The Adventures of minibeanie and microbeanie

Tai-tai! (Bye)

2010-02-24T01:29:00.003+08:00

As mini-b would say "tai-tai" coupled with a backward wave, so am I now saying Ciao! I can't believe I'd made more than 250 posts over 2.5 years. But like everything, it's time to move on.

Thank you all who have been following this blog :)

microbeanie is 5 months, 2 weeks & 4 days old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

9 days

2010-02-20T21:36:00.003+08:00

What a difference 9 days make. That was how long DH was away on a trip to Barcelona. And in that time,

mini-b was potty-trained! (something that I never thought would happen)
micro-b grew.... visibly
micro-b made his first crawl
micro-b found his toes
I lost my marbles on a couple of occasions

On the potty training bit, it was his school who initiated the first step. I remembered his teacher, Miss Lauren, writing in the Communication book about being potty-trained as a goal for the new year and I remembered thinking, yeah right. I couldn't even get him to sit on the elephant potty let alone on the 'big boy potty', which is what we call the 'potty' that we big girls and big boys use.

But 2-3 weeks before school broke for the Lunar New Year holidays, Miss Lauren embarked on a no-diaper policy. And so upon arriving in school, mini-b changed out of his diapers and into training pants. The first time he peed into the tiny urinal, he got a two thumbs up from Cullen a 3 y.o in his class and a group hug from his friends. How sweet! Over the course of a week, he got the hang of it. There were several accidents with the washing machine kept very busy everyday and once or twice where I picked him up in school without his pants because mummy had forgotten to pack a spare one. My bad. I can just imagine the severe disapproval I must have gotten from the Chinese who would point out to me that the kids are cold without woollen beanies.... and mini-b going barelegged in winter. Tsk tsk!!!

Anyhow, when the 2 week long Lunar New Year holidays started, I bravely took that step of weaning him off diapers. (Incidentally, DH's reaction was one of pure terror when told of my plan.) As expected, there were many hits and misses. Progress seemed like a 2 steps forward, 1 step back tango. Along the way, I lost my marbles a couple of times when he peed in his high chair, sofa and even once on his bed (no, not when he was sleeping). And the worst was when he pooped in his training pants :#

Come Day 4 however, we had made significant progress. He still didn't go to the toilet on his own but I'd learnt to read his cues, like when he kept moving his feet in the hair chair, squirming on the sofa and basically acted like there were ants in his pants. He still had to learn how to aim and shoot though. Gosh, why did God made that equipment so complicated? I had also gotten him to sit on the 'big boy potty' with a duckie insert to poop! Yes! That was a major accomplishment. And I later found out that the reason for his resistance was his fear of the hole ("high up") and how he would "fall down". I broke that resistance by putting him on it, sitting beside him and giving him the car magazine that was in the bathroom. After a couple of minutes talking about Lamborghini, Ford & Volkswagon, the 'big boy potty' wasn't so scary after all.

And as for micro-b, he gained another form of mobililty by lifting his bum and with some luck and traction, inched forward towards that rattle/ stuffed elephant/ sock that he just MUST have. Most days he was sleeping through the night again but he was drinking tons of milk which translated into less time for me. I couldn't wait to start him on solids!

It had been a most eventful 9 days.

microbeanie is 5 months & 2 weeks old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

Hermit I am

2010-02-08T00:16:00.005+08:00

I only have to look back 2 years ago to realize that holidays then and now are worlds apart. Literally. No more "off the beaten track" or "adventure" but hello to "kids friendly". Instead of The Rocky Resort, a boutqiue resort with a private beach far from the madding crowds at Koh Samui.where we spent our honeymoon, I'm looking at Sheraton Phuket where words like "visiting baby elephants" and "supervised kids' activities" get me rather excited. And when I see the description of a 'Happy Baby Studio' that includes a high chair, stroller, cot AND a microwave, it makes me want to do a crazy dance around the room because there's the remote possibility of a holiday. What have I morphed into??! A parent with 2 VYC.

Having VYC makes traveling a logistical challenge to say the least. We will be bringing cargo-loads of diapers, jars of baby food and ration of formula, Crayola markers and papers, story books and favourite toy cars. Sometimes this logistics challenge makes any excursion more emotionally costly than the enjoyment it bestows. And for that reason, I loathe to drag the VYC out.

But like a friend puts it, everyone needs a holiday. She just left for a 3 week Thai beach and KL holiday with 2 preschoolers. Maybe when these VYC become not so very VY, I can dare imagine getting out of the house again.

microbeanie is 5 months & 2 days old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

Starting solids soon?

2010-02-06T02:04:00.003+08:00

micro-b is 5 months old today! And a month (or less) to go before introducing solids! Hip hip hooray! The sleep-through-the-night routine is a distant memory. In fact, ever since he got the cold in early Jan, he had begun waking up in the night. Ok, so I thought he'd settle back into the old rhythm after the cold but no, he's still at it :( Yes, I've read that these things happen...illness, teething & growth spurts do that. Recently however, it becomes clear that he's increasing his feeds and over a month, he has increased the amount he drinks by nearly 30% which is phenomenal.

Last night, he got me up twice. I'm so sleep deprived as a result. I know it's bad but I'm so tempted to start popping a spoon of cereal into his mouth right now. Why don't I? There's an increased risk of allergies by starting solids too young.. and since micro-b has eczema, I'll just have to grin and bear it for another few weeks or so :P

microbeanie is 5 months old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

My 2.5 yo knows more about cars than me!

2010-01-29T15:40:00.005+08:00

mini-b is a petrol-head just like his dad ;) He probably knows all the makes and our favourite activity on the ride back from school is to identify cars on the road. And the condo carpark is a close contender with the playground as his favourite place to be outside. Let's see, he knows the usual sports car marques such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus and of course the more familiar Volkswagon ("Vokk wagen"), Merz, Beemer, Nissan, Toyota, Buick (a very popular MPV make in Chengdu), Honda ("HON da", in a low voice in the likes of a stiff Japanese man. Hmm, I wonder where he got that from), Seat, Citroen, Suzuki, Audi, Volvo, Skoda....

A couple of days ago, it became apparent that my 2 and a half year son knew more about cars than me. When he asked, "this one", and pointed to a car on the road, I replied, "Seat". Whereupon he replied in a most confident tone, "no mummy, Seat. Suzuki-ni". I was surprised and a little insulted but made a mental note to check up on their logos. Damn! I was wrong! :D

ps. just in case someone is as clueless as me, the silver logo on the right is Suzuki & the red one is Seat ;)

microbeanie is 4 months, 3 weeks & 2 days old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

It's all in the name

2010-01-27T01:46:00.003+08:00

EtonHouse has a practice of putting each student's picture followed by his name on the classroom's door. In the Chinese division class that's beside mini-b's, there are a couple of names that caught our attention. 3 boys named Sunny, Grace, ....and my favourite is, Leakey. I feel sorry for that kid.

microbeanie is 4 months & 3 weeks old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

Thursday = pea soup + crepe

2010-01-21T21:47:00.017+08:00

There's a quaint tradition in Finland where pea soup (hernekeitto) and crepes (lettu) are traditionally eaten on Thursdays. I've no idea why Thursday. And for that matter, no other day of the week has such association. This soup isn't the usual starter; instead, it's a main course because it's so heavy that it goes thump in your stomach. It's one of those things I read about Finland many years in a list that went, "You know you're in Finland when..." along with "silence is golden" or something about whipping one's body with a bunch of birch twigs in a sauna. How cute, I thought. But it wasn't a few years later that I actually tried pea soup.

I think if there's any dish that sums up the Finnish psyche, it's this. Hearty, down-to-earth, unpretentious.

Hernekeitto
shelled peas, dried or fresh
potatoes, cubed (optional)
onions, minced
meat stock (I used chicken bones left over from a roast)
bay leaves
ham*, diced
butter
salt & black pepper
mustard

1. Put the bay leaves, bones, peas & potatoes into a large stockpot. Add water until just covering the peas or potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until peas are soft or until a good stock is made from the bones.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the onions until a golden caramel colour. Add into the stockpot.
3. Remove the bay leaves & bones.
4. Use a potato masher to mash the peas and potatoes into a thick paste. (Alternatively, a blender could be used as well but I prefer a chunky touch to the soup)
5. Add the diced ham. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
6. Serve with a dollop of mustard mixed in.

* I really don't recommend thin slices of 'picnic ham'. I'd go for a whole chunk of smoked ham then dice it to your liking. I had frozen portions of my Christmas ham and it was wonderful.

And as for the crepes (lettu), I whipped some cream and chopped up strawberries to go. Traditionally though, strawberry jam is eaten with the crepes along with cream. I love food traditions!

microbeanie is 4 months, 2 weeks & 1 day old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

2010-01-17T01:55:00.001+08:00

Share and share alike

2010-01-13T12:49:00.002+08:00

"Share" is an alien concept among 2 year olds. When we have playdates, mini-b holds his car to his chest and proclaims, "mine". Nevermind that he hasn't touched that toy for ages. Same goes for the long forgotten rattle that micro-b plays with these days. While I'm anxious not to raise selfish brats, pediatric psychologists say this is pretty normal behaviour for 2-3 year olds.

But there's one thing that mini-b has shared pretty well. He brought home from school a cold last week. Over the weekend till today, gooey stuff has been dripping from his nose followed by a rackish cough. Yesterday, it appeared that mini-b shared his germs with his little brother. micro-b now has a heart wrenching phlegm-y cough. Great, 2 sick cry-y kids on my hands :(

microbeanie is 4 months & 1 week old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

this past few weeks

2010-01-10T02:25:00.010+08:00

I can't believe how fast time flies... (yep yep, don't we hear that all the time?) micro-b is 4 months old and the elder one is 2.5 years old. Developmentally, mini-b is talking a lot more now. School has been great. The exposure he has been getting, the socializing with children his own age, drawing, running.... all the kind of stuff I wish I can do with him on a daily basis but can't because my hands are tied (almost literally ;) Last week, his class baked gingerbread cookies because the letter of the week is 'G' :) And the next week, there will be a school excursion to an organic farm! I wish school was half that fun during my time.

And micro-b is a very jolly fella. He loves to squeal and laugh wholeheartedly when someone engages him - what a wonderful temperament... am I lucky. Last Monday, just 2 days before he turned 4 months, he flipped over from back to tummy and since then, he has been going round in circles on the playmat. Back-tummy-back-tummy.... I can probably get him to clean my floor if I attach scouring pads to his jumpsuit.

Anyhow, here are the past few weeks in pictures.

Gingerbread - a family tradition by now and there's my elf.

The Gingerbread house from the 2005 template. This year's cookies were a disaster. I over-beat the butter & sugar resulting in cookies that s-p-r-e-a-d horribly in the oven but I managed to work around it by using very cold dough from the freezer.

Christmas Eve dinner. No, I didn't bake the ham. Thank God for a local butchery run by a Kiwi couple!

micro-b's first Christmas!

Zzzzz... (Chinese Ah Pek in the making)

microbeanie is 4 months & 4 days old
minibeanie is a 2.5 year old toddler

Sleeping through the night ... at last!

2009-12-16T23:56:00.004+08:00

Last month, I was wondering if it was a fluke that micro-b slept through the night. It turned out that it was ;) Then, we were still in Finland and a week later, we returned to Chengdu. Miraculously, micro-b began to sleep through the night consistently upon our return. I wasn't about to celebrate prematurely in case it was jet lag but it has been 3 weeks now and I didn't have to wake up at 3am once in that period! ....[victory dance]....

In fact, micro-b's quite the perfect baby sleep-wise. The last feed usually ends at 10pm, we zip him up in his sleeping bag (he'll kick off his blanket otherwise) and he sleeps until 8 the next morning. Bliss!!

Here's a series of pictures I took while in Finland in mid November.

microbeanie is 3 months, 1 week & 3 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year & 4 month old toddler

Potentially embarrassing moments

2009-12-15T11:39:00.002+08:00

I may be wrong but I think it may be a rite of passage for every parent to be embarrassed by her toddler. Since we had been eating a fair bit of pomelo, mini-b often gestures that he wants his share with, "anna (Finnish: give) porno".

And because it is tricky for a 2 year-old tongue to wrap around the 'tr-' sound, it often sounds like he's saying, "f**k, f**k, f**k" when he was simply pointing to his 3 trucks. We have some explaining to do in front of friends.

microbeanie is 3 months, 1 week & 2 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year & 4 months old toddler

Linguistic sponge

2009-11-18T21:05:00.005+08:00

For a few months, mini-b has referred to himself as "boy". It always brings a smile to our faces when he says, "mama, dada, baby, boy", "boy cwwhy" (cry) or "BOY!" when he wants to express that something belongs to him. On this trip to Finland though, he has finally learnt how to say his own name. Quite a feat considering how long his name is...we could have been nice and chosen a 1 or 2 syllabi name like John or Tomi. mini-b introduces himself as "Hasasan" or sometimes "Hassan" :D

It also amazes me how fast he's picking up language now. Before we came 2 weeks ago, he said, "hands pois (Finnish: away) please" and from his playschool teacher, he apparently said, "Everybody 洗手 (Chinese: wash hands)". I suppose it's inevitable that he mixes the languages he's learning everyday.

Thanks to his fav Ten Little Ladybugs book, mini-b can now count to 10 in English & Chinese. We also talked a lot about colours. M&Ms are great teaching tools ;)

microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 5 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year 3 month old toddler

A fluke

2009-11-16T16:25:00.005+08:00

Yes, it was a fluke! Judging by mummy's red eyes this morning at 7, and micro-b's wailing that woke up dada and minibeanie. It was time for the boys to get up anyway and go get flu-jabs for mb. Well, we can't expect micro-b's sleeping pattern to change in one go. The trend is for the better anyway

-dada

microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 3 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler

Through the Night!

2009-11-15T06:56:00.002+08:00

micro-b slept through the night for the very first time last night! He had his last feed until 10pm and I thought, well, he'd be up 3 or 4am as usual. But no, I woke up at 10am. Yes, 10 o'clock, a sane hour to get up when it's considered day, not 4am when the only things up at that hour are drunks lumbering home and crickets. You see, I got to get up at 10 because dada took the 7am shift AND micro-b was a perfect baby.

Was last night a fluke? We'll see...

microbeanie is 2 months, 1 week & 2 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler

A Finn in the making

2009-11-13T20:35:00.003+08:00

There's always something that makes one distinctly Singaporean, Finnish, Chinese.... It could be eating certain strange foods or some ritual that's totally based on culture. Today, mini-b climbed onto the dining chair and started rummaging through its stuff. He came to me all sheepish and said, "eat". I thought he had found the bag of M&Ms on the table and helped himself to a chocolate buffet but when I went to the table, lo, it was the box of salmiakki.

To non-Scandinavians, salmiakki is the black stuff that everyone else on this planet hates. It was once banned because it was made from ammonia. And this particular box was actually bought from the pharmacy :D Personally, despite my adventurous spirit towards exotic foods, I stop short at salmiakki (even if I crave for salmiakki ice-cream, go figure ;) mini-b is more Finnish than I thought.

microbeanie is 2 months & 1 week old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler - and up to no good

October 09

2009-11-09T03:09:00.005+08:00

It had been FOREVER since the last post :P I do know that some of you are following this blog so I'm sorry to disappoint. Besides the fact that I hardly have time for anything these days, it had proven impossible to log onto Blogger (& Facebook for that matter) recently. Either the proxy server I'd been using needed some new config or that China's Great Firewall had finally caught up with it, I don't know. My tech support guy had for some reason been quite busy as well ;)

Well, tons had happened in the last month or so. In a nutshell, here's what happened in October 2009.

We took a whole week to 're-tune' mini-b's sleeping habit back to sleeping alone in his own room. A month of molly-coddlying by his paternal grandmother did some damage. The worst night was when mini-b came to our room crying for the 3rd or 4th time after being accosted back to his bed and I was ready to cave and let him climb into our bed at 6am. Thankfully, DH held his fort.

mini-b started half day playschool at Eton House! We're really proud of him for he didn't cry a single bit. All he needed was to be shown the train set and he would settle right in :D The main focus was on gaining independence such as eating by himself, washing his hands, putting on his shoes etc. He also learnt boundaries, respecting others' rights & group work such as there's a time for art class and Chinese class (<-- I was told by the teacher, Miss Lauren, that he isn't so hot for Chinese class... fell asleep once! :D the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, I thought. I think school had done mini-b a world of good. Just 3.5 weeks into it, I noticed that he'd begun using a lot more words. The stimulation he received in that 3.5 hours everyday was certainly a lot more than what I could give at home even without a certain bundle.

Speaking of the bundle, micro-b had grown! He had started smiling and sleeping for longer stretches of time. Hallelujah! Right before we left Chengdu for Finland, the longest he slept at night would be 5 hours - waking up just once to feed in the night. It was a huge improvement over the last week when 2 night feeds actually meant at least an hour of sleep less.

I'd put up some pictures if I could. Here are a couple from the first week of micro-b's birth. Already feels like ancient history.

19 days old

Big brudder the tutti pusher

microbeanie is 2 months & 3 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler

Breastfeeding hell

2009-09-23T19:34:00.004+08:00

The first week of breastfeeding had been hellish. True to form, this little guy who had been doing gymnastics in my belly at 1am, was most restless at that hour from day 1. I recalled (just 17 days ago but it seemed like a lifetime already!) being kept up for most nights in the hospital soothing and breastfeeding him. It was especially frustrating when the milk hadn't 'come in'. I can't imagine why anyone would enjoy this thing called breastfeeding. The whole process would take me at least an hour and that was being optimistic.

Unlike some lactating mums who are like cows, I never had an overflowing problem. And although I was assured by my lactation consultant that eventually supply would increase with demand, the process of enduring 2 days of continuous sucking that result in sore & tender nipples, not to mention keeling over a baby perpetually tethered to my breast, the thought of bottle feeding became an increasingly attractive option.

Bottle feeding also allowed DH to share in the load and bond with the baby. The shorter time taken to feed also meant more time could be spent with my elder bean whom I felt had been neglected by me of late. Such is the complexity of the decision! Parenting today is all about guilt management. Guilt from depriving a baby from the 'best' milk; guilt from not spending enough time with the child; guilt from choosing a career over the home... At the end of the day, there wasn't a one-size-fits-all solution for every issue. What mattered most was a judicious weighing of costs versus benefits. With that, I'm at peace with my decision to supplement with the bottle. And just like that, I got out of my breastfeeding hell.

microbeanie is 2 weeks & 3 days old
minibeanie is a 2 year old toddler

micro.b's Birth Story

2009-09-13T17:59:00.006+08:00

It's now a week since Lucas was born last Sunday in the wee hours of the morning.

1900 hrs, Saturday
After a day of being out and about, I was relieved to get a moment to sit down before dinner. While DH was in the gym, my water bag burst. There was no doubt about it. I wasn't about to make the same mistake as the last time when I mistook it for a show. In fact, I think I saw bits of the mucous plug in the trickle. No need to press the alarm button by summoning DH from the gym immediately as it'd still take awhile. On DH's return, as I was blogging and logging onto Facebook I calmly told him that we had to go to the hospital. The look on his face was priceless :D

2000 hrs
The hospital was a mere 5min ride away. We sauntered into the delivery ward as pre-admission was all done a week before. I was in a great mood. Everything felt right.

I was given the hospital gown to change into which btw was the most undignified piece of garment ever designed because it exposed one's posterior in the most inglorious fashion. Told to pee into a cup which was a very difficult thing to do for preggies or 300lb folks because our bellies extend so much we just couldn't see down THERE much less pee into a tiny cup.

The fetal monitoring device (CTG) was strapped on. Everything normal there - no signs of fetal distress, healthy heartrates and contractions 8-10 min apart. Only minor discomfort felt.

2045 hrs
2 cm dilated.

2130 hrs
We got the ok from our gynecologist, Dr Kowa, to have our dinner. DH trooped down to Takashimaya's foodcourt for some takeaway. Excellent minced meat 'mee tai mak'! (despite having to pause occasionally for surges to pass). Contractions 7-8min apart.

2330 hrs
Dr Kowa arrived for the preliminary assessment. 3-4cm dilated. Great that it's progressing without the need for oxytocin. Contractions felt stronger but nonetheless bearable. He estimated delivery to be at 0500-0600. Remembered kidding with Dr Kowa and midwives.

0000 hrs
Surges coming on strong. As with minibeanie's birth, I reached for the laughing gas (50% nitrous oxide & 50% oxygen) though one had to be out of her mind to laugh at that point.

DH had a coffee to stay awake. Moto GP was on the overhead tv. Surreal.

0100 hrs
Strong contractions that reached the peak of the CTG scale. 5cm dilated.

0120 hrs
Huge surges 3min apart. The air-condition which I had requested to be colder made DH don 2 shirts, wrapped a towel around and huddled beneath the baby heater. Meanwhile, I was perspiring buckets.

DH requested a second cup of coffee. Hmm...

0137 hrs
Dr Kowa was called back. 8cm dilated! Glad that the end was in sight.

0150 hrs
Thought I felt rectal pressure. A VE showed that baby had descended but he was still too high up. Guess it was a false alarm. Maybe an earlier prediction of delivering by 0230 would come true...

0210 hrs
Contractions on CTG started to 'merge' i.e. long & frequent. I recalled using the f-word at some point.

The midwife started laying out the equipment on a trolley.

0300 hrs
10cm dilated at last! The stirrups were brought out. Time to push! DH said he was worried when Dr Kowa rolled out his arsenal - scalpels & what-nots of all sizes.

No idea how many times I was told to push. All I remembered was being told by midwife to push for 10 counts 3 times with each wave. The contraction pain which had me grabbing the pillow were now secondary; instead, the main sensation now was the intense need to get the baby out. A stinging sensation was felt that only intensified with each push & surge. Finally, when the sting was at its most intense, the baby's head emerged. The rest was easy.

0323 hrs
Lucas was born! :)

Relieved that there were no tears and no episiotomy needed .... and no painkillers of either pethidine or epidural used. We stayed in the delivery suite for an hour or so to breastfeed. At 0530, I was transferred to a gurney and wheeled to our room where we would all room in for the next 2 days.

It was a great birth experience :)

minibeanie is 2 years, 1 months, 2 weeks old
microbeanie is 1 week 1 day old

This is it

2009-09-05T19:14:00.002+08:00

I've been having contractions on & off since this morning but they have been irregular. No need to push the panic button yet. After all, they last barely half a minute and they feel like mild menstrual cramps.

Not just any day but any time now.

10 minutes ago as I was putting 2 yoghurt bars into The Bag for the hospital, a sudden wetness was felt. It was the water that had been cocooning microbeanie for the last 38 weeks. It wasn't a gush but it wasn't just a little either. And from what I learnt the first time, this is it.

Funnily enough, dada is still in the gym. No need to run to get him. I can wait and so can microbeanie :)

minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month & 1 week old
microbeanie is 38 weeks 3 days in utero

Rant

2009-08-27T23:22:00.003+08:00

In my second trimester, I bought a support pillow that's filled with styrofoam-beans (think beanbag) in the hope for a good night sleep. Well, it worked. The support pillow moulded to my belly and gave the support needed. At last, I got some restful sleep. Not now, however. I've 'outgrown' the pillow and didn't bring it along with me to Singapore. Now, the belly just plonks itself on the bed like a huge boulder :D Turning on the bed was also akin to Obelix hoisting a boulder - with 2 hands on the belly!

My hips are even more achy now. The baby's head is already engaged rather low down. This is in sharp contrast to the time I was carrying minibeanie. I think it's because since this is the 2nd pregnancy, my hips/pelvis have 'stretched' so microbeanie's head is able to descend earlier. Proof irrefutable that a woman is NEVER quite the same after childbirth! In fact, when i walk these days (or waddle, more like it), there's a slight pressure in my pelvis...quite uncomfortable and much worse than the first time when I pretty much didn't feel anything.

As to being back in Singapore, the food is awesome. We've been drinking lots of local coffee (kopi), tea (teh) etc. DH just discovered a very nice teh-cino in the neighbourhood coffeeshop.. Hmm, I wonder if I should play my pregnant card and get him to go down to buy tehcino and prata for me sometimes :D

Today was a busy day. Besides going for my weekly checkup, we did the hospital tour as well. I'm up to my head with all the forms I've to fill for the Baby Bonus and admission etc... And I'm kicking myself for forgetting to bring our marriage certicate!!! I set it aside a few weeks ago, made a note of it but OF COURSE I forgot to pack it when the time comes! and it's needed for birth registration :(( will have to call up ICA or ROM tomorrow........

We did the Mt. Elizabeth tour today. Quite nice. It was the first time that DH saw a nursery because in Finland, it's 100% rooming in with the bb. I definitely prefer the option of having a nursery just so that I can get some rest *if* I want. But on the other hand, pain management techniques & birthing positions are still rather old school in SG. The traditional stirrups are still the default position. In Finland, birthing balls (for pain management), birthing tubs, birthing stools are on the cards... even though in reality, not every woman gets to use the tub.

Tomorrow we're going to the zoo! I hope I won't be too tired :P With a 2 year old and a waddling preggie, I think it'll be a huge achievement just to go on the tram, take in 1 show and briefly visit the 'Kidzworld' before minibeanie or me call it quits!

minibeanie is 2 years, 1 month & 1 day old
microbeanie is 37 weeks 1 day in utero

Full term

2009-08-26T23:02:00.002+08:00

microbeanie is officially full term today :) With each passing day and with it the increasing likelihood of birth, I'm feeling nostalgic that these are probably the last few days where I can give my semi-independent toddler my undivided attention. But my love for him certainly won't diminish... Love's a strange thing, I realize. It isn't a finite resource, having one more claimant in fact increases the total pool and that's the wonderful thing about increasing the size of the brood.

minibeanie is 2 years, 1 month old
microbeanie is 37 weeks in utero

Singapore at last

2009-08-25T01:36:00.003+08:00

We've been in Singapore for 6 days :) What a relief to be here... The first few days had been taken up by visits to doctors and attending to boring things like banking matters. Now, things have settled down a little and we're trying to take a little breather before the little one comes. There are occasional Braxton Hicks episodes (like now) but at least I know I'll be in good hands just a brief taxi ride away :P

minibeanie is 2 years & 4 weeks old
microbeanie is 36 weeks 6 days in utero

False alarm

2009-08-17T11:44:00.001+08:00

Thank God it was Braxton last night!!! It was definitely contractions...I could feel it radiating from front to back and my belly actually felt hard and tense. I was lying in bed with my alarm clock, turning on its night light whenever a wave comes. At one point, it was every 10min even if each lasted only a couple of seconds. After 2 hours or so, it tapered off. By then, I'd been alternating between sleep and wide-awake heart-thumping anxiety for 3.5 hours until day broke.

In the light of day, I'm just glad that it as a false alarm. But when it was actually happening, who could have assured me that?

microbeanie is 35weeks 5 days in utero

Let it be Braxton!

2009-08-17T04:24:00.001+08:00

It is 4:21 in the morning and I've been woken up by what feels like a tummy ache. I remember rolling over and returning to sleep a few minutes ago but it came back again. Oh no, God, please don't let this be the real thing. I'll be going back to Singapore in just 2 days!

I'm hoping that it's just a little upset tummy or Braxton Hicks :( The truth is, even after having gone through one before, it's hard to remember what it feels like. And it doesn't help that there's a bit of lower back pain (a possible sign of labour!) which is unusual but which may be caused by us being out in town today. ....Please don't let it come so soon!!

microbeanie is 35weeks 4days in utero

Looking ahead

2009-08-06T22:42:00.003+08:00

Less than 2 weeks to go before heading to Singapore to pop! I'm glad I'm at the final stretch. I've been feeling increasingly uncomfortable and tired... not least since I'm nursing a cold right now :(

And I'm constantly thinking have I made all the prep in Singapore and here when I return? For Singapore, I've made all the necessary appointments with dentist, obstetrician, pediatrician and even the hospital tour. And as for Chengdu, I've begun checking the how & where of vaccinations, stocking up of S-size diapers and stockpiling meat in my freezer. The last point probably sounded strange but if I find it a hassle going to the shops (even though in October, we'd have a driver and car at our disposal) even now, what more when a newborn is tethered to me?

Hence, thank heavens there's a Kiwi couple here who started a meat delivery service where they make *real* 100% meat sausages, cut sirloin steaks to your desired weight, make ready-to-eat pies and prepare roasts such as chicken rolled with dried fruits and nuts. Hmph, not the typical confinement food of ginger and pork trotters but that's ok. As long as there's warm food on the table that's easy to prepare, I'll take it :)

minibeanie is 2 years, 1 week & 4 days old
microbeanie is 34 weeks 1 day in utero

2009-07-29T13:35:00.000+08:00

I hadn't known that putting 2 words together is such a milestone for toddlers. Guess what minibeanie means when he says "mama mosh"? Mama sit! Hilarious :D I mean, he can say "mama" and "sit" pretty decently but put them together and what do you get? hahah... sometimes, it comes out as "mama dash" which is probably the last thing that mama can do right now.

minibeanie is 2 years & 3 days old
microbeanie is 33 weeks in utero

Baby shower & Birthday party

2009-07-26T21:29:00.005+08:00

I'm exhausted. This had been such a hectic weekend that I'm going to need this coming week to rest. On Saturday, my friends threw me a baby shower party. It was wonderful - lots of good food, nice presents, good gossip ;) and even better company. And today, Sunday, it is Alexander's 2nd birthday. And even though I didn't go the whole she-bang like last year's bash, there was still plenty of work baking the cake, making the hors d'oeuvres and decorating etc...

Oh yes, the cake. I decided on a race course design because minibeanie is a petrol-head. He loved it! He didn't seem to have much appetite for the cake but the toy cars on the cake? Those are all he wanted. Assembling the cake was a cinch (& pretty fun for the parents!) but baking the 2 sponges was a huge challenge that took up most of my Saturday. The first attempt went to the freezer because it didn't rise much (I'd use them for a future dessert), the second attempt with a different technique was much better, and because I needed TWO sponge cakes, I'd to bake another one. But the third attempt was a disaster. It went straight into the bin without reaching the oven. Finally, at 10pm Saturday, the fourth and final sponge cake was baked. Thankfully, this one went well.
The birthday tea party went well. I'd invited the same friends in my baby shower; this time the boys joined the party as well :)

minibeanie is 2 years old!!!
microbeanie is 32 weeks 4 days in utero

Book Club

2009-07-17T18:46:00.003+08:00

It has been a nap time tradition that I read to minibeanie. We used to sit in a big comfy armchair but since he moved to his own bedroom (and the chair is in mine) and my burgeoning tummy makes it impossible for another bean to sit against it, we have moved to the floor and occasionally, when he gets droopy, on his bed.

For a very long time, his favourite book had been Ten Little Ladybugs. Perhaps it was the tactile feel of the ladybugs but he just loved that book. He just loved to see the ladybugs 'disappear' one by one by flipping through the pages.

These days he usually prefers stories or books on his favourite subject - Cars! Tractors, Rockets! :) But there's a surprising favourite - Eric Carle's From Head to Toes. He loves following all the actions in the book, such as "I am an elephant and I can stomp my foot. Can you do it? ... I can do it!" It is usually the first book he picks out from his little bedside library ;P

minibeanie is 1 year, 11 months & 3 weeks old
microbeanie is 31 weeks 2 days in utero

Sleepless

2009-07-13T21:52:00.001+08:00

I'm exhausted. I can't sleep these days. I'd be so tired by 9pm that it would be an effort to trudge upstairs to tuck minibeanie in (even though he says so endearingly "mama mama" and points at the stairs in front of him) but once I lay my head down on the pillow, it'd take a long time before I fall asleep.

One major reason is, I can't get comfortable. From the fifth month on, it only means 1 sleep position - on the side! Turning is practically a pain. Imagine hoisting a watermelon to the other side in slow mo because of a sore pelvis. I haven't slept through the night for a very long time. Yes yes.... this is perhaps God's way of preparing soon-to-be mothers of newborns for the challenges ahead... but that is not in the least bit comforting at the present because I AM GRUMPY AND TIRED!

And as if I don't have enough discomfort in bed, gastric reflux from the obligatory suppers I have these nights make it worse :(

Then, there are the things that go on in my head - things to do before the birth, minibeanie's birthday part next week, worries about the baby and even the fact that I can't sleep. It seems as if the moment the lights go out and all's quiet, my mind runs at warp speed. Great, making mental notes and worrying don't exactly make for a relaxing bedtime routine.

My fuse is <----this----> short today. Just as well I don't drive because I'm positive I can kill someone with my bare hands if he cuts into my lane without warning.... which in China is as commonplace as "你好".

ps. "insomnia often occurs in the third trimester." (source)

minibeanie is 1 year, 11 months, 2 weeks & 3 days old
microbeanie is 30 weeks 5 days in utero

The first 3 nights in the not-so-scary bed

2009-07-09T23:23:00.001+08:00

I don't know what other mums think although I suspect some will have differing views. My parenting philosophy is that I'm raising young adults and that means setting them onto a path of independence. From the time they can walk unaided, feed themselves (by whatever messy means) to the time they become contributing citizens of the world. On this matter, let it be known that I expect the boys to move out of the house by the time they're in their early 20s - sure, come back for weekly family dinners but leave the laundry out :P

Since sleep independence is one of the many steps towards this goal, I'm happy to report since the last post that the migration to his own room and bed has been smoother than expected. No tantrums during bedtime except that he wants to play with the cars on his table.

On Friday night, he woke up at 1am. I found him sitting up in bed groggy still. Gently toppled him down to the sleeping position, put the tutti back in, positioned the bolster, gave him a few pats on the bum and that was it. He was out like a light bulb :) 2am: I heard the handle of his door cranked open. minibeanie marched out crying and looking more awake that I liked. I ushered him back to his bed despite vehement protests of wanting to go down to play. He soon quietened down when I tucked him in, sang a little to him and laid down close to him. In a short while, he was asleep and I sneaked out. The next time he got up was at 7am and by then it was dada's duty. Dada marched him back to bed and rather surprisingly, minibeanie managed to fall asleep again, this time until 10am. Heavenly rest for all of us!

Night 2, Saturday. The night passed without any incidents but he got up at 7am ;P

Night 3, Sunday. Ditto.

Then, like a comedy, just when we congratulated ourselves on a job well-done, minibeanie woke up THREE times during Tuesday night.

2am.... 3am.... 5:30am..... and finally at 7:15am, dada decided to throw in the towel and called it a 'night' by getting his morning espresso.

It was the same thing each time it happened. *Clunk!* the door of his bedroom being cranked open, then the baby monitor in our room buzzed (funny how it never picked up anything before that). A split second later, a where-are-you cry followed by censored expletives and groaning in our bed. Then, either dada or me would lumber out of bed, shoo the rascal back into his own room and bed with a curt single-word command, "Bed!" before trudging back to disrupted sleep. As a result, both of us had been panda-eyed for the last 2 days.

I think this would pass. Just like the time when he started sleeping in his open crib and tried to make 6 escapes within a half-hour, this is one of those things. I told dada that this is practice for the not-so-distant future when we'd be waking up every 3 hours. I don't think he was too amused :D

minibeanie is 1 year, 11 months, 1 week & 6 days old
microbeanie is 30 weeks 1 day in utero

Sleep

2009-07-03T21:51:00.003+08:00

Today marks a milestone. We're officially migrating minibeanie to his very own room for the night! 2 weeks ago, we started playing in the room during the day - I gave him a set of new army tanks, hovercraft & trucks that were played solely in his bedroom upstairs. This week, he had been taking his afternoon naps in the new bed and now finally today, we're going to take the leap and reclaim our bedroom for the two of us..... at least for the next 2 months ;)

Getting the bedroom ready had been a long work-in-progress. For a year, the room had been nothing more than his closet & changing table ;P Getting the landlord to agree to paint the wall was the first step in February. Then, it was a trip to the hardware store to buy the cheery yellow paint (阳光普照 - "sunshine yellow") that I envisioned the 1 wall to be painted. And since he began watching Winnie the Pooh, thanks to the Christmas DVD he got from his mummi (Finnish for grandma ;), I got a set of made-in-Korea Pooh wall stickers. This was followed by a mega shopping trip at Ikea's... Then, without boring everyone with a blow-by-blow account of what was assembled and when, it was suffice to say that this process of assembly stretched over a period of nearly 2 months. Thus, we finally come to these last 2 weeks where I put away the odds & ends, hung up the pictures and vacuum-sealed & categorized minibeanie's outgrown clothes ready for his micro brother.

He has been asleep for 20min now. I'm 'standing guard' outside his room in the study anticipating the prison break :D Time will tell how many times we'll find ourselves woken up by minibeanie marching into our room in the middle of the night straight into our bed or if we have to get up and soothe him because he cries waking up in a strange room all by himself. But for now, I hope he gets some zzz and for us some privacy.

minibeanie is 1 year, 11 months & 2 weeks old
microbeanie is 29 weeks 2 days in utero

Finnish pictures

2009-07-02T22:01:00.006+08:00

Finally, the long procrastinated pictures from Finland.

It's a rite of passage for every Finn. First, the sauna followed by a dip in the lake... no matter how freaking cold it is. And trust me, despite it officially being summer, it was supposedly the coldest June in 60 years. The temperature in this lake was therefore a toasty 14C.

Sisu (Finnish for bullheaded determination or stubborness ;) or plain crazy?

It was a tearful struggle getting him out of the lake even though he was shivering

Row, row, row a boat, gently in the lake....

Happy passengers. Our cottage in the background

The sandpit providing hours of fun.

Note his sizable collection of pine cones...

... whereby the hoodlum took joyful glee in throwing them at me

minibeanie is 1 year, 11 months, 1 week & 6 days old
microbeanie is 29 weeks 1 day in utero

Speaking up

2009-06-24T15:59:00.003+08:00

All of a sudden, mb was able to vocalize a couple more words. It was on the first day of our arrival in Helsinki, when he first shouted, "Go go go!", ran to the door and pointed excitedly at it :D It was obvious what he wanted.

"Moooore" was another. Rounded lips and all. Also blatantly clear what he wanted especially when added after a treat of strawberries/blueberries/chocolates/cake.

"NOOooo" finally, a typical toddler word. We were wondering when it would come. And now it has. And when the mood strikes, everything is in the negative.

And his first Chinese word, "谢谢 / "shie shie"!" :D He must have picked it up during our short trip to Beijing.

It is apparent he wants to form words with his tongue but lacks the ability to do so yet. We 'sing' to the ABC song and he looks at my mouth so intently but could only say repeat a few letters and when he does, he breaks out in applause :D

minibeanie is 1 year, 10 months, 4 weeks & 1 day old
microbeanie is 28weeks in utero

Pre-birth pains

2009-06-23T21:39:00.004+08:00

I was awoken this morning by a sharp pain that felt like a bad contraction. It was different from the dull ache that accompanies my sleep these days. My thought sequence ran from contraction-preterm labour-Chengdu-gasp*. The conclusion of that jolted me wide awake at 5am. The pain subsided but I felt a sort of mild cramping every now and then. Sleep evaded me at that point so I thought I'd sit up and read up on contractions, false labour & preterm labour from my trusty pregnancy bible, What to Expect during Pregnancy. The pain and cramping went away either because I was distracted when I was reading or due to the change in position. It was Braxton Hicks after all.

Braxton Hicks, a sort of practice labour, are more common in subsequent pregnancies. Well, the fact that they didn't intensify was proof enough that they weren't the real thing :) If I'm paranoid now, it is probably because the first time round with mb, I mistook the real thing for Braxton ;) That, and the fact that at the back of my mind, I've a fear of the delivery unexpectedly happening in Chengdu.

Another sign of the pregnancy advancing is the dreaded leg cramps! The first time for this pregnancy happened a few days ago at the cottage. And just like before, it came on the minute I woke up. Stretched my legs as a reflex and the calf muscles tensed up in a knot refusing to let up for minutes. They get so horribly painful that sometimes I'd to wake DH up to massage my calf muscles and I got them so frequently with minibeanie that I've developed another 'reflex' to counteract these rude awakenings - flex my feet upwards to stretch those muscles whose circulation has been blocked by the uterus during the night.

And my final grouse is that my tailbone is aching now. Lying on my back (accidentally) in my sleep makes it worse than sitting for long periods. Again, I think it's the simple fact that I've now got a basketball-sized belly that isn't just pressing on the nerves, blood vessels, organs, bones and what have you. Little wonder why women can't wait to get their babies out by the 40th week ;)

minibeanie is 1 year, 10 months & 4 weeks old
microbeanie is 27 weeks 6 days in utero

'Grandparenting'

2009-06-15T03:45:00.003+08:00

Many mothers I know who have to place their children in the care of caregivers face the same tussle - that of differing disciplinary doctrines and child-rearing philosophies from the caregivers'. Worse, if those caregivers are of family. Too lax discipline, too strict, when and how much ice-cream/candies/tv, mealtime philosophy yada yada....... From what I gather and from personal episodes, there are enough examples to fill a book.

It's probably one of the laws of nature that grandparents spoil their grandkids. After all, there's little consequence. At the end of the day, kids go home to their parents who must unfortunately provide some balance or worse, undo the damage of over-indulgence.

In the one week we've been here in Finland, I'm facing this issue for the first time. While my MIL who is really sweet and kind has taken over most of the job of playing and taking care of minibeanie, I am beginning to wonder if the luxury of sleeping in is a double-edged sword. In this one week, minibeanie has become much more vocal (which is a good thing undeniably) but in a wilful way. Now, I don't know if it's just the start of the 'Terrible Twos' phase but it feels more of a struggle getting him to end his playtime. Or I suspect, it could be my doting MIL who has real difficulty in saying no to a toddler. Oh well, it's only for 2 weeks and our MIL does respect the boundaries that we set.

I suppose I'm thankful that I'm in a position that where it comes to domestic governance, I don't have other vested parties other than my husband. It will be awful if I've to deal with a conflicting parenting doctrine on a daily basis. It's also a law of nature that there's always only one queen bee in the hive.

minibeanie is 1 year, 10 months, 2 weeks & 6 days old
microbeanie is 26 weeks 4 days in utero

Updates

2009-06-06T13:07:00.003+08:00

Update 1: We have enrolled minibeanie in EtonHouse! We were eligible for a 4% discount on the school fees because we attended the Open House but I managed to wiggle for a 10% 'scholarship' because we were the first Nokia family and we would be paying for the fees ourselves. For that, we had to sign a confidentiality agreement. SHHHHH......!

Also goes to show that everything can be bargained ;)

Update 2: We would be heading to Helsinki on Monday. Just 2 weeks. It would be an extremely short trip compared to my Finnish friends here who usually stayed for 4 weeks or more. We have booked the same cottage, a 150km away from Helsinki, that we used for our wedding reception nearly 4 years ago. I'm looking forward to the trip but bracing myself for the jetlag and the fact that the sun rises at 3am which would mean...... we ALL get up at 3am! :#

Early personality traits?

2009-06-06T12:46:00.004+08:00

A question that has been preying on mind a lot these days is, can you tell the personality of your baby even when he's in the womb?

First, an anecdote from a friend. She recalled her son, then a fetus, awake and active at 1am whenever she was trying to fall asleep. Forward a few months later when he was out of his watery habitat, true to form, he was keeping her up at 1am :D My friend described her son as a "screamer" and now the toddler had been described as temperamental.

By contrast, I felt nothing like violent punches or kicks from minibeanie and certainly none of those almost 'Alien' -like movements that visibly move from the east to west end of the belly. The nurses at the hospital actually noted that he was a "calm" baby on the hospital records. His cries usually never rattled our nerves (ok, only once or twice ;) and it always sounded more like a complaint than a full out bawling-his-lungs-out cry. We had been lucky.

Hmm. microbeanie. This little guy has been doing such somersaults, stretches, kicks and other stunts that I'm thinking either I've got a Michael Flately Jr. in me or a would-be Cirque du Soleil performer. Sometimes, he moved so forcefully that I gasped from the force and literally saw my tummy jump. And yes, he IS beginning to keep me up at night because he refuses to go to sleep when I am trying to ;)

I'm laying bets now that microbeanie will be quite different from his calm and cautious big brother. What do you mummies think?

minibeanie is 1 year, 10 months, 1 week & 4 days old
microbeanie is 25 weeks 3 days in utero

Beijing Trip

2009-06-04T22:13:00.008+08:00

The trip to Beijing was a really nice getaway. We stayed at a boutique hotel that was within walking distance to Tiananmen located in a quiet street amidst hutongs and local eateries. With only 3 full days in the city, all we could really do was the mandatory tourist sights - Forbidden City, Great Wall & Temple of Heaven.

Having an ice cream break in the Imperial Garden, Forbidden City

Then, there were of course the evenings where we hunted down Beijing's famous ducks. The first evening, we went to the almost obligatory QuanJuDe (全聚德) where the dish is supposed to originate in the late 1800s. We even headed to the original shop (there are now several branches ;) where the old shopfront was preserved. Despite the wait of 50min, even though we got there at 5:30pm, it was well worth it as the Peking Duck was the best I'd ever eaten. There was none of that heavy layer of fat that I'd come to associate with Peking Ducks eaten in Singapore or Chengdu. Instead, its skin was crispy and the chef had nicely included a sliver of meat. All in, I could eat a whole lot of it without feeling guilty! :D

minibeanie's favourite dish of the house was its liver (盐水鸭肝). It was tasty & soft... quite unlike the overboiled chicken liver pieces sold in Singapore's chicken rice stalls. Again, I could finish off the whole plate if it wasn't for the nagging voice in my head that tells me preggies shouldn't be eating too much liver for their Vitamin A :P

Other dishes we tried were their deboned webbed feet dipped in a wasabi-like radish sauce (芥末鸭掌) as well as fried duck hearts (火燎鸭心). Both were good but weren't in the same league as their Peking Duck or liver.

The other duck restaurant we tried was Da Dong (大董), a new-age restaurant that married tradition with avant garde blending of flavours & serving. The tradition I was referring to was what they're famous for - Peking Ducks roasted in a good old fashioned wood-fired oven. The new age twist in their menu was in the way they served some of their appetizers or dishes - 3 little mouthfuls of appetizers on a long plate, soup in a martini glass... u get the idea. Well, we stuck to their Peking Duck and liver since that was our first visit. Again, the food did not disappoint :)

So, if anyone wants to try the best Peking Ducks in Beijing, here's an article written in Chinese on the Best 5 places to have the duck in Beijing. Otherwise, print out the addresses at the bottom and show it to your concierge to make the reservations 3 days ahead.

全聚德 (no reservation taken; dinner queue starts at 4:30pm -no kidding!)
崇文区前门大街32号

大董
东城区东四十条甲22号南新仓国际大厦1-2楼(东四十条桥西南)
Tel: 010-51690329 51690328

minibeanie is 1 year, 10 months, 1 week & 2 days old
microbeanie is 25 weeks 1 day in utero

A jumping flea

2009-05-27T13:02:00.000+08:00

Babycenter.com's newsletter on 22-month-olds has this to say,

"But true jumping, where both feet leave the ground at the same time and then land squarely, is a skill that requires excellent balance and may take a few more months to master."

Well, minibeanie has been jumping with 2 feet off the ground for at least 2 weeks already. For some time, that was all he wanted to do. "Tump tump tump!". That's his word for "jump" :D First 1 foot then all of a sudden, he got it. Then again, he has always been ahead in motor skills. Couldn't say the same for his linguistic skills though. He understands us perfectly in Finnish and English (although he has developed some 'selective hearing' of late ;) but actually says a rather limited number of words. Apple, auntie, bath, car, bus, kakka, eyes, ice ("aye"), thank you, truck, bye... Well, all children develop at their own pace, I suppose!

EtonHouse Open House

2009-05-27T00:58:00.005+08:00

We went to EtonHouse's Open House today. It was nice and I think we've half made up our minds to enrol minibeanie at Eton come Fall.

Firstly, we like the school grounds. It is safe, green, has plenty of open space for children to run around and the class rooms are huge. Each classroom has its own child-sized washroom, play and reading corners, cushions & toys.

A plus point is its international staff. This point goes beyond language, there's also the cultural divide (if the management is Chinese) that I've so often encountered in the normal course of life here. For instance, it's beyond my understanding why the Chinese typically do not turn on their heaters in their restaurants/schools/wherever during their winter.... Yes, they have heaters in their premises but they just don't use them! As a result, I have heard stories of children in full winter gear while IN their classes.

As for the International vs. Chinese syllabus dilemma in Eton, first off, I'd definitely like minibeanie to be exposed to Chinese; after all, he does get plenty of English at home. However, there are a couple of factors in favour of the International syllabus though. A recent change in its curriculum means that Chinese gets equal airtime as English. In practical terms, this means that if the English teacher talks about birds one day, the Chinese teacher will talk about the feathered creatures the next day.

And the second factor is the pupil to adult* ratio. As mentioned in my previous blog, the Chinese division has significantly bigger classes. Now, class size and pupil-adult ratio may not be a big thing when the child is 5 or 6, but for a 2-3 year old toddler who may not be toilet trained, able to dress himself or have 2 left feet on even surfaces, an extra pair of hands and eyes is vital to the child's safety. In Finland, daycares for 2 year olds are 4:1 (someone please confirm?). At Eton, I was given the assurance that the maximum ratio for the International division would be 6:1 and 10:1 for the Chinese division.

Ok, time to hit the sack... we haven't fully committed to a decision but I think I know where it's heading ;) On Wednesday, we'd be leaving for Beijing for the long Dragon Boat Festival holiday!

* teacher + teaching assistant

minibeanie is 1 year, 10 months & 1 day old
microbeanie is 24 weeks in utero

Chengdu's Angel Hospital

2009-05-24T23:24:00.008+08:00

In my earlier post, I said I'd write about my experience at the newest maternity hospital here. Angel Hospital (安琪儿妇产医院) is billed as an ultra modern and luxurious private maternity hospital in Chengdu. It started its operations late last year with a media blitz - billboards on pedestrian sidewalks, bus-stops, back of buses... probably in print and tv medium as well, just that I'm not aware of those.

It felt like entering the lobby of a hotel - marble flooring, a vaulted ceiling surrounded by Corinthian columns and a massive chandelier. A bevy of svelte ladies in smart uniforms greeted me; 1 of them addressed my concern and ushered me to the reception on the second floor. No, not to fill in the official registration papers as I expected but to make a payment to see the doctor. That done, I was ushered into a room where my blood pressure & weight were taken by a junior doctor apparently. This nice lady doctor then ushered me to another room to see the senior obstetrician who answered whatever questions I had and assessed my medical condition. As I had requested for the 4D ultrasound scan, I was brought to a waiting area to wait for my turn at the sonographer's lab. The scan done, I was brought back to the obstetrician's office where she insisted the fetal heartrate be heard using the doppler EVEN though a while ago, the sonographer had seen and heard the heartrate. "I just want to hear it for myself," she said. So for the second time that day, I had the yucky gooey lubricant smeared on my belly :P

As I made my appointment for the next visit, I was vastly surprised that the date and timing were entirely at my disposal.

Is July 4th ok?
- yes, that's alright.
what about 10am?
- You can come in anytime.
huh...?
- we're here for you.

My contact numbers, date of appointment were all scribbled on a piece of paper. No centralized database existed as far as I could see. And definitely no computerized system for scheduling. And there was certainly no patient's reference number or card. It felt like I was buying a McChicken.

The next stop was the urine test. I was given a plastic cup with a lid to pee in. The ladies' room did not disappoint. Swanky, new, all marble EXCEPT that the cubicle didn't have a ledge for the cup. The junior lady doctor then brought me to the lab counter where specimens were deposited. No sticker with my name on the cup.. it was just placed on a printed form which I supposed mentioned my name and stated that I'd paid for the lab test. 20cm away was a similar cup of pale yellow liquid. The possibility of someone committing mischief or making a mistake is kind of high, isn't it?

Finally, as this was my first visit, I was given a tour of the wards. Most were single bed rooms with a nice sofa and plasma tv. The suites had an adjoining room with a bed and a kitchenette with a small dining table. It was luxuriously beautiful and felt more like a hotel than a hospital.

Yet somehow, it missed the mark for me. Despite all the marble and cherubs spouting fountains, I couldn't shake off the feeling that underneath all the glam, there wasn't much substance down there. Sure, they may have great obstetricians with years of experience and have bought the latest technology but do their internal processes work seamlessly to provide the best medical care especially in an emergency? In Information Science, the success of a company depends not on its individual parts but on how well each part is integrated with each other: people, technology, process, culture etc.

Finally, I had a nagging concern: what if there was a medical emergency with the mother or newborn? I didn't see any neonatal wards and there was only one neonatal specialist listed on Angel's prospectus - the great majority were obstetricians/gynecologists while the rest were midwives. Nice plasma tvs but Angel Hospital will not be my first choice to birth in.

School debate

2009-05-24T01:02:00.002+08:00

Without meaning to sound callous, we're hoping to send minibeanie to a playschool when the baby comes along. Not that I want him out of my hair for a couple of hours each day but I feel a new environment will be stimulating for him socially and intellectually. Ok ok... if I have to be totally honest, I DO cherish a few hours of 'free' time ;P

There have been a few options we're toying with. The first decision will be the International vs. Chinese syllabus. The International route leads basically to the one school which takes in children from age 2 - there isn't much choice we have there ;) Naturally, our options open up considerably with the Chinese route. There is that aforementioned school which has a parallel Chinese division and there are also a host of local options such as the very auspicious sounding "Golden Apple" or a playschool located within the grounds of Sichuan University.

From my discussions with parents, the main differences between the International and Chinese divisions are firstly, the pupil-to-teacher ratio where it's somewhat lower in the former than in the latter. Secondly, the Chinese route follows the syllabus as set forth by the Chinese education ministry. I can't comment on which syllabus is better because I do not have detailed information on both. But going by the pupil-to-teacher ratio as a factor, I'm inclined to prefer the International route.

Unfortunately, the International route is at an international school which almost by default costs an arm and a leg. Friends from Singapore will be familiar with this school, it's EtonHouse. As such, we're looking forward to Eton's Open House on Tuesday where we'll explore the grounds, learn more about its International and Chinese divisions and of course, the impact on our bank balance.

All the logical reasoning aside, both dada and I can't believe that our little one will be heading off to school soon! he's growing up so quickly!! :((

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 4 weeks old
microbeanie is 23 weeks 4 days in utero

Is it easier the second time?

2009-05-19T00:30:00.003+08:00

Friends have asked if the second time round is easier. Hmm. Well, I kind of have a little experience so I suppose that makes it a little 'easier'. Then again, every pregnancy is different. But having to take care of and nurture a toddler entering his "terrible twos" is a another game altogether.

Instead of sitting on my arse in conference call meetings, it is reading-lego-playground duty, sometimes in swift progression ;) But I really shouldn't complain as I'm lucky to have all the help I can get. Our domestic helper who now comes in every weekday for at least half a day brings minibeanie down to the playground to burn all that energy that will otherwise have driven me crazy. And really, although he has his moments, he doesn't really have them all too often and if I can rise above the occasion by adopting a zen attitude, it usually passes without much fuss.

Therefore, I guess there's no simple answer to the question. Just because I've popped one out before, it doesn't make it easier. It's not like baking cookies. And you can't apply "economies of scale" (unless you count the toys & clothes that can be shared); in fact, I think there's dis-economies of scale! There, I think that's my answer :)

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 3 weeks & 2 days old
microbeanie is 22 weeks 5 days in utero

Haute couture of the Frumps

2009-05-13T21:08:00.003+08:00

Someone please shoot me if I ever wear one of these!

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks & 3 days old
microbeanie is 22 weeks in utero

One year on

2009-05-12T22:42:00.004+08:00

Today marks the anniversary of the 8.0 earthquake that devastated so many lives in Sichuan. Read the blog's posts on the earthquake here.

According to China Daily, more than 87000 people are dead or missing and by an official estimate, more than 5000 children. I feel so blessed that we escaped unscathed from the quake.... if we have a moment to spare in our busy schedules, let us pause, reflect and pray.

Emei getaway

2009-05-12T00:43:00.008+08:00

Our weekend trip to Mount Emei was wonderful. We arrived on Saturday at our hotel nearly 2pm. We decided to hit the road for the summit almost immediately because of a natural phenomenon that was supposed to take place between 3 and 4pm - the sea of clouds (云海). And it was just as well because our driver took an hour to bring us to 2700m. From there to the summit of 3079m, it was to be a 1.5 km hike followed by a 2 minute cable car ride to the Golden Summit (金顶).

Dada carried minibeanie on the baby carrier when we began the climb. The air was moist as the entire mountain was enveloped in clouds - we were walking in clouds! Unfortunately, that also meant we couldn't see much beyond. So much for for the 'sea of clouds'. Thankfully though, it was cool because soon we were huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. Excellent cardio workout! I have to add that dada was complaining of sore knees and our friend was feeling faint while the slight expectant lady in the group was still rather sprightly after the hike :D

The cable car ride was nice although it passed in a haze - literally! :D We arrived at the Golden Summit without too much time to spare as the last ride was at 6pm :( Ascending a long flight of steps, we were met by the world's highest golden Buddha, Puxian. It stands at 48m tall with a weight of 660 tons. The 10 head sculptures in 10 directions of Puxian signify the boundless practices and wishes of Puxian. At the summit was also the monastery that was founded as early as 1st century AD. I wish we had time to explore the place a lot more leisurely and read up on its history!!

Quite amazingly, we were the only the only foreigners around. And of course, minibeanie always gets the attention of all the ladies.

Puxian shrouded in clouds on our ascend

Clearer weather on our descent

The mission for next day was Good Tea Hunting. We went tea tasting at the renowned Emei Xueya 峨眉雪芽 (Snow bud of Emei? Transliteration is always a tricky if not hilarious affair ;) and after that, found our way to another company which had a tea plantation in the vicinity. Zhuye Qing's 竹叶青 ("Green bamboo leaves") tea plantation/tea house/museum grounds were beautifully landscaped in the traditional Chinese style. All in, we tasted and bought some great green tea only grown in Sichuan.

There are altogether 6 categories of tea with green tea being the least processed and not in the least fermented. [Green tea, 绿茶, is not to be confused with another category of 'green' tea that is fermented 青茶). Green tea has to be made with 85C water - too hot and its essential oils evaporate thus changing its taste. Green tea shouldn't be steeped unlike black tea as the first and second brew have the most delicate of flavours. Subsequent brews would result in a slightly bitter palate. The type of vessel is also important. One has to use either glass or porcelain with the former preferred as the unfurling and dancing tea leaves are a visual treat by itself.

A couple of months ago, I was so keen to learn about tea that I bought a Chinese book on tea! ... along with a Chinese dictionary ;D I realized that there was a real dearth of knowledge among the English literature on Chinese tea. All the books on tea I found on Amazon were superficial in depth and nothing more than glossy picture books. Perhaps I should research and write a book on Chinese tea :) I wonder if there's interest in this topic...

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 2 weeks & 2 days old
microbeanie is 21weeks 6days in utero

Getting away

2009-05-08T12:15:00.006+08:00

My advice to any would-be parents is, "get away before your whole life changes!" And I was really glad we went to Buenos Aires in my 20th week before minibeanie came along (in fact, it was somewhere above Brazil when I felt the first definitive kick from minibeanie). Two years on, just when we get comfortable with the toddler routine, we feel that our world is about to be rocked again.

[deep breaths]

There's no time like the present so we thought we should make some holiday plans in the next 3 months. First stop. Mount Emei (峨眉山). We'd been pathetically sequestered in Chengdu city for a year, so besides claiming to have seen the pandas, we should add 1 of China's most sacred Buddhist mountains to our list. After all, it's 'merely'* 150km away.

Like many of our trips here, the impetus was a friend visiting. Thus, this weekend, I've arranged for us a driver and his car to be our chauffeur for the 1.5 day trip. Accommodation has been booked in a 5* hotel at the foot of the mountain with hot springs. Unfortunately, I won't be able to partake in the hot springs but I'm hoping that we get some magnificent views at the summit, visit Emei's famous tea plantation (峨眉雪芽) and visit some monasteries, supposedly the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts.

Can't wait!

* no distance is near enough with a toddler!

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 1 week & 5 days old
microbeanie is 21 weeks 2 days in utero

#2 on the way

2009-05-07T23:31:00.004+08:00

It's official! Numero deux is very much on the way :)

Today, we just did our third ultrasound and the first 4D ultrasound in Chengdu (more on that later). Everything is going ok. So here's presenting ....... microbeanie (no surprise there! :D)

So in keeping with the new chapter, there's also going to be a new look for the blog. Oh yes, if any of you are wondering, it's now 21 weeks and 1 day.

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 1 week & 4 days old

White elephants

2009-05-04T11:35:00.003+08:00

I just had to laugh when I read this blog entry, The worst pregnancy product of all time. Amen to that! In fact, I'd even go so far as to say it's the worst product of all time!

Honestly though, I'd bought into the notion that thongs are sexy but hey, I was in my 20s. Now, 1 baby and more than a couple of years later, those few pieces of lacy red thongs lie in the Siberian reaches of my wardrobe. The reason for their abandonment is pure practicality. I just hate the feeling of having a wedgie between the crack of my butt perpetually. How do g-string-wearers tolerate that?? I'd find my sexy some other way ;)

What are some of your worst purchases? I can think of one - home exercise machines?

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months, 1 week & 1 day old

A weekend tradition

2009-05-01T20:34:00.003+08:00

I believe it's important to have family traditions. Reunion dinners for Chinese New Year, turkey & gingerbread cookies for Christmas, we all have them. But besides festivals, I realized we've unwittingly created one around the weekend. Pancakes for breakfast! It's the only time all of us get to sit down together for breakfast without the company transport to catch or (in time to come) the school bus to dash for.

So when mummy isn't too tired to get up in the wee hours of the morning with the boys, we sit down for pancakes. (So far, it had been quite a regular affair ;) I experimented with several recipes. I mixed my own with the standard ingredients of milk, egg & flour adjusting for flow consistency, found a crepe recipe and even used a bottle of pancake mix that I lugged back from Australia.

While the D-I-M pancakes were ok, I hadn't nailed the right proportion of liquids to dry ingredients. On the other hand, I felt that the crepes would be better suited for crepes suzette or as french crepes with ham & cheese. (I did make caramelized bananas as filling 1 weekend but sticking to plain ol' jam & honey would feed 3 hungry mouths sooner :D ) Ironically, the most enthusiastic response came from the pancake mix. Since I regard ready mixes not without a certain amount of disdain preferring the old fashion route, I just had to search for a substitute.

I found it in allrecipes.com. More than 2000 reviews that gathered 4.5 out of 5 stars couldn't be too off the mark, I thought. They were right. The recipe gave the best pancakes we'd had for a long time. I agreed with most of the reviewers - do not change a single thing about the recipe, it's perfect as it is. Some who thinned the batter either didn't know that the thick consistency would give it the light-as-air fluffiness or preferred their pancakes thin a la crepes. The only thing I added was 2tbsp of ground flaxseed that upped the nutrients but took away none of the fluff.

This pancake recipe would be a part of our weekend tradition.

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 5 days old

mb's first Easter Egg

2009-04-30T22:14:00.005+08:00

Ok ok.... it's way past Easter but we were recently the grateful beneficiary of a Kinder egg. A Kinder egg means imported chocolate and imported chocolate is either expensive or hard to find. In Kinder's case, it's not found in Chengdu and so you can understand what I mean by "grateful".

minibeanie was hesitant at first (typical toddler!) but after a tiny piece of chocolate was put into his mouth, he finished the entire egg in a matter of minutes :D The toy in the egg (casing) within the egg was also nice. I think he's not going to say no to a Kinder egg in future.

Recently, we also celebrated the-day-we-first-met anniversary of more than a decade. Yes, I'm being deliberately evasive. ...Suffice to say, it does make me feel a little geriatric ;) We went for an early dinner at a fantastic Szechuan restaurant so that we could make it home for dessert, a sinful chocolate cake layered with ganache and iced with fresh cream, strawberries and toasted almonds.

A small inner voice made me bring half a cake and a million calories to the playgroup the next day. After all, what are friends for? ;)

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 4 days old

The Bestest Healthiest Smoothie ever

2009-04-28T15:19:00.005+08:00

I created this milkshake a few years ago when I was in the throes of preparing for my wedding (read: squeezing into That Dress ;) Till now, I still make it as my lunch whenever I need something quick, fuss-free and HEALTHY.

Here's what I normally use:

2-3dl fat-free milk, depending on how thick you want the smoothie to be
1dl instant oats
1 large ripe banana
a handful of frozen fruits (e.g. strawberries)
1tbsp ground flaxseed (opt)
yoghurt (opt)

* Preferably, all ingredients should be cold
** for the metric-challenged, 1dl (deciliter) = 100ml (milliliter)

Put oats in a glass and add about half the milk. Microwave until oats are cooked. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend. taa-daa! A guilt-free creamy smoothie.

I made this smoothie today with some frozen durian :D ... which I think would have most of my western friends running for cover but it was a wonderful change from strawberries. I shall try to remember to freeze some nectarines or mangoes when they're in season!

Why this is the Bestest Healthiest smoothie ever (no sh**). You get calcium, protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals & omega-3 (from flaxseed) all in 1. Traditional milkshakes have generous amounts of ice cream for its creaminess but here, the creamy texture comes from the oats. Oat is very heart & gut friendly if you don't already know. Basically, oat reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol & has cancer fighting properties. And banana adds a natural sweetness to the smoothie without the need for sugar.

If I recall, I remember seeing a similar recipe from Dr. Oz, Oprah's health guru. I issue a challenge to all oat-fearing skeptics - you won't be able to taste or know there are oats in this smoothie. Kippis!

minibeanie is 1 year, 9 months & 2 days old

Staying put in bed

2009-04-14T00:15:00.005+08:00

As expected, the battle for minibeanie to stay put in bed continued for a few days. It's now the 6th day after the side of his crib is removed, which allowed him to get out of his crib by himself, and I think victory is on hand! Last night, I marched him back to bed SIX times within a span of 15 minutes. He surrendered finally either because he was so tired or because he knew it'd be futile. Or both ;) This afternoon's nap took 3 tries. As for tonight's bedtime, he tried to make an escape only once. Yay!!

Recently when having some friends over with their 13 month old daughter, I realized that some parents over-indulge their kids, to put it nicely. I don't mean the occasional candy or even the very occasional extra episode of Sesame Street. In this particular instance, the toddler refused to sit in her car seat and what did the parents do? Put her in the middle seat albeit with a seat-belt. What's wrong with this scenario? Firstly, she's too small to be sitting without a child-seat - why are child-seats or boosters even invented in the first place? Secondly, the middle seat only has a seat-belt across the lap. A 2-point harness is hardly the best safety belt for a regular adult let alone a toddler. Thirdly, physics tells us that a 10kg toddler becomes a 400kg torpedo at 40km/h. Therefore, "she won't sit in her baby-seat" or "we only drive in the city (implicitly saying "we aren't close to the autobarn speed") are merely whinings of over-indulgent parents. Who are the adults in the family who should know better?

I made a post on Car Safety eons ago when we were still in Finland. If anything, I've even more vitriol for our 'friends' yesterday because Chinese drivers are nuts. You can absolutely gurantee stupidity from others. If I'm dogmatic about this issue, that's because this is a black & white issue. It isn't even close to the pacifier or the sippy-cup debate by a far measure. Because in this case, over-indulgence can kill.

minibeanie is 1 year, 8 months, 2 weeks & 5 days old

A Fall and a step towards bigger things...

2009-04-08T20:33:00.006+08:00

I heard a loud thump in the afternoon followed by a baby crying 2 seconds later. Thinking it was the neighbour's baby, I felt sorry for the baby and continued with measuring the flour for my puff pastry. Then I heard the cries a lot louder this time. In fact, it was coming from the top of my stairs. Alarmed, I ran up the stairs and realized that it was minibeanie crying. The thump had come from him. And he had fallen out of his crib because he'd climbed out of it!

He had a blue and black protruding bump on his forehead. Thankfully, his cries were quickly soothed, he was conscious, his irises weren't dilated, he wasn't throwing up and he wasn't drowsy. Those were signs to look out for after a bump. He seemed fine otherwise.

Doing up his own bedroom has been a work-in-progress. One wall is now painted a bright and cheery sunshine yellow. (Heh, the Chinese name for the shade is in fact, 阳光普照) We just need to make our way to our local Ikea to get his "big boy" toddler bed and some storage shelves. The incident today forced us to take a step towards the migration. Well, we couldn't just plop him down in his new bed in his new room one night and expect that he's going to accept it. As with everything, it has to be introduced 1 step at a time. (Toddlers are sticklers for routine ;)

We were first thinking of moving the crib to his room (his eventual "big boy" would be unassembled in the storeroom) and when he has gotten used to the room, we would then introduce the bed. Well..... apparently, this afternoon's fall meant that the migration would have to take somewhat different steps. We removed a side of the Stokke crib which meant that minibeanie could climb in and out of his crib easily on his own. Might as well because his 'real' bed wouldn't have bars to cage him in anyway. So there, first big step for a little guy.

No 'cage' also meant that the sleep routine was challenged. Either it was the total freedom or the feeling of insecurity, minibeanie had some difficulty settling down to sleep tonight. Thrice he crept out of bed within 5 minutes and opened the door (yes, he has learnt how to work the door handle being on tip-toe - the Bolshoi Ballet would have recruited him as a Sugar Plum Fairy).

First the door would open 10cm, followed by silence. Then, it would open a little more and an impish boy with a grin would peek out from behind. Dada was in the loft working so he didn't get away ;) It wasn't until I marched him to bed and stayed in the room writing this blog that he stayed put. I suspect this would be the dance for the next few nights until he got used to the idea that a) we meant business when we said it was bedtime and b) the novelty of an 'open' bed had worn off.

Another milestone today was when he said "bye bye" accompanied by a wave. Previously, it was just the Queen's wave. He also tried to say "truck" today..... or something close. I'm glad that he's speaking a little more now. "Tam" (jam), "cheese", "kaa" (car)...

minibeanie is 1 year, 8 months, 1 week & 6 days old

Adult Toys

2009-04-07T00:47:00.004+08:00

...if the title prompted you to read this post, you've a dirty mind tsk tsk... ;)

We just settled down after a quick trip back to Singapore. I think I've mastered the art of packing light - minibeanie & my check-in luggage weighs a total of 9.5kg ...leaving me a little more than 20.5kg for the return luggage heheh. And it did come in handy because I bought a Kenwood Chef that I've been eyeing for a very long time ;P It even came bundled with a meat mincer accessory - perfect for mincing lamb for Shepherd's Pie. Yes, I'm having fun with my newest toy.

Speaking of toy, DH's toy du jour is the espresso machine that has been sitting in our kitchen for a year. It's a hand-me-down from his former boss but it still works like a charm. Lately, after threats of the machine being banished to the storeroom because it's sitting on highly valuable kitchen top real estate, DH finally started decalcifying it and starting his research on how to be a home barrista. This weekend we've had 2 shots of espresssos each. Nice. The second attempt today was a lot better. More crema and less watered down. Apparently, tamping & increasing the pressure made the difference. Tamping the coffee a little more to get the water to flow through slower (and thereby extracting more flavour) and increasing the pressure achieved a fuller bodied taste. But there's a limit to how much pressure... too much and it results in a brew that's too strong or bitter (hmm, I don't confess to be a connoisseur)

There's a lot of science behind making that perfect cuppa.

Grind. Not as fine as Turkish or Greek coffee but finer than that for the moka pot and definitely that for drip coffee. Best if it's grinded on the spot or less than a week old because the oils from the bean turn ground coffee rancid. The evenness of the grind also makes a difference. For that matter, electric grinders with blades seldom do the job well because they don't produce an even grind...or by the time it does, it has become coffee dust. Those with burrs do a lot better.
Roast. Dark roasted or espresso roast is the best.
Water. Fresh 'softened' water. Not distilled or mineral water.
Technical factors. These include things like water temperature which should be 92-96c, pressure should be 9-10atm and extraction time is ideally about 25sec.

Since it's hard to get all these factors right at the same time and because every espresso home machine is different, I think it's still going to take a lot of experimenting before we get a consistent head of golden crema each time. Meanwhile, we're all going to be running around & talking a little faster.

minibeanie is 1 year, 8 months, 1 week & 5 days old

Cinnamon Buns

2009-03-22T11:52:00.003+08:00

Or pullaa, as they're called in Finnish. In fact, "pullaa" is a rather generic term. It generally refers to a sweet bun with a variety of toppings or fillings. For instance, there's "Dallas pullaa" - those filled with curd (maitorahkaa - that I still don't know the exact English term for) & slivered almonds. Then, there are "Boston pullaa" - those filled with chocolate. Why they are named after US cities, I've no idea ;) But the basic pullaa is filled with cinnamon & usually sprinkled with sugar pearls, another item that's perculiar to Finnish/Swedish kitchens, I learnt.

2.5 dl milk
25g fresh yeast OR 1 packet (11g) dried yeast
1 egg
0.75 dl sugar
0.25 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamon
8 dl flour (approx)
1 dl melted butter

Filling:
80-100g butter
1.5 dl brown sugar
generous shakes of ground cinnamon

1. Proof yeast in lukewarm (42 C) milk with 1tbsp of sugar. After 5 minutes, it should be foamy.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour yeast mixture into mixing bowl gradually while mixing together with a spatula. Add the rest of the room temperature liquids. When all ingredients are mixed through, start kneading :)
3. Dough should be slightly sticky so that it pulls away from the sides of the bowl but not so dry that it lifts off the bottom of the bowl. Add a tsp of milk at a time if it's too dry and a tbsp of flour if it's too wet.
4. Leave dough to rise in the large mixing bowl covered with a cloth until doubled in size (approx. 1 hour).
5. Preheat oven to 200 C. Ensure butter is at room temperature.
6. Punch down dough and cut into 2 portions. Roll out one portion on a lightly floured surface (make sure u flour your rolling pin as well!) into a rectangle about 20cm wide.
7. Dot or spread generously the slightly soft butter onto the dough leaving 1cm margin.
8. Crumb brown sugar generously over the butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.
9. Roll up the dough lengthwise and pinch the end to seal. (use a little water/milk if dough won't seal)
10. Cut the roll at 2.5cm intervals. Arrange pieces, swirl-side up, on a tray lined with baking paper. Leave at least 5cm between each piece. Leave to rise for at least half an hour.
11. When the buns have nearly doubled in size, glaze gently with milk. Bake for 30min in preheated oven.

minibeanie is 1 year, 7 months, 3 weeks & 3 days old

Fame

2009-03-21T12:41:00.003+08:00

minibeanie's BFF :D

minibeanie is 1 year, 7 months, 3 weeks & 2 days old

Salmon Soup

2009-03-20T17:01:00.006+08:00

Of late, it has been a renaissance of all food Finnish :D A Finnish friend's mum & aunt are visiting and we all learnt from the experts how to make karjalanpiirakka (Karelian pie - little pastries of rye flour filled with rice porridge). And a couple of days ago, I made a batch of pullaa (essentially cinammon buns but flavoured with cardamon).

Now that DH is off to Finland for 11 days, I suddenly have a craving for lohikeitto (salmon soup) which I haven't had for more than a year since I left Finland. Thankfully, I've the opportunity to visit a supermarket today that is the only place in Chengdu to stock dill so here we go....

300g salmon, skinless, 2cm cubed
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, cubed
1 tbsp butter
fish or meat stock
milk or cream
black pepper, freshly ground
salt
large handful of dill, finely chopped

1. Heat up a large pot. Melt butter and saute onions and garlic until onions turn translucent.
2. Add potatoes, carrots & stock. (the amount of stock depends on whether cream or milk is used. I like my soup creamy so the proportion of stock to milk I had is 3:2)
3. Boil until vegetables are cooked through.
4. Add milk or cream.
5. Lower heat and add cubed salmon.
6. Season to taste with black pepper and salt.
7. Simmer for a few minutes to ensure that salmon is cooked. Add dill. Hyvää ruokahalua! Bon appetit!

Traditionally, the soup is eaten with rye bread. I thawed 2 pieces that I'd stashed away in my freezer and dunked them into the soup. hmm!

Some versions of lohikeitto do not add carrots or garlic but add chives or parsley. But this is how I remembered it and besides, you can't run away from the chief ingredients of salmon, potato and dill ;)

minibeanie is 1 year, 7 months, 3 weeks & 1 day old

Pitch

2009-03-19T21:40:00.004+08:00

The subject of genes is fascinating. And today, I can add 1 more thing I know about minibeanie. To my amusement/chagrin/disappointment all rolled into one, I think he's pitch deaf. Just like his dada.

The laundry in the washing machine was done. At regular intervals, it gave 3 long beeps. I repeated the pitch and minibeanie followed suit. The only problem was that his pitch was consistently off. Just like his dada.

Well... I may be wrong of course - he may yet surprise me one day :) At least, I know his mämä can carry a decent tune. Just like my dad.

minibeanie is 1 year, 7 months & 3 weeks

Wisdom of the Day

2009-03-14T17:01:00.003+08:00

I read a very interesting article recently, "'Supermodel' satellite set to fly" and here's an excerpt....

"Gravity is the force we experience daily; it keeps our feet on the ground. But there is this general misconception that it is constant everywhere on the globe, which is not true. If we go to the North Pole we will weigh more than if we are at the equator."

Therefore, the main insight from this article is that I weighed more in Finland than I did in Singapore!! :D ha!

minibeanie is 1 year, 7 months, 2 weeks & 2 days old

More pictures

2009-03-11T22:37:00.003+08:00

Here are a couple of pictures that didn't fit anywhere else in the earlier post.

On the Great Ocean Road

Road Trip

Here's one taken in our favourite restaurant in Singapore's Little India, Gayatri. Hmm... I usually can't decide between their Dum Briyani, their a la carte dishes & South Indian vegetarian breads like Masala Thosai, Uttapam....

Here minibeanie's sampling Paneer Masala (cottage cheese) & cheese naan.

Back in Chengdu, we stumbled upon a Hong Kong style restaurant. We tried a couple of 'signature' Cantonese dishes - Shrimp Wanton soup, Roast pork (char siew) rice, Beef brisket noodle & a cup of milk tea. What a wonderful change from Sichuan cuisine!!! :P

minibeanie is 1 year, 7 months, 1 week & 6 days old

The Ozzie holiday

2009-03-11T00:20:00.001+08:00

Gosh, I started writing this on 27.2 and see when I finally finished it ;P

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Our holiday got off to a good start when the cheapest category car we rented for 19 days, a 1.3l Hyundai Getz, was upgraded for free to a Toyota X Trail. And did I mention that it was a 4WD? :D Yay! That meant we could throw all our luggage, 1 Samsonite, 1 trolley bag, a huge duffel bag containing all our food, a tent, a hook-on baby chair PLUS minibeanie's pram, into the car without that sardines-in-a-can feeling. Another advantage of having a 4WD was that we could go off the beaten track in search of olive groves hidden in obscure locations (no thanks to inaccurate & badly drawn maps from the local tourist information center). Then of course, dada had some off-road fun ;)

Mount Zero, so obscure that it wasn't on our Tomtom GPS maps

minibeanie loving the wheel & all the fancy knobs and switches

We spent nearly 3 weeks in Victoria, Australia. We had the warm hospitality of my cousin, Eileen, and her husband to thank for letting us put up at their house. minibeanie was also really happy playing with his cousins :) We'd many memorable moments at Eileen's house - the Ozzie barbie, the kids taking a communal bath in the backyard, the quiet evenings after the kids have slept and us adults having cheesecake and wine.....

Our plan was to visit the Great Ocean Road & Yarra Valley for 4 days each with the hope of making day trips for Puffing Billy, the only steam train in Australia, and to see the cute penguins on Phillip Island. Well, at least on paper that was the plan anyway. First off, we loved Great Ocean Road (GOR) so much that we extended by a day and 2 days before heading to Yarra Valley, the devastating firestorm in eastern Victoria broke out. We made alternate plans pronto and decided on another wine producing region, Grampians. As for Puffing Billy and Phillip Island, there was no time not to mention the fact that Puffing Billy was right in the line of fire, so to speak. Besides, with the total fire ban around, no way the steam engine would have been used - we would have been sitting on its electric cousin Puff Diddy instead.

The Great Ocean Road
The GOR drive was spectacular with its undulating coastal roads with crashing white surf on one side and towering cliffs on the other. But much has already been written and I don't think I can do justice to the natural beauty and tranquility of the place in a few sentences.

We spent our 5 days driving to the 12 Apostles, looking for the blueberry farm in vain, enjoying the beach in late afternoons and enjoying a Devonshire cream tea at a 1900s guesthouse that had obviously seen better days together with its grumpy proprietress. We also had our fair share of fish & chippies - excellent flaky fresh fish coated with guilty crispy batter. hmm....

The Grampians
A few things stood out in my memory about Grampians. The beautiful, luxurious brick house we rented right by a golf course frequented by a 30-strong herd of kangaroos, the aptly named Best's wineyard (one of the few family owned vineyards left in Australia) that still has a 1860 vine from France and the 4WD experience of driving up mountains in search of Mount Zero olives.

Pinot Noir!

Bunjil, the traditional creator land of the land, & his 2 dingoes

A few Firsts
We arrived right smack in the middle of Melbourne's worst heatwave on record. 46.8C. It's impossible to describe the crushing heat or the wind that does not refresh but add to the heat. If there was hell, it probably felt like that. I felt like one of the many chickens that I'd merrily popped into the grill. Walking 20m from the car to the refuge of an air-conditioned mall was enough to make minibeanie turn beet red - it was that bad.

There was minibeanie's first time on the beach. I'm glad he was past the age of putting sand into his mouth ;) He liked it even if the water was rather chilly.

Then there were the animals that minibeanie got to see up close & personal. Cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, kangaroos....

minibeanie is (older than) 1 year, 7 months & 1 day old

Back after 5 weeks!

2009-02-25T14:08:00.006+08:00

After a long hiatus, this blog is back :)

The last 5 weeks had been eventful. First stop was Singapore for the Lunar New Year, followed by nearly 3 weeks in Victoria, Australia. And when we came back to Chengdu, I'd (and still have) my mum with me. Only now after a week of settling back in, did I find the energy, will & time to blog. But more about the holiday later...

A recent development with minibeanie is that he has all of a sudden decided to use his spoon full time. I remember the precise moment. We'd just arrived in Singapore after a 7 hour flight from Melbourne and I decided to give him a fried egg for supper. Instead of feeding himself with his fingers like he usually did, he insisted on using the spoon and from then on, it was the spoon all the way :) I'm so glad he's feeding himself now because he's back to lapping up oatmeal porridge (with jam!) for breakfast.

minibeanie is 1 year, 6 months, 4 weeks & 2 days old

A holiday coming up

2009-01-18T11:33:00.002+08:00

We're leaving for a month long holiday to Singapore and Melbourne! :)

Quite miraculously by God's grace, dada managed to get a work trip to Singapore just when we're scheduled to go to Singapore again. So our Singapore accommodation and his air ticket are sorted out. After a week or so, we'll be visiting my cousin and her family in Melbourne for some R&R. Looking forward to it!

But before that, a 101 errands to run in Singapore...

Little monkey

2009-01-18T01:01:00.005+08:00

Thankfully there isn't much of an issue brushing minibeanie's teeth. The trick is to make it a fun thing to do and it especially helps if either dada or me shows just how much fun we have doing it ;) After all, he's at a monkey-see-monkey-do age.

Enough of brushing for tonight!

And no, he hasn't learnt how to climb onto the table from us ;)

minibeanie is 1 year, 5 months, 3 weeks & 2 days old

To be or not to be

2009-01-16T01:25:00.002+08:00

The dilemma on hand is minibeanie's Singapore citizenship. Apparently, he's able to hold on to his Finnish citizenship until the age of majority, 21 in Singapore. Upon reaching his 21st birthday, he will then have to decide whether he prefers chicken rice or reindeer stew, durian or lingonberry :D

I think having a choice is always a good thing. Besides the luxury of choice, the pros are if we decide to stay in Singapore for awhile, education and medical services are always a lot cheaper for citizens. Then there's the government's Baby Bonus scheme. S$5000 from the government for daycares, kindergartens or even insurance policies. But $5k is not a princely sum. I loathe to think that I'm committing minibeanie to 2 years of servitude for that sum of money.

The servitude I'm referring to is the compulsory National Service (NS) that every Singaporean male has to submit to at age 18(?). We've nothing against NS. In fact, we believe it builds character and changes boys to men, as the cliche goes. However, my bugbear is that minibeanie apparently has to serve NS even if he decides NOT to become a Singapore citizen. I guess timing is the key here. He cannot renounce his citizenship until 21 while NS is served at 18. Then the second issue is the loss of freedom in living in another country after he passes a certain age without posting an exorbitant sum called the bond. I'm not sure what is this age and the amount but I remembered it was a 'choke-choke-gasp-for-air' figure. A search at mindef.gov.sg was futile. Does anyone know??

Decisions decisions....

minibeanie is 1 year, 5 months & 3 weeks old

Behind the Great (Fire)wall of China

2009-01-09T00:39:00.002+08:00

Last year, we posted our frustration-then-triumph at having overcome China's firewall. To date, like so many inconveniences or quirks to put it mildly, it hasn't bothered me too much. Blogspot was once blocked and so was wikipedia but with the Olympics in August, they were suddenly accessible again. Recently, the Chinese threatened to block Google if it does not remove objectionable sites from its search engine. Good grief!!

I don't understand how the Chinese bureaucrats decide which websites should be blacklisted. Pornography...yes. Proponents for a free Tibet..yup. Sympathizers for an independent Taiwan... I think so too. Pediped.com, a US children's shoe company?? Unbelievable but true. I can't access Pediped unless it's through a proxy server.

And here's another incredible example. Valleyfarm.com.au - an accommodation at Australia's Yarra Valley. Go figure. I wonder how does a website make into China's infamous blacklist? Pencil pushing bureaucrats deciding they don't like its name? Throwing the dice? Spinning the bottle? Forgive me for my cynicism but its arbitrariness baffles me. Actually, the reality is that I've stopped wondering the whys, wherefores, hows etc. Many things in this country are done contrary to common sense (which goes to show it isn't that 'common' after all) so it's just easier to shrug it away with what a friend said the other day, "TIC - This is China".

minibeanie is 1 year, 5 months & 2 week old

Telling a Fib

2009-01-01T22:29:00.005+08:00

It's inevitable, I know. But I'd no idea I'd be facing this issue so early on. Child development experts say, "Lying Behavior Begins Early - Children May Lie as Early as Age Three". Ok, but minibeanie isn't even 1 and a half!

This evening after dinner, he was bending over at his waist in obvious discomfort so I asked if there was kakka*. No, he replied by way of shaking his head. And lo, a few minutes later when there was an unmistakeable pong, he had massive kakka. Maybe he didn't understand, u may think? In fact, he'd answer in the affirmative 'Ugh' when there wasn't kakka. This had happened more than once with great predictability now, which suggested he had done so wilfully. Washing his bum probably counted as his least favourite activity as I always had the impression I was running after a chicken gone amok when it was time for the sink.

So, any suggestions on how to deal with this phase?

Where's your belly button?

A Happy New Year to everyone!

minibeanie is 1 year, 5 months & 6 days old

* Finnish for poop

Babe

2008-12-30T22:18:00.001+08:00

Something fun.

minibeanie is 1 year, 5 months & 4 days old

Fusilli & Meatball

2008-12-27T21:23:00.003+08:00

My mantra is "crumbs are my new best friends". Even more so now when minibeanie's feeding himself 2 out of 3 meals a day.

Since he almost never uses a spoon, typical Asian food such as rice or porridge hardly makes its way into his mouth. Hence I like pasta or mashed potato because they offer a convenient 'vehicle' for other bits of food such as meat and vegetables. He manages a fair bit with these foods so I'm not too worried he's not getting enough. Besides, he gets regular snacks like bread with cream cheese ("cheesy toast") and banana. And did I mention that having him feed himself frees up 1 hour of my time? What can you do in an hour? PLENTY.

Read more about self-feeding in this post.

minibeanie is 1 year, 5 months & 1 day old

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T14:10:00.010+08:00

We decided to have a Christmas Eve lunch due to minibeanie's feeding schedule. Might as well because he woke up from his nap past 3pm and the turkey was just about done then.

The 4.6kg turkey took about 3 hours - much less than the 3.5-4 hours suggested by conventional cooking wisdom. And I'm glad I listened to my instincts because it'd have meant a tough chewy bird had I cooked it longer. (hmm, of course a meat thermometer and the fail-safe test of cutting it to see if the juices run clear helped ;) The salmon from Ikea didn't work as Gravad Lax because they were cut into 2cm portions and came without their skin. Well, I'd 2 jars of pickled herring* in the fridge so those would do as the fish platter :)

Here are a series of pictures leading from decorating the tree in early December to the Christmas Eve lunch.

My little helper...

... not

Christmas Stollen

Lots of puns surrounding this one ("It's stollen". "Oh no, who stole it?"). This Dresden stollen is buttery and laden with golden and dark raisins, currants, slivered almonds, candied orange peel & lemon zest. I would use less butter and more milk the next year though!

Christmas pyramid

This cost a little bomb but as it would stay in the family as a Christmas tradition for years, I thought it would be worth it. It was handcrafted in Erzgebirge, a mountainous town in Germany. Christmas pyramids, or the unpronounceable "Weihnachtspyramide", use the rising heat currents from candles to turn the impellers and the platform below. This particular pyramid was of the Nativity scene; unfortunately, baby Jesus in a manger was at the other end. See the little devil at one end of the platform? I couldn't resist getting that piece ;D Of the many Erzgebirge sculptors, I liked Christian Ulbricht's style best :) For those in Singapore, there was a fantastic collection of Christmas pyramids & nutcrackers at Das Erzgebirgen Haus(?) in Raffles City.

The Spread

Finns celebrate Christmas on the Eve. On the table, we had turkey, traditional potato and carrot casseroles, 2 types of pickled herring and a selection of salami (that I bought from Singapore!) accompanied with Danish blue cheese & French camembert. minibeanie was eating a piece of camembert in the picture above.... which was amazing because even some grown-ups in Finland wouldn't touch camembert.

Time to open the presents!!

First taste of chocolate

I got a box of Belgian truffles from minibeanie's mummi (my MIL, if anyone is wondering) and guess if minibeanie threw a tiny tandrum when he wanted to have a bite as well... I guess I could strike chocolate off the list of 'Things to withhold from minibeanie until as late as possible."

To everyone, may you have a blessed Christmas!

*I have to thank Ikea for making a Scandinavian Christmas possible. Besides pickled herring, they have made it possible to buy cloudberry jam and Glögi. ...Actually, I do know the wife of the Ikea guy who runs Ikea in this region. minibeanie & their 15 month old son are playmates. I think I'll invite them over this Christmas.

minibeanie is 1 year, 4 months, 4 weeks & 1 day old

Kitchen challenges

2008-12-24T11:32:00.003+08:00

How exasperating. Salmon is totally out of stock at the supermarket so I ended up with frozen salmon from Ikea Which came pre-cut into portions And de-skinned.... so totally unsuitable for making Gravad Lax. So I've learnt my lesson. Buy a whole fillet next year and freeze it ahead. That's the problem with stuff in Chengdu/China. You NEVER know when certain items will be out of stock. A French import manager at Carrefour told me that he won't know when milk for instance is coming in because that's the way logistics go over here :# A common saying among the expats here is, if you see something you like in the supermarket, grab it. Because you don't know when you'll next see it again!

The turkey was great. It came delivered on the day and in the condition I wanted. This butchery is run by a foreign couple but just to be sure (since this is China) I asked if it was gutted and beheaded :D It's no laughing matter. Many times I'd bought whole chickens from supermarkets and they always still had their heads and worse, their entire system of internal organs intact. It's like these chickens were meant for a biology dissecting class rather than for the oven. I digress. So, our Christmas turkey is "cleaned of its guts and head etc. It is prepared to Western standards" end quote ;)

minibeanie is 1 year, 4 months & 4 weeks old

2 days to the EVE!

2008-12-22T01:52:00.003+08:00

2 days to Christmas Eve! Where did the whole of December go??? It seemed like yesterday that I was looking forward to the Finnish Independence Day cum Christmas party on December 6. Then, I recalled rushing to make the dough for the Gingerbread men, baking them another day, making and freezing the Christmas casseroles, wrapping Christmas presents & mailing a couple of them out to the mothers east & west...... And I still haven't had time to make a Christmas Stollen which is a buttery bread with almonds & raisins sprinkled with icing sugar, the German answer to Italians' Panettone. Hmph!

Monday - buy salmon (hopefully, they'll have dill too!) to make Graavilohi/Gravad Lax, Finnish/Swedish salted salmon.

Tueday - a 4-5kg turkey to be delivered. Make the stuffing for the bird.

Wednesday - Roast the Big bird (don't let minibeanie hear that) for 4-5 hours.

Finally, sit down for a Christmas Eve dinner that can feed the whole school! And since there are only 2 adults and a little bean, it'll be a dinner followed by 3 lunches & 4 dinners :D Let's see how creative I can get with leftover turkey...

minibeanie is 1 year, 4 months, 3 weeks & 5 days old

Rendang for lunch

2008-12-21T08:59:00.007+08:00

At 7 this morning, the babbling from the crib quickly degenerated into a crescendo of screeching. And so at 7:30, I made my way downstairs with minibeanie in toll. At least I think it was 7:30 because it was still pitch black outside; I'd slept barely 4 hours.

We had a party last night that began with lunch at 2pm and ended around midnight. We invited a couple of Hungarian friends over for mutton rendang, grilled lemongrass chicken and bread & butter pudding. minibeanie also had a friend over - 9-month old Viktoria. That's right. Finally, there was a representative of the fairer sex. Where are all the little girls??

Both children seemed to like each other. In fact, minibeanie even gave Viki his toy car, pointed out its parts to her & babbled in Babyish. Heh, I've a hunch somethings won't change even after 18 years ;)

minibeanie is 1 year, 4 months, 3 weeks & 4 days old

A Typical Day

2008-12-20T00:28:00.007+08:00

Every evening when dada comes home at 7pm, it's crazy hour in the house. I'm glad someone is there to 'take over' because by 7, a) I'm usually cranky from hunger & tiredness; b) there's only this much running commentary I can give on making a meatloaf and c) I can't play ball or cars any longer :P

And if anyone wonders what minibeanie can be up to during the day, here's a typical example.

He loves playing in my larder. He takes out cans, jars, tupperware boxes, stacks them up, puts some away although more often than not, he leaves them strewn on the floor. Yes, there's a child-safety lock, but he loves to play there... So, as long as he's not hurting himself or breaking anything, I let him have his fun. One day, I filled a bowl with pasta destined for his lunch and guess what happened when I let him finger the twirly-whirly curious looking things?

Oh, and he has a really guilty look whenever he does something naughty. The most recent incident was yesterday when he was playing in the larder (again!). I turned round to check on him and lo and behold, he had that "opps" look. He had smashed 1 of my century eggs :D No biggie, I just need to cook it in an omelette or fry it with sliced green chillis Sichuan style.

minibeanie is 1 year, 4 months, 3 weeks & 3 days old

Self Feeding

2008-12-19T12:27:00.005+08:00

Like going without the night feed, having minibeanie feed himself seems like a milestone to me. With the exception of oat porridge for breakfast, he'd been feeding himself lunch and dinner. He's still a total klutz at using his spoon; most times, he just gives up with the spoon and uses his trusty 10 fingers to do the job anyway.

We have the routine down to a pat. He'd bring his plate and bib to the dining table while I bring the rest: placemat, cup & his food in a separate bowl. Then, we would sit him down in his highchair, he puts on the bib himself and I proceed to arrange his plate, cup and placement and aportion half of his food into his bowl. From then on, I could leave him and he'd let me know when he wants a refill of his plate. Then when he's done, we have an "all-done" signal, he raises both hands in the air. At this point, I usually give him his share of fruits to avoid having to wash his hands a second time and besides, he usually picks up a few more pieces of broccoli or mash potato together with his strawberry or mandarin bits. Ha! cunning me...

Then, when he has his fill of fruits, we proceed to wash the grimy boy not just his hands & mouth but often times, his hair, nose & forehead. And once or twice, his pants need to be changed as well. How does one get pasta everywhere??

The morning milk feed

Last Saturday, I decided to make banana pancakes for brekkie. I guess the boys liked it.

Someone has morning hair

Playmates

2008-12-19T01:00:00.005+08:00

"Play is a toddler's work." That's how "What to Expect the Toddler Years" puts it. So, in between preparing meals, feeding & cleaning after minibeanie and time for myself, I try to arrange play dates with a couple of toddlers around minibeanie's age. Usually, it's one-on-one at someone's home but on Wednesday, I arranged for a play date at an indoor playground with 2 friends living in the same condominium.

As it was 1030 on a weekday, it was deserted - which was great! I bought a 10-visit card for RMB60 (6 euros/SGD12). Great value, I thought. Inside the playground were tunnels, slides, trampoline, a ball room, 'cars' etc... and of course, everything is padded for clumsy or over-active children.

minibeanie is an apprehensive child. Just like seeing strangers for the first time, he takes time to warm up to a new environment. He takes things in slowly but once he's at ease, he can go crazy. I can't remember how many times I've to put a delicate vase beyond his inquisitive fingers at a friend's home or to stop him from destroying a neighbour's DVD player. Nonetheless, he's not overly destructive for a 16-month-old. ...I think. Anyway, here at the playground, he's free to run and climb to his heart's content.

And as for minibeanie's playmates, they are 13-month old Ryuichi and 14-month old Rasmus, Japanese and Finnish respectively. Good-natured Ryuichi's always grinning ear to ear and stocky Rasmus (13kg!) is a barrel who's always rolling out of the playground and into the department store. :) Children do not play together at this age. Instead, they acknowledge each other coolly and very occasionally, their paths literally cross when they want the same toy or as in Ryuichi and minibeanie's case, their cars collide.

ps. Oh, I've a confession to make... it was so fun getting into the ball room to 'help' the kids onto the slide or to play with the balls. It was just like when I was 8 at Ikea's ball room again! :D

minibeanie is 1 year, 4 months, 3 weeks & 2 days old

Busy bee

2008-12-09T12:41:00.005+08:00

minibeanie has 2 finger puppets from our Silkair flights. One is a bee while the other is a Chinese man with a wide hat. We call the former, "Suzy the Busy Bee" while "Mr Tan" is the other moniker - a tongue-in-cheek reference to a friend who refers to himself as "Mr Tan of Boon Lay". Anyway, this is neither about the names we've christened minibeanie's toys or even about Suzy the Busy Bee...

December is a busy month. For the last week or so, I'd baked pumpkin pies for gatherings, tons of gingerbread cookies and vegetable casseroles that are traditional Finnish fare for the Christmas Eve dinner. And on top of everything, minibeanie is pushing his trolleys and cars into my feet, rearranging my larder and stacking the honey, baking powder & lentil boxes to form a precarious pyramid and generally making a mess.

He understands so much more now. All of a sudden, it appeared as if something clicked. He replies in the affirmative "Ugh" accompanied by a nod or every not so often, a shake of the head to indicate the negative. This afternoon I gave him his usual serving of fruit after lunch.

Do you like persimmon?

Ugh.

Do you like apple?
Ugh.
Do you like banana?
Ugh.
Do you like strawberry?
Ugh.
[ok.... maybe he's just saying "ugh" to everything I ask]
Do you like bugabuga?
....{silence}.......[he looked at me before continuing to shove persimmon bits into his mouth]
[Yaaaaayy! so he does understand me after all!]

minibeanie is 1 year, 4 months & 6 days old

Tarzan

2008-11-26T23:06:00.003+08:00

minibeanie is 16 months old today. While he has limited his verbal communication to grunts (and babble that only he could understand), it was amazing that we are nonetheless communicating. The grunt "ugh!" accompanied by a heave of the shoulder signified "yes" to the question I was asking. And if he really really wanted the banana/teddy bear cookie/watch Sesame Street, it would be a vapid bounce up & down :D

He's also keen to exert his growing independence by wanting to feed himself. Hence, I've adjusted my mindset on 2 fronts. #1, it's ridiculous to expect him to use a spoon - fine motor skills is still somewhere in the distance. So, he now feeds himself most of the time with both hands a la Tarzan. #2, the natural consequence is that he makes a royal mess each mealtime. (the Baby Bjorn rubber catch-all bib has paid itself back many times its Euro 11 investment!) I've therefore stopped being anal because I'm hoping that with all this practice he'll soon learn how to feed himself and besides, my capable Ayi, who comes 3 times a week, simply makes all the grease and crumbs vanish :)

On the Chengdu front, it has been nice. We visited a couple of hotpots recently. One of which was 粥底火锅 ; basically, instead of a broth, everything's cooked in a base of porridge. At the end of the meal, the porridge steeped full of flavours and nutrients is eaten. Wonderful... if not for the lack of baby chairs in the restaurant so I guess the chances of us heading back there is rather slim :P

We also tried a fancy restaurant, 8 Trees, owned by a Singaporean. It boasts of a good selection of wine and a menu with entries like foie gras etc. But we went for its selection of Singapore food - chicken rice in particular. It was good! ..... but they've only got the taste 90% right. The chicken was juicy and done just right. But the rice wasn't aromatic enough and the defining chili lacked that garlicky punch. It was ok by chengdu standards but at SGD44 (ok, we also had a Thai beef salad that was way off the mark & a glass of house red), it must be the most expensive chicken rice meal we had. Again, I don't think we'd return. Not just because of the chicken rice but because they didn't have baby chairs!!! What's with these restaurants?!

Eating out with a toddler has now made me view restaurants entirely different. Obviously, imho baby chairs should be de rigeur but if they've got baby-friendly utensils such as melamine plates, that's a huge plus. And a really big plus will be if they've a play area in the corner for parents who wish to indulge in a little coffee after the meal. No no, I don't mean parents drinking their coffee in the play area but little tykes being let loose there; thought I'd clarify that. And I'm already beginning to look at McDonalds' and KFC in a different light ;)

minibeanie is 1 year & 4 months old

Update: Bye bye night feeds & other developments

2008-11-15T13:58:00.003+08:00

It was 9 days ago on November 6 when we went without night feeds. Most nights we slept through (hooray!) but there were some when he would still try to get something. Those times if the bottle of water doesn't help, we usually play possum when he cries until he falls asleep, not more than 5 minutes thankfully. I reckon that's 1 way how babies keep testing their boundaries & your resolve until they Get It. Consistency is key here. As my fav shrink, Dr Phil, says, children have to know with 100% predictability the consequences of their actions. Most times, parents cave in because it's the 'easier' route. And I know that because some nights I just think it will be easier to just give him some milk so that all of us get some sleep. But persevere, I must (and Yoda, I've become).

Then there have been other developments that signal that minibeanie is not a baby but a toddler by now :) He has begun playing with cars! He pushes them around making funny 'car' sounds :D So cool!

And speaking of toys, I bought minibeanie a picnic set of wooden tea cups, 'cut-able' fruits & cakes. I wondered if it was too 'girly' but dada said "why not, don't I drink tea?" Good point. This is another instance of the struggle against gender stereotypes. See 'Pink is for Boys'. Anyway, so I got 1 of Mother Garden's tea & picnic set that's all made of wood with drool worthy delicious yummy cakes, ice cream, doughnuts & fruits.

Honestly, I think I derived 90% of the joy in playing with the playset :D I think it is the little girl in me still who still goes ga-ga over cute pink tea cups. Anyone wants to play masak masak?

Muffin

2008-11-15T13:37:00.004+08:00

Christmas is looming up and the temperature is already in the low teens and somehow that combination triggers this 'gotta-bake-something' streak in me. I've been making the occasional bread but somehow chives & potato bread just doesn't cut the sweet tooth in me :P And being the (grateful) recipient of a couple of pumpkin/blueberry cheesecake muffins recently from a friend only makes that little sweet tooth cry for more, along with my dentist I'm sure.

Hence I made a batch of banana-walnut & banana-choc-chips muffins from a basic muffin recipe.

Basic muffin recipe
300g/3cups self-raising flour
125g/0.75cup castor sugar
1.5cups buttermilk
2 eggs
150g butter, melted & cooled slightly

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Mix dry ingredients together & make a well in the center.
2. Whisk together liquids and pour into dry ingredients and mix gently until the mixture is just combined.
3. Add whatever fillings/flavours you want at this stage.
4. Spoon mixture into muffin cups and bake for 20-25min or until risen & golden.

* In this batch, I chopped about 2.5 large bananas into large chunks and pre-roast the chopped walnuts just a little. It made about 19 8cm large muffins. And obviously, since we can't eat all within 3 days, I froze half of them for an emergency sweet treat or when I have house guests over.

minibeanie likes the banana-choc-chip muffin

minibeanie is 1 year, 3 months, 2 weeks & 6 days old

Bye bye night feeds

2008-11-09T14:15:00.002+08:00

We heard a horror tale of how a 3 year old would still be screaming for "maito!*" at 3am. I thought if we didn't do anything, that would be US 2 years down the road. And knowing how entrenched toddlers could be in their habits the older they become, I felt it was time to bite the bullet. It was all too easy to sail along and take the path of least resistance but like I said, better to tackle the issue now with a 15 month old than a 3 year old!

It has now been 3 nights since minibeanie got any milk at night. The first night happened rather accidentally or perhaps it was my subconscious that didn't allow me to get up when he fussed a little for his supper. It wasn't too bad; he fell asleep after a short while. Friday night (#2), dada got up at 2hour intervals to put the tutti back in when he fussed. Likewise, minibeanie fell asleep without much ado. Night #3 last night, Saturday, I got up about 3 times but thankfully he fell asleep quickly without much fussing.

Is this it? I hope we're training his little tummy not to expect food during the night. Despite the amount of milk he drinks some nights, I'm convinced it's more of a habit than real need. After all, he's now having 3 square meals & more a day so there's no need to wake up for food during the night. I know how it is, I get 'addicted' to a nightly mug of warm milk & half a cookie/muffin (that's bad, I know!) before bed myself... Here's to an uninterrupted night of sleep?

* milk, in Finnish

minibeanie is 1 year, 3 months & 2 weeks old

Serious play

2008-11-06T21:31:00.004+08:00

We were on the party circuit yesterday. At 10am, it was a 2 year old's birthday party, then at 4 it was a 5 year old's pirate-themed birthday party. Thankfully they were both within our condominium compound. The first party consists of the playgroup from the International Women's Club. Toddlers ranging from the youngest at 13 months to the oldest, a set of 3 year old triplets (super mum!), roam the apartment. I say "roam" because at this age, they do not play cooperatively. Instead, they play independently or "parallel play" as child psychologists put it. So, tiny toddlers flit from room to room leaving trails of muffin crumbs for their mummies to find. And so I found minibeanie rummaging through a cupboard of intriguing papers when we had to leave.

It was quite different at the 4pm party. Raucous children behaved like well, children. They moved in a pack screeching. Yet somehow, the adults are able to sit serenely on the side having their tea, cakes & cheese. I discover that the one constant between the toddlers & children is the mess (big surprise there) ;)

I suppose the parties did minibeanie some good. I checked out Gymboree today with a friend with the purpose of letting minibeanie socialize with his own kind. Instead of clinging to the back of my jeans for the first 10 minutes like he did previously, he was all over the toys the instant I put him down. He had lots of fun with the indoor gym which he discovered all on his own accidentally. Yet somehow, "structured play" (which is what Gymboree is about, isn't it?) seems like an oxymoron to me. Play is supposed to be free of rules. And isn't 15 months a little too young to be in a classroom environment? As my main objective is for minibeanie to build socialization skills, (being the only kid at home can build a rather skewed view of the world) I think the weekly playgroup would be a much better avenue. The playgroup has the use of a preschool's classroom & playground (Etonhouse actually) and I heard that the classroom is well-stocked with toys & books. An added bonus is that we get to see the same kids & mums every week which allows for rapport to be built. This on its own is a huge advantage over Gymboree. And finally, each Gymboree session costs Y200 - that's a freaking 20 euros and S$40 each 45-minute session! I'm reluctant to be paying good money for play at 15 months.

minibeanie is 1 year, 3 months, 1 week old & 4 days old

Mormon boy

2008-11-04T17:29:00.004+08:00

I couldn't bear to cut minibeanie's hair at the back of his head. Especially since they curl most adorably outwards so that his profile is that of the omega sign should anyone make a papercutting of this boy. But I had to. I had to because he perspires so much during play that it may be giving him a rash at the back of his neck. So during yesterday's bathtime, when we were splashing about in the tub, I cunningly whipped out my salon-grade scissors and made the first snip :(

I thought I did quite a good job until dada remarked the next morning that minibeanie has become a Mormon boy from Goldilocks. He also said something like... "pot head".

minibeanie is 1 year, 3 months & 2 days old

We're ok now

2008-10-21T22:10:00.005+08:00

It was the most horrible 9 days. By the end of it, minibeanie had filled half of Chengdu's landfill with steaming loads of diapers, puked for 2 days, ran a fever for 4 days & lost a ton of weight. Meanwhile, DH & I took turns with the nasty virus. Just as I congratulated myself on escaping the bug, it was my turn to be hugging the toilet & shivering with fever. Crap. That too.

Thankfully, all is fine now. In the throes of it, we wondered several times if we ought to bring minibeanie to the hospital to be hydrated intravenously. This thought crossed our minds each time he gave an explosive encore in his diaper. It sounded just like someone squeezing the end of the Heinz ketchup bottle real hard with just a few drops to go. Any other times, it would be hilarious. But when it was 4:30am or when we'd just changed diaper #8 5 minutes ago, it was a sinking feeling. Not again.

His appetite has slowly returned which was a great relief. I do hope this is the last flu we get for a very long time!

minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 3 weeks & 4 days old

Photos! 相片! Kuvat!

2008-10-12T01:19:00.001+08:00

Loads of pictures uploaded! :) Starting from A Day to Forget (9.22) ...

39.4

2008-10-11T18:50:00.006+08:00

It was a horrible start to any day. I woke up to check on minibeanie's temperature (for he had been running a fever the past 1.5 days) at 7 in the morning and was shocked to read 39.4. That number jolted DH out of his sleep and we decided that a trip to the hospital was called for. We would normally have gotten him to the clinic but this being a weekend, it was closed.

I was dreading the hospital because it was after all a Chinese hospital; let's face it, Chengdu was not Beijing or Shanghai. My apprehension was fully justified on reaching the hospital. It was over run by people. Chaos reigned. I managed to locate the reception cum information desk by virtue of a nurse behind a counter being surrounded by hordes of pushing Chinese all asking questions at the same time. I managed to elbow in and finally got my question across and was then directed to a registration booth down the hallway. I registered, got a card for Y9 and was given a thermometer. After 5 agonizing minutes, we gave the thermometer back to the nurse and was told 38.1. There was a collective sigh of relief.

As it didn't seem like an ER situation, we were then directed to the "Children's clinic #1" - a room further down the hallway. We gave our form to the attending nurse who then lined it at the back of a row of forms by the window. This would be our queue. There were 2 doctors facing each other in the room. Little patients and their caregivers would be standing or sitting on the 2 stools facing the doctors.

Calm cannot be used to describe the scene in and outside of the clinic. There were simply too many people around compounded by screaming parents calling after their wayward shrieking kids, crying babies in obvious discomfort and the general population who must talk with raised voices.

We waited patiently for our turn (half an hour, I was told). About 2m behind us stood a security guard which was rather perculiar I thought. DH said it was because we were the only foreigners. minibeanie appeared to be in good spirits. He was entertained by dada's silly antics and the occasional teddy bear cookie, his all time favourite. It was such a relief that he seemed his normal self.

After half an hour or so, it was our turn. The doctor noted the symptoms, listened on the stethoscope, pried open a very reluctant baby's mouth and diagnosed it as upper respiratory infection. Over all, the lady doctor was professional. If she seemed brief it was because the clinic was run like a sausage operation in a non too pleasant environment. She seemed kindly enough and even switched to English when I was struggling with Chinese medical terms.

After that, we took the form with the scribbled prescription (it's a universal fact that doctor's handwriting is illegible!) and headed out to get our medication. First a visit to the cashier where I paid Y54, followed by another queue at the drug counter to get the fever and diarrhoea medications. Finally at 10, we spilled out of the hospital to a bright but slightly chilly day. Relief!

Today, minibeanie had fewer rummy tummy episodes compared to the past 2 days :) Let's pray that he's on the mend. We were told that diarrhoea could last for up to a week and the fever for 3-4 days. It's strange how we left Chengdu in t-shirts and shorts 2 weeks ago but return to long-sleeved fleece sweaters. Thanks to the change in temperatures, it's now the start of the flu season.

minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 2 weeks & 1 day old

Detour

2008-10-10T02:06:00.002+08:00

We started the day of departure, Monday, at 0430. Got to the airport all bleary-eyed still and discovered that the flight had been delayed until 2330. Oh man! But it wasn't all bad. You see, we got to enjoy another day in Singapore! :D Air China put all of us up at Copthorne Orchid, a laid back hotel on the outskirts of Orchard Road. And so we checked in and to our surprise, we were given a suite (probably thanks to DH's Star Alliance gold card). We were given meal vouchers for all 3 meals which wasn't bad because we got to have great beef rendang, satay & seafood (the last seafood stop before Chengdu!).

The delay definitely had a silver lining for we got to run some last minute errands & had a last piece of kaya toast & kopi at Ya Kun - where we caught minibeanie's grandmother sneaking out despite her earlier claims of flu!

But it hadn't been easy since returning to Chengdu. I'd a slight flu and minibeanie had rummy tummy. 9 poopy diapers today so far. The last one happened just as we were about to turn in. It's now past 2 after all the brouhaha.

minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months & 2 weeks old

Bye Singapore!

2008-10-06T00:12:00.007+08:00

We'll have to wake up tomorrow morning at a most inhumane hour - half past four. sigh* Trust Air China to pay for the cheapest timeslot at Changi.

It had been a very enjoyable trip. We met up with friends whom I hadn't seen in ages - Sharon, RJ bunch (Rhu, Mari, Jazz, WeeLin), sky (it's her initials...she's not really called Sky like some girls who are called "Milk" or something..serious!).

We got to do lots of fun stuff like bringing minibeanie to the Underwater World. Despite his young age, I think he knew what was going on. For some reason, he reached for dada to be carried and he gripped dada really hard when he saw particularly large fish & rays swimming above him. And today, typical of so many Singaporean parents on a Sunday, we brought him to a center that will hopefully enhance/increase his intellectual prowess ;) And so we went for a trial lesson at Kindermusik at Tanglin Mall. 45 minutes of singing, dancing & playing on musical instruments. Admittedly, I think the mums got more of a workout what with prancing & swinging 10kg babies. But will I pay good money for that weekly 45 minutes? In the end, I don't think so. It's nothing like what I haven't been doing at home - banging on drums (a wooden spatula and an overturned pot on my kitchen floor!), silly dancing with dada, marching to the mummy calvary's 'trumpet & drums' etc. And if it's for the company of other same age babies, we've neighbours.

Are we done yet?

Oh, and of course the marvellous food! We had a mental checklist of our favourite local food to be checked off such as Hokkien prawn mee, satay, fish head beehoon, nasi padang and uncountable cups of kopi (coffee) & kaya toasts. Of course, Indian cuisine was also high on our list. We'd great Punjab food at Race Course Road and masala thosai & onion bhaji at Saravana Bhavan. And today, we visited what's unofficially Little Burma at Peninsula Plaza. At the basement and third floor are lots of Burmese eateries thronged with Burmese workers on their day off.

minibeanie's first ride

And of course, shopping! This time, we are carting back tons of organic foodstuffs & milk. Geeesh, what else is contaminated in China. Who knows? We're sorry to be leaving clean & green Singapore. With 4 hours to sleep, I think it's time to turn in!

minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months, 1 week old & 3 days old

A Memorable Night to Forget

2008-10-01T00:53:00.004+08:00

A memorable night for F1 fans and for Singapore but one to forget for Ferrari. What can I say that hasn't already been said?

Great fun and company. We went with Rhu & David, the former whom I've known half a lifetime ago (fancy that!) and whom I've gone for lessons on tennis, makeup, pottery & dancing ... among other crazy stuff like abseiling. So yeah, it was fun especially when we were all decked out in red on race-day :D

It's all Nelson Piquet's fault. Massa was leading and Kimi was steadily catching up on Hamilton. Then Piquet just had to lose it (again!) and as everyone know, the chain of events that happened made this the most disastrous race of Ferrari ever. [If you don't know what I'm talking about, which planet are u from?] It's of small consolation that Kimi holds the lap record.

A poster night for Singapore. Singapore was decked out in style. The skyline was breathtaking and the organization of the F1 was done in true Singapore fashion - well executed and meticulous. All in, much kudos. But does it have to be so bright? :D Yes, it's for the safety of the drivers but after all the touting of being able to see the glow of the disc brakes, the track was lit as bright as day.

Gotta get a bigger flag next year. I was waving a 25x20cm Finnish flag. It felt puny. I resolve to get the materials and get a tailor in Chengdu to make me a much larger one that's at least 4 times the current one :P Then I bought face paint and painted mini Finnish flags on our cheeks. Glad that DH went along with this craziness of mine :D [nope, those flags won't be much bigger next year ;) we also discovered that I'm a better artist than DH]

An obviously drunk Finn 4 rows behind us had a flag that was nearly 1.2m across. Before the race began, he yelled his war cry, "Sweden sucks!"

minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months & 5 days old

Sushi & garlic rice

2008-09-30T15:32:00.003+08:00

We are extremely proud (& relieved) that minibeanie has been receptive of new food. He had his first sushi a few days ago at Sushi Tei when I met up with grandma for lunch. I had packed his usual lunch along - pork & beef porridge with french beans, sweet potato, spiced with loads of garlic & coriander. Honestly, I thought it was really tasty (don't all mums out there?) but I suppose since it was:
1) salt-less and
2) it's still porridge however disguised,
minibeanie wasn't too hot about it. Nonetheless because of the late hour at 2 in the afternoon, he ate most of it. Then I placed a piece of rolled sushi with unagi (bbq eel) on a plate in front of him. He grabbed it like he would any new curio and put it into his mouth. And that was it. I couldn't pry his hands away from his mouth even when I'd to put on his catch-all Baby Björn bib.

For the next 15 min or so, he happily ate 1 piece of sushi after another. By the 4th piece, he started picking out grains of rice in his bib to give to me. All right then, when he starts playing with his food, that's a cue that he's full. And as expected, I'd to turn him upside down to brush off the sticky Japanese rice that speckled his pants and entire high chair ;D (Someone should invent a machine that sucks rice/crumbs/mushy-half-chewed-on biscuit... mash/sand/cereal from toddlers!)

We also had success with grilled fish & rice when we had our dinner at Manhattan Fish Market. Granted, it was fried garlic rice. It was no wonder then he has turned his nose up at the boring, bland & mushy fare I'd been been offering. In some way, this is a milestone for me - as a provider & gatekeeper to what goes into his tummy. He's not so much a little baby now but a little boy curious about new flavours & textures. Oh, and those 8 front teeth he has so far are not to be underestimated.

minibeanie is 1 year, 2 months & 4 days old

my 1st wheels?

2008-09-26T12:18:00.006+08:00

We stumbled upon a great toy shop on the upper floor of Ngee Ann City aptly called The Better Toy Shop. Tons of great quality toys that would tickle even the heart of a jaded adult. None of those silly TMNT or Mattel's anorexic Barbies, what a nice change!

minibeanie was bubbling over with ecstatic excitement that only a toddler could express. Here was a full set of Brio train tracks, there was that humongous stuffed bunny that was twice his height & another huge doggie perched high on the shelf... ooh, and those carts and cars that just beg to be driven! And so, he busied himself with getting in & out of the cars in the 'showroom' while I was busy clearing up the trail of destruction he left behind :D

Baby-ism III

2008-09-26T10:37:00.003+08:00

You know you've stayed at home too long with your baby when you feel weird closing your door to the toilet.

minibeanie is 1 year & 2 months old

F1 Fever

2008-09-25T00:31:00.005+08:00

I'm officially gripped by the F1 fever :) I know I was looking forward to the race on Sunday but I'd no idea by how much. It became apparent today when there was a remote chance of seeing Kimi Räikkonen. He was to make a public appearance at a Tag Heure media event at a mall. As expected, there were throngs of people with cameras packed shoulder to shoulder waiting & hoping to catch a glimpse of the reigning Formula One world champion.... blond blue-eyed cutie... I've become a groupie!

Kimi on söpöliini!!! If I could just get his attention to sign my flag, kato täällä! Kiiiiiiimmmiiiiii! :D

ps. a chap standing beside me kept his promise & sent me a great pic of Kimi ...I'd forgotten to bring our camera :P

minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month, 4 weeks & 2 days old

A day to forget

2008-09-22T19:56:00.005+08:00

[This is a gripe about the #!%@^! things that went wrong today. Please click here if you want something happy ;) ]

I should have touched down in SG but instead, I'm back at home. The reason for this was that minibeanie needed a paper ticket to board while his mummy dearest had an e-ticket. And since a)these tickets had been issued 6 freaking months ago, b) DH did not bring home any paper ticket recently, c) his secretary who had helped to change our return date last week did not mention anything about a paper-ticket until 2 hours before my departure time (which by then is way too late) & d) a call to Silkair in the morning confirmed that "oh, no other documents beside passport is necessary"... Then what did I find in the airport?? no paper ticket, no boarding pass. Nevermind that it's in the system or the fact that he's a baby - who doesn't even need a seat JUST a box on the wall.

Ok, so I finally decided to buy a ticket for him only to remember that I only had RMB200 with me and no credit card (lost my wallet a few days ago). Freaking hell.Got the airport staff to pull out my luggage from the cargo hull to check if a wad of Singapore related cards in my luggage contained a credit card and someone from DH's office to come down with some slush funds. Nada from my luggage. And by the time, DH's colleague arrived, the immigration counter had CLOSED. Yes, this is the first time I've heard of immigration/customs closing - don't they stay open all the time? Well, ok, this is China. Just like someone would actually put toxic substances into milk, there are different rules and mindsets here.

minibeanie having a field day with my open luggage. Oh nevermind....

Tomorrow, I'm going to raise a ruckus at the Silkair office again for their f*-ing bureaucracy and the inept staff who gave out erroneous information. Tonight, it calls for a greasy pizza.

To Singapore

2008-09-22T00:53:00.004+08:00

We'd be heading to Singapore tomorrow! Miraculously, DH got a working trip that coincided with the Formula 1 Grand Prix giving us a roof over our heads :>

More to come...

minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month, 3 weeks & 6 days old

Me-Time

2008-09-17T17:52:00.002+08:00

Our visitors left on Monday. I've to admit it was rather nice having them around especially my MIL. She had been a great help with minibeanie - feeding, talking & playing with him and even did the morning shift giving his dead-as-logs parents much needed sleep at 7 in the morning.

And for the first time ever, I left minibeanie to the care of someone else other than DH. No one has seemed competent before :P In spite of the pangs of guilt I felt when I stepped out of the house in my gym gear, I've to admit it was nice having some "me-time". That's one drawback of being a SAHM, it's so easy losing oneself. And I always remember what my favourite shrink, Dr. Phil, say, "if you don't take care of mom, no-one's going to take care of the little kids & big kid (alright, not exactly in those words)... you can't run on empty." Ok, I only slip out when he's napping and only for 1.5 hours tops but it's a start. Thus, a couple of days ago, I asked my Ayi if she could come an additional half a day - hopefully, that would enable me to hit the gym twice a week or run the odd errand :)

The weather is also getting cooler. Most days do not feel summery anymore. In fact, it was rather chilly yesterday even in the afternoon! We were invited to a friend's place for what was probably the end-of-season BBQ last Saturday. Hmm, nothing like some char-grilled meat & sausages!

minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month, 3 weeks & 1 day old

Stack

2008-09-14T00:02:00.003+08:00

On the feeding front, I'm hugely relieved to say that after the first day, minibeanie has now gotten used to eating from his high chair sans Elmo & co. Yes overall, he may eat a little bit less than he may have eaten with Sesame Street on tv but that's ok. My motto right now is, if he's hungry he'll eat. Better to cultivate a good eating habit right now.

And lately, he has gotten the hang of stacking things. (I didn't know it was such a milestone BMb*!) For a long time, his primary joy is in knocking down towers - the higher the better! Now, his little fingers are tentatively clasping the block and clumsily putting it on top of another. Apparently, fine motor skills still have some way to go ;) This afternoon, he even placed his shoe on top of the other. Encouraged by his success, he moved on to his dada's shoes - arrrgh, no!!

* BMb = Before minibeanie

minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks & 5 days old

2008-09-10T23:45:00.005+08:00

Mealtimes are such adventures for parents and toddlers. If only toddlers can be reasoned or bribed! Lately, I realized I've gotten minibeanie into a really bad habit - he NEEDS Sesame Street to stay sitted in his rocker in order to finish his bowl of food. I'm not sure that's a good thing because firstly, toddlers shouldn't be watching much tv to begin with, even if it's educational. Then, what really made me take issue with it is when I read that when kids go into that 'video mode' with transfixed eyes glazed over, they are not really consciously eating. This 'unconscious' eating may lead to over-eating in the future and I don't wish minibeanie to be a broad bean. So then, it was cold turkey on 2 fronts today. First, no Sesame Street and second, we migrated to the high chair which had been used only occasionally before.

As expected, today's lunch & dinner were torturous. I couldn't get him to take more than 5 spoons before he'd squirm, turn his head away and cry to be let out of his prison. No point feeding him then, so down he went. Not long later, he would realize that he was hungry so up he went into the chair again. This would happen for 3-4 times - up, down, up, down, up, down.... until we were both exhausted. Finally, I decided that lunch/dinner was over. A friend with 2 boys once said, children won't starve themselves to death ;)

The little angel despite everything

minibeanie is 1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks & 1 day old