A Thing or Two from Junior

When we bring Nathan to the mall,

we usually let him pick his ride if we chance upon any,

and Mommy N will pop in the gold coin.

There! He would pretend to be

a `reckless' driver on the jeep, or

a `rowdy' boy riding on the elephant, or

a `down-to-earth' boy sitting next to cookie monster,

which lasts for 3 mins or so.

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Of course we had to wait around sometimes

as some parents with kids occupy the rides

while waiting for their family,

but of course the one with the coin wins!

And Nathan is not ready to give up this enjoyment:p

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Last weekend, as usual, I popped the coin

and it came out repeatedly, faulty ride!

I let Nathan try popping in the coin,

which he did repeatedly and told me,

`huai lo!' while Pointing. At. The. Coin.

I almost laugh my heart out.

I was already very disappointed that the ride is faulty,

but was overcomed by Nathan's innocence.

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I was determined to bring him to try another ride.

Voila! This time the coin got through.

We pressed the `Start' button.

Nothing. Happened. No. Music.

And the coin just got stuck inside.

I was so cross with out luck that day.

Nathan looked at me and said calmly,

`No more...' and climbed down.

I was mad yet Nathan was cool about it.

He taught me to take things easy at times:P

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This week, we let him try out

the Barney and friends ride at Vivo,

it was already past his naptime so he looked a little lost,

plus, his favourite Thomas the train ride was occupied...,

We will come back again for Thomas next time!

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LOL!

Polliwogs

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This morning, we brought Nathan to Polliwogs,

an indoor play arena for kids, kinda like a kiddy gym

where he had a blast, it was going, going and going for him.

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Mommy N was breathless trying to catch up,

crawling in the miniature tunnel with him,

making my way through low headrooms,

climbing the nets and balancing myself

in those small small enclosures

filled with little peoples and their guardians!

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In no time, I found myself sitting like a blob

amidst the fun-filled play area,

This is all too much for me, so I let Nathan loose,

no more tailing him EVERYWHERE.

You go boy, mama is fine

just sitting here and watch from afar.

Photos? Cam have zooms anyways...

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I was actually talking about this kind of energy...

Good Morning!

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The 2 boys woke up exactly at the same time this morning.

One started wriggling and

the other started calling out to me...

Both woke up with exceptional good mood,

so this photo is taken without hassle,

except that we have to make do with minimal light,

and we had to be silent,

as Daddy N is still piggy...

I swear I did not ask Nathan to pose in any ways,

he naturally started stroking Gabriel's crown.

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Who is the BABY now?

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Nathan will be attending a playgroup starting January 2010,

We have just collected his `uniform',

which fits him quite perfectly albeit a little roomy,

and did a dry-run for actual class.

Got him a book, which he naturally started

to flip and read, long enough for me to take a few shots!

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According to teacher Melissa,

every year, there is bound to be a `Baby' in the class,

Come 2010, it happens to be Nathaniel,

a quick check on the list reveals that

most of his playmates are early 2007-born,

I guess this is the reality of being a December child,

like myself.

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Lots to look forward to.

Can't wait!

Chou chou!

Month 3

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Gabriel is a smiley baby,

although he can also be so hard to please at times!
It does not take a lot of effort to get him
to smile with his mouth wide open.
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He loves it when we gaze at him and talks to him.
He coos, errr, arrr, kerr and make all sort of sounds,
And it gets kinda loud at times.
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He has recently discovered his hands,
puts them together and found out that they taste great.
Finger sucking...a great way to pass time, ay?
Sometimes we don't even realise he is awake
until we heard loud sucking sound *faint*
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Nathan is playful and understandably,
finds it hard to part with his `old baby toys',
playgym, rattles, shakers, you know, baby stuff...
They are refreshing!
And he finds new ways to play with them,
which is great, I say.
Nathan can play with it while Gabriel watched excitingly,
but not for long, me thinks.
Gabriel has also been reaching out
for the hanging toys on his playgym!
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He watches TV with Gor gor too!
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Gabriel is still having 3-hourly feeding in the day,
ranging fom 3-5 oz each time,
before his last feed at 7pm,
sleeps right through till 3/4am for another feed
and wakes up for the day at 6:30am.
He is now 6.9kg.
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My Nightlife - Its so Happening!

Decided that I should pen this down

before this happening night life I have now phase out

as the boys grow up and I gradually have my beauty sleep back...

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Gabriel's bedtime is 7:30pm and Nathaniel, 10:30pm

By the time I am back from work,

I could only spend some time with Nat.

And by the time I shower, finish dinner and express milk,

it is almost 9:00 pm before I bring him out for a quick walk

and both of us will be in bed by 10:00pm.

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These days I am the one dozing off first,

I seriously don't know what he is up to before he finally sleeps.

One night I even found the torchlight I hid behind my pillow,

which I used to, er, shine on Gabriel's butt,

if he ever does his business at night,

completely dismantled and the parts are everywhere on the bed!

He must have had a jolly good time

playing quietly under minimal light when I was sleeping!

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Anyway, before bedtime, we chat amongst all things.

I would encourage him to wish everyone a good night,

and it has now become a habit that he looks forward to,

as he gives Daddy N and Dee dee a kiss each on their cheeks.

He is generous with his wishes and continues to do so

in the bedroom, naming everyone he knows.

The next time you meet him, he would probably

include you in his long list of 'to-wish-goodnight-to' people:p

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Recently I have been inviting him to pray with me,

I would sit on the bed, and he will climb onto my lap,

together with Elmo on his.

As I hold his hands together, he held Elmo's

And I must admit, he is surprisingly good at keeping still

as I attempted shorter prayers for a start.

He would also give it a shot at times,

and stops at `O God, Guide me...'

he probably would not understand what we are doing

but he is quite obedient and good with instructions.

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In the wee hours of the morning is when I attend to Gabriel.

This is the time when I felt as though I am in a combat training,

racing with time to prepare the milk before he fuss

feeding and attending to him, for not more than 15 mins,

then tested for my speed in assembling the pump

for another milk-expressing session,

before I search the kitchen to satisfy my hunger pangs.

The faster I get everything done, the more sleep I can get!

Trust me, I am most alert during this time.

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Nathan have also gotten used to my nocturnal routine at night.

He continued to sleep soundly

without the fear of me disappearing from the room

like he used too when I started work a month ago.

Even if he wakes up when I am feeding Gab,

he would just sleepily narrate what I am doing,

ie Dee dee ku...or

Mama bao Dee dee...or

Dee dee drink milk...etc

and falls asleep while watching us on the bed.

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Tonight, I have a little bit more time,

So I contributed to this page:P

Its 3:33am and its all peaceful and quiet here now

Sweet dreams all!

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Black + White + Red

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Gabriel enjoys looking at his mobile a lot.

Its a simple black and white striped snakey

with 3 little animals intertwined together.

He will get so excited that

he would move his hands and feet vigorously

with his eyes fixed at the toy.

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I was told that the only colours that newborn can see,

are highly contrasting colours: the Blacks, Whites and Reds.

That would mean the only cartoon character

they can see clearly in their early days is Sylvester, No?

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10 Things I Adore About Nat...

1.

When he lovingly bids everyone goodnite before bedtime. Only more, no less. By that I mean he will include all his buddies, especially Elmo, and other family members who are not present. But he will only plant huge wet kisses on Baby-G's forehead, very very carefully. Of course baby will jerk a little but I believe he doesn't mind. There cannot be any sweeter moments that that!

2.

When he engages in long conversation. His first sentence: `Min tian mama qu gong' after I religiously tell him that mama has to go to work the next day, after the week ends. He makes effort to pronounce each word correctly, carefully arranging and selecting words to express himself. He is open and learns fast. We expose him to Mandarin, English, Bahasa and Foochow. He even repeat the same thing in a more than one language at times. Its amazing...

3.

He is meticulous and has an eye for detail. Nothing will slip through his eyes no matter how swift we try to hide it from him. He would not let us help him with his toys, rather prefer to explore on his own, from learning to play to physically examining each part including where the screws and batteries are!

4.

Love it that he loves eating. There were a few stressful months as he was picky with his food. Nowadays he enjoys homecooked food and is easily contented. He will always attempt to eat on his own, under our watchful eyes. We will always keep enough supplement snacks, bread, fruits and finger food around for him which he absolutely love chomping on!

5.

He has a big heart. Although a bit of coaxing is needed at times, he would share his stuff, especially if we ask properly with a `please' and a `thank you'.

6.

Love watching him when he sleeps. Its the only time when he looks peaceful and his facial features are all relaxed and rested. This sight is practically impossible when he is up and running about.

7.

He has a very imaginative and creative mind. A pro at pretend play, one-time experience is enough for him to replay the entire scene with whatever props available. Recently he has been pretending to board a bus and tap the card with Elmo:P

8.

When he says sorry. This may sound crazy but its true, he would say `cho-li' repeatedly just to put a smile back on your face when his deed is frowned upon. And he really mean it as though he commited a crime, until I have to tell him that he need not apologize for small things that he did not mean to do. Dunno how much he understands but it made my heart sore.

9.

When he smiles. need I say more?

10.

He has a good understanding power. I would talk to him not in kiddy language, but in a serious manner when he needs a lecture. He would demonstrate his understanding by displaying little gestures and what he does after. We just need to make sure we don't lie to him, which is not so difficult after some time. That way, it is easier to talk him around when we earned his trust.

And counting...

Me Too!

I enjoy bathtime too!

Double T's

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Terrible Twos,

Temper Tantrums,

with Two under Twos...

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As Nathan is approaching 2,

these are the things that we are supposed to watch out for,

but I prefer to feign ignorance,

not letting these made-believe concepts play in my mind,

so that before we know it,

Nathan will have a Terrific Two ahead!

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