Milk?

One day, Popo called me to ask if we should changed Lil Isaac's milk powder simply bcos he is drinking very little.

There used to be a time that he can drink 180ml and more. He would even cry for more after his bottle. I was pleased. Now, he can barely finish his 120ml and he drinks very infrequently, about 4 bottles a day and 1 in the middle of the night. He may drop one or two bottles depending on whether it is a "I dont want milk" mood. The drop took place after he started solids.

Lil Isaac took solids pretty well. He takes 3 meals a day and plenty of snacks in between. His main meal is largely made up of carbo. Popo says that he is a greedy boy. The last I check, he was about 10.9kg, which is probably the 50%tile.

Base on the amount of solids that he is taking, I think it is fine that he is taking less milk but Popo is not pleased. Why? She says that milk babies are chubbier. Hohoho. Well, I do agreed that I would like Lil Isaac to be a little chunkier. Then again, Daddy Lim and I have the fats genes, it is probably a matter of time. Oops!

Mummy Lim

Inspired

Last night, Daddy Lim proudly proclaimed that he is greatly inspired by his princess.

Inspiration 1: Earring
Daddy Lim had his ears pierced long time ago but hasn't put on any studs since he joined the ship yard. After Lil Shauna's attempt to get her ears pierced, Daddy Lim was inspired to put back his. Now, Daddy Lim has studs on both ears but his inspiration remains with only one ear pierced.

Inspiration 2: Rollerblading
Daddy Lim's inline skates disintegrated several years ago, shortly after I bought mine. He didn't replace those skates since the kids came along shortly and we didn't have the opportunity to indulge in rollerblading. I only recently put on my while trying to coach Lil Shauna to rollerblade.

After 3 short sessions, Lil Shauna can now shuffle independently. She cannot blade yet but is moving in small steps. Mad cute. Seeing how his princess started "skating", Daddy Lim is inspired to find back his passion for rollerblading and has been browsing inline skates online. I think it will be soon that I find new skates at home for the BIG boy.

Lil Isaac will have to grow up soon to join the blading league. Errr... I want to spend $$ too. I should look at the kids for some inspiration too, right? Hehe.

Mummy Lim

Reading

It is a right choice to send Lil Shauna for phonics with LCentral (LC). She can now recognize all the 26 alphabets in both upper and lower case. There are definitely incidents of mistaken identity but she’s doing really fine in my perspective. Seriously, why must they make “b”, “d”, “p” and “q” so similar? Then there is “a” and “e”, “k” and “x”. Aiyo…

She is still far from perfect with her writing. They sometimes look like worms and pretty often, the letters didn’t turn out how they should be but I can see that she is trying hard. She still has a problem reading from left to right. Sometimes, she read (alphabets and numbers) the opposite way.

A few weeks back, I was trying to revise the alphabets with her and she surprised me by sounding ALL of the alphabets. Yes, you heard me right. I was uber impressed as if Lil Shauna just spelled for me the most difficult word in the world. She can now hear the 1st and the last sound consistently. We are struggling with the middle sound. It is not her fault. I cant hear the middle sound sometimes too. But it is actually a matter of technique, once she gets it, she will find it easy, breezy. Maybe we should look underneath the bed tonight… When we are doing her homework for the middle sound and I tried to get her to practice, she will ask me to “keep quiet” if she is not in the mood. Hmm… apparently she is trying to play mother.

Last week, I was helping her with her homework. She is supposed to read the picture aloud. The middle alphabet(s) are given and she will have to fill in the missing 1st and last letter, which isn’t really tough if she knows what the picture is, can hear the 1st and last sound, knows how to sound the letters and also how to write them. Hehe. Once again, she impressed me, especially when she wrote the front and back "t" for “tent” without my assistant bcos I got distracted by the little tiger.

I am also teaching her sight words. These are words that do not follow the phonics rule and there are plenty of them. As the name suggested, we recognize these words by sight. I taught her when I read her the story books and we attempt one word per week. So far, she has learnt “the”, “she”, “my”, “is”, “and”. These are on top of “pink” and “love” that she already recognizes. Geeezzz, how is it possible that most Singapore kids learnt how to read when they are 4? We are a long way from reading.

I was told that the kid will usually take 3 terms to progress to the next level. I think Lil Shauna will learn how to blend a word and thereby reading the word before she will be "promoted". She is currently in the 2nd term. I am in no hurry and still believe that it is more important for her to enjoy herself.

Mummy Lim

Terrible Fours

We screwed up the kids’ routine as a result of the holiday and the leave that we took before and after the holidays. It didn’t help with Lil Shauna’s frequent tantrum throwing. Ah yee sent me an article after seeing one of Lil Shauna’s meltdowns. It is about the Terrible Fours. Lil Shauna didn’t have much of a Terrible Two as she was very advance in her speech then and was able to articulate her needs pretty well. She is really shy and didn’t behave like a monkey when she was three. Things are however very different at four. She yells, cries, demands and throws a fit when things are not going her way. It is very frustrating both for her and us. It is very tiring alternating between coaxing, threatening and disciplining. Sometimes it works and we arrest a potential tantrum. Other times, we get a nuclear meltdown, she behaved like a spoilt brat and Mr Cane has to make his appearance.

The article says that kids at four are very vocal, smart, defiant and are constantly testing the boundaries. I cannot agree more to that. It teaches a few tricks, most of them about setting boundaries, negotiating and striking an agreement with the kid, reward sticker system, understanding that the cane or time out is behind certain behaviors. I am thinking of starting some reward system. I hope it will work.

Just as we are grappling with her behavior issues and Popo gets to enjoy a few hours of peace with Lil Shauna in school every weekday, we have a Lil Shauna who excitedly chirped that Monday was the last day of school. We asked her why and she said that her teacher told her so. Upon verifying, we found that she is going for an excursion on Tuesday, the big kids are going on Wednesday and there is therefore no school. Today and tomorrow are Meet-the-Parents sessions and the kids are excluded. Thus Monday was really the last day of school. It also means the start of Popo’s nightmare. Imagine keeping 5 kids in the same house and the 3 older girls are constantly bouncing with energy. For times like that, I take comfort that I am a FTWM. Anybody know of any school holiday program that will keep the kids out of the house?

Mummy Lim

Disney On Ice

Daddy Lim brought Lil Shauna to Disney on Ice on Sunday evening. We decided that Lil Isaac will join next year and I stayed home with didi. Daddy Lim enjoyed himself very much. He was talking about it more than Lil Shauna after they came home. Lol.

He had a funny story to tell. He mentioned about how he spent $15 on some flimsy Buzzlight Year cap and candy floss. I half suspect that he wanted the Buzzlight Year cap more than jiejie. Daddy Lim has a thing for Buzzlight Year and the Alien.

After the show, on the way to the carpark, Lil Shauna saw some latex Mickey Mouse shaped balloons for sales and wanted one. Daddy Lim agreed to buy for her only to find that the sales does not have change for $10. The balloon cost $6. Daddy Lim insisted not to tip the sales and left with a very sad looking jiejie.
To cheer Lil Shauna up, Daddy Lim agreed to buy her something in replacement and they went to shop in the nearby Kallang Leisure. They found this party flavor shop and Lil Shauna picked a Princessy cup for $10.95. The shop owner uncle starting chatting with them and asked why Lil Shauna was looking so down and Daddy Lim related the Mickey Mouse balloon story. The uncle then enthusiastically pulled out the different kind of balloons that he has and they ended up buying a huge foil balloon, which cost Daddy Lim $25!

Instead of a latex balloon for $6, Daddy Lim ended up spending 4x more. Lol. The only comfort? Lil Shauna was very cooperative on the way back home with her big balloon. Daddy Lim mentioned that she didn’t fuss at all. She just sat quietly in the back passenger seat admiring her big princess balloon. Oh, such aluminum foil balloons last much longer than latex balloons too. Daddy Lim mentioned that he wanted to deflate it and inflate it again for Lil Shauna’s bday. ;p

Mummy Lim

Cruise Holiday

Once again, we are back bcos all good things will come to an end. Boo! So did I have a break? Definitely! Did I feel recharged? You must be kidding me... It is the same "I need another holiday to recover from this one" syndrome. I am suffering from serious work blues. Nevertheless, it was a good break from work, from routine, from normal life and we definitely did enjoy ourselves.

It was a huge group this time. We brought my mum and my mil, my brother brought his pil and maid too. There were a total of 9 adults and 5 kids, 4 cabins. Nainai didn't do particularly much but I think she enjoyed herself, simply spending time with the grandkids. She and my mum were a great source of help, relieving me of most of the cleaning and feeding Lil Isaac's duties. Most importantly, they helped to chase after the little tiger too. These are the 3 of the 4 princesses.

We are no strangers to cruise, particularly Star Virgo. This is probably Lil Shauna's 4th or 5th sail and Lil Isaac's 2nd. However, as the kids grow, we get different experience each time. It was the same, "eat, walk, swim, sleep" routine for that short 3D2N, same as the previous trips. We did much more swimming though.

Jiejie is also old enough to enjoy the kids' center activities now and even went to the center to partake in activities without mummies but with the 2Fs. I also accompanied to take part in some games with some mascots in the kids' activities center.

We also caught a musical performance and magic show. Jiejie was captivated, didi too but with the help of lots of potato chips. There was plenty of space to roam for the little tiger. Most of the walkway is carpeted, which really suits the still not very stable but desire to roam freely tiger.

Lil Isaac ran so much on teh Sun Deck and then decided that he needed to lie down, right there and then.

We didnt gamble this time round but did enjoy a little drink after the kids turned in.

It all happened to quickly and we are back. I am actually feeling a little depressed to be back. I have to keep my eyes on next holiday in June to keep my sanity. And of course, It is time to start planning for the next holiday. I am just a mortal, I need a hope, something to look forward to in order to maintain sustainability. Daddy Lim, do you copy?

Mummy Lim

Birthday Celebration 2

I went JP to collect the cakes and fetch the kids from Centris after work. The bday cakes come in the form of a small round Dora cake and 4 square Hello Kitty cakes. Lil Shauna chose the design herself.

After the cakes, we left for the Amazon, an indoor playground at the Great World City. It was very expensive but the kids had great fun. The adults (ah yee, uncle ichi, auntie LK and myself) had to take turns chasing after the kids so that we get the opportunity to rest and breathe.

Then we met up with my brö's family for a family dinner. By then, I was exhausted. The Chan Family was really nice to come down to meet us and pass us Lil Shauna's bday present. Then booboo and Lil Shauna shared a slice of chocolate. Ok, cake again. Lil Shauna is so fortunate to not have to watch out for her weight.

This is Lil Shauna making her bday wish. She wanted of course, to become a princess. So cute.

Mummy Lim

Birthday Present

Interestingly, this is the response that I got from Daddy Lim when I wanted to buy roller blades for Lil Shauna for her 4th bday.

“Are you sure? What if she falls down and injured herself?”

And when I suggested to bring her ice skating at the new ring at JCube, Daddy Lim exclaimed,

“Don’t want lah, ice skating is very dangerous. Have you heard of the story about how the skater lost his fingers bcos he fell and another skater skated over his fingers?”

Hmmm.. I thought I am the mother and those words should come from me. Moreover, we both used to roller blade and Daddy Lim, when he was much, much younger, do stances on his roller blade. Tsk, tsk, time does horrible things. Lol.

Anyway, the rollerblade plan went ahead. Daddy Lim was agreeable on the condition that Lil Shauna dons full protective gear when she blades. Woohoo! We got Lil Shauna a pair of shiny pink blades, which she totally hearts. She had problem standing after putting on her blade to test if the size is right. Of course, we got her helmet, knee, elbow and wrist guard, as dictated by Daddy Lim.

I brought her to the void deck to test out her blades 2 Sundays ago. She learnt how to stand. A mere 20 mins trial and we were perspiring like mad. Last Sunday, we brought her roller blades to nainai’s house and she got to try them again in the evening. This time, she started moving very slowly on her own. Mad cute.

She fell a few times but she was well protected and very much enjoyed the session. She was very proud of herself and so am I. At a point while she was moving unsupported, I thought I felt my tears welling. I have never thought that I will teach my own kids to blade. That feeling was just priceless.

Mummy Lim

Eyebrow

I have been plagued by the fact that I have little and sparse eyebrow ever since I learnt about eyebrow shaping and had started tweeting them. There isn’t much that I can do since they are so little. I have started drawing them since I was in JC and had been doing so very faithfully. Without drawing, I am almost without eyebrow and I always try not to go around scaring people with my no-eyebrow look. I believe in karma. Lol.

Eyebrow drawing can be very frustrating. It is largely dependent on how focused I am and how steady is my hand at that point of time. Sometimes, I couldn’t get it right after many attempts – the arch is not right, the eyebrows are not balanced, the tail is not sharp enough, the tone is wrong, I look funny – the list can go on. It gets even more frustrating when I am rushing for time. I am also no alien to fading eyebrow as the day proceeds or only to realize that they are not balanced when I am outside, which is very embarrassing. Yet, the latter happens all the time. I must have drawn those brows while I was sleepwalking! My only savior is when I have bangs, like now. The bangs cover my eyebrow but I still draw them. We never know when strong wind will blow, right? Just that most of the time, I don’t have to worry too much and need not spend too much time on the brows since they are not visible most of the time.
So, I was very excited when eyebrow embroidery was introduced. Nope, we are not talking about the old school eyebrow tattooing that the “trendy” aunties spot. Not those that turned green after a period of time. These are supposed to be pigmentation done on the surface of the skin and look much natural than eyebrow tattoo. Touch ups are at every 8 months to 1 year interval. I have seen people with really natural looking brows after the embroidery and couldn’t wait to get mine done. I was simply waiting for the cow to retire. I was supposed to stop bfeeding for 3 days after the embroidery and wasn’t willing to do so then. I was a noble cow.

As I was on leave to celebrate Lil Shauna’s bday in school yday, I took the opportunity to do my eyebrow… finally. I went to Allure Beauty Salon at West Mall after finding some not too bad reviews about it. I was there at 2pm and it started with the kind of procedures that I want to do. Apparently, there are many different kinds of procedure with different price tag. The most expensive comes with a 4-digits price tag. The more expensive, the more natural it will look. The sales was pushy but I had my budget to observe and settled for the creative eyebrow that cost me almost $500. This is me before we started. I had haphazardly drawn my brow for the day.

The procedure started with numbing cream. I actually looked quite silly while waiting for the cream to take effect and everybody who walks by the salon can see me. I was just glad that it was a weekday afternoon and there wasnt much crowd.

Then, the Principal Trainer (PT) started to "design" my eyebrow and drew it on me and for me to approve. It was like some sort of art class and I was the drawing block. She made adjustments bit by bit until I was satisfied and we started with the actual "tattooing". So, was it painful? Of course it is until they put more numbing lotion after the initial "cuts". Thereafter, it was a breeze.

This is my newly done brow. Yes, they are very, very dark and thick. But the colours will slowly fade and they will become thinner and look much natural after about a week. I bet it was some sort of sales gimmick but the PT and the other therapists all starting praising how well my brows were done. Some aunties were also contemplating having their brow done and I became their "sample". -.o"

I am not quite used to such thick and "short" brow. I used to draw mine long and narrow but the PT who did my brow insisted that this is the right dimension for my features. I hope she is right. Daddy Lim says that I look like La Pi Xiao Xin now. Chey! So, my bangs are currently my life saviour.

 I was given some tips to take care of my brow. Firstly, this oily soothing lotion to apply on my brow for 5 to 7 times a day. The lotion is actually quite yucky and the excess drips downwards to my eyes. Then I am not supposed to wash my brows for the next 7 days! I dont know how this is possible but I am trying and I am taking extra long to wash my face and shower. I will have to go back for touchup in a month's time. I hope it wouldnt be this painful then.

I quite like my new eyebrow and I enjoyed the freedom of not having to draw my eyebrow this morning. If it is not bcos the salon is too pushy, a little too auntie-ish and a little too pricey, I would consider going back for future touch-ups. We will see how.

Mummy Lim

Birthday Celebration Part 1

So, I did end up in school yday to celebrate Lil Shauna’s bday. Daddy Lim sent us there and helped us bring the goody bags to the class. Lil Shauna helped too. She is a big girl now. Daddy Lim didn’t stay for the celebration. He probably felt awkward to be surrounded by female teachers and a whole bunch of kids. I wonder what’s with the male ego. Anyway, the celebration wasn’t anything much. Her teachers and friends sang her the bday song and she blew the candle. Lots of pictures were taken and then they got ready for outdoor and I left. All were done in under 30 mins.

The cupcakes were really nice and cute. I bought them from a colleague’s wife who used to own a bakery. The original plan was no mummy, only goody bags and cupcakes, so the cupcakes were individually packed for the kids to bring home in their goody bags if they do not want or have time to consume them in school. But I think they probably ate the cupcakes during snacks time. The cupcakes were too irresistibly cute. The kids were all so excited over the goody bags and the cupcakes.

Lil Shauna has a bigger cupcake for candle blowing. A stand was provided and all the cupcakes were put together. The overall effect looks really good.

Lil Shauna is very shy. She didn’t look at all excited. She’s very different when she’s in school and at home. She didn’t maintain eye contact or talk to the teachers who wished her happy birthday along the way from the school lobby to the classroom. She didn’t seem too excited to be the center of attention too. How can this be the Lil Shauna that we see at home! I think most importantly, she did enjoy herself.

Happy bday baby.. and we have another 2 rounds (at least) of bday celebrations.

Mummy Lim