(I) (D)amn (E)xcited (N)ow

We are moving

2007-01-08T14:19:00.000+08:00

Yes, we are moving, our blogs, I mean.

After much consideration, we have decided to combine both blogs of Iden and Ilis into one. The new blog address is http://twinterror.wordpress.com/

We are still trying to migrate and update as much as we can in the new blog. Do bear with us for the time being.

Cheers!

Messy Christmas!

2006-12-25T21:34:00.000+08:00

No, there is no typo error. And yes, it is indeed a Messy Christmas!

Iden's stomach flu is recovering. Though his diarrhoea frequency has reduced to once a day but it is still of watery consistency. This consistency has created a messy Christmas for him (and for all of us in the IT family).

Like yesterday, he actually pooed while we were running some errands in town. His watery stool leaked out from his diaper and trickled down his right leg. His romper, pant and right sandal were stained.

Then this afternoon, a few minutes after he woke up from his afternoon nap, his watery stool again leaked out from his diaper and his romper, mattress and bolster were all stained with poo.

I tell you, both incidents were messy and smelly!

For now, all I want for Christmas is a healthy Iden with solid stools.

Here's a Messy, oops, Merry Christmas to all of you out there! Stay healthy, yah?

Stomach flu

2006-12-22T21:35:00.000+08:00

It started yesterday afternoon.

Ms Ng called to say that Iden vomited his lunch and had diarrhoea. This afternoon, Ms Ng called to say that apart from diarrhoea, Iden had a slight fever. I was having lunch half way through and had to rush to the child care centre to bring him to see Dr Ong.

Dr Ong diagnosed that Iden is suffering from stomach flu. Apparently, there is a stomach flu virus going around lately. Iden had gotten the virus unknowingly.

Well, intestinal infection is not treatable. All we can do is to ensure that he is not dehydrated and pray that the infection will resolve on its own in no time.

孩子不是小大人

2006-12-18T12:16:00.000+08:00

Veronica shared this meaningful article with imama just now: 经常听一些大人这样称赞孩子：“这孩子好乖，好懂事，像个小大人似的。”也有家长在说到自己的孩子不爱学习、做事拖拖拉拉时，总是一副恨铁不成钢的样子：“如果我是他，我一定会...”难道像大人的孩子才是好孩子吗？能达到父母标准的才是好孩子吗？在父母根据自己的标准来要求孩子时，孩子们到底失去了什么？

有一位职业女性迟迟不肯要孩子，在追求事业和长辈要她传宗接代的痛苦挣扎中，她回忆起在11岁那年禁不住母亲的逼迫，她决定放弃自我，做“妈妈的乖女儿”。从此，她为了妈妈认真读书，她考上妈妈要她上的大学，她进了妈妈认可的公司，她与妈妈看中的人结了婚，完完全全地成了“妈妈的乖女儿”，却没有了自己。可在内心深处，那个11岁的女孩一直在哭泣，也因此她不想要孩子。偶然在《联合晚报》上看到一则新闻，1980年代大名鼎鼎的天才神童宁铂出家了。在那个年代，宁铂是所有中国孩子（也包括我）的偶像，他非常聪明，又很听话，是人们心目中的完美儿童。可是，大人们给他的荣耀和期望过于沉重，仍然是一个孩子的他根本无法负荷那么重的东西。在经历一连串的挫折，不再那么成功之后，他对一家媒体说：“我说不上是谁害了我，可是，我没有过童年，当同龄人在玩泥巴调皮撒欢儿时，我已成了公众人物，内心的孤独可想而知。如果可以重新选择，我想过一个充满欢笑的童年。” 前新加坡教育部高级政务部长曾士生先生在一个晚餐会说，现在的男孩连打架都不会了，真是令人担心！在我们周围，不知有多少家庭正在把自己的孩子像成人那样培养，为了让孩子将来有所作为，不惜牺牲孩子的课余时间去补习上课；为了让孩子有修养，在家里这不能做那不能玩，更别说让孩子打闹逗乐。想一想，一个没有时间调皮和玩闹的孩子，还有童年吗？也难怪现在的孩子物质条件优越，却很少感到快乐。快乐和游戏是孩子的权力。如果您的孩子好动顽皮，就给他时间玩吧。孩子的兴奋性神经比压抑性神经更加发达，一味地要求孩子像大人那样安静、乖巧，往往使得孩子更加好动，让他充分的活动，孩子自然就会安静下来。孩子不是小大人，孩子就是孩子。一个成功的孩子，首先必须是一个快乐和充满欢笑的孩子，在培养全面成长的孩子和允许孩子拥有欢笑之间并不矛盾，只要我们蹲下来理解孩子就可以了。 [Note: The above article is extracted from issue no. 70 of the newsletter by Excel-PC (http://www.excel-pc.com).] After reading it, all I can say is that I am glad we are allowing Iden to be a child.

Supernanny's chart

2006-12-05T11:55:00.000+08:00

If you have seen Supernanny's series, you will be familiar with her reward system and chart. Well, we tried to customise one for Iden's use as follows:

How does it work? When Iden behaves well, his car will move forward. If he misbehaves, his car will have to be moved back. The reward is to watch the CARS movie.

How do you find the chart? I think it is very well done considering that it was hand drawn by ipapa. Ipapa really knows his son's likes well. The chart has Iden's favourite cars and Iden is all the most willing to behave well in order to get his reward.

The chart has worked well so far and kept Iden's behaviour in check. And of course, if it doesn't work, we still have our ever reliable naughty corner to deal with him :-)

Bishan park

2006-12-03T13:28:00.000+08:00

A visit to Bishan Park this morning brought laughter and fun for Iden....

Last to leave

2006-11-27T23:13:00.000+08:00

Someone ever told me not to let Iden be the last one to leave the child care centre as he will feel abandoned. We have tried our best not to let him be the last to leave and so far, we have been quite successful, until just now. In the past, ipapa could knock off early and pick up imama from work before picking up Iden. We would be able to reach his centre at about 6.30 pm. However, with ipapa just started a new job today, and for other reasons, it is not possible for ipapa to do his duty. The task of bringing Iden home now lies on me. Here's the tough part. You see, my official working hour is from 8.30 am to 6 pm. I must set off from my office at 6 pm sharp in order to catch bus service 105 which comes at about 6.15 pm. The bus journey from office to the bus stop near the child care centre takes about 30 mins (provided Orchard Road has no traffic jam). After I alight, there is still a 5-min walk before I can reach the centre. All in all, by the time I reach Iden, it will be 10 mins to 7 pm, the closing time of the centre. By then, friends of Iden would have left and he will be lonely, and that was exactly how he felt just now. Mrs Tan told me that Iden kept calling for me and Bryan's mum told me that Iden was crying when he saw that the other kids had left. Well, I know how he felt, but that's the best I can do. Things will be better if I am allowed to go back earlier, but my request of reporting to work and knocking off 30 mins earlier was not approved by my boss some time back. So, my hands are tied. I just hope Iden can understand this as he grows older. Meanwhile, I will still try my best to reach him earlier each day. Please help me to pray for the bus to arrive earlier and that the traffic is smooth all the way back.

Water confidence

2006-11-25T15:52:00.000+08:00

I still remember the first few times when we brought Iden to the pool, he would not dare to walk on his own. He would want to cling on to ipapa.

However, with frequent visits to the pool now, his water confidence begins to grow. He gets to enjoy more now.

Papa the hairdresser

2006-11-25T11:21:00.000+08:00

Ipapa decided to trim Iden's hair himself. To keep Iden still, ipapa switched on the CARS movie and let him watch while he cut. Well, the end result was pretty satisfactory and that helped us to save S$15 for a while.

Patience

2006-11-24T22:25:00.000+08:00

Ever since Iden knows how to wear his own shoes, we have always asked him to wear them himself. To get him to wear his shoes is easy, but the wait for him to finish wearing takes ages! He will take his own sweet time, put in his foot into each shoe slowly, adjust the tape slowly until he is satisfied. On normal days when we are in no hurry, this long process is perfectly all right. However, on days when we are already running late, this slowness is real frustrating. We will then have to give him a hand to expedite the process.

Not only wearing of shoes, other tasks like eating, drinking, etc. All these also take a long time. Iden doesn't have a sense of time, huh? Or am I being too impatient? Haiz.... that's the thing about living in a fast paced and competitive environment. Everything has to be in a rush. Perhaps it is time for me to slow down my pace and learn to be more relax like him.

Train set

2006-11-24T09:48:00.000+08:00

Iden gave me a pleasant surprise just now.

While waiting to go to school, he took out the train set (given to him as a gift from his uncle) and started to play. The wooden train set is pretty similar to the Thomas train set. I was sure Iden doesn't know how to assemble the set as I have not seen him done so. Just when I was about to assemble for him, he took out two pieces and started to put them together. He continued to form the track until all the pieces were used up.

For a moment, I was lost for words. A bit guilty too for not having confidence in him to be able to do it. But, it was nevertheless a great morning gift for me. Well done, my boy!

Class photo

2006-11-22T21:30:00.000+08:00

The wait is finally over!

Iden had his class photo taken on 22 September 2006 and only today that we received a copy of it. It is a very precious piece to me since this is the very first class photo of my dear son. Can you spot him?

I have a strange feeling when I look at the picture. I can't explain the feeling.... it is kind of happy and sad at the same time. My boy has grown up.... from a helpless infant to someone who has a mind of his own now.... time flies and things happened so fast.

I wonder if Iden will still recognise his classmates 20 years down the road. I guess he will probably laugh hard at himself when he looks at this picture. We will get to know the outcome when it is time....

Car obsession II

2006-11-19T11:24:00.000+08:00

Back to Iden's craze over cars. He has quite a stock of cars now.

If you think that he has only 4 cars, then you are wrong. Apart from these fabulous 4, he also has many other smaller cars. Prior to all these, we had threw away a few as they were faulty after being man-handled roughly by Iden. Luckily these toy cars are not so pricey. Can you imagine if they are real cars??? How can we afford to buy and replace so often?

An apple a day...

2006-11-17T20:08:00.000+08:00

I must admit that I am getting lazier. In the past, I would bother to peel the skin of an apple and cut the apple into small slices before giving to Iden to eat. But now.... I simply passed him one whole apple to bite. Well, he is not complaining (he doesn't have any choice too). In fact, he is enjoying the crunchy bites and jaw exercises!

Car obsession

2006-11-06T22:23:00.000+08:00

Iden watched the CARS movie 5 months ago and his love for the various car characters in the movie is still going strong. So strong that he has to sleep with them almost every night...

Keira's birthday party

2006-11-05T22:22:00.000+08:00

Iden and Ilis were invited to attend Keira's birthday party just now. It was a fun-filled evening for everyone. The highlight of the whole evening, apart from the cake cutting, was the taking of the staircase picture. The parents had such a hard time making all the kids sit still for the picture. It was only when imama's friend, Carolynn, showed off the secret weapon - sweets, that the kids agreed to cooperate. Here is one of the better pictures taken amidst the chaos....

Zoo outing

2006-10-24T23:32:00.000+08:00

Today is a public holiday. Instead of lazing at home and watching CARS movie, we decided to make a trip to the zoo. Well, Iden had been to the Frankfurt zoo but the Singapore zoo will be his first visit.

It was heartening to see that Iden was able to identify some of the animals we saw. I think his favourite was the white tiger. One white tiger was particularly awake and was moving around. His menacing look was quite scary and it certainly left a deep impression on us. We managed to catch the animal show at 10.30 am. Comparing to the all stars show at the Jurong Bird Park, I think this animal show still had room for improvement. We lingered around till about noon time before we headed to my mum's place for a visit. The outing was a good one and we would definitely bring the kids back for visits to the zoo again.

Kids tell the truth

2006-10-21T16:49:00.000+08:00

We were at a wedding lunch earlier and met many of ipapa's relatives. One of them is pretty famous (in the business world). The husband could not attend the lunch, so the wife brought the kids along. There was a conversation between the wife and another relative which I overheard shortly after the lunch has just started: Wife: Oh, sorry, we have to go off already. Relative: Oh, so soon? The lunch has just started. Wife: We have to go as my daughter has tuition later. Just at this moment, the daughter turned to her mum and said loudly "Mummy, I got tuition meh?" Upon hearing the daughter's comment, I giggled. It is so obvious that the mum just wanted to get out of the lunch, hence she used her daughter as an excuse. Little does she know that her own daughter would play her out and embarrass her. Well, perhaps the relative was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't catch the lie and let the wife go. Through this, I learnt a lesson. Kids tell the truth. If you wish to lie, do it discreetly. :-)

Progress made

2006-10-20T22:48:00.000+08:00

It has been a while since I blog about how Iden has been doing in the child care centre. Despite falling sick almost every month, Iden does learn a lot from the centre ever since he is there. 3 months have gone by and I am glad that Iden has settled in. Nowadays, we can see a happy son, waving good bye to us and runs into the centre to play with his friends. His vocabulary has increased and he is slowly stringing a few words together to form a sentence, though sometimes the sentence may not be a proper one. He is more vocal now, can tell us what he wants. However, at times, we are still unable to decipher what he is trying to say as his pronunciation is still not accurate. He is able to wear his own shoes, take off his pants and feed himself too. Ipapa and I are very pleased with this. Oh, this dear son of ours enjoys 'singing' now. He is not able to sing a full song yet, but can 'sing' a few words in the song. He can 'sing' "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Bah Bah Black Sheep", "The Wheels on the Bus", "Ke Ren Lai", and even "Row, Row, Row your boat". I was pretty much amazed when he could 'sing' along with me. On the physical side, Iden is able to walk up and down small steps without help. Let's see when he will be able to do so more confidently. These are just some developments we see in our son. Looking forward to seeing him with new skills soon.

Special day

2006-10-19T22:11:00.000+08:00

Today is a special day.... it is my birthday!

Being a weekday and a busy mother of two, I can't have elaborate celebrations. Hmm.... come to think of it, ever since Iden comes into our world, everything about ourselves become secondary. We will be very excited when it is his birthday and plan it far ahead, but when it is our own birthday, it will be a simple affair.

Anyway, back to my birthday celebration. It was just a simple Fish 'n' Chips dinner with ipapa, Iden and Ilis at the Fisherman's Wharf. The food was pretty good, but the company was even better.

What is a birthday without a cake, right? Ipapa gave me a surprise by buying me two slices of cake (one for him and one for me). This sort of wrapped up the whole celebration and it is back to my busy working mother life again. Now, here I am, one year older and one year wiser!

Proud or jealous?

2006-10-15T21:45:00.000+08:00

I notice something about Iden since Ilis is out. Whenever people look at Ilis, he will point at her and say 'Mei Mei', very loudly some more. Seems a loving gesture huh?

Well, I choose to think that he is proud to be a big brother, hence, he will announce to everyone that she is his sister. However, ipapa thinks otherwise. Ipapa is of the view that Iden is jealous of Ilis. He is jealous that he no longer gets the priority attention now.

What do you think? Is he proud or jealous of Ilis?

West Coast Park

2006-10-10T09:52:00.000+08:00

Hello Fans, This saturday , provided not free smoke from Indonesia, the IT family will be at West Coast Park from 4-6pm. Please come join us, bring your kids along and share their joy together. !!! We will be hanging around near the Mac Donalds area.

Road to recovery

2006-10-05T23:46:00.000+08:00

Ipapa and I brought Iden to United Square for his medical review this afternoon. I had been praying hard the last few days for his condition to get better. Dr Ong gave us the verdict after checking on him. The phlegm is still in Iden’s lungs, especially the left side. However, the condition is manageable and he does not need the help of the nebuliser. We were told to give him Sabultamol in place of the nebuliser. Dr Ong also taught us to give him physiotherapy in the hope that the phlegm can be dislodged from his lungs faster and easier. At last, we could heave a sign of relief after some stressful days. Phew!

Nebuliser experience

2006-10-04T21:39:00.000+08:00

Iden’s bronchitis is more serious this time round that he has to be on nebuliser for 3 days. As expected, he struggles the first times he is on it. Subsequently, he seems to have accepted his ‘fate’ and will sit down quietly for his treatment. Let’s hope after this episode, Iden will not require the use of the nebuliser any more.

Bronchitis again!

2006-10-02T23:44:00.000+08:00

Sigh, things are not going well for Iden. Just when he is about to recover from his cough, it turns bad again and develops into bronchitis. This is the second time Iden is down with bronchitis. It seems worst this time round as he has to be on nebuliser every 4 hourly. The recent hazy weather makes his condition worst. Iden doesn’t like the nebuliser. He will cry till so bad each time he is on it. He looks so pitiful that I would have cried with him if I had not told myself to be strong for him. It is so painful to see him being so sick and helpless. If only I can swap position with him and take over his bronchitis….. Sometimes when I think about it, I wonder if it is due to us placing him in child care that makes him so prone to illness. A few times when he was sick, I was so tempted to withdraw him from the centre. But seeing that he has enjoyed his stay in the centre now and has learnt a lot, I just have to assure myself that things will turn for the better eventually. Iden is asleep now. His next neb session is at 12.30 am. I hope I can do it without waking him up. He is already suffering much and has not been getting enough sleep, I don’t wish to stress him out further. Whatever it is, let’s pray hard that he will recover soon and be back at his usual self in no time.

Sweet pictures

2006-09-26T12:05:00.000+08:00

We cannot resist the urge to put both brother and sister together to take pictures. Here are some sweet pictures to share with you.

Flip flop

2006-09-22T17:04:00.000+08:00

Iden likes to play with my pair of flip flop. He will wear and walk around with it. Seeing that he likes it so much, I bought him a pair just now. He looks so cute with it!

Loving gesture

2006-09-14T22:20:00.000+08:00

It is amazing how kids can understand what we say, even though they are unable to articulate well. Iden was at his worst again just now, kicking up a fuss, screaming and crying. After he had calmed down, I began to reason with him (though I wasn't sure if he could understand). I was telling him how annoyed I was with him over his bad behaviour. Also told him how much I love him, the things I did for him, bought for him and so on. I told him I was disappointed as he did not seem to appreciate it and that he doesn't love me anymore. After I had finished my talk, Iden stared at me for a while and did a surprising thing. He stroked my head! I was so taken aback with his gesture. You see, Iden's way of saying he loves someone is to stroke the person's head. I believe he understood what I was telling him, hence stoking my head to tell me he loves me. My heart melted at that moment.....

Family outing

2006-09-09T23:19:00.000+08:00

Having taken his afternoon nap, ipapa decided to bring the whole family to West Coast Park (http://www.nparks.gov.sg/nparks_cms/display_park.asp?parkid=10) for some fun (and sun). We've heard a lot about the place and decided to try it out today.

See how Iden was dressed for the occasion? He looked like a professional footballer, yah?

While Iden was busy enjoying himself at the adventure playground, Ilis was having her sweet dreams in her pram.

What a lazy Saturday for all of us!

Poo in the potty

2006-09-04T22:42:00.000+08:00

Yeah, Iden managed to poo in the potty just now! That was the first attempt for him and he did it so well. Is this a hint for us that he could be ready for toilet training? Looking forward to the day where diapers will be a history in Iden’s life…..

Tissue box = pillow?

2006-09-03T22:00:00.000+08:00

Do you know that tissue boxes can come in handy when one is tired? Iden demonstrated one alternative use of the boxes this morning. Unable to contain his sleepiness, Iden rested his head on the boxes to catch a nap.

His innovative way of using the tissue boxes caught the attention of a few passer-bys. They were amazed at how sound asleep he could be with the boxes! Now, here’s one use of tissue boxes for your consideration.

Fabio Cannavaro's hairstyle look-alike

2006-09-02T21:25:00.000+08:00

If you are a soccer fan, you will know who is Fabio Cannavaro. Cannavaro is the captain of the Italy football team and is also one of imama’s favourite football players. What has Cannavaro got to do with Iden? Well, the only similarity I can think of is their hairstyle. You see, Iden has a new look today. His new hairstyle reminds ipapa and I of Cannavaro. See the similarity there?

Iden and Ilis

2006-08-17T10:44:00.000+08:00

I like this picture very much! It is our first picture which shows Iden and Ilis together. It is also Iden's first time 'carrying' his sister. See the happy and contented look in his face :-)

Status change

2006-08-11T16:12:00.000+08:00

I am officially promoted to the status of ‘Mother of Two’ since 31 July 2006. Iden’s sister was delivered at 1320 hrs on that day(http://ichliebeichschoen.blogspot.com/). Not only has my status changed, Iden’s too. He is now a brother to his younger sister. I believe Iden knows that he has a ‘mei mei’ but perhaps he is too young to understand what it really means.

When he first met Ilis, he was so curious and kept starring at her. He knows she is a baby and kept smiling and calling her baby. He tries to sayang her, but his touch is a bit too hard at times. We have to constantly remind him to be more gentle. Our son has grown to be more mature. This could be due to his exposure at the child care centre. It could also be due to his ‘changed status’. Whatever the case, it is always our joy to see that our son is growing well and becoming a fine young lad!

Seriously sick

2006-07-27T21:39:00.000+08:00

At 12 pm this afternoon, Iden's principal at the child care centre called to inform me that Iden was running a fever at 38 degree Celsius. Immediately, ipapa and I went down to the centre to bring him home.

Visited his pediatrician and was told that he has some wheezing sound. Dr Ong told us that Iden is suffering from bronchitis and needs to be on nebulizer. This is the first time Iden is on nebulizer and I certainly hope will be the last time as well.

After a dose of nebulizer at the clinic, Iden was allowed to go home. His illness seems more severe this time round as he has to take five types of different medicines!

Despite having to take so many types of medication, Iden is still as active (though with streaks of mucus running down his nose). We can't do much but just wish that he will recover soon.

Beginning of life in childcare centre

2006-07-08T22:20:00.000+08:00

Just a blink of an eye and Iden had spent one week in the childcare centre. During that one week, I am sure he had learnt a lot. Here’s a summary of what I had observed of Iden in a short span of one week. (1) He is slowly adapting himself to the childcare environment. Yes, he did cry and refuse to go in for the first few days. Subsequently, he managed to settle down and keep himself occupied with the toys in the centre. We heeded the advice of the principal and increased his hours at the centre gradually. By Friday, he spent a full day there without much hiccups. (2) He is getting to accept other people like the centre’s assistants – Miss Ng and Auntie Boon, and the principal, Mrs Tan. I guess it will take him a while to know that there are also other teachers and classmates in the centre. (3) He is trying to follow the school schedule. Iden had been doing well so far, except the afternoon nap time and more physical activities. Before life in childcare, he had the luxury to have long naps in the morning and afternoon. However, there is only one afternoon nap in the childcare centre and it is only two hours. Prior to childcare, Iden had not much physical activities. However, the life in childcare now requires him to go outdoor for some activities (two times a day) and do some simple games or work in the class. These had made him so tired and slept early every night! (4) He is observing other kids and learning from them. Iden is learning to jump like the other kids and blabbering a lot of new words. Before childcare, he could not call out auntie. However, after hearing his classmate, Bryan, kept calling auntie, he began to call out auntie by himself. He had also acquired a lot of new terms in which we were unable to decipher what they are.

(5) He is being exposed to more people and new things now and his body is trying to build up the immunity against minor illness. Iden is still nursing his flu. I sure hope the exposure to childcare centre will make him a stronger boy. (6) Lastly, he is learning to be more sociable and mingle with other kids. This is what ipapa and I would like to see in him. All said, it had been a fruitful one week. We are sure things will turn better for Iden, and he will enjoy his life in childcare centre soon…. keep our fingers crossed.

First day at childcare centre

2006-07-01T15:03:00.000+08:00

The wait is finally over. Today is Iden's first day at the Bishan-Toa Payoh North CCC Child Care and Development Centre. Though today is a Saturday, the childcare centre is still opened for half a day from 7 am to 2 pm. We decided to bring him there to have a feel of the new environment. As expected, Iden was clingy to ipapa and imama. Half way through his play, he would run to either ipapa or me and sat with us. We had to constantly encourage him to mingle with the other kids. At about 9.30 am, the class went outdoor to have some activities. Iden joined in and had some fun playing with the hula hoop. Iden 'attracted' the attention of some older kids, especially girls. We saw two older girls in kindergarten class always playing with him and trying to engage him. They acted so much like his sisters! Perhaps it was the morning sun and the eruption of his molars (a few at one go), Iden developed a slight fever in the afternoon. He became cranky and wanted us to bring him home. In the end, he didn't finish his lunch at the centre, but was brought home immediately. Well, first day at the childcare centre, a mixture of feelings for both Iden and us. Next week will be a crucial week to determine if Iden can really adapt to the environment. Keep our fingers crossed.

Childcare centre - here I come

2006-06-30T21:25:00.000+08:00

1 July 2006 - what is so special day about this day? Well, it will be Iden's first day at the childcare centre. Having been taken care by his grandparents since he was about 4 months old, Iden will be going to a full-time childcare centre come tomorrow. Can he adapt? How is he going to cope? Will I be able to accept the fact? Many questions surfaced in my mind. I guess we should not worry much but cross the bridge as it comes. Meanwhile, I wish and hope for the best.....

Swimming fun

2006-06-18T15:12:00.000+08:00

Splish, splash, FUN! Iden had such great fun at the pool just now! Now that he has grown taller, he can walk around the baby pool (at 0.5m) easily. Besides walking around the pool, Iden also likes to play at the slides. See how he enjoyed himself here:

Ready, get set...

Go....

Yeah....

Hi-5 Live Action Heroes

2006-06-04T22:00:00.000+08:00

Following a successful movie outing yesterday, we brought Iden to the Hi-5 Live Action Heroes at the Singapore Expo this afternoon.

Somehow, the five Australians could not capture Iden's attention as much as the CARS. Only when they were singing that Iden paid attention to them. Other times, he would just want to walk around. I guess he is still young to understand what the performers are saying and hence, could not join in the dance. Nevertheless, it was a great exposure for Iden and two firsts (movie and live show) for him over a weekend!

CARS - Iden's first movie

2006-06-03T21:35:00.000+08:00

CARS - have you watched this movie? ( http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/cars/)

Iden had the opportunity to watch it this afternoon at The Cathay. First movie for him and first movie for the IT family at The Cathay!

Initially, ipapa and I were rather hesitant to bring him for the movie. We were not sure if he could sit still for 2 hours in a cinema. After some deliberating, we decided to give our son a chance and bring him for the show. We did not regret our decision.

Iden enjoyed the movie so much! He sat still on ipapa's lap for 2 hours, simple starring at the screen. His eyes were darting here and there to catch the show and he laughed when the cars laughed. At a point, he was also munching on his sweet corn cereal to keep himself entertained! It was a great Saturday outing for Iden and his love for CARS has greatly increased, all thanks to the movie!

Drinking from a cup

2006-05-27T14:14:00.000+08:00

A 'crisis' seems to have happened. Ever since the IT family came back from Germany, Iden refused to drink any plain water. Previously, he could finish a few bottles of plain water a day (about 600 ml). But since we were back, he simply didn't want to touch any plain water! We tried changing his bottle, using a straw, and many other ways, but he just would not want. We even made him sit at a naughty corner if he didn't finish his water. Guess what? He rather sat there and stared at the bottle of water, instead of drinking it. I think he takes over Imama's stubbornness :-) I was getting worried. We all know that not enough water intake will cause dehydration and it can be dangerous. As it is, Iden was showing signs that he had not been drinking enough. His poo was hard, his lips were red and he had heat rashes. To make matters worst, he perspires a lot. As a last resort, we gave him a cup to try. To our surprise, he actually drank from the cup! Of course as a start, he didn't know how to sip the water and swallow it. His clothes would be wet after a small cup of water. But practice makes perfect.

After some trying, I can say that Iden has mastered the skill of drinking from a cup (though occasional spillage is still unavoidable). And lately, we introduced Ribena to him (a tiny drop of Ribena with 180ml of water - very very diluted) and he is taking it pretty well. Iden is back to his water drinking days and the 'crisis' has been successfully contained.

Phew, what a relief!

Mother Goose

2006-05-25T21:41:00.000+08:00

Iden received this set of Mother Goose series of books and VCD as a birthday present in January. They have been put aside at a corner and have only been given a new lease of life lately.

The Mother Goose series is an educational programme for very young children. It contains children songs like Humpty Dumpty and Rub-a-dub-dub. The colourful images and catchy tunes must have caught Iden's attention so much that he suddenly becomes interested in the books and VCD. His daily ritual currently is to get ipapa or I to watch the VCD with him, read the books and sing the tunes to him. Well, I suppose it is a good pastime for him at the moment. After watching the disc several times, Iden is able to learn something out of it. He is imitating the soldiers to march (to the tune of the Grand old Duke of York) and following the children to cover his nose when sneezing (called ati-shoo in the song, Ring-a-ring of roses). He has learnt some new words like down, dumpty, pop, bunny (though he pronounces it as money).

It is amazing how much he has learnt just by watching the disc. Sooner or later, he will get bored with Mother Goose... looks like we may have to source for new VCDs and books for him soon.

Is he singing?

2006-05-15T21:58:00.000+08:00

Ipapa and I notice that Iden is singing lately. Can't be? Well, maybe the following events can prove that he is indeed singing? Ipapa introduced Iden to Schnappi CD since December last year - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schnappi. We will try to let him listen to the CD when he is in the car. Iden has this CD to accompany him most of the time during his car journeys. The second track in the CD is called Mahlzeit (http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/clipserve/B0007NOL5A001002/303-3035901-7408234). In this song, there is mention of the phrase 'Ma Ma' (Schnappi is calling out to his mummy). During one of the usual journeys back from his grandparents place, Iden was listening to the disc again. Then out of the blue, when Mahlzeit came on, he went 'Ma Maaaaaa". Both ipapa and I looked at each other and at that instant, we realised he knew the song! He was actually copying Schnappi to call his mummy in a high pitch and off he went "Ma Maaaaaa". It was a pleasant surprise to us. Then on a few other occasions when we were listening to YES 93.3, he was also trying to sing along with the singers. Of course he could not string the words together, but he would hum along when there are phrases like "la, la, la" or 'oh, oh, oh". And if you ask him to sing now, he will go "na, na.....". So.... can we term this as singing then?

Ba Jie - Iden's TV 'friend'

2006-05-04T16:45:00.000+08:00

Iden has a TV friend by the name of Ba Jie. Everyday without fail, he will ask ipapa or me to switch on the TV and let him watch Ba Jie. He will go 'Ba Jie, Ba Jie' non stop until we turn on the TV. And the moment we switch on the MTV, he will sit still and enjoy watching his friend. How does Ba Jie look like? Here is his picture:

Trip to Darmstadt - Day 7-9

2006-04-21T23:13:00.000+08:00

Day 7 What a sunny day today! Today has the best weather since we reached Darmstadt on 13 April 2006. Being the last second day of our trip, we decided to take it easy. Ipapa's friends, Kourash and Alex, gave us a farewell dinner treat at a Persian restaurant.

It was the first time we tasted Persian food and they tasted yummy, though it took imama sometime to get used to it. Day 8 The day of our departure and Iden was down with diarrhoea. His stools were lose and smelly.... wonder what's wrong with him (could it be due to the Basmati rice I fed him last night?). Diarrhoea or not, we just had to get ready to head for the airport in the evening. After the usual check-in formalities, ipapa and I were ready to face the battle on board the flight with Iden. Thank goodness, Iden was so tired (likely due to the sedative and lack of sleep) that he slept through the whole journey, despite the bassinet being too small for him. Day 9 15 hours of flight journey later, we reached Singapore finally and ended our short but relaxed trip to Darmstadt. It would be years later when the IT family visit the place and our friends again. Meanwhile, we could just re-live the wonderful memories by reading this blog.

Trip to Darmstadt - Day 4-6

2006-04-18T23:13:00.000+08:00

Day 4

We woke up very early, 6 am, to be exact, to a cold and rainy day - typical April weather in Germany. Since we were up early, we decided that we should venture far. Ipapa suggested a day trip to Heidelberg and off we went. We had to take a train to go there and along the journey, Iden couldn't resist the nice weather but to catch a nap. Heidelberg was very windy and cold. It was a Sunday, hence most shops were closed. We had a simple lunch at Hard Rock Cafe Heidelberg and then proceeded to enjoy our leisure walk.

Heidelberg isn't a large place. We spent most of our time in the old town. Starting at the Bismarckplatz end, we worked our way down the pedestrian Hauptsrasse. It was a long walk and Iden was enjoying every moment of it! In the afternoon, we headed back to Darmstadt-Eberstadt to meet Steffi for dinner. She brought us to a cosy restaurant - Almhuette(http://www.almhuette.org/index.htm), for delicious Schnitzel. Hmm... so sumptuous!

Day 5

Germany was still in Easter holiday mood today. Darmstadt was like a dead town, where no shops were opened and no one was working despite it being a Monday. We didn't want to be caught stranded in the hotel, so we planned a trip to the Frankfurt Zoo (http://www.zoo-frankfurt.de/).

As it was a public holiday, there were a lot of families in the Zoo since there was nothing much to do with the shops closed. Maybe because of his brown hair, Iden was approached by a few German kids. Iden was not sure how to handle such attention, or rather, I think he was shy. He kept close to ipapa and me and was more interested in pushing his stroller than seeing the animals there.

The IT family was so tired after the trip. We took a nap and guess what? We only woke up at 10 pm for our dinner! Iden was more tired than us. He slept from 6 pm till 4 am the next day. What a day!

Day 6

Today is the curry day. We brought along Prima Deli Curry Mix to cook up a storm at Steffi's place. Our friends like the Singapore Curry, so we thought it would be nice to give them a treat.

Darmstadt was back to normal working day today. We did some shopping at Luisenplatz and bought the necessary ingredients for our cooking session tonight.

The dinner gathering was a success and thank goodness our friends liked the curry, just as much as we did. We realised that the curry tasted much better with the German brotchen.

Trip to Darmstadt - Day 1-3

2006-04-15T21:34:00.000+08:00

Day 1

The IT family is all set to depart for our holiday to Darmstadt, Germany.

This time round, we chosed to fly with Emirates (to enjoy substantial savings since their airfare is half the price of Singapore Airlines). Emirates' flight to Frankfurt is via Dubai, so for the price of one, we get to visit two countries. Good deal huh?

Well, the real reason for booking a non-direct flight is so to make the long flight journey (15 hours) more bearable for imama and Iden, bearing in mind that one is 6-month pregnant while the other one is an active toddler who is not willing to be confined in a place for such long hour.

We left Singapore at 0325 hr, caught the connecting flight at Dubai to Frankfurt and reached Frankfurt at 1315 hr (Frankfurt's time). Carsten and Steffi, our German friends, came to receive us at the airport. Thereafter, we went straight to the hotel and tried to adjust Iden to Germany's time. Since all of us had a long day earlier, we went to bed from 6 pm till 7 am the next day!

Day 2

After more than 12 hours of sleep, all 3 of us were geared up to start our Darmstadt's adventure. A good way to start was to catch up with Carsten and Steffi. They invited us to their place for a hearty brunch. Both of them really made an effort to provide us with a sumptuous spread. They even bought a high chair for Iden so that he could join us at the dining table! So thoughtful of them! We had a good meal and Iden was warmed up with them by the end of the brunch.

In the evening, we had a wonderful Mexican dinner at Enchilada's. Iden was the attention in the restaurant as he was wearing a pair of flashy sport shoes. You know, the kind of sport shoes that blinks with lights as a person walks. The diners were so fascinated with his shoes!

Day 3

The shops were opened after the Easter holiday yesterday. The IT family quickly grabbed the opportunity to do some grocery shopping at Darmstadt's city centre - Luisenplatz. It was really a rest and relax day!

1 April gathering

2006-04-01T23:07:00.000+08:00

Imagine this scene - 5 families with kids, ranging from 1 to 4 years old , gathering at Swensen's Marina for a dinner. Chaos? Havoc? Disaster? Well, I think it is none of the above, but rather, a night of fun, laughter and enjoyment!!!

Imama and her group of pretty and sexy mummies (otherwise also known as yak yak mummies) met for a dinner just now. It was indeed a challenge to get everyone together, but we made it! The adults (or I should say the mummies) enjoyed the company while the happiest were the kids. They were so carefree, so innocent and thoroughly enjoyed themselves!!

Here is a picture of the Ho family - Don, Shihlin and Lucas. Luc is a very expressive boy. You should see the way he walks and rolls his eyes. Ipapa said that Luc's hairstyle has character. I couldn't agree more.

This picture shows Vivien with her two gems - Javier and Damian. Vivien is a pretty mama blessed with a loving husband and lovely kids. Javier is so cute and Damian simply melts your heart!

This is Wenli with Wee Teck and Keira. Keira was the only gal just now. Surrounded by so many cute boys, I am sure she must be 'confused' who to play with :-) But I think Luc stands a higher chance to be Keira's pal as he knows how to win Keira's heart by calling her Mei Mei and offering her french fries!

Last but not least, this is Veronica and Vilmos. Veron's boys are so friendly and hyper-active! Now I know the secret to Veron's slimness. The laughter of Jarrell (sorry, Jarrell, ipapa could not get a nice picture of you to show here) and Vilmos are so contagious that ipapa and I couldn't help but kept laughing.

On the whole, it was a fun-filled night. Don't believe? Take a look at this link for more pictures: http://s29.photobucket.com/albums/c291/irwin74/1stAprilGathering/

Now the IT family can't wait for another gathering to happen.....

To fly or not?

2006-03-28T15:16:00.000+08:00

Our last overseas trip with Iden was to Perth in September last year. Having had the experience of travelling overseas with a child, ipapa and I decide that it is time we venture farther. Also, we wanted to get away from Singapore before Ilis is out as we know we may not be able to travel for a while. It was a tough decision to decide on the destination. Our aim for this trip is for us to relax and enjoy our time as a family. After thinking hard and the irresitible offer of airfare, we choose to visit Darmstadt in Germany. Ipapa stayed in Darmstadt for a while before and he has friends there. So, this trip will be easy since we already know the place well. Tickets have been booked and other arrangements will be made subsequently. The IT family looks forward to our next overseas trip from 13 to 21 April 2006! Yeah!!

Work out at the Botanic Gardens

2006-03-26T15:16:00.000+08:00

At last, ipapa finished his Retention Training, so need not wake up early on a Sunday morning to report to the camp. The IT family decided to do something different on a nice beautiful Sunday morning.

As usual, Iden woke us up early with his constant nagging of milk. After that, ipapa prepared some ham and cheese sandwiches (hmm... imama's favourite!) and after some packing, we set off to the Botanic Gardens.

We reached the Gardens at about 9 am and it was not crowded as yet. We found a nice spot, by the pond, to sit down and have a picnic.

It was the first visit to Botanic Gardens for Iden. He was so excited and was busy walking around to feel the wet grass on his feet and smell the nice morning dew. Iden enjoyed himself so much - walking up and down the slopes, playing with balls and other kids, staring at the dogs, or simply sat at the mat and ate his biscuits!

After an hour of non-stop action, it was obvious that he was tired but contended. By the time we reached home and took his shower, Iden could not fight the zzzz monster and had a good long afternoon nap. Think he must be having a sweet dream, thinking about his next trip to the Botanic Gardens again.

Red spots

2006-03-22T14:03:00.000+08:00

We noticed some red spots on Iden's face when we woke up this morning. 15 spots, to be exact. With the rise in HFMD cases in Singapore lately, we are kind of worried. I keep telling ipapa that Iden is not down with HFMD as the spots are mainly on his cheeks and not on his hands or feet. Also, he does not have ulcers in his mouth, so should not be HFMD.

We then begin to speculate what could be the causes of the spots. Finally, we decide to blame it on either mosquitoes, bed bugs or ants. Well, we can't do much except to apply aloe vera gel for him every night.

Poor Iden, his once smooth and clear face is now 'destroyed' by ugly red spots! Oh, how I wish the spots disappear soon.....

A non-Typical Sunday

2006-03-14T22:26:00.000+08:00

Yawn .... 6:30am time to wake up and book in to do my RT ... ( serve me right for not training for my IPPT ) .. Hay wait today's not RT day ! It's SSOG's Drive up to Desaru DAY. YES !! Well the IT Family decided that we got to break the Sunday Routine once a while and this time we have the opportunity to drive up to Desaru with the Singapore Stream Owner Group !!! ipapa as especially excited as this was the first time that ipapa is going up north as a driver of the coolest MPV - Stream ! If i can recall, the last time that i took the road up the north was probably in the 80s when my dad used to visit our Labis relative during chin ming. This time it's going to be a totally new experience. Iden was deliberately waken up about 5:45 and guess what he's pretty excited too and the minute he jump up he shouted "Kai loh " which means time to go out .... We set of from home about 6:30 and reach Turf City within minutes to find out that we are the 1st car to arrive. Minutes later all 7 cars arrived and we begin our briefing. Soon we are on the way to the causeway .... Ah sorry ah , too shag to write furthur but you can refer to the details in the link to read what happen during the journey. http://sgstream.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2222 At the end of the day, it was amazing of the things one can do on a sunday. Well the IT family look forward to our next trip up the north. Catch out the pictures too .... http://sgstream.org/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=2226

Iden's sister

2006-03-10T12:39:00.000+08:00

Iden is going to have a little sister come August. To follow the family tradition, we have decided to name her Ilis. And of course, to be fair, ipapa has created a blog for her too! Here's the address:

http://www.ichliebeichschoen.blogspot.com/

Feel free to take a look (though it may not be so nice now)!

Book worm

2006-03-10T12:27:00.000+08:00

It was a normal Saturday morning. Trying to do something different, the IT family went to the National Library at Toa Payoh Central to apply a membership for Iden. The procedure was fast and easy. We even got a free tote bag when we borrowed 4 books as a start!

You see, Iden seems to like reading (or rather, looking at the pictures) nowadays. He will point to the pictures and signal to either of us to read to him. That's where he learnt a few new terms like star and ball.

Knowing that his other interest is on cars and wheels, we borrowed a book on trucks for him. Tell you, he loves that book so much that he is flipping through the pages at every opportunity! What a little book worm we have in the family.

He ain't heavy, he's my brother....

2006-03-09T22:05:00.000+08:00

Sometimes ... i am sure that most parents will say at some point of time that ...."wow ...the children really have grown ..." ...for both Iden and Griffin, i guess this is really a meaningful statement for us. Griffin and Iden's Dads and Griffin's mum are actually classmates and it as on a typical dinner at East Coast Park that both Daddys revealed that they are going to be daddy soon. ...It's goes like .."hay ..I am going to be a daddy soon " and then the next comment say .."wo ma si " ...in hokkien to mean .." me too ..." ...Well since then 2 years have passed and it's amazing to see how our children have grown .... This picture was taken when Iden was 1 month old and notice how Griffin looks at his brother .... Sometime last week, both Griffin and Iden decided to go for a quick sunday afternoon lunch at Toa Payoh and notice how brother Griffin has offered his heavy brother a cheese biscuit .... Well I really wish these 2 once babies-in-arms will become good team mates in team sports, grow to play band together, go after the same girl ...no no ..i mean learn how to tackle girls together, army buddies together and perhaps get married ...together .. Hello too early to think about that ... He ain't heavy, he's my brother ....

A happy family

2006-03-09T11:28:00.000+08:00

It has been quite a while since the IT family dress up and have a family picture taken. Well, we did have a chance on Valentine's Day. It was my sister's wedding day, that's why we were all dressed up for that occasion.

For your information, the vest that Iden is wearing is hand-knitted by imama. It fits him just nice! :-)

Hairy Business

2006-02-19T21:18:00.000+08:00

Finally, we had it. We decided to take iden to his first hair cut after 13 months. When Iden turned 1 month old, I shave off this hair , like most chinese parents do when their child turn 1 month old. For the past 13 months, I have been playing barber and snipping Iden's hair so that the tail ends doesn't disturb him. However, guess iden's hair grew really thick and it's making him really sticky everytime he sweats. So on a typical saturday morning, we went over to united square for breakfast and arrive at the salon 15 minutes before 10am. After a long wait, the stylist arrived ( late ) and by this time, a few children are already waiting outside. We took iden into the shop and was waiting for our turn when a mid-age lady asked iden over and i carried iden onto the seat. By this time, some boys and girls are already starting to cry ( which is pretty normal ) and knowing iden, ( who simply do not like to sit still ), i immediately grab whole of a toy bus and starting talking to him to distract him from the hair stylist. Surprisingly, Iden was pretty well behaved and did not make a single twist to push away the sheets or turn around frantically to look for mummy or daddy. There was a few moment when he try to turn over to see what's noise is buzzing around his ears ...... On the whole, it was a good 1st time for us and iden as he did not make a scene or reacting violently, ( like we have expected ). However, a few people commented that his hair now seems to short, but guess like his dad who sweats like mad even under air-con rooms, there is nothing better than having nice short hair ...... hmmmmmm

Kissing his baby

2006-02-11T22:02:00.000+08:00

Ever since we know that we are expecting our second child, I've been trying to make Iden understand and get him involved. Every now and then I will show him my tummy and ask him to kiss the baby. Iden does not know how to kiss using his mouth yet. His kissing is done using his forehead. Well, he will rub his forehead against us and he terms that as kissing. So, whenever I ask him to kiss the baby, he will rub his forehead against my tummy. Rubbing so hard until it seems that his whole head is buried into my tummy. So cute!

Confirmation from an Ang Mo

2006-01-27T10:07:00.000+08:00

10 out of 10 people will comment that Iden looks like an 'ang mo kia' (Caucasian kid) whenever they see him.... even though both ipapa and me are pure Chinese. Perhaps its his brownish/golden hair and his fair skin, that's why he has earned himself a nickname of 'ang mo kia'.

Well, Iden received a confirmation from a true blue ang mo (Caucasian) yesterday. We were together in a lift with a couple. The guy is a Caucasian while the lady is a Chinese. When the Caucasian guy saw Iden, he went "Hello, you really look like an ang mo, don't you? You can easily pass off as my son!".

All of us burst out in laughter upon hearing this. Can you imagine that? An ang mo saying that Iden looks like an ang mo??? What a confirmation!

Happy birthday, Iden!!

2006-01-26T22:25:00.000+08:00

Today is Iden's birthday. Though we already had a grand celebration for him a few days ago, we still decided to do a very simple celebration for him today. Only the IT family will be involved - ipapa, imama and Iden. We brought Iden to Swensen's Toa Payoh to have a Firehouse Happy Birthday sundae. It was a simple sundae but the significance is great! Happy Birthday, Iden!! Daddy and mummy will love you as long as we are living.....

Wishes from Germany

2006-01-26T09:09:00.000+08:00

Wishes from an old friend from the beautiful town of Darmstadt, Germany

Iden's First Birthday Celebration

2006-01-21T23:28:00.000+08:00

Iden celebrated his 1st birthday today! We decided to keep it small and just a family affair. Only our immediate family members were invited and we were glad it was kept as such.

The birthday boy had a traditional meal for lunch - mee suah + 2 red eggs + 1 chicken drumstick. Perhaps it was a change to his usual porridge lunch, Iden gladly finished the meal.

To make sure that he would be in his top form for the party at 5 pm, we rocked him to sleep after lunch. Thank goodness, we did.

The guests started coming in from about 4 pm. They were treated to a 'quite nice but can be improved further' dinner. The main event of the day was the cake cutting moment at 6 pm.

We ordered a Pooh Bear cake and Elmo jelly for Iden. Well, at least he had two of his favourite characters to celebrate his birthday with him. After a round of photo taking sessions, we finally could sit down and sang birthday songs for Iden and cut the cake!

Next, we had Iden to choose from a range of items we had prepared. Well, there were a few items like a book, a pen, a calculator, a hammer and a dollar note. For the benefit for those who do not know what is this about, well, the Chinese has this practice for a 1 year old toddler to choose an item to determine what will his career be like in future. Iden aimed for the calculator immediately and the old folks said that he would become an accountant next time. True or not? Time will tell.

The party ended at about 9 pm and it was time for Iden's last milk feed and sleep. He must be so tired after a whole day of activity..... sleep tight, my baby.....

Reporting from Taipei ....

2006-01-16T21:52:00.000+08:00

ipapa is on last minute business trip to taipei for 4 days this week. As expected, this is quite a bit of a disruption to the IT family. You see, we are a very integrated family. To ensure all family matters are efficiently carried out from putting iden to sleep to taking our showers to feeding iden to washing his butt. Most of the time, me and imama has to take turn so that iden is not left unattended. So if you would like, we are like a triangle, each side will have to bear the extra weight when one side is absent. I have been away for business trip before and this was sometime last year when iden was about only 2 months old. However, this time round, iden is 1 week away from his 1 year birthday and this make things harder when one member of the family is away. To make this more guilty for me, so far i have been the one that require to travel for business. To make matters more challenging for imama, she is expecting our 2nd child soon. Also business trips like these is also a logistic nightmare, as iden spend his days with his grandparents. So again, imama has to brave herself to decide if she is daring enough to drive iden to balestier road. Off course, i have to bear the anxiety that she is cautious enough not to run into any accident since she dont drive that often. Well, i guess the best next planning is really to equip imama to be a better driver and to minimise any travelling plans as possible. Har...the chinese favourites selection frm krisworld is playing zhi zu from may day. No wonder there is a saying Mother is the greatest !! Hang in there imama ....ipapa will be back soon .. You know, the last time i had such feeling was when i sent imama back from frankfurt to beijing ... Sob sob .....

Good things come in pairs .....

2006-01-05T16:29:00.000+08:00

5th Jan 2006, it's the date every year which is traditional call "My Birthday". Well nothing was really planned normally, but every year, imama always throw some surprise on the day. There was one year when I received a catus, in colourful sands in a large vase. This year, well have got a nice chocolate cake from "Rooms for Desert"

And at the same time, my company got a nice home-made carrot cake in the office to celebrate for me.

Thanks to imama and Iden for the nice gesture .... Well this year, i am pretty glad things have gone quite well, i think luck is definitely on my side, as I managed to move on to another new working enviroment which i have been wanting to do for a long time. At the very same time, all is well in the family with Iden and imama. When i look back at 2005, there were really a few milestones that was achieved. On a lighter side of receiving, I did not manage to pass my annual fitness test and will be schedule for RT in the next coming months. So that's really a "present" from the nation. Hope that this will not be an annual event.

Itchy hand?

2006-01-03T17:33:00.000+08:00

The IT family went out for the usual weekend dinner at Toa Payoh Central yesterday. Ipapa wasn't feeling well, hence wanted to purchase Clarinase at the pharmacy. So off he went, with Iden in the stroller. As the pharmacist was not around, ipapa couldn't get his medication. So, both of them came out of the pharmacy.

As we were about to head home, an astonishing imama asked ipapa what was Iden holding on in his hands. You see, Iden held a white box in his hand and was quietly enjoying his 'gift'! Ipapa's first reaction was "aiyo, what is that?" Quickly, he took the box from Iden, went back to the pharmacy and put it back on the shelf.

The mystery was then uncovered. Iden had quietly taken a tube of medication from the shelf without ipapa's notice. Upon exit from the pharmacy, the alarm did not go off. Hence, both ipapa and me were not aware of him taking that tube until .....

Luckily none of the staff knew about this incident.... if not they may think that we have instigated Iden in this instance. Phew, what a close shave and we better watch out for more itchy hands in future!

Happy New Year 2006

2005-12-31T10:17:00.000+08:00

Iden and Family would like to wish all faithful readers of his blog a Happy New Year in 2006. May 2006 be a cheerful year for all of you as it did for Iden in 2005. Cheeeeessseeeeeeeee !!!!!!!

Christmas Trip to Jurong Bird Park

2005-12-26T22:22:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas ! The IT Family recently got a new member. We say goodbye to a old faithful horse (ES8) ES8 was a good ride. During the family's most difficult times, ES8 has never fail to deliver what is it suppose to be good at. Hopefully, my old friend will end up in another good hands in another country where he's going to find himself another home.

And so we welcome our new member, the bigger brother of the Honda Family, Stream.

With our new Stream, we now am able to take more passengers together with us for dinners and visits. So we thought the first good test is to ferry 2 families to Jurong Bird Park. We set off early in the morning to make our way to Woodlands Circle to pick up the Wong Family. Wong Family consists of Mother Wong and their 3 kids, namely Anson, Erica and Marcus. Essentially, I was not expecting Mother Wong to come along as I was not sure if Stream could handle the load. However, after some slight adjustments. We are on our way. These 3 childrens are each given a simple assignment. Anson will have to come up with a simple one page composition of the trip while Erica and Marcus has to produce a drawing of the birds they saw in JBP. We arrive just in the nick of time to catch the 11am bird show which was quite an opener for many Bukit Timah Hill Folks like us. We were quite surprise that given the Jurong Bird Park has been around for a while, it still draw quite a number of locals , not to mention the tourists. Next, we take the invisible time machine and spare you all the details and reached lunch time. Since there is not much of a choice, we ended up in the up-class one and only resturant in the Bird Park for a quick bite before continuing our Bird Trip. Naturally, Anson, the oldest of the 3 has to bear the responsibilities of playing clean-up for the food that was remaining. ( Don't blame him , he's only hungry ! ... He aren't heavy, he's my brother ....... ) After the $73 ++ meal , we set off to finish the remainder of the Bird Trip before we close the visit off. Oh we forgot to mention Iden. Well the only thing we notice since we step our of the car, was simply sweating himself out under the hot sun and after lunch, i guess the heat beat him and he slowly felt asleep under my shoulders before we reach the Pengun Parade Section. It was right about 2 and we decided to head of to BTT for a quick dip in the pool to cool off under the heat. The kids, on the other hand did their part of the share by submitting their individual assignments when we finish the day at TP Towers while waiting for dinner. Here's what they have drawn. From Marcus: From Erica: From Anson:

Iden's First Award

2005-12-15T21:00:00.000+08:00

Finally, Iden received this 5th Prize Certification via mail today. For those who missed the previous blog annoucement. Here's a quick recap. Snapshot taken from the official website

The official certificate

Sun Tanning in KK

2005-12-06T23:46:00.000+08:00

I remember back about 10 months ago when we first had Iden, ouur first few days was really quite miserable. After spending about 3 days in KK Hospital, Iden and imama finally got to go back home and rest. Everyone was thrilled. However, when we went back for checkup at Woodland Polyclinic. Doctor found him to be quite "yellow" and suggest we send him back for ultra-voliet sun tanning. Here's some pictures back then. PS: Was digging around my computer directory and located them

Growing up

2005-12-06T11:09:00.000+08:00

Wow, it has been so long that I write. Have been busy lately (with work and family) and the only time I have is for me to catch up on my sleep.

Iden is now into his 10th month and counting down towards his first year. He has come a long way.... from a tiny little foetus to a little boy now. It is amazing to see that he has grown. I love to look at him when he is asleep.... admiring his chubby face, feel his smooth skin, smell him, simply look at him. And I notice that he has grown taller.

My family members and a few of my friends commented that he is like a little boy now (though he has not reached 1 year old) and getting more handsome. Of course he won't appreciate all these remarks but I am so happy! Thanks for the compliments!

Lately, he begins to understand simple instructions. When ipapa and I use our harsh tones to say no, he will look at us pitifully and burst into tears. Oh... our hearts will melt when we see his tears but we just have to stand firm. Guess it is time we start to discipline him.....

Baby Pose

2005-11-06T10:36:00.000+08:00

My yoga instructor taught me a "Baby Pose" some time back. It is a simple pose - just lie flat on my tummy with my head turning to one side and viola! I was told that this position is very comfortable and it aids sleeping. I was not convinced initially.... but after looking at Iden's sleeping poses, I have to admit that it is indeed a wonderful sleeping position.

I believe most babies sleep on their tummy the moment they know how to flip over. Iden is one of them, even when he is sleeping in his yao lan. Don't try to flip him over when he is on his tummy sleep. He will flip over the moment he is lying head down. And true enough, he sleeps soundly on his tummy.....

So... sleep-deprived mummies and daddies.... bring on the "Baby Pose" when you sleep at night!

Sleep Crawling

2005-10-31T15:54:00.000+08:00

Iden turned 9 months old just a few days ago and he really has grown quite a bit. Now, i really have to watch my back when I lift him up from low areas to standing position. He's also harder to tame and show his displeasure with lots of funny noises or hand actions. He's also exploring around the house quite a fair bit and always on the lookout for positon where he can get a better views of different scenaries. What was more amazing nowadays is that , during his night sleep, he has the tendency to toss and turn from left to the right and from the far side to the near side. There are a couple of times when we observed that he actually was crawling a few step here and there with his eyes close. Sometimes he even sit down for a while and then next he dived his head back to the mattress and continue his sleep. Gee, talk about "sleep crawling" .......

At number 2 ...slowly ....

2005-10-20T21:24:00.000+08:00

Apologies for all our fans out there, life is a bit of a rocky boat at the moment in particular with ipapa. Therfore explaining the delay.... Nevertheless .... At number 2, i guess it's no surprise to most parents. Somehow, it seems to work with most boys i gathered as we go around talking to friends and family member. The REMOTE CONTROL seems to always attached Iden's attention most of the time, whether is he changing his nappies or is it to distract him away from going to places which he's not suppose to. Was it the buttons that amazed them ? Huh .. I won't really know unless I turn back the clock to 30 years ago ......

It's all in the HAIR

2005-10-09T22:07:00.000+08:00

Iden has brown colour hair. His hair is so brown that people always ask if we've highlighted it for him. We brand him the "Golden Boy" also because of this.

Then, Iden has not much hair. We shaved his hair when he turned one month old and till now, we don't see much hair growing out. Unlike his friends who had gone for haircut a few times, Iden has not been into a barber shop thus far! Well, I guess I should not complain much since this helps to save some hair-cutting money.

Ipapa likes to style Iden's hair. Sometimes, the hair will be combed neatly and flat on his head which makes him look like a very studious boy while at times, the hair will be styled to be beckham-lookalike. Sigh..... poor Iden, being used as a guinea pig by his daddy.

Post-trip Review

2005-10-05T21:11:00.000+08:00

It is really an (exhausting) experience travelling overeseas with a baby. Just wanna put down what we have gone through during our recent trip to Perth and hopefully it will serve as a guide for our next overseas trip with Iden (don't know when)....

1) Find out what will the weather be like in the destination. This will determine the type of clothes to pack. Can check-out a 15-day forecast of a city at http://home.accuweather.com/index.asp?partner=accuweather

2) In my own view, for first time travelling overseas with babies, it is better to choose a destination with no time difference from Singapore. At least babies will not suffer from jet lag.

3) If trip is confirmed, book ticket early and request a bassinet upon booking, if required. Bassinet seats are limited on a plane, hence booking is on first come first serve basis. SQ's bassinet can take a baby of weight up to 16kg.

4) If we cannot get a bassinet, do request the check-in counter staff to block off the seat next to us, so that we can have an extra seat to place Iden when he is sleeping.

5) Do a pre-checkin via phone or internet first if travelling by SQ.

6) Do request baby food upoin booking if needed.

7) Bring a stroller on top of the Ergo carrier if there is a lot of walking.

8) If possible, sit separately from ipapa on board the flight. At least one of us can get a chance to rest while the other one takes care of Iden. Also, get the air stewardess to serve one of our meal first. The point is to take turns.

9) The ear pressure issue - water drinking or swallowing act does help.

10) I learnt one lesson on fire evacuation during this trip. Lesson learnt - put essential things such as passports, room keys, hps, etc at one place, preferably by your bedside. When emergency, just grab them and go.

Other than all these, Bon Voyage!

The Kiwi Experience

2005-10-04T18:53:00.000+08:00

Have you ever tried a kiwi fruit? Do you like it? For the record, imama likes kiwi fruit VERY much. It is a small fruit, but pack with essential nutrients. To me, one kiwi fruit a day keeps the doctor away.

Naturally, being a loving mum, I would want to give good food to Iden.... so I decided to let him try one kiwi this afternoon.

It was such a hilarious situation! That was the first time Iden tasted something sour and his facial expression changed from eagerness (waiting for yummy food) to a very sour look. When I gave him the second feed, he kept shaking his head and refused to open his mouth. I swear that was the first time that I see him refusing food so vigorously. I was so amused and just could not help but ask ipapa to take down his sour look. Here it is:

Swimming

2005-10-03T18:08:00.000+08:00

Today is THE day. We are bringing Iden to have his first dip in the pool. The weather is good, the timing is perfect.... so... off we go to the pool!

I guess babies are natural swimmers, being surrounded by water bag for 9 months. Iden took to the water naturally. He flapped, splashed and kicked, all in the hope of having FUN. It was a good start to a swim and we certainly are looking forward to more swimming sessions....

Perth - Day 9 - Home Sweet Home

2005-10-02T23:49:00.000+08:00

Everything must come to an end. Iden's first overseas trip will end this afternoon when we take our flight back home at 4 pm.

We checked out of the hotel at 10 am and proceeded straight to the airport. Did some last minute duty-free shopping and had lunch in the airport before we boarded the plane.

Iden (and imama) sat beside a 1-year old British boy - Bill on board the flight. Iden was very excited to be able to get a bassinet (at last) and was seen baby talking to Bill. It was a funny sight to see both babies communicating with each other.

It was way past 9 pm by the time we reached Singapore and we headed back home after luggage clearance. Iden was already into his dreamland by then. I don't think he would remember anything about this trip but hopefully this blog could bring some wonderful memories to him when he is older.

Perth - Day 8 - the day of F

2005-10-01T21:22:00.000+08:00

Our tour is almost coming to an end, hence our rented car also ended today. Ipapa returned the car to the rental shop in the morning, and we were left with no car from then.

We went to Fremantle once again in the afternoon as Iden's grandparents wanted to buy some souvenirs back home for their friends. When we went back to our apartment in the evening, we had another experience of our life.

While preparing dinner, all of us heard the sounding of the fire alarm. Ipapa thought it was a drill, hence did not take the siren seriously. Until the emergency evacuation message came out, we then realised that it was a fire evacuation. All of us quickly grabbed hold of the essential things and ran down 17 storeys of stairs to safety.

After reaching the ground floor, we then realised the seriousness of the matter. Apparently, smoke was coming out from one of the apartments, that's why the siren. It was only after checking and certifying that it was a false alarm by the firemen that we were allowed back to our apartment.

What a way to let us remember and end our tour, ya?

Perth - Day 7 - Wave Rock

2005-09-30T23:45:00.000+08:00

We had our longest drive today - from Perth to Wave Rock. The journey took us 4 hrs to and fro. Along the route, we drove by York to Hyden where Wave Rock is located.

We stopped by York for lunch. York is Western Australia's oldest inland town and one of its most charming. Set on the Avon River in a fertile open valley it is a blend of colonial and Victorian architecture dating back to the earliest days of the colony.

Another 2-hr drive from York took us to our destination of Wave Rock. Wave Rock is 50 m high, formed from solid granite rock. The vivid, distinctive bands of colour are the result of millions of years of rain washing chemical deposits down the sloping face of the rock.

After lingering at the area for about 45 mins, we headed back to Perth, another 4-hr drive back. By the time we reached Perth, it was about 8 pm and time to have dinner and rest. With this experience of driving such long hours ipapa is game to try to drive to Kuala Lumpur for our next holiday!

Perth - Day 6 - Prima Taste

2005-09-29T18:21:00.000+08:00

After a long day yesterday, we decided to go slow and do some shopping today. We shopped around the Gosnells Market Place, Fremantle, Murray Street, Hay Street, etc. Also went to the Swan Tower Bell to take a look. At night, all of us had a craving for Singaporean food and we had our dinner at Prima Taste in Perth. Well, one can get sick with too much sandwiches, burgers and meat, right?

Perth - Day 5 - Chocolate, Koalas, and Fishes

2005-09-28T23:38:00.000+08:00

We began our real self-drive holiday today.

We set off pretty early towards the direction of Guildford and Swan Valley. Guildford, first settled in 1829 is one of Australia's most important historic towns and lies 13 kms east of Perth. Guildford is the gateway to the Swan Valley Region. The Region offers wineries, accommodation, restaurants, cheese and chocolate factories, aboriginal arts and crafts, studios, historical churches and buildings, wildlife parks and sporting attractions.

Our first stop was at the famous Margaret River Chocolate Factory. It was an eye-opener at this Factory. Different types of chocolate appear right in front of us. Hmmm..... delicious!! Iden had his first taste of chocolate here.

After this, we continued our journey to the Caversham Wildlife Park located 19 km from Perth. This is where Iden got to see koalas, Tasmanian Devils, kangaroos and many more species. The only pity of this visit was that we were not allowed to carry a koala. Well, at least we got to stroke and touch them.

Along the way, we drove past many wineries. It was a spectacular sight.

After lunch, we headed to the Aquarium of Western Australia. Iden was so fascinated by the colourful fishes and underwater journey. If only he could be in the water and swim with them.

What a day of adventure!

Perth - Day 4 - Self Drive

2005-09-27T22:11:00.000+08:00

Ipapa rented a Mitsubishi Magna from today and we are going to self-drive from now.

Perth is just like Singapore - right hand drive. The roads are clearly marked and easy to navigate. Ipapa simply loves to drive.... so off we go, beginning with our first self-drive holiday.

To familiarise himself with the roads, ipapa drove around the town area. Then, we drove to Northbridge, the so called Chinatown of Perth for a visit. Frankly, we were quite disappointed with Northbridge. It was supposed to be a happening place but it turned out like a ghost town, in my view.

Perth - Day 3 - Queen's Birthday

2005-09-26T15:43:00.000+08:00

We were told that today is the Queen's Birthday. As expected, majority of the shops were closed as it is a public holiday. We couldn't do much. So, we spent most of our time in the apartment and do nothing!

Iden turned 8 month old today. We decided to capture some shots of him to show how big a boy he has become. At least we had something to do to pass our time.....

Perth - Day 2 - A beautiful Sunday

2005-09-25T21:09:00.000+08:00

We woke up to a beautiful Sunday. Entering spring, Perth's sky is pretty bright by 6 am. How we wish we could sleep till noon but Iden woke us up at this hour for his milk feed. Well, we would have a long day ahead. Most of the Perth residents went to Melbourne for the Australian Football League (AFL) game yesterday and were not back yet. Hence, the roads were still very quiet and there were very few cars on the roads.

As the weather became better, we got ready and departed for Fremantle by train. Perth's trains are clean and the seats are cosy, cushion type and not those plastic type that our MRT has. The journey took us about 45 mins passing through some scenic sights.

We had the famous Fish & Chips lunch at Fremantle and went shopping at the E-shed Markets and surrounding area.

We spent quite some time here and headed back to Perth in the evening to do some grocery shopping at Woolsworth before it closes at 5 pm.

Perth - Day 1 - Cold and Windy Perth

2005-09-24T16:55:00.000+08:00

We reached Perth at 0605 hours and the temperature was 10 degree Celcius. So cold!! It doesn't help that it is windy too. After a long and tedious immigration check, we managed to leave the airport and go to the apartment that we are going to put up for the whole duration of our trip - Statton CBD Apartment.

First day of our trip was uneventful. We badly needed a good sleep after spending 5 wakeful hours on board the flight to 'entertain' Iden. *Yawn* time to sleep.....

Perth - Here we come!!

2005-09-23T22:24:00.000+08:00

Finally, after much planning, the IT family is taking a break from the hectic life in Singapore. Ipapa and I last had our holiday in January last year to Mauritius. This Perth trip will have a lot of firsts - first holiday after a break of over 20 months, first time Iden is flying, first time travelling with a baby, and first visit to Australia.

Being a first time traveller with a baby, I asked around for tips on what to pack and prepare. With friends' help, here is the list of things I have packed for Iden:

Hand carry bag

(1) Diapers, nappy rash cream, changing mat

(2) Extra clothes, handkerchiefs, towel, sock

(3) Toys

(4) Water (hot and cold), milk powder, milk bottles, water bottle, snacks

(5) Baby wipes

(6) Bolster

(7) Blanket, sweater

Luggage

(1) Clothes, diapers, towel, handkerchiefs

(2) Milk powder, bottle brush, feeding spoon, feeding bowl

(3) Rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, Earth's Best Spring Vegetables and Pasta, Earth's Best Vegetable Beef Pilaf, Morigana biscuits, Gerber fruit puff

(4) Toys

(5) Medicine, thermometer

(6) Toiletries

(7) Pillow

Just his things alone occupy one 21" luggage! Besides these, we are also bringing his stroller and Ergo Baby Carrier along. Well, no one says it is easy when travelling with a baby.

As our flight is leaving Singapore at 0120 hours, I dress Iden up in his snug fitting thermal cum pyjamas and a piece of sleep suit. And off we head to the airport.

Running Riot ....

2005-09-20T12:05:00.000+08:00

Iden is approxing his 9th month since existence and he's GROWING .... He's been pretty vocal recently in terms of the kind of noises he's making. First, he like to let out a "ahhhh...." sound and hold it as long as it could and keep repeating it for the next 5-10 minutes .... Then recently for the past few days, he's been "papa-ing" or "mama-ing" or "mapa-ing" or was it "mum mum - ing" ... is this the sign that he's slowing learning how to call us ?? :-) .... Iden now is also beginning to be on his fours. He's exploring newer heights - literally ... and also looking for step-like places which he could leverage .... some of the areas are his bumper bed, our side sette and of course our bodies as we sat beside him and let me climb up ...... Oh no .... what's next ..... By the way we will be making our first family trip overseas ... should be interesting .....

Top 5 finish ...

2005-09-13T15:27:00.000+08:00

SURPRISED .... Iden clinched the number 5th spot for the recent Photo Shoot Competition .... Both of us was pretty surprised since we did not expect him to make it so far .... Well not that we are expecting him to be a star next or what ..but I am sure twenty years down the road when he visit his own BLOG, he can be glad to say that he had his glamourous moments ....

Counting down to Number 3

2005-09-05T21:54:00.000+08:00

Hi all, It's tough to be a parent and gosh did we had a tough time recently with Iden who simply refused to co-operate. Recently, we have make plans to go for a short trip soon and we have been trying to get Iden getting used to sleeping without the yao lan. So what we did was as a form of routine, get him to bed at about 8 and he will start to fight with his "zee-monstor". Fathers who have been in the SAF will be very familiar with this terms. Basically it's use to describe a state of moment when one is too tired that he starts to doze off, typically in a sitting position or standing position. Well for Iden, he like to move around, jump around or wriggle around until he's really really tired before he gives in to "zee-monstor". At times, we could see him shaking his head left and right as if he's unwilling to give in to "zee-monstor" hahaha. One of the sleeping-atmosphere making thingy we like to do, is to play hime some music until he sleeps. Typically he would take the whole CD to finish before he doze off. Today, well he clocked the 9th song out of a total of 12. Not bad in the running. Back to the number 3 spot is this HEART-SHAPED cushion which was really a symbol of love for my wife back in those days when we were touring together in Berlin. We did a european tour about 2-3 years ago and came across this heart shaped cushion with the german phrase "Ich liebe Dich" aka "I love U". So not this cushion is always be our bed and Iden love to play with it, when i sort of like held it high and do a helicopter sound with it. So much for German Engineering ......

Parenting in the First Year

2005-09-03T16:25:00.000+08:00

It has been a long time since we wrote. What to do? Each day is so busy and we hardly have time to sit down to write. The only time left is for us to catch up on our sleep. We need our sleep badly because Iden has been very cranky lately. He used to sleep through the night until lately that he has been waking up a few times for milk. The worst is that he will not sleep after the milk. He will cry loudly and bully ipapa. Oh... how I miss my uninterrupted sleep. Ok, back to today's topic - Parenting in the First Year. Ipapa and I attended this workshop this morning. It is organised by Fei Yue Community Services. The workshop has 4 modules and it costs S$10 per person or S$15 per couple each module. We attended Module 3 (The crawler - 6 to 9 mths) this morning. This module gives us an insight into baby's brain development and talks about setting limits and discipline. We learnt about different parenting styles and realised that Back Bone style is the best for a family. The module also talks about the ASD rule - Ask, Show and Do. On the whole, I find attending this workshop an enriching experience. Knowing that parenting issues are always there and how to resolve them will be a challenging task. Immediately after the workshop, ipapa and I were discussing the kind of rules that we would like to set in the house. Rules such as keeping the toys after playing, helping with household chores, washing hands before meals, setting the TV watching time and the type of programmes Iden can watch. All these are important rules which we think we should advocate. If you are reading this, perhaps you can share with us the rules you have in your home?

Cutest Kid Photo Contest - July 2005

2005-08-29T21:25:00.000+08:00

The result of the Cutest Kid Photo Contest - July 2005 is out. Iden is into the top 10!! A big thank you to all who have voted for him. Check out:

http://www.tangerined.com/KZ_talent/WhatsOn/CutestKID_Jul_1_05_Top10.htm

The judges will cast their votes and hopefully he can emerge one of the top 3 winners.

At Number 4

2005-08-27T13:41:00.000+08:00

Sorry folks, Been pretty hectic for the past few days and could not actually sit down to type out this post. Saturday, Iden's taking his after lunch nap and finally ....... Ok back to our countdown, at number 4 is actually Pooh Bear. Iden used to sleep in yao lan ( or a sleeping sag ) so what we did was hang this little fellow on the top of the rod so that he actally sees Pooh Bear, while falling asleep. It does catches his attention a lot and helps Iden calm down. Occasionally when Iden is cranky, we like to bring him over and talk to Pooh Bear. Yes Pooh Bear indeed has some Disney magic on Iden. This Pooh Bear was a gift from a close friend of ours cos at the same year, they have Griffin whom we like to call as a big brother to Iden.

Disney Baby Contest

2005-08-25T22:58:00.000+08:00

Iden is participating in the Disney Baby contest. His contestant number is A27. This contest is organised by United Square and Young Parents magazine. Young Parents magazine will put the contestants pictures on sample covers and here is how Iden will appear on the magazine cover:

Pls vote for Iden using the format "DisneyBaby A27 (Your Name)(Your NRIC)" and sms it to 9111 5541. One vote per handphone number per baby contestant. The deadline for voting is 30 August at 9.30 pm. Thank you for your support!

Number 5 .....

2005-08-20T20:23:00.000+08:00

Saturday evening .... EPL nite :-) .... ManU playing Villa .... 0 - 0 still good. Well it was a relief to be able to sit down peacefully writing some thoughts. It was eventful friday to say the least. Iden is sleeping and all things are resuming back to normal. Ops sorry no more sad stories and counting down to Iden's Top 5 favourite toy. At number 5 is what I label "The worm" , well physically what else does it resembled .... anyway Iden's Worm always come in handy especially when imama need to change his diaper and when I would normally do is play worm monster and make the "worm" alive and hissing noises as if it's like a giant worm praying on Iden. Pretty effective when he gets bored with other of his toys.

A freak accident

2005-08-19T19:15:00.000+08:00

Well guess the countdown will have to wait for a while as tonight we will be spending the night with Iden at Mount Avenia Hospital. It's was quite an eventful day. In the afternoon, we brought Iden to United Square for the disney photo show. After which we waited for a while, meeting with some mummy in the forum.

As our appointment with Dr. Ong is almost up, we headed to the 2nd floor via the escalator. As it was just a few shops away, it was not necessary to put iden onto the stroller. Imama then carry him on her shoulder and take the escalator up. As imama and iden was in front, i push the stroller up the escalator. Just as i was about the reach the top of the esalator, i suddenly see imama falling flat onto the ground, like a pack of cards. Honestly, i didn't really remember what i was thinking, but my first respond was to rush forward. The first thing i saw was iden lying face up on the tile floor and in shocked. Imama picked herself up immediately and panically ask me to go doctor immediately ( which we are doing anyway).

At this stage, iden was in shock and screaming at the top of his voice and we start to notice that his mouth was dripping with redish salivery. Doctor could not find where the wound would be and decided that it's best to be admitted for 24 hours for observation.

Now it's seven in the evening and the x-ray results taken show that there were no fractures or cracks to the head area. It was a relief to see that iden was all right and as usual back to his usual self, as excited as always.

http://idamnexcitednow.blogspot.com

Top 5 Countdown of Iden's Favourite TurnOn

2005-08-17T22:15:00.000+08:00

I am sure most parent would agree with me that their children will always have something special that draw their attention. These toys/things come very handy in situation where you needed some form of material to draw your children's attention so that you could do certain things. To name a couple, it would be like to pacify your child when he's not in the mood; changing of diaper if your child is particular fond of flipping over, lying on the stomach; or something to attact them when they know how to crawl or walk. Well Iden is no exception. For the next couple of blogs this month, we will review the top 5 best turn-on for Iden .... Stay Tuned ........

Cyberlife

2005-08-17T21:46:00.000+08:00

Junior asks his dad, "Daddy, how was I born?" His dad sighs and replies,"Ah, my son, I guess one day you would have to find out anyway! Well, you see, your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on MSN. Then I set up a date via e-mail with your mom and we met at a cyber-cafe. We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, but it was too late to hit the delete button. Six weeks later your mom sent me an instant message saying that her operating system was showing signs of unauthorized program activity from a self extracting file which had implanted itself in her BIOS. Then nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared and said:

"You've Got Male!"

National Day Pictures

2005-08-16T12:32:00.000+08:00

Just like to make a compliment to my colleague who is an avid photographer. Incidentally he also took our ROM pictures. You can view his latest work at the following URL http://www.pbase.com/gohorses/ndp_2005 The little girl looks cute rite :-) , my colleague should turn professional on this hobby of his .... Enjoy the pics .....