Never been SOOOOOO angry....!

It was supposed to be a fun day to Gymboree today...like any other Thursday...
After preparing lunch for Darius to bring out...i went to get ready and get dressed...
as usual Darius is watching Disney channel...

went to living room to check on him...and to my horror! he was messing with my lappy and pulling the keys out! i tried to stay cool and yank him away...he also knows he is in trouble and run off to his play room...after fixing for 10 mins...i went to get him dressed...
but to another horror !!! i saw his mega blocks and a tv control in the toilet bowl...!
WTF! another blow and i cant stay cool this time...!
i snap and shouted at him! put him time-out in the bed room and slam the door closed!
as much as i love him...at the peak of my anger now i cant face him...! i might do things i will regret...so i decided to release thru my blog...which i have neglected for months...

now...dun even have the mood to bring him out...
i know its partly my fault too...i shd have watched him...i shd have closed the toilet bowl cover...
i shd have closed my lappy when im done....
but there is jus soooo much u can do with a pair of hands and a pair of eyes...
cant be at 2 places at one time...
after calming down...i understand children learn thru making mistakes...
everyone does...
i guess im more angry with the fact i cant bring him out to his fav Gymboree and seeing him have fun...

he did not cry when i scold him...so i guess he knows he is in trouble and hopefully...
learn from this mistake...

Precious memories @ Banff / Lake Louise

Long Easter Weekend...

Weather: Mostly Sunny 3°C Feels like: 1°C


over the long weekend...we took a 2 hr drive to Banff which is famous for the Rockies Mountains...the view is spectacular! i have never ever in my life seen such huge and beautiful mountains...and the whole town of Banff is surrounded by mountains...beautiful !
we also drove another 56 km from Banff to Lake Louise...

while i was there...i kept thinking to myself...how i wish my sista is here with me...we could go hot springs...ski...chill out at the bar...and take crazy photos together...im sure nicole will be ecstatic to take the scenary pictures with her professional camera...haha...!
but no matter how bad ur angle is the pictures still turn out beautiful...


this was also our FIRST ROAD TRIP as a family...and darius' first holiday...hmmm...can you count that as holiday? he was oblivious to the scenery around him...i tink he enjoyed most walking on the frozen Lake Louise and kicking snow out of his way...

I made some sushi and salad for the trip so we could save on meals and also steve doesn't like the "angmoh" food...i was also expecting the food to be expensive there since its a tourist spot...
thou we save on food that we might get to enjoy...but we incurred a $236 speeding ticket...damn!
the highway patrol cop stop us and check for license and insurance...walk around the car and check darius' car seat to make sure we installed it correctly...he insepcted the seat belt and said it was too loose and the shoulder straps should be higher...blah blah blah...we nearly got another fine for that...but he jus gave us a verbal warning...of coz darius was frightened by the cop when he open the door on his side...coz the only persons ever to open his door is me or dad...it was quite hilarious when he freak out seeing the cop...

darius and I had a goooood sleep in the long drive...poor steve struggling to keep awake...he nearly fell asleep but manage to get his senses back in time...we were just thankful we made it home safely...

stay tuned for the beautiful pictures from our trip...

Signs of Spring is here...

Weather: Mostly Sunny 0°C

Finally the gloomy winter is gone...i wish the economy will recover quickly from the gloom and spring forward to better days ahead...

i love seeing more sunshine now...and the day stretches longer till 7pm instead of the sun setting @ 4pm...the skies are more clear and weather is turning positive...no more below zero degree weather ! the trees are starting to green...can even feel the air is fresher...but with dat beautiful sight...of coz there is a downside...snow is melting...u get wet puddles and sloppy, muddy roads and pavements...but i hope the warm atlantic air keep coming and keep the temp high, i'm sure i can be in my PAPILLIO in no time...!

with the great weather, we finally have the chance to bathe our beloved car...who has not had one thru out winter...and of coz its a long wait at the car wash...

its a very different system here compared to back home...in SIN, we can have the "ah nehs" wash ur car @ the parking lot or go to the petrol station for manual wash...and they even wipe down dry for u! but here...u insert coins and select the type of wash u want....like high pressure soap, low pressure soap, foam scrub, high pressure rinse, etc etc...and every dollar gets u 1 min 15 secs...and we could insert coins to extend time till we are done...so when the times starts u have to grab the jet spray or scrub and race time...! its so fun!

steve will do the scrubbing and spraying and i'll b the shouting to him...50 secs ! 30 secs! 10 secs! the intensity feels like we're in a kinda game racing against time...!

we jus wanna get the job done using as little loonies as we can...

i realised i have never washed Pinky (name of family car) in sin b4 coz i hate perspiring...and with dat heat and washing car...no way...! but i get to experience washing our own car here and it really feels good after seeing the car spick and span...but sometimes i give up wiping the car dry when the wind chills gets too cold...anyway it dries up real quick...

there has been many "false alarm" that spring is REALLY here...coz when the weather seems to turn sunny and temp rising...the weather forecast would say we might have snowfall over the weekend...duh...

*fingers crossed*

My 1st Attempt @ Fried Bee Hoon !

The bee hoon in the picture might not look tempting coz i took the picture in a hurry due to a hungry toddler tugging at my shirt...but i assure u, it definitely taste alot better than it looks...

for my very 1st try in my whole life! i tink i did pretty good...or at least someone appreciates it alot...i was quite worried Darius might not like it since he is very picky when he sees green stuff in his food...(jus like me when i was young...truly my son...) but he gobble them all up...

im really afraid of cooking hard veg like green beans, broccoli, carrots etc...coz they might take longer to cook to soften up...but at the same time i might overcook my other ingredients in the dish...n when veg are not cook properly they have a yucky raw taste...which is a real turn off!
so when i threw in the bee hoon...i realise the green beans r still quite hard...so i had to simmer for longer time than instructed from the recipe...yes of coz i followed a recipe...! im a recipe follower...if there is no measurements in there...i cant do it...!

i was so worried the bee hoon might turn out to be mushy...but in the end...it turn out well!

so im going to try and perfect this simple yet fulfilling dish b4 i can present it to my hubby...

the critic...

i have been trying a new recipe every few days or whenever i felt like it...coz i feel bad for Darius to eat congee everyday...so i try not to give him the same staple food for dinner everyday...

i have tried homemade pizza which is real easy and takes only 5 mins...all sorts of pasta dish...tortilla wraps...quesadilla...ya not much of asian dish coz i feel most asian dish very "ley chey" (troublesome) and too much prep work to do...which i rather spend quality time with Darius than in the kitchen...but i still do try when i feel inspired...

its like running a restaurant operation here....make breakfast and serve...clean up and start lunch preparation...when its near 1pm make lunch and serve...clean up and start dinner preparation (when the prince is sleeping)...usually Darius will have dinner at around 6 but would depends on wat time he wakes up from his nap as well as his snack time...sometimes he will nap from 2-6pm...but if he naps only 2hrs...he will wanna have a snack after waking up at ard 4 plus pm...but i try to only give him fruit and serve dinner at 5 pm...like dat he will start to wanna snack b4 going to bed at around 8pm...which is usually bathe time...

ya i know i shd instill a strict schedule and not be so flexible especially with meal and nap times...but at the same time i wanna let Darius decide when he wants to eat...and how much to eat...but as for nap time its almost about the same time plus/minus an hour everyday...

i used to feed him at strict hours but i realised he dun eat well due to he is not hungry enuf...as adviced by the nurse...so letting him decide really works...but dat would oso mean i need to have healthy and fresh food prepared for him in advance...

u might be wondering y i cant do the all the preparation together...i did thought of dat...depending on the day's menu...but firstly im slow...im a beginner...and i handle the knife slowly but still cut myself many times...i run to and fro to check back the recipe on my lappy...

also i cant spend too much time in the kitchen coz Darius will crave my attention after playing alone for too long...

i feel more like a complete mother now...dat i prepare all his meals myself...instead of feeding him prepared baby food from Gerber and Heinz...it feels really great when i see him enjoying the food i made...felt like i did my role well...its so amazing this little guy can make such a huge change in me...i used to be the "take away" person...but my kids deserve better and healthier foods...thou not as yummy as take away food...haha...!

practice makes perfect...! if jO@nNe can cook...so can ANYONE...!

dAriUs' 14th mtH oLd gALLery...

Shower Bunny

Weather: Flurries -14°C Feels like: -22°C

Got this really cute towel from IKEA which Darius really love...he will look in the mirror n try to reach for the "ears" on the hood...

tRip to IKEA with mUmMy...

There shd be more pictures...but silly mummy forget to bring spare battery...!

dArius' 13th Mth old gAllerY...

its been a while i updated pics...hope everyone shares the joy of my busy busy toddler...

Gong Hei Fatt Choy !!!

Weather: Clear H:-12° L:-22°

I wish i could forget wat day it is today (SIN TIME)...but its hard...coz after a skype session with my beloved Zui yesterday...the negative feeling came back...not dat i dun enjoy seeing her...in fact becoz i enjoy very much skyping with Zui...and seeing Mum n Dad after so so so long...i really do miss them so so so much...I hope my family wont blame me for not wanting to skype with them on CNY day (like last year)...as much as i miss them...seeing them on skype jus doesn't satisfy me...it only makes me miss them more...then i will jus go to bed in tears again...

No matter wat...i know i'm definitely not forgotten there...how we usually spend 1st few days of CNY keep playing in my head...even thou year after year the routine is quite similar...except more angbaos when we were younger...we still very much enjoy the atmosphere and each other's company...it is like a big family gathering...enjoying granny's delicious food...the CNY goodies...Kuku's 'nian gao'...family-style gambling at the table...n the sound of mahjong jus livens everything up...i wish this family tradition will jus go on and on and on...until Darius' generation and beyond...i wish Darius could enjoy his childhood during CNY like mine...with many cousins to play with...and so many angbaos to collect...

Like any other day for me...its almost time for bed now...wishing my family and friends...

恭喜发财,利是拿来...谢谢 :)

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...