Declan is 20 months old today. One of the very crucial issues, which I have been looking at, is to get him potty trained. During the past 2-3 weeks, he has been taking off his pants and diapers on his own accord. There was once he pooped and he took his own liberty to remove his diaper without telling us that he had "ng ng". Luckily, Angelia (bro in law's gf) caught him in action and held on to the diaper for him. If not for her, we'll have a big mess to clear.
I wonder if the pulling down pants and ripping off diaper action is a sign of readiness for potty training or a sign of him turning into a pervert flasher.
There are times when he'll refuse to let us put on his diaper and pants and he'll run around the house butt naked with us chasing after him.
We tried introducing the potty to him many months back but it was not successful. The moment he sees us approaching him with the potty, he'll start shaking his head and say :" mai mai!" then run away.
Due to his "flashing" acts, we have reintroduced the potty to him again. This time he is more receptive. He don't mind sitting on the potty, he seems to be even enjoying sitting on it judging from his grins. However so far we have only managed to get him to pee 2 drops of urine into the potty.
Yesterday night, he told his "kong kong" he wants to "she she". "kong kong" announced that to us, so Kiat and me excitedly stripped his pants and diapers and rushed him to the potty. He insisted on sitting on it, we were more than happy to let him do so. That only last a few seconds before he got bored, stood up and told us "mai mai"..... Aiyah.... anti-climax.....
Side track abit : YL I didn't burn down the studio, his photos turn out fine I quite like it but both Kiat and myself looks shitty in the photo. But never mind, the main idea is to capture the little on not us. No time to scan the pics, will post it up once I scanned them.
Do you have these Symptoms?
Let's see, how many of you display the following symptoms?
1) When you talk to your kid, your pitch will usually be one octave higher (which may sounds really mushy to a 3rd party) without you realizing it. – I’m guilty.
2) You do not really call your child by their actual name, but by some mushy nonsensical pet name. – I’m guilty. (mine is “ling ling” as in darling or “b” as in baby, what’s yours??)
3) You can’t stop kissing their cheeks. – I’m guilty
4) You can’t stop soliciting kisses from them. – I’m guilty
5) You can’t stop hugging them. – I’m guilty.
6) You can’t stop soliciting hugs from them. – I’m guilty.
7) You don’t mind acting silly just to make them giggle and laugh. – I’m guilty.
8) You think your kid is simply the cutest one around, no horse run! – I’m guilty.
9) Simple things your kid does makes you squeal in delight and vice versa. – I’m guilty.
10) You can’t stop smelling their hair and goes “uhmmmm how nice!” no matter now sweaty and sour they really smell. – I’m guilty.
11) You can’t stop snapping their photos hoping to capture and document every second of their life and every little achievement they accomplish. – I’m guilty
12) You babble non-stop about them to your friends oblivious to their interests. – I’m guilty.
13) Everytime you go shopping, you bring home more stuff for the kid more than anyone else, including yourself. – I’m guilty
14) Your schedule and activities are planned to suit the little one’s time in order to be around him more often. – I’m guilty.
15) You handphone and PC wallpaper show your kid’s face. – I’m half guilty. He appears only on my hp.
16) Your office desk is “littered” by the little one’s photos. – I’m not guilty at the moment.
17) You feel real bad when you go out for fun while leaving the little one at home (even though there is a reliable care giver to look after him/her). – I’m guilty.
18) Whenever he/she goes :”mummyyyyyyyy….” Or “daddyyyyyyyyy…” you feel as if you gonna melt there and then. - I'm guilty.
Added on as of 22 Feb 9:37am as suggested by yl
19) when you took a studio shoot of your baby and the shoots didnt not turn out well, you threaten to burn down the photos plus studio together... :P - I'm definitely gulity as it was actually me who wrote that in the comments of my last post.
Added on as of 23 Feb 8:37am as suggested by ylyet again!
20) there is NO DENIAL symptoms as compared to other addictions... - Guilty guilty!
If you have most of the above symptoms then finish, you’re probably too addicted to your child. Are you? I am! But who cares??? It’s not an offence! We better be addicted to them while we can and while they allow us to do so. When they grow older probably all the above will disgust them. :p
1) When you talk to your kid, your pitch will usually be one octave higher (which may sounds really mushy to a 3rd party) without you realizing it. – I’m guilty.
2) You do not really call your child by their actual name, but by some mushy nonsensical pet name. – I’m guilty. (mine is “ling ling” as in darling or “b” as in baby, what’s yours??)
3) You can’t stop kissing their cheeks. – I’m guilty
4) You can’t stop soliciting kisses from them. – I’m guilty
5) You can’t stop hugging them. – I’m guilty.
6) You can’t stop soliciting hugs from them. – I’m guilty.
7) You don’t mind acting silly just to make them giggle and laugh. – I’m guilty.
8) You think your kid is simply the cutest one around, no horse run! – I’m guilty.
9) Simple things your kid does makes you squeal in delight and vice versa. – I’m guilty.
10) You can’t stop smelling their hair and goes “uhmmmm how nice!” no matter now sweaty and sour they really smell. – I’m guilty.
11) You can’t stop snapping their photos hoping to capture and document every second of their life and every little achievement they accomplish. – I’m guilty
12) You babble non-stop about them to your friends oblivious to their interests. – I’m guilty.
13) Everytime you go shopping, you bring home more stuff for the kid more than anyone else, including yourself. – I’m guilty
14) Your schedule and activities are planned to suit the little one’s time in order to be around him more often. – I’m guilty.
15) You handphone and PC wallpaper show your kid’s face. – I’m half guilty. He appears only on my hp.
16) Your office desk is “littered” by the little one’s photos. – I’m not guilty at the moment.
17) You feel real bad when you go out for fun while leaving the little one at home (even though there is a reliable care giver to look after him/her). – I’m guilty.
18) Whenever he/she goes :”mummyyyyyyyy….” Or “daddyyyyyyyyy…” you feel as if you gonna melt there and then. - I'm guilty.
Added on as of 22 Feb 9:37am as suggested by yl
19) when you took a studio shoot of your baby and the shoots didnt not turn out well, you threaten to burn down the photos plus studio together... :P - I'm definitely gulity as it was actually me who wrote that in the comments of my last post.
Added on as of 23 Feb 8:37am as suggested by ylyet again!
20) there is NO DENIAL symptoms as compared to other addictions... - Guilty guilty!
If you have most of the above symptoms then finish, you’re probably too addicted to your child. Are you? I am! But who cares??? It’s not an offence! We better be addicted to them while we can and while they allow us to do so. When they grow older probably all the above will disgust them. :p
Excuse me Are you a model?
I always like to take photos. I think it’s a great way to capture emotions and memory. I’ve been planning for a family portrait for the longest time. In fact, it was first scheduled last November. Unfortunately, due to our tight schedules, the photo shoot was postponed till late January this year.
When I communicated with the photographer, I emphasized that I wanted the photos to focus more on Declan and less on me and Kiat.
The photo shoot took place on 27 January. It was quite fun! Declan was not really co-operative at the beginning. In fact he cried and wanted to get out of the studio the moment we stepped in. It took awhile for us to coax him and the photographer had to sacrifice quite a few packs of chocolates to get him to co-operate. It’s not an easy job to capture snapshots of a moving toddler. At some stages, the photographer even had to lie on the floor with him in order to snap the photos.
I snapped these during the shoot. See? 3 big men (photographer, make-up artist and Kiat) had to entertain him as if he was some big shot diva.
I bet Zoe Tay and Fann Wong were much easier to handle than an 18 months toddler. The photos will be ready by this Friday; I’m praying hard that it’ll turn out nice!
When I communicated with the photographer, I emphasized that I wanted the photos to focus more on Declan and less on me and Kiat.
The photo shoot took place on 27 January. It was quite fun! Declan was not really co-operative at the beginning. In fact he cried and wanted to get out of the studio the moment we stepped in. It took awhile for us to coax him and the photographer had to sacrifice quite a few packs of chocolates to get him to co-operate. It’s not an easy job to capture snapshots of a moving toddler. At some stages, the photographer even had to lie on the floor with him in order to snap the photos.
I snapped these during the shoot. See? 3 big men (photographer, make-up artist and Kiat) had to entertain him as if he was some big shot diva.
I bet Zoe Tay and Fann Wong were much easier to handle than an 18 months toddler. The photos will be ready by this Friday; I’m praying hard that it’ll turn out nice!
Interactive Johari Window
Hi Friends, help me know myself better. Click here. Just be truthful ok? Thanks! :)
Ear Infection
Ah boy is sick yet again.... He's pretty weak nowadays. He was feverish since Wednesday night. The fever went up to 40 degrees on Thursday night. That garnered a trip to the hospital where the nurse advised us to sponge him and they inserted a pill into is "poo poo" hole. An examination detected sever ear infection in the left ear. I innocently asked the doctor whether the infection is caused by hygiene problems and he replied no and went on to explain to me the possible causes. A jab and a blood test later, we were sent home after collecting bottles of medication and a bill of nearly $130. That is not inclusive of the GP visit and the PD charge for his follow up. No wonder people say that having a child is expensive.
He's still feverish as of now... The fever came down but never went away. Today, diarrhea was added to the list on top of fever and vomiting. A big relief was he's still quite active. It's tough to feed him his medication and we are getting all confused over what to feed him and when... The different medication required us to feed him differing amount and at different time period.. Very "Luan...." He missed 2 days of childcare last week and he's definitely not well enough to go back on Monday. "sigh....." the momentum which he built up bravely will be gone with the wind again......
It is at times like that, that causes me to have the same sentiments as Mama Blurblur that I can be at home to accompany my child through his sickness. I'm still pretty new at the new work place, thus it will not be convenient for me to take leave. So, ah boy got to stay at home with just his ah ma.
I was cuddling ah boy and chit chatting with Kiat when I suddenly notice him doing this :
Ah boy is protesting that the Ah mi is noisy :p hmm or is it due to the ear infection? I prefer to believe its the latter.
He's still feverish as of now... The fever came down but never went away. Today, diarrhea was added to the list on top of fever and vomiting. A big relief was he's still quite active. It's tough to feed him his medication and we are getting all confused over what to feed him and when... The different medication required us to feed him differing amount and at different time period.. Very "Luan...." He missed 2 days of childcare last week and he's definitely not well enough to go back on Monday. "sigh....." the momentum which he built up bravely will be gone with the wind again......
It is at times like that, that causes me to have the same sentiments as Mama Blurblur that I can be at home to accompany my child through his sickness. I'm still pretty new at the new work place, thus it will not be convenient for me to take leave. So, ah boy got to stay at home with just his ah ma.
I was cuddling ah boy and chit chatting with Kiat when I suddenly notice him doing this :
Ah boy is protesting that the Ah mi is noisy :p hmm or is it due to the ear infection? I prefer to believe its the latter.
He is coping well
I think this little boy is coping well with childcare. He no longer cries when being put on the school transport home. The below are the messages written in his communication book by his playgroup teacher and centre director
Dear Ivy,
I just want to assure you that he is eating fine and always eager to feed himself during mealtimes. He would usually finish his serving of food.
I think he is settling down well and is starting to initiate playing with his classmates.
Tiffany
Dear Ivy,
We saw a marked improvement with him this morning. He cried for bearly a minute when we received him and joined the rest of the children with play and assembly after that. I think he has developed a sense of security with the school. A really good sign!
Renee
I'm really glad to read the second observation, which was penned by the centre director today! He cried bearly for a minute! wow! Well done! I expected him to cry for weeks.
Since we put him in childcare, he'll usually whine alot when he's home. The moment he came home, little things will trigger him to whine and he'll go :" ah miiiiii...... ahhh miiiii........ ahhh miiii....." with his eyes half closed, squeezing out a few tear drops and be very sticky towards me. This can go on the whole evening until bed time.... It can get a little frustrating but I know that I have to be patient with him as he's learning to cope with the changes. Today, he didn't whine much! Just once and it ended soon after it started.
I am looking forward to him getting use to his new routine. I'll really rejoice on the day when he'll wave bravely to us when we hand him over to the teacher at the gate. We have since decided against putting him on 2 ways transport. We treasure the little time the 3 of us can spent as a family on our way to the centre. It may be abit of a hassle, all of us have to wake up real early (6+ am) but I really enjoy the bus ride with Declan and Kiat to the childcare.
Dear Ivy,
I just want to assure you that he is eating fine and always eager to feed himself during mealtimes. He would usually finish his serving of food.
I think he is settling down well and is starting to initiate playing with his classmates.
Tiffany
Dear Ivy,
We saw a marked improvement with him this morning. He cried for bearly a minute when we received him and joined the rest of the children with play and assembly after that. I think he has developed a sense of security with the school. A really good sign!
Renee
I'm really glad to read the second observation, which was penned by the centre director today! He cried bearly for a minute! wow! Well done! I expected him to cry for weeks.
Since we put him in childcare, he'll usually whine alot when he's home. The moment he came home, little things will trigger him to whine and he'll go :" ah miiiiii...... ahhh miiiii........ ahhh miiii....." with his eyes half closed, squeezing out a few tear drops and be very sticky towards me. This can go on the whole evening until bed time.... It can get a little frustrating but I know that I have to be patient with him as he's learning to cope with the changes. Today, he didn't whine much! Just once and it ended soon after it started.
I am looking forward to him getting use to his new routine. I'll really rejoice on the day when he'll wave bravely to us when we hand him over to the teacher at the gate. We have since decided against putting him on 2 ways transport. We treasure the little time the 3 of us can spent as a family on our way to the centre. It may be abit of a hassle, all of us have to wake up real early (6+ am) but I really enjoy the bus ride with Declan and Kiat to the childcare.
Auntie Boy
In an earlier post YL, was commenting that "soon, the auntie-boy would be going to the wet market, haggling over the prices of fish and pinching a few stalks of chilli after buying some veggies". He's quite close to doing that in fact hahaha.
Weekend mornings, if I can manage to get out of bed early (which is quite rare), we'll then follow mil to do marketing. This auntie boy loves to hitch a ride in the veggie cart.
If we let him run loose, he'll probably be combing every corner of the market. Since he enjoys being push around in the cart, we are only too happy to put him in there so that we'll have some control over him.
That's him , kwai kwai standing in the cart, while his ah ma was busy choosing fish.
At the end of the marketing trip, this helpful chap insist of pushing the cart even though I bet the weight of the cart is heavier than him. He did quite a good job in pushing the cart in the right direction. I bet when his speech is more developed, he'll be doing what YL is expecting hahaha.
Weekend mornings, if I can manage to get out of bed early (which is quite rare), we'll then follow mil to do marketing. This auntie boy loves to hitch a ride in the veggie cart.
If we let him run loose, he'll probably be combing every corner of the market. Since he enjoys being push around in the cart, we are only too happy to put him in there so that we'll have some control over him.
That's him , kwai kwai standing in the cart, while his ah ma was busy choosing fish.
At the end of the marketing trip, this helpful chap insist of pushing the cart even though I bet the weight of the cart is heavier than him. He did quite a good job in pushing the cart in the right direction. I bet when his speech is more developed, he'll be doing what YL is expecting hahaha.
Childcare Trauma Update
It’s back to childcare again after a super long break. I expected the worse. The dad is still on leave, thus our little boy have the luxury of both daddy and mummy sending him to childcare this morning. The moment we walk through the gate, he started to protest. When we let him down, he kept pulling my hand and even attempted to run towards the gate, crying of course. I’ve got no choice but to carry him in. He’s not pacified though. He continued to whine, wanting to go home. His teacher attempted to carry him away but this boy clung on to me for dear life. He was holding on to me so tightly that the teacher got to literally tear him away from me.
I guess today was a bad day for the centre. There’s plenty of crying children. Even the older ones are tearing. It was hard to leave him there but Kiat and me just “heartlessly” left him with the teacher and went for breakfast. After breakfast we pop back to check on him and he’s still crying…… The teacher was nice enough to carry him from the moment we left him there to give him the missing sense of security. After peeping, we left. We headed home for a short break and guess where we went?? KARAOKE! Bad mama and papa were crooning away while the son was left at the centre… Actually all this while I was quite worry about him but I guess my presence at the centre won’t really do him good. I was feeling so lousy that I skipped a very important lunch appointment
Today, is also the day when he will be taking the school transport home. Quite poor thing right? So young and yet he’s got to travel home alone (with an attendant in the bus to look after him of course). We decided that this will be a better option as he will be able to come home earlier if we put him on transport. If not, he’ll have to wait at the centre for either myself or Kiat to pick him up after 6pm everyday. By taking the school transport, he’ll reach home about 5.25pm
Guess what are all these “kan jiong” spiders doing??? (Another one was behind the hp camera). Yes, what u see is what u get. The mum, dad, grandma and grandpa are all waiting downstairs to receive our little prince. He’s expected at 5.25p.m Kiat and me went “bag hunting” after the karaoke and I insisted to take a cab back when I saw that it was 4.30p.m. I badly wanted to be there to welcome him home personally. When we reached our block of flats, it was only 4.45p.m. Upon alighting from the cab, we saw the Ah Ma sitting downstairs waiting eagerly. And I thought I was early! HA! Ah Ma said she’s worried that the clock at home ain’t telling the right time thus she chose to come down much earlier.
We chit chatted downstairs and as the time drew nearer I walked towards the carpark and sat on the railing. Waiting waiting. Ha! I saw a white passenger van. I told myself yeah! He’s home! Kiat and ah ma rush over. The van stopped quite a distance from where I was standing. I waved to the driver and after I did that, a man alighted from the van. Oops… wrong van. :p Ok we retreated a few steps feeling embarrassed. Not too long after that, I spotted another white passenger van. I jumped off the railing and Kiat was telling his mum :” Lai liao Lai liao” As we looked at the van eagerly, it came towards us and guess what? It turned into a lot and the driver proceeded to park the van. Double oops… wrong again.
We waited and waited again. Third time we spotted a while passenger van again. Kiat:” Aiyah must be this one already!” We all rushed forward as the van came nearer and we spotted a little figure being carried by a lady. AH! That’s my son! The moment the van stopped and he saw us, he was jumping and jumping, half crying and half rejoicing that he finally saw some familiar faces. Poor fellow… his eyes was all teary and swelling from all the crying. I hugged him close and hurriedly brought him home and Kiat made him a warm bottle of milk to soothe him.
It’s gonna happen all over again in another 7 hours time… Good night folks.
I guess today was a bad day for the centre. There’s plenty of crying children. Even the older ones are tearing. It was hard to leave him there but Kiat and me just “heartlessly” left him with the teacher and went for breakfast. After breakfast we pop back to check on him and he’s still crying…… The teacher was nice enough to carry him from the moment we left him there to give him the missing sense of security. After peeping, we left. We headed home for a short break and guess where we went?? KARAOKE! Bad mama and papa were crooning away while the son was left at the centre… Actually all this while I was quite worry about him but I guess my presence at the centre won’t really do him good. I was feeling so lousy that I skipped a very important lunch appointment
Today, is also the day when he will be taking the school transport home. Quite poor thing right? So young and yet he’s got to travel home alone (with an attendant in the bus to look after him of course). We decided that this will be a better option as he will be able to come home earlier if we put him on transport. If not, he’ll have to wait at the centre for either myself or Kiat to pick him up after 6pm everyday. By taking the school transport, he’ll reach home about 5.25pm
Guess what are all these “kan jiong” spiders doing??? (Another one was behind the hp camera). Yes, what u see is what u get. The mum, dad, grandma and grandpa are all waiting downstairs to receive our little prince. He’s expected at 5.25p.m Kiat and me went “bag hunting” after the karaoke and I insisted to take a cab back when I saw that it was 4.30p.m. I badly wanted to be there to welcome him home personally. When we reached our block of flats, it was only 4.45p.m. Upon alighting from the cab, we saw the Ah Ma sitting downstairs waiting eagerly. And I thought I was early! HA! Ah Ma said she’s worried that the clock at home ain’t telling the right time thus she chose to come down much earlier.
We chit chatted downstairs and as the time drew nearer I walked towards the carpark and sat on the railing. Waiting waiting. Ha! I saw a white passenger van. I told myself yeah! He’s home! Kiat and ah ma rush over. The van stopped quite a distance from where I was standing. I waved to the driver and after I did that, a man alighted from the van. Oops… wrong van. :p Ok we retreated a few steps feeling embarrassed. Not too long after that, I spotted another white passenger van. I jumped off the railing and Kiat was telling his mum :” Lai liao Lai liao” As we looked at the van eagerly, it came towards us and guess what? It turned into a lot and the driver proceeded to park the van. Double oops… wrong again.
We waited and waited again. Third time we spotted a while passenger van again. Kiat:” Aiyah must be this one already!” We all rushed forward as the van came nearer and we spotted a little figure being carried by a lady. AH! That’s my son! The moment the van stopped and he saw us, he was jumping and jumping, half crying and half rejoicing that he finally saw some familiar faces. Poor fellow… his eyes was all teary and swelling from all the crying. I hugged him close and hurriedly brought him home and Kiat made him a warm bottle of milk to soothe him.
It’s gonna happen all over again in another 7 hours time… Good night folks.
True blue prata lover
The dad is on leave today, so we brought the little one for a late breakfast. On our way out, this "auntie boy" insist of bringing along a very auntie looking plastic bag. There's nothing inside there except for another mini red paper bag which we use for carrying around the mandarin oranges.
We tried coaxing him to let go of the bag before we leave home but he just refuse to let it go.... So this aunite boy brought along this auntie plastic bag and carry it in a very auntie way....
The dad ordered prata for himself and this boy decided to share his dad's breakfast. We pinch a small portion and let him hold on his hands to feed himself. That's how our muslim friends eat prata right?? Seeing his dad deep the prata in the curry sauce, this boy also wants to do the same. He dipped it in, put it is his mouth, I half expected him to spit it out but he didn't wor. He smiled upon tasting the curry and he dipped his small piece of prata in again. He's eating the curry instead of the prata....
I was amazed. Then the dad said :" Aiyah the curry not spicy at all lah" Chey!
We tried coaxing him to let go of the bag before we leave home but he just refuse to let it go.... So this aunite boy brought along this auntie plastic bag and carry it in a very auntie way....
The dad ordered prata for himself and this boy decided to share his dad's breakfast. We pinch a small portion and let him hold on his hands to feed himself. That's how our muslim friends eat prata right?? Seeing his dad deep the prata in the curry sauce, this boy also wants to do the same. He dipped it in, put it is his mouth, I half expected him to spit it out but he didn't wor. He smiled upon tasting the curry and he dipped his small piece of prata in again. He's eating the curry instead of the prata....
I was amazed. Then the dad said :" Aiyah the curry not spicy at all lah" Chey!
Over protective?
What do kids usually do when they are at the playground? Naturally they will, run, climb, crawl and like it or not at times they will also trip, fall and hurt themselves. However, in my humble opinion, this is just part and parcel of growing up,
This evening, I brought Declan down to the playground for him to work his limbs. He was climbing, crawling and running all over the playground. There were a few times he nearly tripped and fell if not for my agility in catching hold of him. 15 mins into his play, another mum brought along a boy whom I guess was about 3 years old or maybe slightly older. As the boy got nearer to the playground, he started to pick up his pace and soon he was running towards the playground. His mum then shouted:” Boy ah! Don’t run ahhh!” The boy stopped and walked towards the spring rider on which his mum helped him up. After riding it for awhile, he came down and started to run towards the main playground structure which Declan was happily scaling and of course with me following close and tight behind him. His mum goes:” Boy ah! I say no running!! If you run again we will go home!” His boy was running on the rubber mat… I was thinking even if he falls it’ll not kill him…
The boy obediently stopped and walked over to the steps. He climbed the few steps up and when he was about to scale greater height to gain access to the curling slide his mum shouted:” No! No! No!!! Not so high! You cannot climb so high! If you don’t listen we will go home! ” She looked down towards the slide and went:” Aiyoh, so dirty!! Let’s go let’s go!!” I can see that the boy was feeling so disappointed. However never once did he defy his mum. Since his mum wouldn’t let him up, he walked pass me and Declan and go down the steps. He walked to the spring rider again, climbed up and started riding it. His mum rush to him and said:” Aiyoh! Don’t climb! Later you will fall down!” After saying that she pulled him down and said:” Let’s go home!” and off they went. The boy turned to look at my toddler who was only half his age, climbing and running all over the place, with envy.
Like that, where got childhood?? Cannot climb, cannot run and hardly 5 mins at the playground he was being pulled home. I admire the boy for having cooperated with his mum fully, without any defiance. Some parents may feel so proud about such a child. I was thinking, will he grow up to be a man without his own mind? Of course I too yearn for an obedient child but I will not want a mummy’s boy. Anyway, everyone have their own parenting method.
As the sky turns dark, I had to ply his fingers open to get him to let go of the playground. You need not guess, this boy didn’t cooperate with me. I’ve let him played his share, but to him it’s never enough. So I had to half pull half dragged a crying and struggling toddler home. I brought him there fresh and clean wearing a light green pair of pants. I brought him home with a grey pair of pants, having played the good citizen by cleaning the playground on behave of the town council with his butt. Topping that, was a pair of dirty hands with 10 black fingers. In return, I get a happier child (despite him crying as he didn’t want to go home yet).
This evening, I brought Declan down to the playground for him to work his limbs. He was climbing, crawling and running all over the playground. There were a few times he nearly tripped and fell if not for my agility in catching hold of him. 15 mins into his play, another mum brought along a boy whom I guess was about 3 years old or maybe slightly older. As the boy got nearer to the playground, he started to pick up his pace and soon he was running towards the playground. His mum then shouted:” Boy ah! Don’t run ahhh!” The boy stopped and walked towards the spring rider on which his mum helped him up. After riding it for awhile, he came down and started to run towards the main playground structure which Declan was happily scaling and of course with me following close and tight behind him. His mum goes:” Boy ah! I say no running!! If you run again we will go home!” His boy was running on the rubber mat… I was thinking even if he falls it’ll not kill him…
The boy obediently stopped and walked over to the steps. He climbed the few steps up and when he was about to scale greater height to gain access to the curling slide his mum shouted:” No! No! No!!! Not so high! You cannot climb so high! If you don’t listen we will go home! ” She looked down towards the slide and went:” Aiyoh, so dirty!! Let’s go let’s go!!” I can see that the boy was feeling so disappointed. However never once did he defy his mum. Since his mum wouldn’t let him up, he walked pass me and Declan and go down the steps. He walked to the spring rider again, climbed up and started riding it. His mum rush to him and said:” Aiyoh! Don’t climb! Later you will fall down!” After saying that she pulled him down and said:” Let’s go home!” and off they went. The boy turned to look at my toddler who was only half his age, climbing and running all over the place, with envy.
Like that, where got childhood?? Cannot climb, cannot run and hardly 5 mins at the playground he was being pulled home. I admire the boy for having cooperated with his mum fully, without any defiance. Some parents may feel so proud about such a child. I was thinking, will he grow up to be a man without his own mind? Of course I too yearn for an obedient child but I will not want a mummy’s boy. Anyway, everyone have their own parenting method.
As the sky turns dark, I had to ply his fingers open to get him to let go of the playground. You need not guess, this boy didn’t cooperate with me. I’ve let him played his share, but to him it’s never enough. So I had to half pull half dragged a crying and struggling toddler home. I brought him there fresh and clean wearing a light green pair of pants. I brought him home with a grey pair of pants, having played the good citizen by cleaning the playground on behave of the town council with his butt. Topping that, was a pair of dirty hands with 10 black fingers. In return, I get a happier child (despite him crying as he didn’t want to go home yet).
Happy Doggie Year!
It's 1 a.m on the 1st day of Chinese New Year. On behalf of Declan, I will like to wish everyone a Happy, Fruitful and Prosperous Doggie Year! Hope everyone will have a smooth sailing year ahead! Gongxi Gongxi!!!
On the eve of Chinese New Year Eve, a business associate invited us to his office at One Fullerton for a simple buffet dinner as well as to view the fireworks. This time we need not wait till 12am. The fireworks took place at 8.00p.m I shall "share the fireworks" with all of u!!
Hope everyone's 2006 will be as bright and vibrant as the fireworks!
On the eve of Chinese New Year Eve, a business associate invited us to his office at One Fullerton for a simple buffet dinner as well as to view the fireworks. This time we need not wait till 12am. The fireworks took place at 8.00p.m I shall "share the fireworks" with all of u!!
Hope everyone's 2006 will be as bright and vibrant as the fireworks!
To enroll or not?
The dad was badly traumatized by the last pic in my previous post. The pic which Declan was seemingly eating alone. Actually that was not really the true scenario. The true scenario was like this : He came down from his classroom for lunch. He saw me, smiled, but didn't rush over to cling to me. For that I am proud of him. He went along with his teachers and friends to the dining tables. The centre folks brought out the little bowls and laid them on the table and then the little ones will proceed to choose their own seat. I was the one who pulled out the chair of that particular seat for Declan. As I was squatting next to the table, no other child can squeeze through to the chair inside. After he settled down and started feeding himself, I stood up to take that picture. Didn't know why that pic turned out to have this lonely mood hanging around it. It was really a wrong representation which even con me, the photographer...
As I was looking at the pic yesterday, I was also chatting with Mama Kwai Yoke on MSN. I was telling her, as I typed on my keyboard, my tears actually drop... so drama mama.... so unlike myself.... I guess me and Kiat look at the picture and let ourself illusionized that our little one will be so poor thing if left there... Maybe, we are trying to find excuses for us to keep him at home.. to protect him from all the external factors.... Mama Kwai Yoke gave me encouragement and I will like to thank her for sharing her experience with me.
Kiat even go the point of asking me to take down the pic... if not he'll not visit my blog again... I refused.. I told him we had to face it and anyway.. that pic was a misrepresentation.. he was indeed enjoying his lunch... HA! that emotional daddy, but that goes to show how much he sayang his little boy.
Fannie, to be frank, we are not coping too well... In fact there was a point yesterday afternoon that both me and Kiat agreed to send him in only when he turns 2. It was after much consideration, taking into account he has been there for 2 full days.. if we gonna delay it further, he'll have to start all over again. I told myself, that will be even more traumatizing for him. There will be heartache, and at times I feel that I was a bad mama who push him over his limits, but I guess that is a phase all mums have to go through. Anyway Mama Kwai Yoke shared that it's actually easier for them to cope if they are younger.
Mama Blurblur, the centre do have half day programme, however that will not be an option for us as neither Kiat nor me will be able to pick him up and there will not be school bus service for half day programme.
Yes, after all the heartache and debating with my own soul I have decided, together with Kiat to go along our initial plan and let him learn to be independent. I always wanted a streetwise kid who can take care of himself. He ain't the really dependent nor shy type. He's a bit whiny these 2 days as I guess he's just not use to the centre's environment.
Cherie Hearts may not be the top notch child care centre on this island, but I am very comfortable with their teachers and centre director. The teachers were really patient with Declan. They took turns to coax and comfort him. The centre director will update me on the development of Declan through sms when I was not around. What's more there is this little girl in his class who will always take tissue and wipe away his tears when he's crying. She'll come pat his head and hold his hands. Very sweet little girl :) She's actually the centre director's daughter.
The trial was over. The real war will start on 01 Feb 2006. Help bless my child and hope he will be brave as a warrior to conquer his new territory!
As I was looking at the pic yesterday, I was also chatting with Mama Kwai Yoke on MSN. I was telling her, as I typed on my keyboard, my tears actually drop... so drama mama.... so unlike myself.... I guess me and Kiat look at the picture and let ourself illusionized that our little one will be so poor thing if left there... Maybe, we are trying to find excuses for us to keep him at home.. to protect him from all the external factors.... Mama Kwai Yoke gave me encouragement and I will like to thank her for sharing her experience with me.
Kiat even go the point of asking me to take down the pic... if not he'll not visit my blog again... I refused.. I told him we had to face it and anyway.. that pic was a misrepresentation.. he was indeed enjoying his lunch... HA! that emotional daddy, but that goes to show how much he sayang his little boy.
Fannie, to be frank, we are not coping too well... In fact there was a point yesterday afternoon that both me and Kiat agreed to send him in only when he turns 2. It was after much consideration, taking into account he has been there for 2 full days.. if we gonna delay it further, he'll have to start all over again. I told myself, that will be even more traumatizing for him. There will be heartache, and at times I feel that I was a bad mama who push him over his limits, but I guess that is a phase all mums have to go through. Anyway Mama Kwai Yoke shared that it's actually easier for them to cope if they are younger.
Mama Blurblur, the centre do have half day programme, however that will not be an option for us as neither Kiat nor me will be able to pick him up and there will not be school bus service for half day programme.
Yes, after all the heartache and debating with my own soul I have decided, together with Kiat to go along our initial plan and let him learn to be independent. I always wanted a streetwise kid who can take care of himself. He ain't the really dependent nor shy type. He's a bit whiny these 2 days as I guess he's just not use to the centre's environment.
Cherie Hearts may not be the top notch child care centre on this island, but I am very comfortable with their teachers and centre director. The teachers were really patient with Declan. They took turns to coax and comfort him. The centre director will update me on the development of Declan through sms when I was not around. What's more there is this little girl in his class who will always take tissue and wipe away his tears when he's crying. She'll come pat his head and hold his hands. Very sweet little girl :) She's actually the centre director's daughter.
The trial was over. The real war will start on 01 Feb 2006. Help bless my child and hope he will be brave as a warrior to conquer his new territory!
1st Day at school
Yesterday was Declan's first day at his playgroup. He woke up early thinking that Daddy and Mummy were gonna bring him out. Kiat dressed him and I prepared all his stuffs for him. Look at him carrying his own water bottle. Sorry about the quality of the pics. I didn't on enough lights that's why it looks real dark.
He was ok when we arrived at the school, he refused to eat the cod liver oil when the teacher tried to feed him.
They gave him breakfast, wholemeal bread with butter and milo. He only took a bite of the bread and I had to help him finish the rest and he didn't drink his milo.
The centre will start each day with assembly. Declan didn't take to the assembly too well. I think it's due to the fact that he hates to be confined. Throughout the assembly he kept tugging at me, trying to pull me over to the stairs wanting to venture up the stairs to the dinning area and probably out the door. He gets more agitated as I tried to keep him in the hall with the rest of the kids.
After the assembly, all the students will return to their classrooms. That is when Dec started to cry. He lost his cool. He didn't' want to stay in the classroom, he didn't want to mix with his classmates, he didn't want any of the toys given to him, he's not even interested when the teacher did music and movement, which is very unlike him. All he wanted was to get out of the door. One of the teacher gave him a small candy and he calmed down. He stopped crying totally when the class started to play with building blocks. He went to the box and picked up a few blocks, walk to one corner, threw them down and played with it on his own. One little girl came over wanted to play with him, but he hanged up and sell. Seeing that he had stopped crying, i sneaked out of the classroom. He didn't cry...... as yet..
He started crying again, when they put away the building blocks as it was playdoh time. I was in the dinning hall, where I could hear him and the centre director showed me a window which I could peep into his classroom. He was seated on the lap of the teacher and crying. I didn't want to go in and disturb, I prefer him to try to get use to me not being around. After awhile he stopped crying and played with the playdoh. After playdoh was lunch time.
See, he fed himself :) Didn't cry. I was there though. Somehow, I'm always washed over with emotions when I see this pic. I kept thinking.. so poor thing... looking at the tiny figure sitting there feeding himself... I wonder whether I should reallly enrol him or should I just keep him at home till he is 3 years old... What do you mummies think?
After lunch, back to the classroom again. I carried him up and that's when he cried again... I should not have let him see me during his lunch.... I didn't give in, I left him there and left the classroom. The teacher bathe him and gave him milk. Shortly after, all was quiet. The teacher came out to inform me that he had fallen asleep and advise me to go home and take a break.
So I left, at 5pm I went to pick him up. The teacher told me, he woke up at 3+ he was fine didn't cry. 4+ they brought him down for tea break, that is when he expected to see me waiting for him (just like during lunch), didn't see me, started to search, can't find me, started to cry again. He cried for 10 mins, stopped for awhile, cried again, stopped and started again on and off.
Thus when I arrived at 5pm, I was greeted by a red nose reindeer... Overall I should say that he does deserve a pat on the shoulder. He was pretty brave. :)
He was ok when we arrived at the school, he refused to eat the cod liver oil when the teacher tried to feed him.
They gave him breakfast, wholemeal bread with butter and milo. He only took a bite of the bread and I had to help him finish the rest and he didn't drink his milo.
The centre will start each day with assembly. Declan didn't take to the assembly too well. I think it's due to the fact that he hates to be confined. Throughout the assembly he kept tugging at me, trying to pull me over to the stairs wanting to venture up the stairs to the dinning area and probably out the door. He gets more agitated as I tried to keep him in the hall with the rest of the kids.
After the assembly, all the students will return to their classrooms. That is when Dec started to cry. He lost his cool. He didn't' want to stay in the classroom, he didn't want to mix with his classmates, he didn't want any of the toys given to him, he's not even interested when the teacher did music and movement, which is very unlike him. All he wanted was to get out of the door. One of the teacher gave him a small candy and he calmed down. He stopped crying totally when the class started to play with building blocks. He went to the box and picked up a few blocks, walk to one corner, threw them down and played with it on his own. One little girl came over wanted to play with him, but he hanged up and sell. Seeing that he had stopped crying, i sneaked out of the classroom. He didn't cry...... as yet..
He started crying again, when they put away the building blocks as it was playdoh time. I was in the dinning hall, where I could hear him and the centre director showed me a window which I could peep into his classroom. He was seated on the lap of the teacher and crying. I didn't want to go in and disturb, I prefer him to try to get use to me not being around. After awhile he stopped crying and played with the playdoh. After playdoh was lunch time.
See, he fed himself :) Didn't cry. I was there though. Somehow, I'm always washed over with emotions when I see this pic. I kept thinking.. so poor thing... looking at the tiny figure sitting there feeding himself... I wonder whether I should reallly enrol him or should I just keep him at home till he is 3 years old... What do you mummies think?
After lunch, back to the classroom again. I carried him up and that's when he cried again... I should not have let him see me during his lunch.... I didn't give in, I left him there and left the classroom. The teacher bathe him and gave him milk. Shortly after, all was quiet. The teacher came out to inform me that he had fallen asleep and advise me to go home and take a break.
So I left, at 5pm I went to pick him up. The teacher told me, he woke up at 3+ he was fine didn't cry. 4+ they brought him down for tea break, that is when he expected to see me waiting for him (just like during lunch), didn't see me, started to search, can't find me, started to cry again. He cried for 10 mins, stopped for awhile, cried again, stopped and started again on and off.
Thus when I arrived at 5pm, I was greeted by a red nose reindeer... Overall I should say that he does deserve a pat on the shoulder. He was pretty brave. :)
Excited
Tomorrow is The Day! The Day whereby Declan will go to school for the first time! I'm excited and a little anxious! Anxious over whether he will cry, anxious over whether he will like the place, his fellow playgroup mates and teachers, anxious over whether he will take to the schedule of the centre or not.
He seems oblivious of the big step he's gonna take tomorrow. He's still playing as usual. I'll be accompanying him the whole day tomorrow. Kiat said that he's sure this little fellow will not cry. I hope so too! Ohh by the way tomorrow is just a trial for him. I signed him up for a 3 days free trial. If both of us survive the ordeal, I'll enrolled him there.
Oh and I forgot to update that we have decided to choose Cherie Hearts over MMI. One of the main reason being, they are also incorporating montessori method into other activities. In a way, I guess I will get the best of both worlds.
Goodnight folks! I need to turn in early so that I will be able to send him in on time! Wish me luck!
He seems oblivious of the big step he's gonna take tomorrow. He's still playing as usual. I'll be accompanying him the whole day tomorrow. Kiat said that he's sure this little fellow will not cry. I hope so too! Ohh by the way tomorrow is just a trial for him. I signed him up for a 3 days free trial. If both of us survive the ordeal, I'll enrolled him there.
Oh and I forgot to update that we have decided to choose Cherie Hearts over MMI. One of the main reason being, they are also incorporating montessori method into other activities. In a way, I guess I will get the best of both worlds.
Goodnight folks! I need to turn in early so that I will be able to send him in on time! Wish me luck!
Narrowing down
My hunt for a good playschool for Declan has been narrowed down to 2 centres. One is the MMI located at the former HDB building at Bukit Merah - Twink School House. The other is Cherie Hearts located along West Coast Road.
Yesterday, I revisited the MMI at West Coast Recreation Centre again. Somehow I still don't like it there. I don't really feel comfortable. The teachers' faces all look so glum (not even a hint of smile) and I even saw with my own eyes that the teacher for the playgroup and nursery (they actually combined the 2) making the students sit against the wall facing her and she was folding her arms across her chest and staring at them very fiercely. One little girl was made to sit facing the wall for "time out" as she was not co-operative, as explained by the teacher. hmmmmmm at such young age, isn't it expected that they've not yet learn to cooperate fully? I am sure Declan won't be able to "co-operate" as and when the teachers want him to as yet. If the teacher is gonna make him sit facing the wall for "time out", I can imagine that the teacher will probably end up pulling her hair out as I know that this chap won't be able to sit still and he will most likely be dashing around the classroom :x There was also this new boy there who was crying and crying for his mama with mucus streaming down his nose. I thought the least the teacher could do was to wipe up his mucus for him... but it was not done.... MINUS MARK MINUS MARK. The greatest put off was no matter which programme I choose, full day, half day, flexi hours, alternate day etc... the fees are all 600+ excluding transport.................. totally senseless......
Straight after I left that centre, I headed to the Twink School House at Jalan Bukit Merah. The moment I stepped right into the centre, I instantly felt that this was a much better choice. The whole place have a bright cheery atmosphere. It had a open concept, thus one could see the whole place at a glance. The fee structure makes more sense there. They gave parents choice of sending in the kids from Mon-Sat, 4 times weekly, thrice weekly, twice weekly or even once a week. Plus point plus point. They offer a 2 weeks trial period at about 400 bucks while the other one at West Coast will cost 500+. Plus point plus point! Today I brought Kiat over to view the place during his lunch time. He agreed that this was a much better place than the one at West Coast.
This morning, I brought Declan over to Cherie Hearts. The person in charge was nice. They have a mini animal kingdom there. Though they called it a kingdom, there's only terrapins and rabbits :p Their curriculum looks fun. It includes, water play and also teaching the little ones road safety. Unique! Plus point Plus point. The centre's owner's daughter is also in the playgroup, hmm so can I assume that the group will strictly follow the curriculum since I bet the owner will want the best for her own child?? If I sent Declan there and he continue on to nursery and kindergarten, he'll also be given free Jap lessons. PLUS PLUS PLUS points. The owner herself is trained in the montessori method but her teachers are not. She claimed that she trained her own trainers on the montesorri method. I will be giving this centre BONUS PLUS POINT cos they allow 3 full day trial! This centre dun offer flexi care.... they only cater to straight 5 days... and not alternate days... minus mark minus mark.... I already registered for it and will be on trial next week. I will be bringing the dad there tomorrow to view the place.
Actually I already have a preferred choice but I am not gonna indicate here in case Kiat comes in to peep. I don't want him to be influenced by my choice. I want him to give me his own views before I share with him mine.
Yesterday, I revisited the MMI at West Coast Recreation Centre again. Somehow I still don't like it there. I don't really feel comfortable. The teachers' faces all look so glum (not even a hint of smile) and I even saw with my own eyes that the teacher for the playgroup and nursery (they actually combined the 2) making the students sit against the wall facing her and she was folding her arms across her chest and staring at them very fiercely. One little girl was made to sit facing the wall for "time out" as she was not co-operative, as explained by the teacher. hmmmmmm at such young age, isn't it expected that they've not yet learn to cooperate fully? I am sure Declan won't be able to "co-operate" as and when the teachers want him to as yet. If the teacher is gonna make him sit facing the wall for "time out", I can imagine that the teacher will probably end up pulling her hair out as I know that this chap won't be able to sit still and he will most likely be dashing around the classroom :x There was also this new boy there who was crying and crying for his mama with mucus streaming down his nose. I thought the least the teacher could do was to wipe up his mucus for him... but it was not done.... MINUS MARK MINUS MARK. The greatest put off was no matter which programme I choose, full day, half day, flexi hours, alternate day etc... the fees are all 600+ excluding transport.................. totally senseless......
Straight after I left that centre, I headed to the Twink School House at Jalan Bukit Merah. The moment I stepped right into the centre, I instantly felt that this was a much better choice. The whole place have a bright cheery atmosphere. It had a open concept, thus one could see the whole place at a glance. The fee structure makes more sense there. They gave parents choice of sending in the kids from Mon-Sat, 4 times weekly, thrice weekly, twice weekly or even once a week. Plus point plus point. They offer a 2 weeks trial period at about 400 bucks while the other one at West Coast will cost 500+. Plus point plus point! Today I brought Kiat over to view the place during his lunch time. He agreed that this was a much better place than the one at West Coast.
This morning, I brought Declan over to Cherie Hearts. The person in charge was nice. They have a mini animal kingdom there. Though they called it a kingdom, there's only terrapins and rabbits :p Their curriculum looks fun. It includes, water play and also teaching the little ones road safety. Unique! Plus point Plus point. The centre's owner's daughter is also in the playgroup, hmm so can I assume that the group will strictly follow the curriculum since I bet the owner will want the best for her own child?? If I sent Declan there and he continue on to nursery and kindergarten, he'll also be given free Jap lessons. PLUS PLUS PLUS points. The owner herself is trained in the montessori method but her teachers are not. She claimed that she trained her own trainers on the montesorri method. I will be giving this centre BONUS PLUS POINT cos they allow 3 full day trial! This centre dun offer flexi care.... they only cater to straight 5 days... and not alternate days... minus mark minus mark.... I already registered for it and will be on trial next week. I will be bringing the dad there tomorrow to view the place.
Actually I already have a preferred choice but I am not gonna indicate here in case Kiat comes in to peep. I don't want him to be influenced by my choice. I want him to give me his own views before I share with him mine.
Dog Dog
Dec : Dog Dog Dog Dog. Play with me play with me!!
Dog : *shivers*
Dec : Dog Dog Dog Dog, come out, won't you?? I want to play with you...
Dog : *shivers* and turn away, pretending not to hear him
Dec : Don't care, you can't hide! (proceeds to drag doggie out from under the sofa)
Dec : Come I help you wash "hair"
Dog : ....................
Daddy... Where?
I heard him said that last night! It caused a flutter in my heart. hahah It's just so exciting to witness his speech development. In fact he had slowed down quite a bit on the speech department. Though he is still picking up new words every now and then, but it's really really really slow. He's still stuck at the usual dog, cat, bird, mum-mum. neh-neh etc.
I've been waiting eagerly for him to pick up new words or even form simple short phrases but without much luck until last night.
I brought him to meet Kiat at the MRT station. On the way there, I told him :"We go and find daddy ok?" He nodded his head and then said:" Daddy... Where?" He coupled this short "sentence" with a "where" sign of his hand.
I am waiting for more!
I've been waiting eagerly for him to pick up new words or even form simple short phrases but without much luck until last night.
I brought him to meet Kiat at the MRT station. On the way there, I told him :"We go and find daddy ok?" He nodded his head and then said:" Daddy... Where?" He coupled this short "sentence" with a "where" sign of his hand.
I am waiting for more!
3 Major Decisions
I'm currently doing some rearrangement for my life to make better use of my 2006. One of the biggest decision which we have made is to sent Declan to playschool. Having stayed at home for the past 6 months or so, I realised that I'm not really making good use of my precious time. So was Declan. The both of us spent most of our awake hours just playing a fool with each other. Sometimes we are so lost for things to do that we simply just sat in the living room not knowing what to do next... I find that both of us should really capitalise on our time and do more meaningful stuffs.
Declan is at the age which his learning ability is just like a sponge. Being a 1st time mum, I don't really know what and how to teach him things effectively. Sometimes he can get so bored that he simply sit down, fuss and throw tantrums. This can't go on, and thus the decision to send him to school.
The next decision was to decide which school to send and whether should we send him in for half or full day. The first school I checked out was MMI. The difference between half and full day play group was just a mere $3... absurd ain't it??? Being a true blue Singaporean, that being the case, I'll rather send him in for full day :x Don't flame me... just behaving like a typical Singaporean that's all. Then again, I don't really feel comfortable about that centre, so I'll be sourcing for other centres.
The third decision which I need to make and in fact had already made is with regards to my employment status. I was thinking, if Declan is to attend school, what should I do at home??? "Big eyes stare small eyes" with my mil??? We'll probably end up getting on the nerves of each other. Thus this decision was not difficult. I'll be back to full time employment. I enjoyed my freelance status alot. It gives me alot of flexibility and a sustainable income. Since my son won't be home, I'll rather make better use of the time to earn more while I'm still young. With Declan going to school, my fixed overheads will be going up again. So this decision ain't that difficult to come to either.
Going back to full time employment can also be seen as my 1st tiny weeny mini step to planning for No.2. I'll definitely want to enjoy maternity leave (3months u know??!!!) if No. 2 was to come along. Also, if we want a No.2 we must also make
sure we have enough financial resources to give both the little ones a comfortable life So u see? Everything is falling into place. No no, I'm not saying that I will have a No. 2 now ok?? I'm not ready for another little one just yet. I can't possibly report to work and before I can prove my working ability, I declare to my boss that I'm expecting right?? They will probably kill me. So I have to at least work for half a year, then sit down and plan again whether we should have another one.
I'll spend the next few weeks sourcing for a right centre for Declan. Currently, the one right at my new working place is on the top of the list. Its so because of the great convenience. If that center is ok. I'll be bringing him to work with me every morning, and after I knock off, I'll pick him up and go home together. Convenient hor?? Having said that, 1st I have to make sure that the centre can keep him occupied with quality activities for the full day. If not, I'll just enrol him for half a day.
Will update again on the status.
Declan is at the age which his learning ability is just like a sponge. Being a 1st time mum, I don't really know what and how to teach him things effectively. Sometimes he can get so bored that he simply sit down, fuss and throw tantrums. This can't go on, and thus the decision to send him to school.
The next decision was to decide which school to send and whether should we send him in for half or full day. The first school I checked out was MMI. The difference between half and full day play group was just a mere $3... absurd ain't it??? Being a true blue Singaporean, that being the case, I'll rather send him in for full day :x Don't flame me... just behaving like a typical Singaporean that's all. Then again, I don't really feel comfortable about that centre, so I'll be sourcing for other centres.
The third decision which I need to make and in fact had already made is with regards to my employment status. I was thinking, if Declan is to attend school, what should I do at home??? "Big eyes stare small eyes" with my mil??? We'll probably end up getting on the nerves of each other. Thus this decision was not difficult. I'll be back to full time employment. I enjoyed my freelance status alot. It gives me alot of flexibility and a sustainable income. Since my son won't be home, I'll rather make better use of the time to earn more while I'm still young. With Declan going to school, my fixed overheads will be going up again. So this decision ain't that difficult to come to either.
Going back to full time employment can also be seen as my 1st tiny weeny mini step to planning for No.2. I'll definitely want to enjoy maternity leave (3months u know??!!!) if No. 2 was to come along. Also, if we want a No.2 we must also make
sure we have enough financial resources to give both the little ones a comfortable life So u see? Everything is falling into place. No no, I'm not saying that I will have a No. 2 now ok?? I'm not ready for another little one just yet. I can't possibly report to work and before I can prove my working ability, I declare to my boss that I'm expecting right?? They will probably kill me. So I have to at least work for half a year, then sit down and plan again whether we should have another one.
I'll spend the next few weeks sourcing for a right centre for Declan. Currently, the one right at my new working place is on the top of the list. Its so because of the great convenience. If that center is ok. I'll be bringing him to work with me every morning, and after I knock off, I'll pick him up and go home together. Convenient hor?? Having said that, 1st I have to make sure that the centre can keep him occupied with quality activities for the full day. If not, I'll just enrol him for half a day.
Will update again on the status.
His very own Kiddie Ride
Which kid don't like kiddie rides? My son is also crazy about kiddie rides, at least we need not spend heaps of coins to satisfy his need as he has his very own kiddie ride in his very own home! See how he mounts his horsey!
Step 1 get the horsey to lie low and step on its back.
Step 2, Swing your leg over and sit tight
Step 3, signal your horsey to raise but before the horsey gets up, lie low so that you will not topple over.
Step 4, UP Up goes the horsey!! HIHA!!!!!!
Step 1 get the horsey to lie low and step on its back.
Step 2, Swing your leg over and sit tight
Step 3, signal your horsey to raise but before the horsey gets up, lie low so that you will not topple over.
Step 4, UP Up goes the horsey!! HIHA!!!!!!
Declan and his Great Grand MA
This is the 1st time ever great grand ma is making an appearance on this blog. She is my maternal granny, the person who brought me up. See how the both of them enjoy each other's company? This naughty Declan wanted his great grand ma to piggy back him while munching on a piece of biscuit awarded to him by the loving GGM.
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