taste (maybe cos only 3 slices of fish). Noticed that the papaya was not green like the ones CL cooked, so the soup wasn't bitter nor fishy. Anyway, I ordered one to take away and the waitress said since it's frozen, I can keep it for 2 weeks as long as I reboil before drinking. Yeah! Can have papaya fish soup again. :)
I'm down with slight cold and sore throat since yesterday. Sigh, FIL has been coughing since Monday but did not go to see a doctor, MIL also fell sick on Fri, and now it's my turn. Must be the same bug. Hope it's not H1N1. :(
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Home alone today...
Haven't been home alone for the longest time that I have forgotten how it feels like. Hubby is out whole day for his College Day celebration, there's a College day dinner as well so he won't be back till 11+pm. Since he's back so late, we planned to leave RaeAnne at ILs place tonight and actually she didn't come home to sleep since last night. Yesterday, when I went over to ILs place in the morning, MIL said she wanted to let RaeAnne stay over yesterday night. I asked her if she will be too tired looking after her for 2 consecutive nights and she said it's ok.
So, we thought ok, we'll leave her there for 2 nights then. But last night, FIL asked RaeAnne to wear her pants and follow us home. At evening time, hubby said she told him if RaeAnne wake up early on Sat morning, she'll bring her to the market. Which means up till evening time, she still wanted to let RaeAnne stay overnight. But around 9pm, when we were preparing to go off, Hubby asked MIL again and she said see whether she wants to go home or stay. Totally confused by the mixed signals. Think MIL wants to keep RaeAnne but FIL is not keen so MIL don't dare to openly disagree with him. Anyway, in the end, we left RaeAnne at ILs place firstly because I don't want to 'disappoint' MIL and secondly because once our maid comes, there'll hardly be a chance/need for her to stay over at ILs place.
This morning, first thing I did when I woke up was check for RaeAnne, how come she's not on the bed. Did she fall off? Or was she in the cot? Then I remembered that she slept at MIL house last night. :P
Went for Popeye chicken at T3 with a preggie friend today to fulfil our cravings. Too bad, the mashed potato and biscuits were OOS. :( I reached ILs place around 5pm and RaeAnne was happy to see me but not terribly excited. She's always like that if she spends the night away from us. ILs said last night, she slept only at 12 midnight. I'm not surprised cos yesterday afternoon, they let her nap for 3 hours. ;P I let RaeAnne try the organic ducky biscuit that I bought from T3 but turns out it was too salty and crumbly. Not a good snack so only gave her one.
I left around 7+pm after bringing RaeAnne to the park with MIL. Was so hot and tired by then cos I was wearing black t shirt and jeans and ILs house is very warm with afternoon sun. Also too chicken to go back into the house and hang around because I know she will cry if I say bye bye and leave her behind. So I left in the same lift before they reached the door. :P
Found a few very cute, smiley photos of her at Isetan Tampines when she was trying on the crocs shoes last month. Forgotten to upload these pixs earlier. Really miss her lots now. :)
So, we thought ok, we'll leave her there for 2 nights then. But last night, FIL asked RaeAnne to wear her pants and follow us home. At evening time, hubby said she told him if RaeAnne wake up early on Sat morning, she'll bring her to the market. Which means up till evening time, she still wanted to let RaeAnne stay overnight. But around 9pm, when we were preparing to go off, Hubby asked MIL again and she said see whether she wants to go home or stay. Totally confused by the mixed signals. Think MIL wants to keep RaeAnne but FIL is not keen so MIL don't dare to openly disagree with him. Anyway, in the end, we left RaeAnne at ILs place firstly because I don't want to 'disappoint' MIL and secondly because once our maid comes, there'll hardly be a chance/need for her to stay over at ILs place.
This morning, first thing I did when I woke up was check for RaeAnne, how come she's not on the bed. Did she fall off? Or was she in the cot? Then I remembered that she slept at MIL house last night. :P
Went for Popeye chicken at T3 with a preggie friend today to fulfil our cravings. Too bad, the mashed potato and biscuits were OOS. :( I reached ILs place around 5pm and RaeAnne was happy to see me but not terribly excited. She's always like that if she spends the night away from us. ILs said last night, she slept only at 12 midnight. I'm not surprised cos yesterday afternoon, they let her nap for 3 hours. ;P I let RaeAnne try the organic ducky biscuit that I bought from T3 but turns out it was too salty and crumbly. Not a good snack so only gave her one.
I left around 7+pm after bringing RaeAnne to the park with MIL. Was so hot and tired by then cos I was wearing black t shirt and jeans and ILs house is very warm with afternoon sun. Also too chicken to go back into the house and hang around because I know she will cry if I say bye bye and leave her behind. So I left in the same lift before they reached the door. :P
Found a few very cute, smiley photos of her at Isetan Tampines when she was trying on the crocs shoes last month. Forgotten to upload these pixs earlier. Really miss her lots now. :) 
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
RaeAnne is 18 months today!!! :)
RaeAnne is 18 months today. I considered it a major age milestone cos most playgroups classify 18 months onwards as toddler class. 18 months and below still infantcare. hehe. :) How is our little gal do at 18 months?
Physical - Still 10kg. :P But 79.5cm, grew a bit taller since last month. :)
Vocab - Ma ma, ma me, dare dare (Daddy), ma mae (mei mei), lai lai (nai nai), yeah (for ye ye), grandma, black, bird, mao (cat), up, na, take, there, ba be (baby), bye bye, A
Logic? - Alphabets - only recognise letter A,
shapes: star, circle, triangle,
animals : cow, cat, dog, horse, duck, giraffe, tiger, zebra, elephant, sheep
objects : windmill, bowl, cup, fork, spoon, shirt, pants, towel, hairdryer, handphone, phone, tv,
Imitates action - bye bye, french kiss, xiao xi xi, pretending to stir with a teaspoon, mopping, blowing hair dry, bathing action, dance moves on tv, blow on hot stuff, feel for hot stuff using the knuckles of her fingers, switch off and on the fan,
Imitates sound - moo (cow), ow ow (dog), hu hu hu (blowing sound)
Fav tv shows - ads (esp ribena lemon ad, horlicks, mocca's florist ad, she loves the click click), taiwanese serial Ai's theme song
Motor skills - drinking from cup (getting there, 50% of time, can drink without dribbling), can bring spoon to mouth, scooping food still can't do it very well, stick on the velcro straps of her shoes, take out her shirt over her head, walk, run, dance, blow
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Finally selected a maid...
Shortlisted a few maids but first choice had family problems, didn't want to come to Singapore yet and no fixed date when she can come. I'm also scared to take such a maid, wait 人在新加坡，心在菲律宾。 Second choice, her English cannot make it according to my agent, take long time to answer question Then there was another biodata which Carine sent to me on 15 July, I shortlisted her cos she has a pleasant looking face, has a ready passport, 31 years with a 8 year old boy. But initially, she told the recruiter that she was scared to look after a new born baby but now willing to come, probably told off by the recruiter and my agent. I wanted to be sure that she really wants to come and work or else I'll waste my time training her so I told agent that I want to do a phone interview with her. Called and called today from 12-1pm but can't get through. Gave up and went to get my lunch.
Just now, finally got to speak to her (Filamie Borla), turns out I don't have v019 service at home. No wonder I call and call also cannot work. I use the zone1511 service that I signed up long ago and I got through to her almost immediately. Thankfully, her English is quite good, other than the time lag, I can understand her and she can understand me. I asked about her son and she said her parents will help her to look after him. I warned her that she may miss him and asked her if she is sure that she wants to come and work in Singapore. She sounds quite enthusiastic to come and work for me and said she hopes I like her. So far ok lar, but only when she comes then I'll know if I really made the right choice. Keep my fingers crossed in the meantime. :P
Oh ya, RaeAnne added a new word to her vocabulary yesterday - black. She said black because I told her if she refuse to wash her face and brush her teeth in the morning, she'll end up like the black cat (on the flashcard) and become an 肮脏猫。 Then she went 'black', 'black'. Allow me to clean her face with towel but still refuse to open her mouth for the toothbrush. ;P
Oh, and yes, Mummy has finally reached the halfway mark in my pregnancy cos exactly 20 weeks today! Actually, I think it's more than half way mark since I delivered RaeAnne at 38 weeks plus. Hee hee. ;)
Just now, finally got to speak to her (Filamie Borla), turns out I don't have v019 service at home. No wonder I call and call also cannot work. I use the zone1511 service that I signed up long ago and I got through to her almost immediately. Thankfully, her English is quite good, other than the time lag, I can understand her and she can understand me. I asked about her son and she said her parents will help her to look after him. I warned her that she may miss him and asked her if she is sure that she wants to come and work in Singapore. She sounds quite enthusiastic to come and work for me and said she hopes I like her. So far ok lar, but only when she comes then I'll know if I really made the right choice. Keep my fingers crossed in the meantime. :P
Oh ya, RaeAnne added a new word to her vocabulary yesterday - black. She said black because I told her if she refuse to wash her face and brush her teeth in the morning, she'll end up like the black cat (on the flashcard) and become an 肮脏猫。 Then she went 'black', 'black'. Allow me to clean her face with towel but still refuse to open her mouth for the toothbrush. ;P
Oh, and yes, Mummy has finally reached the halfway mark in my pregnancy cos exactly 20 weeks today! Actually, I think it's more than half way mark since I delivered RaeAnne at 38 weeks plus. Hee hee. ;)
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Free 3d scan at Siemens on 14 July
Was so caught up in the name hunting for RaeAnne that I almost forgot to put up the 3d photos of Mei Mei taken on 14 July at Siemens. Got to know from Dec 09 MTB thread that there is free service by Siemens who are training their product specialists. Checked with Dr Joycelyn Wong and she said it's perfectly safe. Just that at 19 weeks, don't expect the baby to be fat and chubby yet. I booked the last slot which is at 5pm so that hubby can join in too. The scan took 1 hour. We got video clips and pictures. Always wanted to go for 3d scan for RaeAnne but KKH does not have this service. Now, we have a 3d scan for Mei Mei and it's free. Yeah! :) Opening her mouth :)
Using 1 hand to cover her eye ;)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
RaeAnne's new Chinese name... (Part 3)
We have finally decided on RaeAnne's new Chinese name. Last time, we checked online using http://www.poptool.net/history/myname/ only but the website wasn't so good because only tell you how many 吉 or 凶 but didn't elaborate what is bad about it. So, we thought RaeAnne's name got 3 吉 out of 5, considered not bad lor. But the name is actually not so good for gals. :P This new website http://www.xingming.net/ is better and in a way prompted us to research further and in the end, decide to consult a shifu on her name before mei mei is born cos mei mei will also be using the first 2 characters.
彭钟桦大师 gave us 5 suggestions 张绮真，张绮芳，张绮娜，张萁烠，张萁烜。But I still prefer the new name to sound as close to her original name of 张祺慧 as possible. First of all, we are already used to calling her Qihui or Hui Hui (by ye ye and nai nai) and she's starting to respond to her name and even tries to imitate her name. Don't want to confuse her by changing to a totally different name. :P Secondly, if the chinese name is close to original, then we won't need to change her dialect name which is Teo Kay Ris.
So after Mummy's research online, possible names were increased to 张旗真，张旗珍，张旗芯，张旗恩，张旗芬，张旗芳，张旗玲, 张旗芮。Too bad, 张旗恵 could not be used as 恵 cannot be found in 康熙字典。Because 恵 is a variation of 惠 but not found in 康熙字典, even if I use it, it will be counted as 12 strokes instead of 10 so defeats the purpose cos go against the ideal stroke count given by shifu. :P
I prefer 旗 over 萁 even though both are qi2 because 旗 is more common and sounds more positive (think of 旗开得胜). Whereas 萁 is from 豆萁 (stem of the bean plant)and I don't want her to have to recite the 曹植 (曹操's third son)'s poem
煮豆燃豆萁，豆在釜中泣，
本是同根生，相煎何太急！
everytime people ask her name is which qi. Not everyone knows this poem anyway esp those whose chinese standard is not so good. :P Also, 旗's 五行 is also 木，so it makes up for the missing 木 element from her 生辰八字.
In the end, we decided on 张旗芮 because Rui4 sounds like Hui4 and 张旗芮 gels with Teo Kay Ris. Checked with ILs this evening and they are also happy with 张旗芮 cos it sounds like the original name. And yeye is already so used to calling her Hui4 Hui4, change to Rui4Rui4, still not too bad. Hubby said it's predestined that she has to use rui4 for her name cos when we told friends that we are naming our gal RaeAnne, they all think that her chinese name is Rui4en1 even the playgroup teacher. Hehe.
MIL shared that she also wanted to change hubby's and BIL's name cos she consulted a shifu before. But in the end, she didn't do it. Cos they are already in Primary 6 by then more mafan to change. She also said for no. 2, better ask shifu to suggest names again. I was thinking of saving the money since I already have several good gal names to choose for Mei Mei but she's worried about the 生辰八字。Ok, will probably sign up for the name service for Mei Mei while they are still having the $118 promotion then. Nai Nai said 张旗恩 sounds good so maybe can consider for Mei Mei's name too. If not, 张旗玲also good since Daddy decided to name no. 2 Raelynn(e?).
PHEW!!! Mummy can finally breathe a sigh of relief after such a long name hunting process. Hope RaeAnne understands why Mummy and Daddy decided to change her name and is happy with her chinese name. :)
Brought RaeAnne to playgroup today and let her try staying there for 2 hours while I waited outside chatting with Colin's wife (maid agent). 9-10am no problem, she didn't even look for me. But 10am when the kids came out to wash hands for teabreak and she saw me then she start to cry on and off wanting to come out of the room liao. I notice she always does that when her favourite teacher is out of the classroom (bringing the kids to toilet). Next time, when she starts playgroup proper, I'll leave her there then disappear so that she won't be able to look for me.
ILs said she was so tired after the 2 hour playgroup that she actually 趴着睡。Haha. She slept a bit earlier at 1030pm today too, probably because she woke up before 8am today. :)
Oh ya, RaeAnne surprised me by sitting a long time at the toilet bowl this morning and she even poo poo there so mummy no need to wash toilet bowl. I carried her and let her flush the toilet herself as a reward. :)
彭钟桦大师 gave us 5 suggestions 张绮真，张绮芳，张绮娜，张萁烠，张萁烜。But I still prefer the new name to sound as close to her original name of 张祺慧 as possible. First of all, we are already used to calling her Qihui or Hui Hui (by ye ye and nai nai) and she's starting to respond to her name and even tries to imitate her name. Don't want to confuse her by changing to a totally different name. :P Secondly, if the chinese name is close to original, then we won't need to change her dialect name which is Teo Kay Ris.
So after Mummy's research online, possible names were increased to 张旗真，张旗珍，张旗芯，张旗恩，张旗芬，张旗芳，张旗玲, 张旗芮。Too bad, 张旗恵 could not be used as 恵 cannot be found in 康熙字典。Because 恵 is a variation of 惠 but not found in 康熙字典, even if I use it, it will be counted as 12 strokes instead of 10 so defeats the purpose cos go against the ideal stroke count given by shifu. :P
I prefer 旗 over 萁 even though both are qi2 because 旗 is more common and sounds more positive (think of 旗开得胜). Whereas 萁 is from 豆萁 (stem of the bean plant)and I don't want her to have to recite the 曹植 (曹操's third son)'s poem
煮豆燃豆萁，豆在釜中泣，
本是同根生，相煎何太急！
everytime people ask her name is which qi. Not everyone knows this poem anyway esp those whose chinese standard is not so good. :P Also, 旗's 五行 is also 木，so it makes up for the missing 木 element from her 生辰八字.
In the end, we decided on 张旗芮 because Rui4 sounds like Hui4 and 张旗芮 gels with Teo Kay Ris. Checked with ILs this evening and they are also happy with 张旗芮 cos it sounds like the original name. And yeye is already so used to calling her Hui4 Hui4, change to Rui4Rui4, still not too bad. Hubby said it's predestined that she has to use rui4 for her name cos when we told friends that we are naming our gal RaeAnne, they all think that her chinese name is Rui4en1 even the playgroup teacher. Hehe.
MIL shared that she also wanted to change hubby's and BIL's name cos she consulted a shifu before. But in the end, she didn't do it. Cos they are already in Primary 6 by then more mafan to change. She also said for no. 2, better ask shifu to suggest names again. I was thinking of saving the money since I already have several good gal names to choose for Mei Mei but she's worried about the 生辰八字。Ok, will probably sign up for the name service for Mei Mei while they are still having the $118 promotion then. Nai Nai said 张旗恩 sounds good so maybe can consider for Mei Mei's name too. If not, 张旗玲also good since Daddy decided to name no. 2 Raelynn(e?).
PHEW!!! Mummy can finally breathe a sigh of relief after such a long name hunting process. Hope RaeAnne understands why Mummy and Daddy decided to change her name and is happy with her chinese name. :)
Brought RaeAnne to playgroup today and let her try staying there for 2 hours while I waited outside chatting with Colin's wife (maid agent). 9-10am no problem, she didn't even look for me. But 10am when the kids came out to wash hands for teabreak and she saw me then she start to cry on and off wanting to come out of the room liao. I notice she always does that when her favourite teacher is out of the classroom (bringing the kids to toilet). Next time, when she starts playgroup proper, I'll leave her there then disappear so that she won't be able to look for me.
ILs said she was so tired after the 2 hour playgroup that she actually 趴着睡。Haha. She slept a bit earlier at 1030pm today too, probably because she woke up before 8am today. :)
Oh ya, RaeAnne surprised me by sitting a long time at the toilet bowl this morning and she even poo poo there so mummy no need to wash toilet bowl. I carried her and let her flush the toilet herself as a reward. :)
Rainy day... Maid hunting & name hunting part 2
Busy day today, didn't even have time to check forum or play online games. It was raining the whole morning. If I'm not wrong, the rain started at 7+am, RaeAnne woke up at 9am. She said no to the toilet seat and pointed to the potty instead so I put her on the potty, she sat there for a long time. No pee but she did her morning business there. Looks like there is no way I can skip the potty and upgrade her directly to adult toilet at this rate. Maybe because MIL is using potty to train her nowadays. I prefer toilet seats cos no need to wash the potty mah. Only need to flush. ;P
Anyways, I waited from 930am till 1030am but the heavy drizzle never stopped. No one to help and RaeAnne's porridge time is drawing close so I had no choice but to push her in the stroller in the rain. The maclaren has a rain cover so she was quite dry but poor mummy ended up being wet cos I can't even use an umbrella, only put on hubby's cap cos I need 2 hands to push and manuveure the stroller. :P If it were my mum, I'm sure she'll call and check if I need help bringing RaeAnne over in the rain. Hiaz. :P
Carine from the maid agency also sent a new Filipino maid biodata, 31 years old with exp in Philippines, look after children before (5 yrs old and 8 yrs old), has an 8 year old son. Looks pleasant and already has passport. Asked to screen first if english is passable and willing to compromise on off days and HP usage. :P
Went down to 缘中秀 last night, really need to change our RaeAnne's name. We didn't get our wish to keep to same sounding characters. Can keep qi2 sound if use 旗 instead but not 慧 cos qi doesn't go well with hui. :P 大师 gave 4 suggestions, checked online, all 98 out of 100 marks.
But I didn't really like the names so stayed up till 3+am last night to check online for more names based on ideal stroke count of 11, 14, 10。 Luckily, I burned midnight oil last night cos 大师 is travelling tomorrow so Steven managed to check with him regarding the new names I came up with this afternoon when i went down to the shop again.
All but 1 of the extra names I provided are approved. Too bad, the name that I like best cannot be used cos is a very unique hui4 (恵）but can't be found in 康熙字典。 I managed to find the character while poring over dictionaries at Popular though, even bought the dictionary to show the yzx staff but 康熙字典 is gold standard for name choosing, other dictionaries don't count. :P
Already shortlisted a few names but not sure what to use for RaeAnne. Waiting for hubby to make final decision. Will also choose a name for Mei Mei from these ideal names so can save $$$. When I have her 八字 from her dob and time, I'll confirm which name to use depending on whether she has any missing 五行elements.
Anyways, I waited from 930am till 1030am but the heavy drizzle never stopped. No one to help and RaeAnne's porridge time is drawing close so I had no choice but to push her in the stroller in the rain. The maclaren has a rain cover so she was quite dry but poor mummy ended up being wet cos I can't even use an umbrella, only put on hubby's cap cos I need 2 hands to push and manuveure the stroller. :P If it were my mum, I'm sure she'll call and check if I need help bringing RaeAnne over in the rain. Hiaz. :P
Carine from the maid agency also sent a new Filipino maid biodata, 31 years old with exp in Philippines, look after children before (5 yrs old and 8 yrs old), has an 8 year old son. Looks pleasant and already has passport. Asked to screen first if english is passable and willing to compromise on off days and HP usage. :P
Went down to 缘中秀 last night, really need to change our RaeAnne's name. We didn't get our wish to keep to same sounding characters. Can keep qi2 sound if use 旗 instead but not 慧 cos qi doesn't go well with hui. :P 大师 gave 4 suggestions, checked online, all 98 out of 100 marks.
But I didn't really like the names so stayed up till 3+am last night to check online for more names based on ideal stroke count of 11, 14, 10。 Luckily, I burned midnight oil last night cos 大师 is travelling tomorrow so Steven managed to check with him regarding the new names I came up with this afternoon when i went down to the shop again.
All but 1 of the extra names I provided are approved. Too bad, the name that I like best cannot be used cos is a very unique hui4 (恵）but can't be found in 康熙字典。 I managed to find the character while poring over dictionaries at Popular though, even bought the dictionary to show the yzx staff but 康熙字典 is gold standard for name choosing, other dictionaries don't count. :P
Already shortlisted a few names but not sure what to use for RaeAnne. Waiting for hubby to make final decision. Will also choose a name for Mei Mei from these ideal names so can save $$$. When I have her 八字 from her dob and time, I'll confirm which name to use depending on whether she has any missing 五行elements.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Weekend and playgroup again
RaeAnne slept very little over the weekend. Sat, she only napped for 30mins while we are having lunch at Century square foodcourt and Sun, she only napped for 1 hr when we were going to my mum's place from 2nd aunt's place. Sigh, really don't know how come she can nap so little in the day when she always sleep for 2-3 hrs at Nai nai's place. Whether we stay at home or go out doesn't make a difference. :P She has the bad habit of eating her fingers, biting her fingernail and playing with the piece of fingernail in her mouth. A lot of times, we'll catch her doing that and tell her not to do it but she'll only cry and throw tantrum. Think I've got to buy the 'bitter' solution that people apply on children's fingernails to stop her habit soon. :P
She woke up today at 845am. After I fed her milk and got ready to leave the house, it was already 930am. Too late to pop by the playgroup or so I thought. Then we saw many mynahs downstairs on the grass patch behind the RC so I let her down from the stroller to chase the birds. After that, I pushed her past the RC colourful animal murals to go to Ye ye and nai nai house. But after I pushed past the last animal and headed towards the bus stop, she whined and cried. I thought maybe she didn't have enough of the animal murals so pushed her back once again. This time, I went past the playgroup entrance and asked her if she wants to go in. She nodded her head so off I parked the stroller oustide and brought her into the RC centre again.
I was actually just carrying her and letting her look in from the door peep window since it's already 930am and I'm sure the 'lesson' is underway but teacher Suriya spotted me and came to open the door. So, here we go again, gatecrashing the playgroup. Think we have become habitual gatecrashers. But at least I've already paid for her school fees, material fee, insurance and 2 sets of uniform the last time we gatecrashed so I feel a bit better. haha. After I brought her in and took out her shoes (no shoes allowed inside the RC and classroom), I decided to try leaving her alone, told teacher Chris that I'll go and put her shoes outside then see her reaction.
When I came back, the door was already closed so I peered in from the glass peep window to spy on my gal. She did well, she didn't really join in the songs and dance and kept to the wall initially but later she warmed up and went to touch the car that a little indian boy was playing. She warmed up further when teacher Suriya started showing the kids rambutan and mangosteen. She even allowed teacher Chris to seat her on her lap. So proud of my gal. Even the teacher thinks she'll not have a hard time adjusting. I like to think that Mummy's efforts to keep bringing her to the playgroup to gatecrash helps. hehe. :)
Tried uploading the video clips but got problem with video trimming. Sigh. :P
She woke up today at 845am. After I fed her milk and got ready to leave the house, it was already 930am. Too late to pop by the playgroup or so I thought. Then we saw many mynahs downstairs on the grass patch behind the RC so I let her down from the stroller to chase the birds. After that, I pushed her past the RC colourful animal murals to go to Ye ye and nai nai house. But after I pushed past the last animal and headed towards the bus stop, she whined and cried. I thought maybe she didn't have enough of the animal murals so pushed her back once again. This time, I went past the playgroup entrance and asked her if she wants to go in. She nodded her head so off I parked the stroller oustide and brought her into the RC centre again.
I was actually just carrying her and letting her look in from the door peep window since it's already 930am and I'm sure the 'lesson' is underway but teacher Suriya spotted me and came to open the door. So, here we go again, gatecrashing the playgroup. Think we have become habitual gatecrashers. But at least I've already paid for her school fees, material fee, insurance and 2 sets of uniform the last time we gatecrashed so I feel a bit better. haha. After I brought her in and took out her shoes (no shoes allowed inside the RC and classroom), I decided to try leaving her alone, told teacher Chris that I'll go and put her shoes outside then see her reaction.
When I came back, the door was already closed so I peered in from the glass peep window to spy on my gal. She did well, she didn't really join in the songs and dance and kept to the wall initially but later she warmed up and went to touch the car that a little indian boy was playing. She warmed up further when teacher Suriya started showing the kids rambutan and mangosteen. She even allowed teacher Chris to seat her on her lap. So proud of my gal. Even the teacher thinks she'll not have a hard time adjusting. I like to think that Mummy's efforts to keep bringing her to the playgroup to gatecrash helps. hehe. :)
Tried uploading the video clips but got problem with video trimming. Sigh. :P
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Maid hunting & name hunting
Didn't blog for many days cos was busy hunting for a maid. Had a rude awakening when the maid agent (one of the 4 I asked) told me that I may not be able to get a maid in by hubby's in camp training. The last maid agent was the most responsive. Actually it was serendipidity that I got to know this maid agent. After the rude awakening, the next day, I was prepared to go to Katong and start poring through biodatas again. But that morning, RaeAnne woke up early so I decided to swing by the RC playgroup again before she forgets the place. It was then that the teacher mentioned that one of the parents owned a maid agency. Coincidentally, while I was there, the parents came to drop off their 2 gals (Peishi and Peixin). Peixin was born on 31 jan, a week after RaeAnne so they'll be attending playgroup together next month. :) That evening, Peishi and Peixin's papa, Colin came down to our place with his staff and they spent 2 hours here understanding our needs/environment and showed us a few biodatas. I shortlisted 3, two are preferred choices but they don't have ready passport. Anyway, worse case scenario, MIL already said she is willing to help look after RaeAnne at night if hubby cannot come back at night during ICT. Wish it won't come to that but better to find the right maid then rush and anyhow take. :P
Was also busy thinking of a chinese name for Mei Mei but we went through so many names but when we '算笔画' using online, they were all not ideal. We also calculated RaeAnne's name, it had a rating of 86 out of 100. Sounds not bad but the summary was that it was not good for gals. One of the Jan forum mummies even kindly checked her book for me and told me what no. of strokes to go for. I did manage to find a name with 21 strokes and 20 strokes and got a high rating of 95 but it's still not good for marriage. Hubby thinks it doesn't really matter, he said by the times our gals grow up, maybe most women remain single. But to me, a happy marriage is still very important because for women, if they don't marry, they won't ever experience pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a child. There'll be a a piece of their lives missing. Then again, maybe I'm more traditional. :P
Anyway, to cut a long story short, we went down to 缘中秀 at century square to calculate RaeAnne's chinese name first. Luckily, there's a promotion now so only $118 excl gst instead of usual $168. Hope we don't have to change her name cos everyone is already so used to calling her Qihui. :P
P.S. RaeAnne only napped for half an hour today and she was extra grouchy. Wanted to visit my second aunt to pass her photos from the waraku gathering but didn't managed to do it cos RaeAnne didn't nap when we tried to make her sleep from 12+ - 2+pm. Luckily, she decided to pop by with some nutritious soup for me and cooling brew for hubby. She helped play with RaeAnne while I cooked her dinner. :)
Was also busy thinking of a chinese name for Mei Mei but we went through so many names but when we '算笔画' using online, they were all not ideal. We also calculated RaeAnne's name, it had a rating of 86 out of 100. Sounds not bad but the summary was that it was not good for gals. One of the Jan forum mummies even kindly checked her book for me and told me what no. of strokes to go for. I did manage to find a name with 21 strokes and 20 strokes and got a high rating of 95 but it's still not good for marriage. Hubby thinks it doesn't really matter, he said by the times our gals grow up, maybe most women remain single. But to me, a happy marriage is still very important because for women, if they don't marry, they won't ever experience pregnancy, childbirth and caring for a child. There'll be a a piece of their lives missing. Then again, maybe I'm more traditional. :P
Anyway, to cut a long story short, we went down to 缘中秀 at century square to calculate RaeAnne's chinese name first. Luckily, there's a promotion now so only $118 excl gst instead of usual $168. Hope we don't have to change her name cos everyone is already so used to calling her Qihui. :P
P.S. RaeAnne only napped for half an hour today and she was extra grouchy. Wanted to visit my second aunt to pass her photos from the waraku gathering but didn't managed to do it cos RaeAnne didn't nap when we tried to make her sleep from 12+ - 2+pm. Luckily, she decided to pop by with some nutritious soup for me and cooling brew for hubby. She helped play with RaeAnne while I cooked her dinner. :)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Finally watched a movie! :)
Hubby didn't need to go to school today so finally we got a chance to watch a movie (after leaving RaeAnne at ILs place in the late morning, hehe). :) After buying movie tickets, we went to eat at Long John Silvers. Watched Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I didn't even watch the first movie but never mind, since it's a movie, should watch shows with good computer graphics that look good on the big screen. :) Wanted to eat lunch at Swensons 1-for-1 deal but the queue was really too long so we went over to Tampines 1 and ate at Manpuku instead.
The food was quite disappointing, looks like they are training up new chefs cos both my hubby's okonomiyaki and my udon were not well done or king prawns cooked to death in my case cos the chef just let the soup boil furiously while he went to get salt from the store. Faint! Told hubby I can do a better job cooking the prawns. They tasted so rubbery. Waste of good prawns! :/ Walked around a bit and it was already 5pm when we got back. Only had time for a super short nap before it was time to go over to ILs place. How time flies when we are having fun. haha. :)
Oh ya, RaeAnne has been saying 'boh' (teochew/hokkien for don't have). Today, MIL said she could say 'no more'. True enough, after I blow dry my hair and switched off the noisy hair dryer, she said 'boh'. I told her 'no more', tell mummy 'no more' and she said 'no nor', looks like she will be adding another word to her vocab soon. :)
The food was quite disappointing, looks like they are training up new chefs cos both my hubby's okonomiyaki and my udon were not well done or king prawns cooked to death in my case cos the chef just let the soup boil furiously while he went to get salt from the store. Faint! Told hubby I can do a better job cooking the prawns. They tasted so rubbery. Waste of good prawns! :/ Walked around a bit and it was already 5pm when we got back. Only had time for a super short nap before it was time to go over to ILs place. How time flies when we are having fun. haha. :)
Oh ya, RaeAnne has been saying 'boh' (teochew/hokkien for don't have). Today, MIL said she could say 'no more'. True enough, after I blow dry my hair and switched off the noisy hair dryer, she said 'boh'. I told her 'no more', tell mummy 'no more' and she said 'no nor', looks like she will be adding another word to her vocab soon. :)
Sunday, July 5, 2009
NO!!!
Found out today that our gal has started to say "No!!!". We were at Spring maternity and I had become friends with Abi, the salesperson cos she's very nice and frinedly since my first pregnancy. Today, we brought RaeAnne to the shop and when Abi asked her if Auntie Abi (she's expecting her no. 3, it's a gal after 2 boys ;) can have her shoes cos it's very nice. My gal said No! distinctively and purposely. Abi teased me that it must be because Mummy has been teaching her to say No. Haha! Maybe it's true, I didn't purposely teach her but I've definitely been saying No to her naughty antics very often. She must have picked up from there. :P
Besides No, recently she also started saying 'A' when I show her the fridge magnet A. Hopefully, she knows at least a few more alphabets before going to playgroup. We have decided to enrol her in 2 hrs daily playgroup Aug after she turns 18 mths so that she has some time to adjust before no. 2 arrives. Brought her to the RC centre (at opposite block) twice and she seems to be slowly warming up to the environment. :)
Besides No, recently she also started saying 'A' when I show her the fridge magnet A. Hopefully, she knows at least a few more alphabets before going to playgroup. We have decided to enrol her in 2 hrs daily playgroup Aug after she turns 18 mths so that she has some time to adjust before no. 2 arrives. Brought her to the RC centre (at opposite block) twice and she seems to be slowly warming up to the environment. :)
Friday, July 3, 2009
RaeAnne's sleepless nights
We have been a lot of difficulty putting RaeAnne to sleep for the past few days. Not only does she sleep late, she shrieks and cries. Thought it may be due to teething, her lower molars are finally cutting through the gum but even when I apply teething gel for her, it doesn't work. Worse, she seems to be scratching a lot and she has rashes around her neck, and a bit of redness around her mouth. Suspect it's food allergy but when I asked ILs, they said she did not eat anything new. But today, I caught them feeding her bits of chocolate chip cookies which I didn't know about. Choc chips cookies may contain nuts or other ingredients, don't know if that could be the reason. Anyway, we had to resort to letting her sleep on our bed with us and even carry her to sleep when she refused to sleep after 1.5 hours or more. :P
Oh ya, I made scrambled eggs with chopped onions and mushrooms two days ago. First attempt, too much onions and the egg look a bit anaemic but otherwise it was ok. :)
Went to see the gynae yesterday, baby is confirmed to be another princess cos still nothing in between the legs. Got to hear baby's heartbeat too. :) Funny thing is after the gynae said she's a gal, she closed her legs and refused to open for the rest of the scan. Gynae said after I say she's a gal, she became shy. ;) Baby is 11.8cm now and my weight is 46kg, gained 2 kg since my last visit at 12 weeks. Thought it's a lot but gynae said I'm on track cos I only gained 4 kg in 4 months.
Told gynae that I want to keep baby no. 2's weight low so that she's easier to push cos I had difficulty with RaeAnne whose head circumference is 34cm. She said big heads are heredietary (she concluded it was hubby's genes) so even if I keep the baby slim, she'll have a slim tummy but a big head. Darn! Really hope this princess has a small head like Mummy then. :P
Oh ya, I made scrambled eggs with chopped onions and mushrooms two days ago. First attempt, too much onions and the egg look a bit anaemic but otherwise it was ok. :)
Went to see the gynae yesterday, baby is confirmed to be another princess cos still nothing in between the legs. Got to hear baby's heartbeat too. :) Funny thing is after the gynae said she's a gal, she closed her legs and refused to open for the rest of the scan. Gynae said after I say she's a gal, she became shy. ;) Baby is 11.8cm now and my weight is 46kg, gained 2 kg since my last visit at 12 weeks. Thought it's a lot but gynae said I'm on track cos I only gained 4 kg in 4 months.
Told gynae that I want to keep baby no. 2's weight low so that she's easier to push cos I had difficulty with RaeAnne whose head circumference is 34cm. She said big heads are heredietary (she concluded it was hubby's genes) so even if I keep the baby slim, she'll have a slim tummy but a big head. Darn! Really hope this princess has a small head like Mummy then. :P
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