Wonderful Wonderful 2008...

2008 has been the most incredible year of my life...it is the year i have the most achievements so far...it is also the biggest turning point of my life...watching my baby taking steps into independence and developing his own individuality...makes me excited wat to expect next...

I could say i have quite a wonderful year...my toddler is active and healthy...i have a bunch of fun loving mummy-friends for support...i gain knowledge in terms of child care...and most importantly...i can cook! but dun expect too much from dat statement...coz i dun even know how to wash rice b4 i came here...so comparing to the standard i had b4...i'm quite proud of myself for preparing 3 meals for my baby...

though i have been in Calgary for over 18 months...i still have not come to the reality of being away from my family in Singapore...becoz i'm still feeling very homesick...especially when CNY is only a few weeks from now...how i wish to sleep past dat day...so i could lessen the pain of not having the joy of CNY...

i'm still having faith and trust in the LORD that i will definitely make it back for CNY in 2010...by then when i can be back...i wish i could have a grand arrival...becoz i left as me...bt i rtn as a mummy...

i wish everyone a Happy New Year and an exciting 2009 ahead !!! GOD Bless !!!

dAriuS' 12 mThs oLd gAllerY...

mOre of 11th mOnth oLd gAllery...

Nov Gathering cum Nov Babies Birthday Party

For the theme of our Nov gathering, we decided to have a mini celebration for the Nov/Dec babies in the group. So we booked the VIP room and had yum cha @ Singapore Sam's Restaurant on Nov 1st 2008. The food is pretty nice there...hope to bring hubby there someday...Most of the Babies are still crawling except Sianne and Darius...Darius was still not steady yet but Sianne was trotting around with ease...smart gurl !

mY toddler is 13 months old...

Weather: -21°C Cloudy
Feels like: -29°C

Its been a long time since i blog...you might be wondering y no action from me...actually there is jus too much action going on now that i have no time to sit down peacefully n blog...

Darius is now 13 Months Old now...!!! though he just entered toddlerhood, he has been toddling since he was 10 months plus...so by now he is an adventurous monkey...he went to the extent of emptying the cupboard in the kitchen n tried to climb in there...honey, ur going nowhere...
He might be wondering where the water went to after hearing them guggling down the pipe...
He tried climbing out of his crib...scared the hell outta me! He probably learn it from the Pampers Cruisers commercial, "how to sit on a chair? first you have to climb on it" dada, ur wearing cruisers but that does not mean you have to climb on a chair...
I guess its the natural physical development of boys, they are jus more active and monkey around more than girls...i hope i have a girl next time...hmmm...i dun tink i could handle 2 monkeys by myself...i might turn into a tree...

Life has been exciting for me despite the horrible weather...i'm not going to let the snow stop me from getting out...when Darius sees me taking his boots and jacket, he knows its outing time...!
but he still wants me to chase him around to wear them...he sees it as a game, i see it as a chore...baby i know it's fun for u...but can we not chase when we are rushing for time?

Winter is here...the snow is piling up...almost 4 inches deep already...every morning we have flurries...i hate to shovel the snow coz its so tedious...but in fact i secretly want to dive in them...hehe...they seem so soft like cotton candy...
Last week we had a Snow Play Date @ Michelle's place with her 2 munchkins, Josh (4) and Joe (2). We dressed the boys for almost 10 mins and played in the backyard for 20 mins...coz the wind is really chilly...and Darius dunno how to walk when i put him in snow boots coz they r really thick and insulated...We tried to make snowman but its not as easy as it seems...Michelle finished the bottom part, and she asked me, so how we do the top? haha...

My poor baby has one of his molars erupting, and i guess its causing him alot of discomfort at nite...so he will wake up quite a few times at nite...gosh its tearing me apart...worst still im down with cold n sore throat n bad cough...luckily he has good immune system and did not get infected by me...

I just borrowed a book from the library - The Complete Idiot's Guide to Feeding Your Baby & Toddler...there are more than 200 recipes to try...and i'm so excited to try them all...they seem pretty easy since most cooking style is bake as it is the healthiest and best way to keep the nutrients...furthermore the angmoh style of cooking is much easier for an amateur like me...i'm also into baking cookies after seeing how Michelle do it...seems pretty quick n easy...she's like a role model to me...i admire her ability to cook for the family and take care of her 2 boys so well...but the best part is her talent at scrapbooking...she has such great artistic cells...beautiful works...i wish to learn knitting from her when she is back BC in 3 weeks...hopefully i cld knit mittens or hat for Darius b4 winter is over...haha...

I dun wish to share her story for her privacy...but she is a very good example of when one door closes...a window opens for u...its jus a matter of whether u want to stay behind shut doors n whine or venture out thru the windows...she's inspirational to me...i duno y but she seems to be able to transmit some sort of strength to me and stay strong...i always feel positive n full of hope after talking to her...even if we were just chatting abt anything under the sun...

I know there will be alot to look forward to during Darius' 2nd year of life...he can say a few words nw but still unclear...or at least he manages to communicate using his gestures n tone of voice...everyday he never fails to annoy me...but he oso never fails to amuse me...i love him so so so much...i go crazy tinking abt him even though he is rite next to me...

mEssAge to my deArest son...

Weather: Mostly Cloudy 6°C

Dearest Darius,

You are the best thing that could ever happen to mummy...Wat an amazing year we had together...I never knew a little being could achieve so much in jus 12 months...It is a real adventure to watch you grow and develop into your own little self. At the same time seeing a little reflection of myself in you...makes me strive to improve myself to guide you to be a better person than mummy...

Thank you for opening up a whole new world for daddy and I, for bringing so much joy and love to our lives. You made our family complete and we work hard to provide a loving environment for you to grow up in. You never fail to bring us laughter with your every cute little silly acts.

The next 12 months is going to be a greater adventure for you and for us, as you discover the world of independent mobility on foot and expand your vocal abilities. We look forward to sharing your little world of new discoveries.

We love you, boy boy.

Mummy and Daddy.

============================================

Summary of milestones in the past year...

1st Month - Able to hold head up steadily

2nd Month -1st laughter and lotsa babbling, starting to pay attention to his crib mobile and toys

3rd Month - Discovered both hands and mouthing everything, able to sit supported, trys to bat at toys on the playgym

4th Month - Bottom 2 teeth erupts, likes tummy time, grabs at everything within his reach, loves bath time, enjoys playing infront of the mirror

5th Month - Pass toys from one hand to the other, drops toys and see ware they go, blows raspberry. enjoys bouncing on the jumperoo, will smile back when smiled at, sits unsupported

6th Month - Rolls from tummy to back and back to tummy, likes to shake his head vigoriously side to side, pick baby biscuits with fingers, stretch out arms when he wants to be carried, stranger anxiety

7th Month - Seperation anxiety, creeping in preparation to crawl, lurge forward using his bum while sitting, develops pincer grasp, banging toys to create sound, had 1st haircut since birth on Victoria Day

8th Month - Starts crawling and pull himself to stand, self feeds, starts using sippy cup, flip pages of baby board books, plays independently, responds to own name, enjoying splashing in the pool

9th Month - Walks with support and cruises around furniture, masters hw to sit down from standing position, his first word spoken porposefully: mama

10th Month - Learns to clap his hands, crawls up stairs, stand unsupported and walks by himself, opens and closes the door,

11th Month - Waves bye bye, dances to music and clap along, expresses himself better, so active he does not want to slow down for meals

12th Month - Flips pages of books and "read", attempts to climb up and down the couch/bed, shows temper when he does not get what he wants, getting more talkative, loves playing the chasing game, put things in and out of containers, likes carrying things around the house a.k.a make a mess

jOurnEy on dAriuS' Memory Lane...

It has been the shortest and fastest 1 year of my life...!

dAriUs is ONE..!

Weather: Snow Showers H:3° L:-1°


Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes to my beloved baby...but...y nobody pat me on the back and congratulate me for making thru the 1st year? needless to say...i know u can tell i did a good job...haha...(thickskin***...)

i expect i will have many many more good years ahead with Darius...thou it is a bittersweet transition now...from a dependent baby to an independent and demanding toddler...i am already looking forward to the challenges and the joy of watching all his 'firsts' (new milestones) in the 2nd year of life...i am also excited in the new variety of foods i can introduce to him and the fun stuffs we cld do together...

Darius is definitely starting to talk but mummy is still trying to figure out wat the sounds mean...he will point to things/people and give me a question mark face...i will label and name everything in his world and he seems to "repeat" after me...haha...so cute...!

Recently he is so into turning in circles and i cld get dizzy jus by watching...yet he cld walk off like ntg happen...dats the price of youth n health...haha...i'm sounding like an old woman...
I just started chasing my toddler down the hallway...at the store...seems like he already want to run away from me...haha...for mischief of coz...hehe...
All the funny expressions he makes with his face never fails to make me laugh...even after he throws all his cereal and apple pcs on the floor...
when he is busy playing...he never forgets to come to me for a hug n kiss...sometimes even bringing me his toy with the message : play with me...!

His favorite play thing now is carry boxes here and there...rummage the waste basket...pull the toilet paper..."sweep" the floor with my swiffer...push the roller chair...throw my clothes out of the drawer...

In the morning...the first thing he does when i get him out of bed...he will open the door and rush out to his little play land...with dat...i cld steal another 15 mins of sleep b4 he starts to bug me...hehe...well not bug me...but by dat time...i cld expect to see some "damage" already...so its better i get up and minimize it...

After the light snowfall last Wednesday...this morning we woke up to Winter Wonderland...there was about 1 inch of snow on the ground...its the 2nd snowfall this year and looks like icing on a cake...its a gift from GOD in celebration of Darius' 1st year ...jus like Darius is a gift from GOD to me...today i have so many thoughts going thru my mind...every details on 16th Nov 2007...all the challenges and sleepless nites and fear that i went thru up till todate...it is really amazing how much one can achieve in jus 365 days...

*cHange is cOnstAnt*

11 mth old gAlleRy...

bAby dAriuS is 11 mOnths...! wow!

There is still one more month into toddlerhood...my baby is already enjoying his independence around the house...and getting more mischevious....he STILL explores restricted places...he plays with the toilet paper by pulling the whole roll...he will give me a squirky smile and take off...i rem when my KuKu told me about Ben Ben playing with toilet paper i was laughing and saying - sooo cute...! but...when ur the one dealing with dat...yeah its cute but its annoying too...
i was so used to him being on his fours getting around...now that he is walking i realised the house is not "toddler-proof" yet...so there is lotsa work to do here...!

he can express himself better nw...he will bring me a snack he likes and say "mum" "mum"...i know he is not calling me but telling me he wants to "munch" "munch"....how cute...!
now that he is walking better and better...he just cant stay put...! he cant sit in his highchair for longer than 15 mins except in the morning when the tv is playing his favorite show Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...he will clap and sway along to the music...

of coz diaper change is a always a struggle...mummy is running out of things to entertain him while changing...keys, camera, hp, diaper cream, wallet, lotion, box of smarties, coin pouch, spoon, wat ever i can grab...i even resorted to giving him his fav cookie jus to get him out of his dirty cruisers after all the above did not worked...

while we are out, darius now does not enjoy sitting in his stroller...he loves to walk in the crowd of giants...and he is like a VIP, everyone would "open path" for him and watch this little man wobble his way through...he gets ecstatic when he sees himself in the mirrors...and he could entertain himself long enough in the fitting room while mummy try on clothes...he has a mind of his own and wants to walk by himself...so daddy and mummy gets led around the mall by him...

the only problem now is figuring out how to wean him off...coz i tried every type of formula on the shelves and he dun seem to like any...i even added Nesquik to homo milk and he still hates it...well...i know it does not take overnight...so wish me luck...

He weighs 25 lbs 1 oz / 11.35 kgs and is 80 cm tall nw...not much growth from last month...probably due to higher activity level yet no increase in appetite...in fact...he seems less interested in food and seems so busy...he will imitate me cleaning the floor...and when he sees me keeping his toys in the box...he would get them out again and laughing happily...so young and making fun of mummy already...

the nExt dAy...

wat a pleasant surprise...dArius decided to take a few more steps by himself today...

see his cute little wobbily butt...

dAriuS' 1st sTeps @ 10 mths 3 weeks

Sept gAtherIng @ viCKy's new house...

BBQ @ Beautiful Bowness Park

My favorite season of the year...FALL...

10 Mth oLD piCs...

oOps! aCcident...!

@ 10 mths 2 weeks old...

1st attempt to walk using the walker...

mOre oF 9 mtH oLd pIcs...

bAby dAriUS iz teN moNths oLD...!

Weather: Clear 19°C

10 months...that was also how long i had Darius in my tummy...its amazing how much he has achieved after 2o months from a ball of cells...to an active boy today...i'm very thankful he is so healthy and developing his milestones within the guidelines...and having a good position along the 95th percentile on his growth chart...

He is very eager to master his walking ability and always cling on to my fingers and guide me around the house...when he sees something that interests him he will get very excited and "run" to it...he definitely is walking better n faster now compared to a month ago...
i guess by his 1st bdae he cld be on his own...but i'm not ready to let my baby go on his own...gosh...

Darius has also started crawling up the stairs now and is very into it...while we were at Rochelle's hse the other day...when he sees her going upstairs he wld follow her up...so cute...!
too bad i did not video it coz i was caught by surprise too that he COULD crawl up the stairs...
now that he can crawl up the stairs...its a matter of time he figures out a way to climb up the sofa...so vigiliance has to be tighter nw...

2 weeks ago...he accidentally locked himself in the room...and the door was ald quite faulty...(there is too many to list how much i hate abt this hse) so i did not expect he had the strength to close the door...when i heard "pam!" i knew stg is going to happen...the door was jammed and i could not knock it open...the neighbors were not home too...he was crying and screaming inside...
so i had no choice but to call 911...the guys came within 3 mins of ending the call...
i felt abit paiseh to rush them here jus to knock my door open...hehe...the moment they handed Darius to me...i actually teared...it felt like he was handed to me from birth...though he was stucked in the room for oli 15 mins...but it felt like we were seperated for a very long time...

there was one incident that Darius really made my heart skip a few beats...
his daddy went upstairs outside to get the mail...and kept the door ajar...Darius managed to open the door himself...and crawl up the stairs while i was having lunch in the kitchen...by the time daddy came back in he was already at the top of the stairs...gosh! wat could have happen?! thank GOD Darius did not fall off the stairs...how serious cld it have been...

never underestimate what babies can do...but never overestimate too...they always catch us on surprise...or rather shocks...

Darius now weighs 25 lbs 1 oz / 11.40 kgs and 80.5 cm tall...but i'm tinking did i measure his height wrongly? coz he grew 3 cm in 1 mth? how is that possible?

dun have much time to spend at the lappy...so will update pictures once i have the chance to sit here...chaos !

dAriuS' 1st Fireworks sHow @ Global Fest '08

gOodbYe suMmer...haRloW fAll...

mOre oF 8 mtH oLd pIcs...

Practice walking @ home...- 9 mth 2 wk

Darius luurves Jumperoo...

Pull to stand...taken July 30th

bAby dAriuS is nINe mOnths oLD...

Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 17°C

This should have been posted on 16th but due to the stupid internet connection...i could create a blog post on 18th...den kena d/c b4 i could publish post...so finally today 22nd i finally finish blogging and publish my post...

Anyway i still cant believe i have been thru 9 months of motherhood now...
it's still so overwhelming for me...esp when i see my niece Rachel...i will think back the days when Darius was jus like her now...a newborn...eat sleep poo cry...
though i may sound dramatic to many but i'm sure those who are mummies will understand how i felt n went tru...when i saw my baby Darius taking his first step towards independence...i cried...it is so amazing and satisfying to watch his every little growth physically, developmentally, emotionally and socially...from newborn to a smiley 3 mth old to starting solids @ 6 mths and gaining mobility now...! i am so glad i could stay home and watch this precious little creature growing from within me to becoming a little boy soon...in 3 mths time he will move up to toddlerhood...n b4 i know it he will be attending college...haha...dats......a little too early to be thinking abt nw...

he is jus so so so curious these days...watching the way he explore the world is so wonderful and entertaining...sometimes i jus wished i could give him a better environment and more space in the house to explore...the way he study things so seriously...is jus so so so adorable...!

how i wish i could share all these precious moments with my family n friends...i'm sure his auntie zui will love him to bits...!

Darius' milestones:

* He now weighs 24 lbs 7 oz / 11.24 kgs (dats 3 times his birth weight!) & 78 cm (grown 25 cm from birth!)

* On July 25th @ 8 mths 1 week, Darius started crawling and i meant really moving forward with his arms n legs...though he sometimes drag his left leg...and since then my life change again to accomodate his growing needs...i jus cant take my eyes off him for 10 secs...he moves really fast...esp to places he KNOWS its out of bounds...till today he will jus follow me ware eva i go...

* 4 days lata on July 29th @ 8 mths 2 week, Darius can pull himself to stand...and that again change my life too...while i'm doing the dishes...he use my legs as support to stand and cling to me until i'm done...so dats to say after doing the dishes i cant go on to the next chore...he wants "bao bao"...

* maybe due to his new developmental milestone, his sleep is kinda disturbed...he will wake up in the middle of the nite...standing in his crib n whining for mummy to wake up and put him down again coz he has not mastered how to sit down...

* 2 weeks lata on Aug 14 @ 8 mths 4 week, Darius can walk holding my hands...n dat means he's gonna need shoes anytime soon...i'm sure by winter he should be walking so i would need to get him boots too...argh...$ $ $...

* yesterday on Aug 21st @ 9 mths 5 days, Darius finally mastered how to sit down from standing position...which is great! 1 thing less to yell mummy for help...he can now move on to other activties after he is down with playing his exersaucer which he now only enjoy playing it from outside n sitting inside it...


* he can very clearly speak his first word - mama...( i always say he is mummy's boy...hehe) and many other words which i have not figure out what they are...but he sure is a talkative boy...

* he is more than ever clingy to me now...but i hope after he starts Gymboree classes this fall it could boost his confidence abit and he could become more sociable...but of coz mummy do enjoy being his #1...its feels so so so good when he calls for me...i would give anything and everything up in the world for him...becoz he means the world to me...he is my world...

* he is still not very interested in food...or rather food dat mummy cooks...ya i'm a lousy cook but i have nvr cook for anyone so pls bear with my first-times...i dun wish to put any seasonings as his little kidneys would not be able to process the salts...and he luuuurves fruit and yogurt...too bad i dun have durian for him to try...hehe...

* he is my little follower...he jus follows ware eva i go in the house...even the toilet...so i shd get a gate to keep him out...there was once i kinda lost him in the house...he did not even respond when i called out to him...n...when i finally found my little rascal...he was rummaging the closet and the clothes on the floor...no wonder he did not respond...he knew wat he was doing is not rite...boys...

stay tuned for pic gallery...

Splashing fun...!

Heritage Day long weekend...

Our new cAr...! and my Hello Kitty...

i lUv u...BAby...

jUly gAtheriNg @ Arbour Lake