The Grinch



I remember putting a baby in bed on Christmas Eve, but something must have happened at night because it wasn't a baby who woke up on Christmas Day. It was... THE GRINCH.

I don't know what came over DN yesterday. He was grumpy, testy and very disagreeable. He didn't want to eat his breakfast cereal, lunch or dinner and survived on crackers and apples the whole day. Whenever we took anything away from him, he'd lose his temper, start wailing and knock his head on the floor. (!!!) (Stop it! You only have one okay!!!)

Great. Just what I needed on Christmas Day when we're all supposed to be on our best behaviour (and I'm not supposed to use expletives around the baby).

At around 9am, I lost my temper. I quickly passed him over to PF because if I'd continued to be around DN, I would have lost it and shouted at him (and I mean, really SHOUTED at him). It was that frustrating!

Looking back now, I know what the problem is. The problem is me. :( I haven't come to terms with 3 things.

1. I can't control everything.
With a baby, it's difficult to have a schedule and expect him to follow it all the time. Sometimes, he just doesn't want to eat porridge at 12.30pm and unless I knock him out and feed it to him via IV, "it ain't gonna happen buddy." When I cook a new dish (like the Shepherd's Pie), I must be prepared for him to hate it and start using it as paint.

2. I can't expect the house to be neat and clean all the time.
There will always be toys on the floor, books on the couch and porridge on the wall. Sometimes, I look like Quasimodo, hunched over and scurrying all over the house, wiping food off the floor and picking up toys and books. Sometimes, I lose it when DN flings food around or sweeps all his books onto the floor. But I know he's still young and everything is new and just waiting for him to explore, so he's just being curious.

3. I can't expect to have my social life back.
Okay, this one I knew for a long time. I think I'll only get it back when DN goes to the army. -_-

Update
It was 2 new teeth that caused the grinch-like behaviour. 2 incisors, 1 on top and 1 below. Sodesune!

Viral Fever

DN is sick... pooey.

When we put him in bed last night, he was perfectly fine. An hour later, he woke up crying. He was hot! A fever, just like that! His temperature was about 39 degrees. Thank goodness we had some paracetamol in the fridge.

We were actually supposed to attend a birthday party this afternoon. PF and I were looking forward to it for two reasons:

1. It's a KFC party and DN is now old enough to join in the games (sort of) and he'll probably win a prize or two coz he's a baby and everyone panchangs the baby!
   
2. It's a KFC party! ('nuff said. Colonel Sanders, you da man!)
   

So we missed the party coz DN has a viral infection (I think he got it from Globetrotters, grrr...) and is highly contagious. Oh well. :( So we spent the day relaxing at home, watching Bob the Builder, playing with his toys, reading books...

DN wasn't moody or grumpy at all, just hot, so nothing for us to worry about really. I found this on www.kidshealth.org...

"The illness is probably not serious if your child:

• is still interested in playing
• is eating and drinking well
• is alert and smiling at you
• has a normal skin color
• looks well when his or her temperature comes down."

Hmm, let's see... DN was still begging for crackers, fruits, fries (we had to have our KFC!)... smiling on demand... running all over the house... yes, I think he's fine!

DN hated having the fever patch on his forehead. Kept shaking his head when we tried to put it on and when it's on, he'd fling it right off and it'd go "piak" on the floor. (It's a gel pad.)


But I love the fever patch! It's got cute little penguins on it!

Day Out with Funny Bee

When my brother Josh (who's 17 years my junior) was little, LY used to come over and play with him all the time. Josh had this strange looking bee toy. It was a bee-robot-monster-thing and Josh loved it. LY came over one day, saw it and asked him what on earth it was. He said, "It's a funny bee."

Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

I don't know why, but it cracked us up. Funny bee! He's 100% right! It IS a funny looking bee! From that day on, LY was known as Funny Bee. Even now (and he's 15 years old), he still calls her Funny Bee when he forgets to be macho, cynical and indifferent.

Since LY is so adverse to the name Aunty LY, I shall christian her Funny Bee again. Actually, if truth be told, it felt weird calling her Aunty LY too. Funny Bee sounds right. So LY, please reprise your role as Funny Bee, friend to all children and giver of good gifts! ;)

DN and I met Funny Bee, Kristie, Kyra, Ember & Imelda at Globetrotters for lunch yesterday. Globetrotters is the Mecca of all kiddie restaurants. Parents love it coz they get to dump their kids in the play room. Kiddies love it coz they get to dump their parents in the restaurant. Everyone's happy!

Before you can enter the play room, you have to remove your shoes. After removing DN's shoes, I told LY to take a whiff. Now, only a best friend will obey such an instruction. So she did and I'm not sure if I'm her best friend anymore. What she said cannot be published on this blog, haha. She can't believe that those little 14cm feet can produce such odours. Oh gosh. I can't imagine what they'll smell like when he's 15, and they are encased in socks and school shoes from 7am until 4pm.

The play room had everything a zoo had - screaming and sweaty children, monkeys climbing all over the place, and even a funky smell. Lovely. The play room assistant was walking around in a daze, looking very defeated. Poor thing. I bet she'd already made a vow to be celibate.

Ah well! At least the kiddies had fun!


Where's Wally DN?







DN found a slice of plastic bread in the play room and held it the entire time. Here he is baking it. Hee.






We went home for his afternoon nap and when he woke up at 5pm, LY and I decided to drop by the Mango sale at Isetan Scotts. * note to self: never bring a mobile and active baby into a changing room with curtains for doors.

We had dinner at Mos Burger and DN abandoned his fish and broccoli porridge when our corn soup and potato croquette arrived. I wonder why. -_-

"Broccoli vs deep fried mashed potato cutlet seasoned with special spices that you never put into my porridge. Go figure, Mom."


DN : "Thanks for bringing me and my mommy out Funny Bee!"

School's Out!

Finally! I'm so happy that our 2-week break is here. I'm kinda looking forward to taking care of DN all by myself for the next 2 weeks. I say "kinda" coz I know it will not be that easy switching from a weekend mom to a weekday mom. Today was my first day taking care of DN, the house, the dog and the fish. Okay, strike the fish. I forgot to feed them today.

When DN had his morning nap, I zipped about the house and mopped the 1st floor. I decided to mop the 2nd floor during his 2nd nap coz I wanted to shower and grab a quick breakfast. Just as I dropped my tea bag into my mug, I realised I hadn't cooked his lunch yet. #$@*!! So I quickly started cooking the porridge and preparing the broccoli and salmon. DN woke up when I was halfway through. Goodbye breakfast! See you in 2 weeks' time!


I stir-fried some salmon and broccoli florets with some grapeseed oil and salt. Mighty tasty!







I then mixed it into porridge.













After lunch, my best friend, LY, came over and she helped me mop the 2nd floor and looked after DN while I showered (again). I overheard her telling DN, "Do you want Auntie LY to carry you?". She has finally resigned to her fate as Auntie, not JIE JIE LY. (A fate which I accepted long ago when a Filipino helper asked me (at NTUC no less), "Auntie, where is the kaya?" I was tempted to leave her to her own devices for calling me "auntie", but I led her to the condiments section because I am... *sob*... an auntie-with-a-heart.)

At 3.45pm, Auntie LY helped me bundle DN into the car and off we went to My Gym for an X'mas party. Oh boy, and did DN have fun! The minute I plonked him down in the gym, he wandered off exploring and forgot that he ever had a mother.

"Mommy? Hmm... that word sounds familiar. Is it the name for those monkey bars over there?"

Sadly, hare-brained me forgot to bring my phone, so I don't have any photos of DN at the X'mas Party. :( But some of my friends kindly took photos for DN and I so I'll upload those pics later.

After the party, we had dinner at Sin Ma Seafood Restaurant at Geylang Lorong 3 with DN's Granduncle Eddy who's flying back to California tomorrow. When my mom fed DN his dinner in the car, I noticed a funny smell.

Me : Who farted in the car???
My mom : Not me.
Me : Well, it's not me either. DN, did you fart?
My mom : It's not him. It's the porridge.

OMG! I made fart porridge today! :(

Overall, it was a fun day. I didn't do too well with the flying solo bit coz I forgot to feed the fish and I had help from LY, the amah-on-wheels, who offered to mop my 2nd floor. I really admire SAHMs who fly solo EVERYDAY. (Like you, Ling!) They do everything from cleaning the house to wiping baby bums to even cooking lunch/dinner for the family. (Can meh!?) I am a little tired now, but after looking at these pictures taken today, I can't wait for tomorrow. :)


I found this pic in my phone this morning. Someone was playing with something he wasn't supposed to!







DN :"Oh crap. Shouldn't have taken that picture. Better run."










DN is such a camera whore. He's always smiling for the camera now!

My favourite photo

DN's photos are arranged according to months and each folder is named like this - "year-age-month" (eg : 2007 1yr3mths Dec). I label all his photos with the date they were taken - "year-date-photo number" - for example, 07dec14(1). (1) means that was the 1st photo taken, (2) means it's the 2nd and so on. This way, I know immediately how many photos were taken that day. Also, naming them like that means my photos appear in order when I open any folder. When uploading photos onto this blog, I reduce the size of the photo first. This "smaller" photo gets the same name as the parent photo, but with an (a) at the end, like this - 07dec14(1a). Straight away, I know it's the same photo, but in a smaller size.

It's good to be anal retentive! *smug*smug*

All of DN's photos are in my laptop and when I have spare time in class, I sneakily browse through the photos. Like now! (My kids are doing a mock test, haha. Merry Christmas class!)

So I was browsing through the "2007 8th Mth April" folder when I saw this photo. I love it! It's my fav photo for now. :D



07 apr 14 (16a)

Price tag, name tag, DN's been tagged!

I've seen these on other people's blogs and have secretly harboured the hope that I'd get tagged too, hee. Ling tagged me so here goes... 5 things! (I'm tagging on DN's behalf.)

A. Found in my Room

1. A big mess (Mom & Dad keep trying to get me to pack all my toys, but I have more important things to do... like overturning this bucket and all its contents onto the floor.)
2. Diapers - NTUC tape diapers (for day), Nepia pull-ups (for nights) & Nepia tape diapers.
3. A Flensted Dog Mobile
4. My little library of books - The Eric Carle ones are my favourites.
5. Dust! :(

B. I have always wanted to...

1. Climb up the stairs myself (but Mom won't let me)
2. Put my hand in the fish tank and play with the fish (but Mom won't let me)
3. Get out of my stroller the minute I'm put in (but Mom won't let me)
4. Pull Mom's earrings because they're so sparkly and dangly and be-yoo-ti-ful (but Mom won't let me)
5. Pee & poop in the potty Mom, but sometimes when you gotta go, you gotta go. Time and tide waits for no potty!

C. Found in my (diaper) bag

1. Munchkin suction bowl
2. Pigeon fork and spoon set
3. My snacks! Sometimes Mom stews fruit for me, most times it's crackers.
4. Water bottle
5. Diapers

D. Found in my (mommy's) wallet

1. 2 pictures of Mom, Dad and me :)
2. Discount cards that she hardly uses but daren't throw away coz "you never know!"
3. Bobby pins
4. Lip balm
5. (not enough) Money

E. I'm currently into...

1. Opening and closing drawers and taking things out and in
2. Begging Mom and Dad for bites of their food
3. Drawing on the IKEA chalk board
4. Signing "tree", "leaf" and "baby"
5. Giving kisses without being asked!

5 people I'm tagging

1. My Aunt Dawn
2. My Uncle Josh
3. Mom's best friend, Aunty Li Yen, who only wants to be known as ZHE ZHE Li Yen
4. Mom's forum friend, Michelle
5. Mom's forum friend, Shirlyn

Ready, set, GO!

Jiang Hua Yi Yu!

"Children growing up learning two or more languages simultaneously can do so without difficulty. They learn at an early age about the arbitrary relation between words and their referents." (Reynolds, 1990)

It's true! Compared to the rate at which I pick up Chinese words, I think DN's learning curve is really a learning totem pole. I am humbled. -_-

He spends his days with PF's parents who only speak Chinese and Hokkien so it's no wonder that he understands English and Chinese and a smattering of Hokkien.

In Chinese, he understands when we say...

• Qu chuan xue (Go wear your shoes)
• Qu diu diao (Throw this away)
• Tui qu ku ku gu gu de fang jian (Push it into Aunt's room)
• Er duo / bi zi zai na li? (Where's your nose / ear?)
• Tang tang he shui (Lie down and drink your water)
• ...
  

And he knows what these are...

• Gou (dog)
• Mao (cat)
• Pai shou (clap hands)
• Xiao xiao (smile)
• Deng (light/lamp)
  
• ...
  

And now, we think he knows how to read Chinese too. (haha) Today, he dug into the pile of newspapers, tossed aside all the copies of The Straits Times, found a copy of the Chinese papers and brought them to his grandpa! Together with his reading glasses! LOL.

This he definitely DID NOT get from me because I am the sad monolingual one who told one of my student's parents during Parent's Day that her son was going to retire (tui siu) if he did not buck up and start studying. (I was supposed to say "tui bu" - "lag behind".) I knew something was wrong when Mrs X tried to stifle a snort.

Humph.

Can you say "Couch Potato"?

The only DVD that DN likes watching is "The Wheels On The Bus". It's about Beep, a double-decker bus that's really the village kaypoh. He occupies his time doing things like shuttling Little Bo Peep's sheep to the hairdresser, hunting down the Mayor's hat and cooling down Hot Cross Buns. (Don't ask.)

Anyway, this is the only thing DN will watch on TV. Not my first choice, but at least it's not Barney the (idiotic) Purple Dinosaur or those abnormally hyper-happy teenagers from Hi-(are they on speed?)-5. If only he had an affinity for CSI, Heroes or Miami Ink.

Sometimes, PF and I put it on in the mornings as we rush about the house getting ready. Yesterday, I caught DN in super-couch-potato mode.

I take credit for the big eyes and effervescent personality, but the couch potato trait is definitely from PF!


Can this picture be any more unflattering?











DN : "If I don't blink, I won't miss anything."

Wedding Bells

Royston and Shi Ling got married on Sunday (2 Dec) and we had to decided to bring DN along. We normally wouldn't have done so but both sets of parents had wedding dinners that night too, and all in the same hotel. (How strange is that!)

DN normally sleeps between 830 and 900pm so we had to play around with his naps that day. We pushed his morning nap to 1130am (from 10am) and his afternoon nap from 4pm to 6pm so he could last longer that night. When he woke up at 7pm, off we went to the Marina Mandarin.

The initial plan was to eat 2 or 3 courses and then leave, but we ended up staying until 1030pm, 2 hours past his bedtime!

You see, we've discovered this about DN. As long as he is constantly being fed, he will sit nicely at the table. The only "impolite" thing he does is shout "mum-mum-mum-mum!" if the food doesn't reach his mouth fast enough. Eating out is pretty easy now as long as we have his Munchkin suction bowl. Just stick it on the table, throw some rice / noodles in, and that'll keep him busy (and the restaurant staff too, coz 70% of it ends up on the floor).

Of course, we couldn't use the Munchkin bowl at the wedding dinner. (damn those posh tablecloths!) So I spent most of the dinner cutting food up, mashing it and feeding it to Mr Bottomless Pit. Whatever we ate, he ate. DN loved the soup, roasted duck and cod fish. :)

• Cold Dish (Crispy Silver Fish, Roasted Duck, Lobster Salad)
• Shark's fin in clear chicken broth
• Teriyaki cod
• Chili crab with fried man tou
• Chocolate mousse
  
• Wedding cake
  

As you can see, it was a very unconventional menu. What a nice change from the usual Steam Garoupa, Abalone with Mushrooms and Honeydew Sago. The bride and groom also did away with the "yam-senging" and didn't take table-to-table photos. They were mingling with all their guests and most importantly, got to eat all the courses!


PF, me, Mr Bottomless Pit, Royston, Shi Ling











The chocolate mousse!