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.

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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...!