TWO Princes

A Cold Christmas

2012-01-01T00:04:00.002+08:00

We were in Hong Kong & Macau over Christmas this year.

We later learnt that it was the coldest Christmas Hong Kong experienced.

10-13 deg on Christmas day alone!

Nevertheless, we braved the weather and just soak in the atmosphere.

The cold weather did not stop the boys

from enjoying themselves thoroughly.

Even the hotel room itself is a playground!

Happy Twenty Twelve!

2011-12-31T23:30:00.005+08:00

May 2012 brings you abundance of happiness, wealth & good health!

Before December ends...

2011-12-10T16:34:00.004+08:00

.Can't believe its December already!
Its been a while, and I should be getting back on track
to revive this neglected little corner of cyberspace.
So much too update but so little time!
.
Anyway, Nat just turned 4 on 4 Dec, and me, a year older...
There were so many chocolatey log cakes around on display
with Christmas around the corner.
So he insisted on this log cake.
Its has the least of the chocolate!
.

They cried and hugged...

2011-09-11T18:20:00.005+08:00

We were at Genting Highlands briefly last week.

Clearly the theme park and most of the rides were too advanced

for my little ones.

So we thought that a car ride would be okay,

as they looked straightforward and easy,

although it seems like they are going a tad too fast.

But the sign says for `above 78cm'.

So technically, both passed the requirement.

Nat and Gab thought they could handle the ride and kept bugging me for one,

although I was a little skeptical.

But, what the heck, let the boys take up the challenge.

Plus, its nice to have both sharing a car this time.

They hopped on and were ready to go!

We watched from outside the fence,

as they meddled with the steering, gear, seatbelts...

Before long, they set off automatically.

There were a total of 5 rounds.

And it went like this...

Round 1:

Both looked stunned, trying to figure out simple things like why are they moving.

They were expressionless. Classic.

Round 2:

They realised nothing they can do to stop the car nor change its direction.

It just kept moving forward, uphill and downhill, round and round.

Round 3:

One of them started crying helplessly, followed by the other immediately.

Nat was seen holding the steering tightly with one hand,

and put his other arm around Gabriel tightly.

Round 4:

ditto

Round 5:

ditto

From 3rd round onwards, we were busy telling them

`Its alright, don't cry, see you soon', from afar.

They were the only ones crying.

Read: ONLY

Sigh, my 2 spoilt kids.

Need to roughen them out more!

Like that also cry,

but its rather sweet of Nat to hold on to his bro the whole time,

like protecting and telling him that they are in this together,

me and my drama...

Anyway, we retrieved them from the torture session,

consoled and commended them for being brave

and found from Nat that he cried first, then Gabriel followed,

so much for being a big brother.

We thought it was the other way round.

They were `traumatised' after the ride.

So the days that followed,

I have used their `horrifying' experience to my benefit....

`Don't want to finish your dinner? Bring you to the car ride'

`Not going to nap? Remember the car ride?'

`Not bathing? Car ride?'

It works immediately, haha!

I know, I am evil:P

NATHANIEL is 9 letters

2011-09-11T17:14:00.004+08:00

Before the start of the week long holiday for Nat,

Teacher Agnes pulled Daddy N aside on the last day of school,

and feedback that Nat has generally improved.

Next year, the kids are supposed to be able to write their own name,

But, Nat is far behind in this category.

So the week long holiday was meant for him, or rather us,

to help him 'Catch Up'.

Sigh.....I can see more of these coming...

Some thoughts played in my mind immediately...

1st - should have a headstart training him in writing

2nd - should have pin him down for serious work instead of play

3rd - should have picked a shorter name for him.

Ah well, those are just excuses...

Anyway, we tried to encourage him to write his name, for the past few days.

So the weekend short trip has suddenly become his study trip, sort of,

minus the mini car rides, ice cream treats, countless water play, etc.

It was so hard for us to even get him to write his name once,

I think he wrote it 12 times only, still better than none....

The first attempt, we manage to coax him to write 2 lines,

more like tracing the dotted lines I prepared for him while he nap in the hotel room.

Stress-nya...

Of course, he was a beginner, with no proper & formal training,

so his sequence of lines are a total mess.

Back to front, bottom to top, with extra lines some more.

I tried to organise him a bit, but ultimately,

so long as what he traced reads `NATHANIEL'

I think we are fine for now :P

Out of the 12 lines he wrote, I think it took us 5 attempts,

in between the lines, he requested for rests and plays,

some of which I promised him a session in the pool, a new toy, and other incentives,

but the last 2 lines, he did it fast with no fuss

as he cannot tahan Gabriel playing with his new tow truck, haha...

I guess the difficult part is that he cannot hold a pencil consistently

with sufficient strength,

so his lines are all crooked and soft.

But we will consistently help him to cope,

school starts tomorrow and we have not mastered the writing,

Aiyah, cannot be like magic lah this one...

Good Friends

2011-09-02T23:46:00.003+08:00

Like good friends, mum said.
Oh how I wished this happens most of the time!

Something else on the wall...

2011-08-23T21:40:00.000+08:00

This arrived in a parcel last weekend.

And I thought Daddy N was serious about

`no more toys for the boys' and the boys being `too pampered'.

Apparently its a remote control car that not only drives on the floor

but on the wall as well.

It became an instant hit with the boys.

They were totally amazed.

Especially Nat, the wheel lover.

Gab was a little scared as the car has a powerful suction

that allows it to be driven up the wall.

So, its like a mini vacuum cleaner,

and Gabriel does not really fancy one.

This one here is exclusive.

It sits in the study room and allowed play only upon request and approval.

The rest of the wheels are accessible anytime from the common pool.

Now thats the difference :P

Peeping TOM

2011-08-22T01:22:00.004+08:00

That would be me.

Plonked both boys into the bath tub and watched them play openly.

This time I have added a full bottle of bath foam from `Hilton'

And of course, the boys took turns to complain about the the sting in their eyes.

Anyway, the foam were funny to them,

they scooped it up and puts them on each other's head

and not missing out the mouth of course.

They were licking the foam by the time I said `NOoooooo!'

Anyway, it was a weekly luxury for them,

and my weekly waste of water.....

If they are happy, i am happy:)

Gabriel is TWO!

2011-08-16T15:29:00.000+08:00

Pod n Pad Time

2011-07-31T15:04:00.002+08:00

Equals peace time.

Really comes handy especially when we need some peace & quiet in the house.

With the ongoing unpacking and cleaning going on,

we can be assured of a good break or two in between.

Other times....its chaos!

What has become of our Playground?

2011-07-10T22:54:00.007+08:00

Yet another afternoon at the playground,

on the way to get some bread and milk at the convenience store.

The boys seldom frequent the playground anymore.

It has been badly vandalised and not regularly maintained since a few months ago,

even more so after the recent elections.

There were pot holes, leaves, twigs and rubbish everywhere,

anytime of the day.

The turning donut platform doesn't work anymore.

The twisting pole are all rusty.

Somebody even bother to cut the ropes to the hanging tent,

saw off the chain to the swing like, 4 times already?

and `young adults' often seen exerting such a force on the seesaw

enough to tear out the floor rubber, exposing the bolts and nuts below.

These people are hazards to the kids using the playground,

running wild and crazy around our fragile little ones.

The image of young kids flung off the playground played in my mind so many times already.

Empty beverage cans, cut open, disposed off at the base of the playground is not a rare sight.

It became a meeting place for teenagers, even worst, drunkards,

hanging around from midnight till dawn,

Very inconsiderate le.

Anyway, all these doesn't really bother us now,

as we are looking forward to moving into a new neighbourhood.

Got new play equipments and sparkling clean playground

I like:)

Pretty Boys

2011-07-09T15:43:00.005+08:00

Hi all,

meet Natalie and Gabrielle, my imaginary girls:P

or rather, my versatile boys...

This happens a lot at home.

Usually its just one small bunch of hair sticking out on the head,

like a blusher brush.

This time around, its long enough for a split.

I happened to schedule yet another snipping session with the boys last week.

But before I trim their fringe, which failed to morph their look into the likes of takeshi,

they looked too adorable to look cool....sigh....

Anyway, I thought it was just the right length for a bunny ear or two,

although not long enough for a ponytail.

So I invited them to be my test subjects and they obliged

The boys love the idea and went around parading in the living room with 2 bunny ears.

They looked rather pretty, me thinks...

Hmm...

No, no, must hold back the thought of cross dressing them next! Ha!

Flour N Such

2011-07-04T22:40:00.000+08:00

I am running out of ideas to entertain the 2 boys.

Last Saturday, with some homemade dough and dry foods,

along with paper bowls and plastic spoons,

I spreaded out some newspapers and plonked them on the kitchen floor.

I was thinking aloud: `Mess up all you want and I won't care'

First, it doesn't matter if they consume some of it,

its edible anyway, and its better than playdough.

Secondly, it beats playing masak-masak with plastic food lookalikes

Thirdly, once they are done, just wrap up everything and down the chute it goes,

Fouthly, its before their bathtime anyway.

Lastly, I don't really have to clean up, there is help around!

So, my verdict,

Great activity that can keep them entertained for at least an hour,

while I do my thing.

They even made ice cream sticks, bibimbap and pancakes.

*Big Grin*

Don't Bully Me!

2011-07-03T14:05:00.004+08:00

Everytime we went to the convenience store downstairs,

Nat will pick up some snacks and place it at the counter.

Often, the storekeeper would tease him,

`You got money not?'

`No money cannot take'

`Later police catch'

`Give me money first'

I do admit, it gets annoying when you hear it ALL the time.

Normally, we would just smile and head home.

Today is an exception.

Nat was a tad annoyed.

When he was posed with the first question, he went,

`No, I don't have money, mama has the money,

I don't work and Didi also doesn't work,

so we don't have money',

in perfect Mandarin,

all that before he walked out, followed by Gab.

I quickly settled the bill, forced out a smile and hurried out.

Got attitude!

aykiangno...kamu talk shenme?

2011-06-25T21:14:00.007+08:00

This guy here is a mishmash of assorted languages...

But one thing for certain.

His cries are the most consistent, ever since he was an infant

Loud and voluminous!

Gabriel here speaks in short sentences with combination of different languages:
English, Mandarin, Foochow, Indonesian.
Its hard for me to catch what he says most of the time...
since he spends most of the time with our babysitter and helper.
.
Eventhough he could repeatedly say the same word consistently,
I still needed Nat to translate for me. So malu...
Seriously, I don't know how he understands Gabbytalk but,
the siblings have definitedly developed some sort of a special bond...
Its more heartening to watch them talk in the company of each other.
.
This is a new experience for me,
one of the few things in motherhood that is different second time round.
.

Must Touch the Screen

2011-06-13T00:41:00.006+08:00

We realised that one iPod is not enough to go around the house.

The boys not only love imitating each other,

they also love to like the same toys,

play the same toy at the same time

and lay their fingers on the iPod at the exact same minute.

So what do I do, with only one to spare?

I gave in.

Alternating between the iPod and MY PHONE,

it works like instant magic,

no more cries and complain,

no more negotiation and who plays what for how long,

both will be automatically glued to the couch,

quietly sitting next to each other and flick their fingers.

The Power of touch screen, I say.

Nathaniel is a pro.

Gabriel is no less, quickly getting the hang of it.

He even started treating my laptop monitor as a touch screen

and started doing the same finger exercise on it.

Whatever that gives me a peace of mind for 15 mins...

The kids these days are so good at the handling electronic gadgets.

iPad, iPod, iPhone, iGiveUp...

What was I doing when I was 3?

Say Cheese!

2011-05-29T16:01:00.005+08:00

At my parents' place in Miri.

The boys were very cooperative for the first shot.

Not anymore after I re-composed their positions.

I am very pleased with the first shot though.

No more wet nights...

2011-05-28T07:52:00.008+08:00

Nat has abandoned his diapers for about a month now,

He is all clean.

Of course there were some slips in the beginning.

He wet my bed on two occasions...as he refuses to wear his diapers

He said its too warm :P

So we let him try.

Thereafter he wet his pants for a few nights.

I got so paranoid I had to wake him up in the middle of the night, to pee.

Nowadays he is steady, no diapers, no wet nights.

I am so relieved though we had to put away

the new pack of diapers we bought him, for Gab's use.

And his beanie, he wet them too on one ocassion,

so he had to go without one for a day,

thereafter, when he asked, I just told him its still wet,

and that the wind has taken the beanie away,

and such similar excuses.

He did not fuss and slept just as well.

I asked him last night,

MommyN: Eh, where is your beanie, huh?

Nat: Oh, Mama took it away le...

Mommy N: *faint*

He knows that I have been keeping it away from him on purpose.

Anyway, his beanie is still there, in his chest drawer, unnoticed.

I will let him have it when he gets married next time:P

Floor Ping Pong

2011-05-17T09:04:00.006+08:00

We were back in Miri 2 weeks ago.

This is Dad's table tennis centre, or,

as Nat describes, `gong gong's office with ping pong'.

The boys were trying to outdo each other in the sport,

after a very short training session.

So, who is a better sportsman?

At the moment I would say Gab is the more agressive and natural one.

He would start picking up the ball,

and swaying the bat trying to get a proper swing, albeit on the floor.

Nat, on the other hand, had little patience,

although he is taller and more than eligible to use the table.

The more we try to guide him, the more he is losing interest.

He does not like to be told how to do things.

After a while the boys started digging other stuff around the centre.

Dad created a lot of hidden corners and DIY doors.

And almost everything seems new to these town boys...

The had a good workout though.

PCF 25th Anniversary Carnival

2011-05-14T11:54:00.005+08:00

Our first experience to a school carnival in a school bus.

The only thing that attracted Nat was the popcorn & the jeep ride.

He did not bother about the bouncy castles nor the various kiddy games.

Gab, on the other hand, was pretty cool & satisfied with his blue balloon.

It was so hot & sticky that we head to the nearby Mac D for brunch in no time!

My Work, My Way

2011-05-07T17:20:00.006+08:00

This was during the Labour day long weekend.

I picked Nat up from class one day

and teacher told me that the kids are supposed to

complete some homework for the long weekend.

I probably am not an excessively kia-su type mum,

but since teacher asked do the 'A's, I must make sure Nat does all his A's.

So, before our trip back to Miri, I made him finish his work,

when he was in a good mood after dinner.

And I think, I will have a big challenge getting him to finish his works in future.

He was clearly skipping boxes,

Tracing the `A's in random fashion, not completing them fully,

some with only one stroke, some with very badly crooked lines.

And he insisted to use multiple colours to do his work,

refusing guidance.

Looking somewhat irritated, he told me,

'Zhe ge shi teacher gei wo de homework le...'

I guessed it meant that it was his home work and he shall decide how to do it.

Well, I just sat back and watch him does his thing.

He managed to complete it though*phew*

and its just 2 pages of A's, we are not even at `Z's yet...

A Random Weekend

2011-03-19T17:22:00.004+08:00

This is what they did when I asked them to make funny faces.

A while later they decided to go for a walk.

Nat wore his sandals, help Gab put on his

and make us bring them out.

Not a choice, really.

They will only take it off after the sandals perform its function.

What comes after 10?

2011-02-26T16:09:00.006+08:00

Nathan has recently been a pro

at recognizing the numbers on the wall clock,

simply because he looks forward to his iPod moments.

Whenever he wants it,

we cut a deal.

Its either `after your meal', or

`after your bath',

or `when the long hand points to ...(between 1 and 12)'

That is for now.

A week before,

he told me what comes after 10.

Its Eleven, followed by Twelev.

Its not a spelling error.

He really went TWAY LOVE!

2 weeks ago,

he confidently told me what comes after 10,

as I increased the volume of the TV.

Here goes,

11-One teen

12-Two teen

13-Three teen

14-Four teen

15-Five teen

16-Six teen

17-Seven teen

18-Eight teen

19-Nine teen

20-Zero teen!

He only got 5 of them right in the beginning.

Aiya, never mind-lah,

He has come a long way from 10

Mask Me Out

2011-02-19T23:02:00.006+08:00

I like to indulge sometimes.

Although it is just for a mere 20 minutes before bedtime,

With a face mask on, I lie in bed with the boys as they doze off.

It used to be a little tricky.

Initially, when I first put on my face mask,

I got badly rejected.

Both boys refused to let me on the bed.

They just kept wailing and crying...

I was the monster. The Stranger. They felt threatened.

I tried to win them over by talking them out.

But my voice was drowned by their cries and screams.

Panic attack in the bedroom.

I could simply peel the white layer off,

but I wouldn't want to waste the mask:P

So Daddy N had to calm them down and distract their attention,

Within 2 seconds, I was left alone in the room, in the dark,

as the boys dashed out to safety,

and I was supposed to lie on the bed and relax in my mask, NOT!

That feels like the longest 20 minutes ever.

Nowadays, it got better.

They actually think I looked funny.

Of course, on my part, I try to find 20 minutes to spare,

other than bedtimes,

even if that means walking around in a funny face around home,

which explains Nat's expression in the pic above.

At least I still get to mask my face once in a while:P

Transforming a Face

2011-02-12T15:39:00.005+08:00

Nathaniel drew this as I narrates

It goes like this...

Mama wants a circle, please...

Can you draw the eyes?

What about a mouth for the face?

Lets not forget the nose...

Three nostrils? Oh, never mind, it still looks cute

How come there is no hair?

I think we forgot the ears...

Voila!

A complete face.

But it does not end there.

As you can see, he is adding something to the cheeks.

The face eventually had whiskers,

as it turns into a cat,

a very angry cat for that matter.

It had an `angry mouth' with the tongue sticking out.

Nat's imagination went wild...

I did not have the chance to snap the final product

as he wipes them out immediately when another new idea hits him

We'll leave that to your imagination:P

My mini Gardens

2011-02-10T22:57:00.000+08:00

Another satisfying landscaping session.
Me thinks that my two `garden tops' are rather well manicured.
Mommy N has conquered the 2 lawns,
except the one hard to crack hedge on Daddy N's,
better not attempt to do anything there!
.
The trick nowadays?
Just give the boys what they have always wanted
but will not always get,
in exchange for two brown, topless boys
with crude cloth around their neck and shoulder,
on a high chair while the gardener works on their crown.
.
Gabriel and a dozen of chewy gummys.
Nathaniel and the iPod touch.
Guaranteed success.
Last me enough time to roll my trimmer around,
experimenting with the different lengths,
with minimal mess.
I like!
.
I am starting to really enjoy tending to my mini `roof gardens'.
Its a monthly affair. No hassle. No more cries.
I would make sure the back is kept really short at 2 mm,
1 mm above the ears,
4 mm all around the perimeter,
gradually switching to 5 mm approaching the crown,
leaving a symmetrical fringe of 8mm to 10mm length.
.
We are talking about boys here,
What if I had a girl?
Nah... I would be busy just buying hairpins:P
.

A morning @ The Sands

2011-02-05T08:18:00.000+08:00

We spent the morning at Marina Bay Sands yesterday,

after a hearty breakfast at KFC.

The fingers @ the bay

Mommy N & the boys @ the bay

We threw in 5 x 5 cents coins into the `wishing bowl'.

All ended up everywhere except where it should be,

the hole in the centre, leading to the water feature below.

Nat enjoyed watching people fell & slip @ the ice skating rink:P

I can do heights!

The walkway is wide enough.

Let me show you how I walk sideways.

Training his elasticity for future acrobatics performance.

Should we do the fish spa together?

I want the silver fish!

Lighting up the Lawn

2011-02-04T16:27:00.005+08:00

The kids had a good time lighting up

the otherwise gloomy and boring lawn next to the car park last night.

It created some entertainment for

the neighbourhood kids too!

Nat, as always, drew huge circles with his,

and burnt a few strands of hair.

He gave up and just became the supervisor for the night,

instructing which fire sticks goes where.

Claris was enjoying herself

with the fireworks lighted up for her,

while Christine was obviously too stressed out to handle more than one stick,

but carefully made sure everything was in place.

The were so drenched in sweat after.

But it was a good get together.

The significance of cny

2011-02-04T15:44:00.004+08:00

To Nat:

Its more TV time, non-stop clinging to mommy, no class & got car rides

To Gab:

Its non-stop sampling of the cny goodies on the table & entertaining Nat

To Mommy N:

Its rest rest rest, blogging, net surfing & putting away unused stuff in the box

To Daddy N:

Its nap nap nap, mobile games & surfing the unlimited TV preview channels

So, how is yours?

Happy Bunny Year Folks!

2011-02-03T14:37:00.000+08:00

Happy Bunny New Year!

2011-02-02T22:53:00.001+08:00

This is our modest Reunion Dinner menu.
A last minute plan, just the way Mommy N is.
It is whipped up from whatever is available in the kitchen,
except the `pen cai and australian abalone'...see pics below...
which was planned much earlier by Daddy N,
which needs only reheating and slicing.
..
Honestly, it was rather troublesome preparing the dinner.
All done under 2 or so hours after work.
It was so hot in the kitchen.
I had backache from standing too long.
My face was as red as a lobster after.
And I always lose my appetite after I cook.
But as Daddy N insist that Mommy N MUST prepare this once in a year dinner.
Come to think of it, since we had a helper,
I rarely cook anything except instant noodles:P
Okla, your wish is my command!
.
The kids kept creeping into the forbidden zone
So the helper had to entertain them while I cook up a storm
in my own space, on my own.
It actually helps to de-stress!
Not so bad after all.
.
The boys had a fireworks session after dinner,
which ended up prematurely due to the strong winds.
Anyway, hope you had a enjoyable Reunion Dinner too!
.
Gab and Nat would like to wish you
a very Happy Bunny New Year from the bottom of the floor,
I mean heart:P
.

The Shape of Bread

2011-02-02T21:21:00.000+08:00

It is so hard to get Nat to eat his breakfast nowadays.
He is not a breakfast person.
But this helps...
.
Prepare a piece of Bread with Jam, remove the outer crust,
And cut them up into shapes recognisable to him.
I used to also cut up heart shapes, circles, bus, cars...
and end up eating the leftovers cut-out from these shapes.
.
Nowadays, I skipped the more complex shapes,
and just do the squares, triangles and rectangles.
It works so far as he identifies the shapes,
and pops them into his mouth.
.
Another trick is to ask him to quickly finish the bread,
so that I can see the print at the bottom of his plate.
But he must not move any of the pieces around.
Works so far.
.

This is my friend

2011-02-01T23:07:00.000+08:00

.
This is what Nat told me at the playground.
Probably a friend from his class.
So I snapped a photo of him and his friend:P
Unfortunately, he did not remember his friend's name:)
.

When Mr. Fever Pays a Visit...

2011-01-31T22:04:00.000+08:00

.
Gabriel is feverish and losing his voice.
Its hard as he does not know how to clear his throat just yet.
Otherwise, we are lucky that he has been a rather healthy boy,
and he recovers fast.
.
This time around, Mr. Fever seems to stay for quite some time,
affecting his sleep and his appetite for milk.
And he is kinda sticky when he is unwell,
feeling vulnerable and not wanting to be on his feet.
.
Get well soon, son!
.

Commercial Break!

2011-01-30T08:47:00.003+08:00

I just hate tv commercials in between my movies,

especially during the best moments of the show.

Kinda rude.

Like interrupting someone deep in conversation.

Unless, of course its a game show or talk show,

cos it does not build up anticipation for the next scene.

For me anyways.

Nathan used to not understand the concept of TV Commercials

So much so that we have to assure him that the his show will be back in a minute.

Over and over again, over the length of the tv commercial.

Well, after a while, I guess he got used to this.

So when the tv commercials are on air in the middle of his show,

he plays with his toys and switches back to his show when its over.

Of course sometimes, play takes over and he forgets about his show.

These days, he kinda enjoy the short commercials and tv previews,

and he can even imitate certain scenes and insist that we watch with him.

That's progress.

Saves us from a lot of explaining & entertaining him during commercial breaks.

One night, as we were having dinner,

he played with his scooter while narrating what he is doing, aloud.

Suddenly, he stopped talking and started adjusting some buttons on the scooter.

He told us, `Deng yixia aa, commercial xian aaa'

or rather, `Wait aaa, commercial first'

I. Had. To. Laugh. Out. Loud!

Amazingly, he understood the idea and applied it very well.

Lucky I stomached my dinner.

It was such a hilarious moment.

Our Little Helper

2011-01-29T22:35:00.002+08:00

This one here is a great help around the house.

You know sometimes somehow, we are just too lazy to stand up

and walk a step or two to get the tv remote or the keys....the list goes on.

I am sure you have one of these moments too!

So its really nice to have Gab around during these moments.

He is always willing to help us to bring us our stuff.

You can almost see the satisfaction on his face as he completes a task.

Sometimes he even gives himself a clap or two.

On the other hand, he helps to overcome our laziness ha.

After so many so called practice sessions,

he is now so good at executing our instructions,

most of which includes picking up stuff,

putting back his toys, closing the door, throwing rubbish...

No kidding. He does it all with a smile.

And recently he has been helping gor gor quite a bit,

getting his towel or locating his bolster for him.

On one hand, it builds up his listening and understanding power.

On the other, we get to laze on the couch while the son helps us around.

Its all good.

English

2011-01-26T22:26:00.000+08:00

How do you reprimand your kids?
I have heard of Time Outs, Naughty Corners and the like,
but haven't really tried them on Nat.
.
In our little family, it is usually over
Nat not wanting to share his toys with Gab.
Always.
It happens too many times that I felt time has come to a standstill.
Its frustrating.
Its mentally challenging.
At the same time, we have to acknowledge that it is natural.
Siblings with smaller age gaps have similar wants.
And they want to define what is theirs.
.
So, how do I make Nat, especially, understand the importance of sharing?
It has not worked so far,
as we still have the same conversation
over and over again, on the same issue.
.
Last weekend, I had to isolate him in the room to talk to him.
As always, I have to first ask him to stop wailing.
He was just too loud to hear what I wanted to say.
After he calmed down, we talked.
As a punishment, I made him sit still on the stool in the bedroom,
behind the closed doors.
I went for a quick shower to cool down,
and left him alone in the room.
.
It was a quick shower as I was a little unsettled
leaving him in the room ALONE.
Daddy N was smart enough not to interfere,
and just monitoring the situation from the living room.
.
I went into the room soon after my bath.
Nat was obedient enough to sit at the same point.
But something wasn't right. He looked a little pale.
I asked whether he was alright,
to which he whispered softly,
`Mama, wo yao da bian...'
.
I sent him out immediately to do his business.
`See, he was too busy fighting, only to remember to poo when he stops fighting',
was what I told Daddy N,
unsure whether to laugh or continue looking stern.
.
After his business, I made him sit on the same stool
Soon after, he called out for me from the room.
I went over and asked him,
`What do you want to say to me?'
to which he replied,
`English'.
.
At this point, I didn't know how to react anymore.
And I am missing major parts of my korean drama.
Aiya, forget it...We will try again another day.
.

Funny FishEYE

2011-01-25T23:13:00.000+08:00

Fooling around at home on a quiet Sunday afternoon...
Nat parades in his funny fishEYE
and later helps Gab with the same.
.
At this stage, they are always caught doing the same thing.
Copycat-ing each other.
Its tiring enough just watching them doing their thing!
.

27 kilos

2011-01-24T20:54:00.000+08:00

When both refuses to be on their feet,
and Mommy N has a sore arm from weightlifting.
Daddy N has to take over.
That's a total of 27 kilos...
.

iGot iPod 2touch

2011-01-23T15:14:00.005+08:00

We are now proud owners of a brand new iPod Touch

which came in a package a couple of days ago.
Daddy N's excuse to get us an iPod Touch?
`Its for the boys' he said.
Let me explain:
1.
The two boys are always seen crowding around him for his iPhone after work,
and that takes up his gaming time.
2.
The boys does not ask for my phone cos,
being a Windows Phone, it does not have as many interesting games & stuff.
Honestly, the graphics of the games and applications for iPhone scores!
.

.
So this new iPod Touch is now under Mommy N's care.
As much as it is `Exclusively for Nat & Gab' as the etching says,
I get to Touch it everyday.
Besides, it the `Property of Sim Family' too right?
Smart daddy.
.
Its like an extension to my phone really.
and I have been contemplating to switch to iPhone as well,
people call it the `public phone' cos every other person owns it!
Its stylish and trendy,
and I don't really mind carrying another piece of gadget with me around.
.
So, the Bees naturally comes after this new flower.
Daddy N is pleased with his uninterrupted gaming time.
And we are also busy touching the new pod.:)
Its a symbiotic relation...
and it works.
Smart daddy.
.

P.C.K. Wannabes

2011-01-16T23:36:00.001+08:00

Something that really worked for me

if I needed the boys to give me a short break:

I would them entice them with food.

Usually cereals, bikkies or other bite sized snacks.

Just place the boys on the couch in front of the TV next to each other,

and hand over `The Bowl' to Nat.

Nat would be in charge of distributing the food,

one-at-a-time to Gab.

We used to try giving them a bowl each,

but Gab always ended up having fun just testing out

how much can he grab in a single handful

& spill them all over the floor.

So this arrangement had worked well so far,

it gives us some quiet and peace around the house.

But Gab is the cheekier and mischievous one.

He is easily distracted by what is going around him.

Like me taking the above shots.

He was trying to be funny and trying to throw my photos off focus.

Nat is much more serious during TV time,

but he can still multi-task and hands Gab his Cheerios.

Last weekend, one lil' cheerio landed on Gab's cheek,

without him realising it.

Nat noticed and thought it was fun and did the same.

Apparently they do stick rather easily,

So there.

TWO Phua Chu Kang Wannabes on the couch.

Later on, they just ate off each other's cheeks.

Only the BARE necessities

2011-01-09T23:00:00.001+08:00

The two boys have been taking showers together for quite sometime now.

That equals to additional playtime for them as the other bathes,

and some water savings for me, I assumed.

So yesterday, they sort of refused to get clothed after bath,

one ran around the living room naked,

and the other thought it was fun and did the same.

It was crazy.

2 naked boys running about in my living room!

I had to deliberately get them to wear at least something,

What if the neighbour walks by and give them a hard stare?

Anyway, they continued fooling around the living room after,

for a good ten minutes or so,

doing acrobatics, yoga, pilates, high jump and whatever not.

So much so that their hair was crisp and dry.

No need to towel dry.

Back to School

2011-01-08T23:09:00.000+08:00

Nat is in Nursery class this year.

He was such a darling on the first day of class.

No crying and independent,

Daddy N said that he was a little sticky with the toys,

kept wanting to sneak away from the group and play on his own.

He had a lot of feedback on his first day of class.

I think he would make a good committee member for the town council in the future.

Among all were these:

Firstly, everybody wore brilliant white shoes with white socks.

He wore his blue Geox to class on first day.

Stylish or trying to be different?

Sigh, its the ignorant parents.

We kinda not pay attention to the dress code...

He did made it sound like he somewhat stood out from the crowd,

cos everyone had their socks on, and he was not, poor thing...

But at least he wore the correct uniform to class:)

So Daddy N made time to bring him for a spin that night

to source for white shoes for his 2nd day.

Nat is now a proud owner of a pair of sparkly white Adidas shoes for class!

Nat told me that said he had porridge with vege for snack,

in lil' orange bowls and cups.

He finished them all up and it was yummy.

But a boy did not.

I asked what happened to the leftovers,

to which he replied, "His mummy finished it"

I burst out with laughter!

I think I would too, if we were caught in the same situation.

He also said that his class was kinda smelly,

I don't know why but it is not surprising

he has always been sensitive to smell.

So much so that its so hard to get him to pee in public toilets that smell.

He was pleased that the toys are aplenty,

but was kinda disappointed that

there are no trains, ambulance or police cars around.

So he settled with a block car with wheels...

Apparently there was no storytelling or TV time.

Obviously. The teachers were busy handling a bunch of crying kids.

Probably not used to class, and kept running out to their parents.

Nat refer them to `babies' as they still cry at class.

Of course, those who had their share of cry at playgroup last year,

were the big boys and girls.

On the second day of class, he peed in his pants.

So much for being a big boy.

He said he was too shy to ask for toilet break.

Well, no more diapers big baby,

he just have to muster the courage!

Month 16

2011-01-07T23:14:00.000+08:00

Gabriel is such a walker.

He has a good pick up speed,

stands up and just dash forward immediately, almost running.

Its like watching a live animation show.

Its worrying because there is a speedy gonzales Nat around.

Our teeth gritting moment is when Nat cruises pass Gab,

Its almost like Gab would just lose balance and fall flat on the floor.

Gab loves to have an audience.

He loves performing.

We laugh because its funny seeing a small person doing acrobatics.

And when he does, he does them repeatedly,

like a repeated rewind and play, rewind and play situation

just to get a few more laughter and smiles from us.

He is a petite lil' boy.

So much for being big enough to give Mommy N a bad tear when he was born.

Its not comprehensible to us because he chomps literally on everything.

He is not picky with his food at all.

In fact he loves anything edible and even try making the in-edibles, edible.

He finishes his meal and comes after ours.

So where are the fats?

Maybe he has high metabolism rate.

This remain unsolved. We need to grow him a bit more.

His temper tantrums.

It has not improved since Tantrum V2.0,

which is a good thing.

We do not want an upgrade in this department.

Manageable so far cos he mastered the art of manja-ing

and getting out of tight situations by acting cute:P

He loves water!

Its worrying cos he would loves to plunge his face into the pool,

choke on the water for a bit, cry a little, and repeat the same, again and again...

Otherwise, he is slippery in the pool.

We can't seem to be able to hold him down for a sec.

Running after him during his playtime for 15 mins

is equal to 10 sessions of gym or yoga or you name it.

Its endless. No break whatsoever.

Full attention and concentration required.

Its no wonder some parents are seen using child safety harness

to restrain the walking toddlers.

I fondled with the idea quite a bit but quickly gave up.

I can't help but to think that the experience is akin to

walking a dog, so its a definite no-no for me.

We will stick to the running and chasing for now.

Gabriel now fares much better in the sleep department.

He has a regular nap or two in the day.

He rejected pacifiers and slept through the night

just before he turned one.

And he does not need a blankie or bean bag to sleep.

Unlike Nat. These are his password to sleep.

But Gab rolls over actively in his sleep.

Can't be help. Nat is just the same.

I could write a separate post just on their bedtime manners:)

Wok-a-Hot-Lick

2011-01-06T23:01:00.001+08:00

Nat at Work.

I did a mistake by asking him to smile for me.

These.Are.So.Unnatural.

Happy 2011 y'all!

2011-01-01T16:38:00.009+08:00

May 2011 fill you and your loved ones ...

with abundance of happiness and laughter,

peace and merry making,

humour and memorable moments...

Happy New Year!

A Post on Pose

2010-12-29T22:20:00.002+08:00

It is natural for children to imitate things around them,

they learn, and they learn fast.

My two boys are at the stage whereby

they seem to know what to do when I am behind the cam.

Yes, they pose and get ready for a photo taken, in their unique ways.

And of course, insist to view the pic on the cam later.

Nat is recently obsessed with the peace sign.

Cute, but...

his hand gestures are so obvious that I lose my focus at times.

He became the blurred background behind the sharp image of his peace sign.

Other times, I can't even see his face behind his peace sign.

And he usually needs a few seconds to form the peace sign properly.

I don't know where he learnt that from,

but these days, I would ask him to drop the pose, before I shoot.

The other common gesture is the `plastic smile'.

I have seen it on my nieces and nephews,

had a good laugh when my fellow cousins had a hard time

giving instructions for `the perfect smile, au naturale' for the perfect shot.

It usually doesn't work.

Thats why it is best to shoot kids when they are unaware, doing their thing.

With Nat, its the same.

He has this signature plastic smile

whenever I ask him for a photo.

Its a smile alright.

And its the kind of smile that sort of distorts the facial expression.

Sometimes he smiled so hard that I had to stop him from smiling,

to which he went blank, and I had to start all over again,

trying to make him smile naturally, without telling him to smile.

With Gab, he also has this so called `fake smile'

Its cute but more extreme than gor gor's.

On the word `Smile!', he would bite his teeth,

with lips wide apart showing his pink gum,

and a face scrunched up so hard that you hardly see his eyes.

So you can imagine when the two are suppose to be in a photo together.

Its rarely that I get 2 hits.

Either one is looking in another direction or doing his own thing.

So what do I do?

I have to just take as many shots hoping to hit one decent pic.

And recent instructions have been,

`No need to pose'

`No need to smile'

'Pretend I am not here'

or simply, `Lets do it again later'

Some recent NGs:

Last Dec 4

2010-12-29T00:25:00.005+08:00

I have been away too long from this space that

I almost forgotten of its existence until various

ppl sorta reminded me

to be back on track with the updating :p.

Yes I should.

2011 will be knocking on my door before I know it!

Perhaps to start catching up,

I will just post some photos taken from 4 Dec 2010,

when Nat and I turned a year older.

He is 3 and I am 30+1.

It was a chocolatey affair.

Nat has his share of choc for the day and his long awaited set of Chuggingtons,

I got a nice bouquet of flowers and a necklace.

Not bad for a joint bday celebration.

Hmmm, I am not even updating yet.

Still backdating.

Well, we will catch up before 2010 ends, I hope.

Say Cheese!

2010-11-05T23:32:00.000+08:00

5ive minutes

2010-11-04T23:33:00.000+08:00

5 minutes is all Nat needed to finish up these 2 puzzles.

I was watching my drama & within 5 minutes into the drama,

as I saw the time on the tele as I paused my show,

he was already completing them.

I thought he had just started.

No doubt he has been practicing day and night on the same set of puzzles.

But 5 minutes?

Amazed.

A walking Bird, I mean...Boy

2010-11-03T23:40:00.001+08:00

Shortly after his tantrums,

I coaxed Gabriel onto the high chair,

distracted him with some ice cubes and snipped away.

I was going to maintain his `fringe',

but it bothered him, so I had to cut it away,

The result is a clean, army haircut matching gor-gor's.

This guy has been busy walking up and down the living room these few days,

taking more and more steps each day.

Its funny when he does because he had to lift up both hands high to balance his steps,

I couldn't stop playing `Hands up, surrender!' in my mind as I see him walking.

He seemed to be tripping on something with each step he took,

wobbly and in crooked path,

like a 'lil penguin.

But he was so proud and cheered on himself as he go.

So cute.

But don't ask me about his `beak', I had no idea why he does it,

but he does it all the time.

Daddy N calls him a `bird' sometimes.

Shh...Story in Progress

2010-11-02T22:50:00.009+08:00

Nathaniel is the new teacher in town.

He has been addicted to storytelling recently,

loves giving instructions, `teaching' us stuff,

repeating & mimicking what Teacher Melissa must have taught them in class.

And I must admit, he is really good at it.

He was just so natural playing the role of a `teacher'.

He started making me tell stories before bedtime,

about a lion (which he heard in class),

which I did, it was my first time telling him bedtime stories ever,

so I told him of a lion who had runny nose and cough,

and a donkey, Eeyore, who brought him to a doctor,

and mentioned syringe, medicine, you know, something familiar.

Its lame, I know.

But he was so excited that instead of happily going to bed after,

he made me tell the same story THREE solid times!

It made him more alert instead of going to bed.

I was so thirsty after the vocal session as I created the character's voices.

It happened again the next day, the day after and today.

I admit, its kinda tiring mentally as he was a very proactive listener,

So I resorted to finding similar stories told on youtube to replace myself.

I know, I felt bad, but I needed a break,

and I wasn't ready to do this every night

So I guess Nathaniel must have thought that he could do better.

So he happily assumed the role.

And to do this, he needs audience.

And I would happily become one.

Its much easier being a listener and ask questions!

So, he would usually grab a stool and pick a book.

Its a must, storytellers on the stool, audience on the ground.

And he would start with a page he likes and describes them.

It normally goes like this...

`Once upon a time, in the deep deep forest, there is a...can you see?,

This, this.....And now, lets see...,

Then,....Ok? The End'

That is a simplified version.

Normally he goes on for a good 5 minutes or so,

as he turns the pages, lifting up the book for us to see better

and pauses to ask if we had questions as he goes.

Its really fun listening to him telling stories in English,

of course, he inserted some Chinese words as well,

but he made a great story teller, expressive in his own ways,

and I find him rather engaging, as he even asks for our response.

So I guess Teacher Melissa did a good job.

Tonight, he hold up a poster of Mater & Lightning McQueen from Cars,

And made up a story for a good 5 minutes.

Enlightening.

I get to hear bedtime stories everynight from my boy

One lucky mummy I am:)

Tantrums v2.0

2010-11-02T08:36:00.006+08:00

Nathan is officially over the so-called `Terrible Two' period.

In fact, I did not recall him ever throw big tantrums.

He disagrees and complains sometimes,

but not to the extent of throwing himself on the floor,

or wall, or simply attempt to get our full attention.

It was manageable, and he is turning Three soon.

I almost forget that I have another time bomb.

A little one approaching the `Terrible Two' stage.

This little munchkin is much more `expressive'.

He has a `not so good' temper.

When we refuses his wishes or stops him from doing his thing,

he kinda just throw himself on the floor, cry hard and turns flaming red.

He would refuse to push himself up until

we felt discomfort in our ears from his screaming,

and pick him up.

So, we would only risk it if we can `rescue' him from falling hard on the floor,

like when he is on the sofa, or when he is within reach.

Else, he would just throw himself flat on the hard floor!

And we end up having to comfort him from his tantrum and physical pain.

Nowadays, we sort of got used to his `style',

and he also knows that he won't get his way by throwing tantrums,

If we ignore him, he will cry-observe-stop-give up.

The moment we look at him, he would force out a cry, and repeat the above steps.

So we let him be, and he would obediently stop after a while,

pretended nothing happened and continue playing.

But I think this is only the beginning,

he is merely 15 months old

but I hope it can be under control before it becomes terrible:P

Fingers crossed.

Care to learn a new word?

2010-11-01T19:10:00.008+08:00

Question: Do you know what a `Backhoe loader' is?

Nathan was mumbling to himself while playing yesterday,

and I heard him talking about a `backhoe loader'.

I was wondering what was it.

He showed me the library book I got him.

It was a Backhoe loader alright...

I learnt a new word today.

I have a MOUSE!

2010-10-23T14:28:00.006+08:00

I have been trying to source for a lap-top for Nat for a while

but I think I will probably do that again in a year or two's time.

Reasons:

Most of the toymaker's laptops out there are meant for 3 yo and above

I like big screens. Sadly it is proportionate to the age of the user it is meant for

The simpler ones are usually without interactive screens, only an ABC chart

I had previously got him a simple blue one from a sales buy.

It falls into the 3rd category.

At least it plays different sounds corresponding to the alphabets,

with a relatively good collection of nursery rhymes in there,

Just, without the screen.

And Nat has longed wanted a mouse to go with his `lap top'

I got him a mini remote control Thomas the other day.

And he had a brilliant idea.

He got himself a mouse.

Doesn't matter that the shape is awkward,

he even got Thomas nearby to watch him play.

So he was toggling between his lap top and his books this morning,

I overheard him going

`Once upon a time, in....there is a lion...And now, (turns the page)......'

He was a very busy kid.

But after his `work', he keeps his lap top & mouse in place,

on top of our lap tops...

We didn't mind but...

it was blocking off part of the subtitle to my korean drama:P

The Domino Effect

2010-10-17T11:07:00.000+08:00

Gabriel is learning tricks very fast.

I guess with Nat around, he seems to want to catch up,

on everything that Nat does, or can do.

He even started playing the games on my phone,

and knows the rules of the game very well.

When Nat sings, he would sit still, listen,

and started imitating Nat's action

accompanied by his limited but assorted sounds.

When Nat did something naughty,

like climbing up the stool.

He attempts to do the same.

He loves to snatch away Nat's favourite vehicles,

and plays with them the same way Nat does.

And he goes after Nat's water bottle and dinner,

and some junk foods that we gave him once in a while.

So I learnt something,

we just need to make sure that we impart the right values to Nat,

guide him well, and hopefully it has the same effect on Gab.

After all, Gab `listens' and `obeys' his big brother more effectively.

Bottom line is, we just let Nat do the work, naturally.

I hope Gab learns the right principle in his own unique way,

Its like a domino effect,

more like a `buy one, get one free' concept,

with a fine and delicate balance.

I like.

Lovers in Bed

2010-10-16T10:48:00.006+08:00

Don't get the wrong message.

Its the boys...

I was awake yesterday at the sound of Daddy N's `Wah!' early in the morning.

He was so pleased to see the 2 boys in each other's arms.

Lucky the boys were not bothered by him.

So Daddy N snapped away with his phone.

I immediately got up and did the same with my

Canon,

which was noisier when I clicked.

So they woke up soon after...

The boys shift position a lot throughout the night.

They even rolled on top of each other,

changes sides and orientation,

but always seem to cuddle each other when morning comes.

Perhaps its the warmth that comforts.

Balancing Act

2010-10-10T14:36:00.003+08:00

Gabriel spent a good fifteen minutes balancing on his feet yesterday.

But he is still doubtful to take any step forward,

unless we standby to catch him when he loses balance.

So for now, he is just practicing static stability.

His progress is pretty good considering

he can still eat and sway from side to side

while on his 2 feet.

As you can see, he kept his feet apart most of the time

he figured this out by chance!

Growing up too fast

2010-10-09T14:46:00.000+08:00

Don't you agree that Nat looks more matured in these shots?

Gosh, they sure grow up real fast.

Nat is already naggy for his age,

and I hear a lot of myself coming out from him.

My instructions, my comments, my complaints, sigh...

He remembers them all so well!

Whether he complies or not, is another thing.

And he can be so noisy and nosy some days

so much so that I had to practically ask him to stop talking.

And yet, he kept going on and on,

explaining why he should carried on,

asking why I ask him to stop, etc etc,

which leads to a whole new set of debate.

Its tiring, mentally.

These conversations can be too carried away sometimes

as he combines the reality, his experience and his imagination.

UNLESS, you are really free, it can be rather entertaining.

Too bad, we are all in our busy period,

so sometimes we need peace in the house.

And so, he turns to Gab,

and does the teaching, scolding and instructing, on our behalf.

He is a rather strict gor gor, no leniency.

Although he is possessive over his toys,

he shares occasionally and shows Gab affection,

just like the way we sayang him if he is unhappy.

I guess the bottom line is, children learns how they live,

And I hope he can grow up to be a fine young man:P

Just....not so fast please!

What's with the mouse?

2010-10-02T10:29:00.000+08:00

Gab is fascinated with all things electronic & electrical.

He is a pro at the games on my phone,

he would experiment with the remote control for the fan,

and not to mentioned, the tv,

loves to switch on/ off the lights,

extremely love our laptops, especially the mouse.

He pulled some tricks with it,

pretending it was a car going up, up and away.

01.10.10

2010-10-01T23:06:00.000+08:00

Its Children's Day today.

Nat had a little celebration at his play group yesterday.

They were required to put on casual wears to class,

and of course, I had to send kakak there with a cam, as usual.

I did not know he could strike poses:P

Anyways, the day before, teacher Melissa had told us that

she was wrapping presents meant for the children.

Nat quickly came near and asked her, `Give me?'

To which teacher Mellisa replied,

`These presents are for tomorrow',

Nat immediately told her, `Teacher Melissa, I love you'

She was so surprised cos Nat would not even

greet her `Good Morning' at the start of class.

Must be due to the much anticipated present.

As you may have guessed it right,

it was full of chocolates and sweets,

plus a colouring book and a toy.

He was sooo pleased.

Sandy Water World

2010-09-14T23:34:00.004+08:00

So much to update, so little time...

Anyways,we are back from a short trip up North.

Shots taken at Water World,

A Famosa Resort, Melaka.

Not that great a trip if you ask me.

We were amongst the gazillions of people during the Raya holidays,

over the weekends.

Services were poor,

Surroundings were dirty,

Pools are filled with sands,

The camels and elephants were just smelly,

Hotel room was dusty,

Food was scarce,

believe me, we were practically queuing for food

with an empty bowl in our hands,

as trays and trays of food vanished before our eyes!

It was like a refugee camp full of hungry people, I tell ya.

The spirit of buffet dining is challenged.

But the kids had a great time regardless.

5 Years On...

2010-09-09T20:52:00.000+08:00

This is what we have achieved,

On our fifth Wedding Anniversary.

Its a family affair:)

He does it with 8

2010-09-06T20:05:00.000+08:00

These 8 teeth.

They are strong enough to bite anything edible.

Amazing how he does it with our food, especially.

Anyways, the molars are coming.

Wheels, wheels, wheels....

2010-09-05T15:59:00.003+08:00

Every Friday, teacher Melissa will write a sentence or two

on what Nathaniel has been learning in class every week

and what he loves doing.

We have seen `He loves playing with cars' a couple of times now.

True enough, he just loves anything with wheels.

Of late, Daddy N's Samsonite luggage bag.

He would wheel it around the house,

got down on his tummy and examine the wheels,

a few times a day.

Today, he insisted on getting a purple coloured van,

amongst all the die-cast iron vehicles in the shop.

So persistent although it wasn't of the quality I approved of,

I had to give in.

He could not wait and lay on his tummy on the floor in the mall to play,

So desperate, I had to find him a bench for him to do so.

Hence, the above photos:P

Still got baby toes

2010-09-04T20:03:00.000+08:00

These are Gabriel's.

Cute button toes peeping out of his sarung,

Well pedicured.

OMG, a what?

2010-09-03T20:06:00.000+08:00

Nathaniel saw a picture of a Santa Claus the other day.

He asked me ,

`Zhe ge shi Lion shi ma?',

to which I was quick to reply,

`Bu shi la',

before I went `

zhe ge shi....er, Santa Claus, er, na ge, er...'

Another speechless moment there.

I really don't know how to explain it in a way comprehensible to him.

I can't really say that Santa Claus brings children presents during Christmas, right?

Or can I?

Now, where is the TV remote control?

2010-09-02T20:02:00.000+08:00

Gabriel lazing at the sofa with the TV remote control in his hands in the weekends.

Tribute to Teachers

2010-09-01T20:54:00.001+08:00

Its Teacher's Day on 01 September,

and its a holiday for both teachers and pupils.

And its Nat's first.

So the day before, I was in time to prepare 3 stalk of roses for Nat's `teachers',

Actually one teacher, one laoshi and her assistant.

3 stalks, as the florist was too busy preparing other bouquet orders,

not really interested in my `small orders',

but I got the roses anyways,

and had to make cards from random food boxes,

hold Nat's hand to help him write some words on it.

He was more interested in pasting the stickers,

so we cut a deal: 2 words per sticker.

It took him 20 mins to finish 12 words!

He was one stubborn guy.

Anyways, we made it just before his bedtime.

Nat did gave the roses to his `teachers' personally the next day,

of course he kept confusing `Happy Teacher's Day` with `Happy Birthday',

but I dun think the teachers mind

cos he was the only one who had a gift for them.

To more Teacher's Day ahead!

Post Birthday Balloons

2010-08-31T20:03:00.000+08:00

These balloons are really hardy,

they are still in a good shape, albeit a little smaller,

all around the house 2 weeks after Gabriel's birthday.

I did gave away some of the balloons to the kids next door,

and we even saw one at the corridor!

How Gab gets his points across...

2010-08-27T20:59:00.005+08:00

Gab's 'vocabulary' has expanded greatly.

He would point at something and goes Ge! Ge! Ge!

when he wants something,

a short form of `zhe ge'

He can now nod his head to mean a `YES!'

Well, he used to only shake his head to everything.

Now, he really means a `NO!' when he does.

His understanding power is surprising.

He may not be able to make the correct sounds,

but he tries carefully to match what we say

and somehow understands what we say

in long sentences.

He refuses help when he cruises along our furnitures,

trying to stand by holding on to the table.

He would remove our helping hands.

Claps his hands when we do the same.

Dance clumsily to any beat,

even to gor gor's singing!

Pretends to answer a phone when we do.

Slurp, slurp, splash!

2010-08-26T20:48:00.000+08:00

Nat started eating his noodles using chopsticks at home.

Since he loves noodles so much, I think its high time.

Seen here using his Thomas & Friends' set of chopsticks

and the blue rubber guide Daddy N bought him,

Nathan had his first trial lesson.

But it would be easier if we had prepared egg noodle or koka noodles,

noodles with more friction, for that matter.

We cooked him mian sian instead, which is too fine,

plus its swimming in a bowl of chicken soup,

with finely chopped mushroom and chicken.

The noodles kept slipping off his chop sticks,

ending back in the soup with splash!

See the mountains of tissue in the foreground?

How many trees have we killed again this time...

Anyway, he fares okay for a first timer.

He now bends forward to eat his noodles,

so, less noodle ends up on his pants.

And he places his mouth real close to the bowl,

less chances for the noodle to slip away and no splash!

He was so proud.

The 3rd Mac Donald

2010-08-25T20:28:00.000+08:00

I only know of two Mac Donalds so far,

The fast food chain McD and the Old McDonald who has a farm.

until I learnt of the 3rd one last weekend.

The boys had their share of Youtube only during weekends,

which Nat especially looks forward to.

His fave is still the Wheels of the Bus, sang by Madonna.

He has seen it over the 100th time by now,

and each time he views it, there are new questions asked.

he is so familiar with the clip now,

so much so that he can tell me the slight difference in lyrics,

and the sequence of the animation,

compared to other clips.

Last weekend, he was suddenly interested in the lady in the song,

points to her and asked me,

`Mama, zhege shi shui?

I told him `Madonna',

Oh, MacDonald shi ma?

Shhh...

2010-08-24T20:36:00.001+08:00

This is what I wake up to every morning.

The two boys deep in slumberland.

This is the only time they don't engage in ANY form of disagreement,

except a shriek or two when one rolls above the other on the bed.

10 hours of Peace:P

The Upper Deck

2010-08-23T10:41:00.000+08:00

Seated at the upper deck of the double decker bus,

the two boys were as good as gold,

enjoying the view from above.

Nat was telling me he can see the roof of the bus stop

and its so dirty, filled with dried leaves and twigs.

And he can now see the top of the cars and so on.

Too bad, I cannot let go of either one for a shot as the bus moves.

And with my fixed lens, there is no zoom factor, either.

So I can only manage to take a shot of their hands on the grab bar.

I then realised that the front seat next to the huge windscreen,

is somehow an `unspoken' privileged seat for parents with kids,

as a young couple gives up their front seat to a crying boy with his mum,

who wants a share of the view.

Lucky us!

Marina Bay Got Sands?

2010-08-22T07:52:00.001+08:00

Another rare photo of Daddy N with his team.

`We are at the bay, how can we not have photos with the water in the background?'

That is when Daddy N obliges,

and I think its quite a shot there,

Au Naturale!

Gabriel, as always, gave us his signature blur look,

and Nathaniel, always trying to slip away from the frame.

Of course the boys had their solo shots.

It was a rather dangerous pose.

More that 1 metre level difference behind due to the ramp.

So there were reinforcement hands behind him.

Not so glam, but I can't take chances, can I?

This will do.

Good job for a boy who is recovering from a fever.

It is much easier with Nathaniel,

he is taking in his surroundings quite well,

He sits still, knowing the danger of falling,

and followed our instructions perfectly for this shot.
No reinforcement hands required:)

There were a lot of giant WORDS on all the grassy patch we can find,

in black and whites.

`Independence In Progress' & `My Rules' were among some.

And Nathaniel was posing happily in most of them,

often cutting into people's photos also,

Luckily the bay-goers are rather cool.

They just smiled and laughed it off.

Marina Bay No Sands

2010-08-21T07:19:00.007+08:00

First time for the kids.

It was an impromptu outing

as I pestered Daddy N to bring us all there in this new love, his modified car.

`The area is so hip now, everybody is going there, we should too!'

Well, we are in Marina Bay alright, walking just a small length of it,

but that will do, we can still catch the sight of Merlion from accross the bay.

There was a neat jazz playing outside the Esplanade.

For a moment, I thought Nathan was surprisingly into jazz.

Within seconds he found the bench more interessting

and started sliding off them, one by one,

Yeap, he distracted some serious spectator.

I had to remove him from the scene..

Oh, Nathaniel also got to hold hands with Merlion's offspring,

Merly and Lyo, mascots for the Youth Olympic Games.

And he is a big boy now, and he walked up those steps on his own,

stopping for some rare photographs.

Rare because Daddy N, who is normally camera-shy, obliges.

It was a scorching hot afternoon,

so we made it short,

plus Gabriel has just recovered from a mild fever,

so he was not so keen to play about.

To be continued...

Cane I?

2010-08-18T20:26:00.000+08:00

Its fun to be a toddler.

I even have free access to the `cane',

Now, Gor gor, you better behave!

Where is the Flush?

2010-08-17T20:54:00.000+08:00

This is so original!

We were just at the car park downstairs.

Nat could not wait any longer and needed to relief himself,

though we are just a minute away from his blue potty.

He chose the drain at the corner and relieved himself.

While pulling up his pants,

he was clearly looking for something and asked me,

`Mama, where is the flush le?'

This, because he always looked forward to flushing,

after he peed in the public toilet cubicles when we are out.

Another speechless moment for me there.

I just laughed it off :D

Gabriel is ONE!

2010-08-16T20:22:00.001+08:00

Gabriel is ONE today.

Bye bye babyhood!

We did the customary `Ma Jui' game

in the morning of Gabriel's Birthday celebration last Saturday,

its a foochow custom meaning `To Grab',

More significance if the custom can be found here.

This time round, we prepared 8 items,

placed around him in a circle, for him to pick in sequence,

each symbolising a virtue that he will display in that particular order.

Unlike Nathan, Gabriel was more hesitant

to just `grab anything' and he took more time to decide between items.

He gave us the `Do I really need to do this?' kinda look most of the time

By the time we are left with the last 2 items, he was already bored,

and decided he did not want to carry on.

Daddy N had to carry him to make his final selections.

I think he probably cannot understand

why everything he grabbed was taken away for him within seconds.

Repeatedly.

Anyway, his first and last two selections are identical to Nat's.

1. Calculator, The Organised Planner

2. Mirror & Comb, The Vain One

3. Red Eggs, The Food Lover

4. Pen, The Writer

5. Dictionary, The Scholar

6. Drumstick, The Food Lover

7. Keys, The Household Man

8. Red Packet, the Money Lover

Not sure how can we work this out...

If the above is true, can we have 2 `planners' in the household?

And coincidentally, both boys are NOT interested in cash

Oh, well..., luckily both picked the dictionary

somewhere in the middle of the game,

not leaving `education' as the last priority!

That night, we had a simple birthday gathering at the comfort of home,

attended by family and some friends.

Photos will be up real soon.

Watch this space!

What's in a Poo?

2010-08-15T20:26:00.000+08:00

Nathan's creativity knows no bound.

We can even witness it in the waste department...
Ok, please don't gross out with what I am about to tell ya.

Background story:

Nat has a peculiar habit.

He would do his business in his potty,

after barely 3 minutes later,

he would call out, demanding each of us to look at what he has poo-ed.

So, one by one, we have to step near and admire his end product,

of course with some encouragement amidst the err....smell.

Only then would he let us clean his potty and his butt.

It will be worst if you have sensitive nose like mine,

No smell escapes my nostrils.

These days:

He developed his, I would say, CREATIVITY.

With a bit more sophistication and style.

He would do his thing,

stands up when he is done, while rolling up his shirt,

to avoid stains, whatever, and stare into his potty.

Give him 15 seconds.

And he would try to identify the `shape' of his product,

with relation to the everyday things he see.

Some of the stuff we heard so far includes:

A long stool with a fold in between resembling number Seven

Soft stool with pointed ends that looked like a Monkey doing a star-jump

A few small brown pellets that looked like `Chocolates'

Little yellowish mounds which he called `Cute One'.

Or a potty full of shit that he identified as `So Big! heng duo le'

I would leave you with a photo of cheeky Nathan `sunbathing' on the floor.

It is totally unrelated to this post.

However, I hope it may help you stomache the gross details above.

Enjoy!

Colours of the Night

2010-08-14T08:25:00.000+08:00

Honestly, this is the first time we are preparing for a birthday gathering.

I won't call it a party though.

We are trying out, perhaps we can do a party next.

Anything for the kids,

but its gets tougher with time...

The last time I was seen inflating and stringing baloons

was probably yonks ago

when I help decorate mum's Assembly Hall for her Tupperware function.

Now, almost a decade older, I can feel my muscle aching

and my cheeks sore from all the inflating works.

Well, these are the fruits of our labour for the night.

I hope it will be a nice humble birthday celebration for Gabriel tonight.

We are all set!

Days to One

2010-08-13T20:05:00.001+08:00

.
Only days before reaching the ONE mark.

Poor boy is feverish on and off this week.

Perhaps a sign of the milestone approaching.

A definite sign of teething at the lower gums,

Perhaps stressed from trying to master as many skills as he can

before he is officially not a baby anymore,

means we no longer chart his growth in months:P

It will be in 'years' now.

.
He certainly has more tricks up his sleeves these days

He shakes his head to mean NO.

And I do mean most of the time,

when he is full and refuses food,

or when we bring him the wrong toy,

and recently shakes his head to the tune of

`Ke ren lai, Kan baba, Baba Bu zai jia'
Darn cute can!

.
He calls out`Mum mum' to ask for food

Calls out mama and baba perfectly well,

although he got the wrong person sometimes:P

He stretches out his arms,

opens and clinches his fist continuously to ask to be carried.

Can even direct us where to go by pointing and calling out `Aba! Aba!

Yes, he can point with his forefinger.

Very cute considering how little his hands are.

Another bad-tempered guy.

Say No to him, and he would just straighten his limbs,

eyes shut tightly and cry cry cry his lungs out.

He pinches and pulls Nathan's hair when upset,

if ever gor gor is nearby

When he crawls,

he crawls on all four instead of commando crawl.

On hearing `bye bye',

he would turn around just to check if we are still there,

in case he crawls too far away,

you know, playing hard to get...

.
Jumping is the favourite activity of late.

Jump everywhere,

on the sofa, at the table, on the bed, on our lap

He has influenced Nathan into doing the same, together!

Can do the fake cry until he gets what he wants.

How would we know, you may ask?

No tears ma...

Waves goodbye.

Sweet!

Eats in mouthfuls and in bite-sizes.

I never need to puree anything for him.

I wonder how he assigns the biting chore to his 8 front teeth.

He will have to push out his food to the front for chewing.

I suspect he did the shortcut and swallowed some food without chewing.

Imagine a camel going nom nom nom.

He can stand by himself for 3 seconds now,

before he jumps for support.

He can drink from the straw,

but he is not able to control the flow just yet.
Loves anything cool, think ice, yoghurt and chilled food...

He has a very good control of his fingers,

picks on every fine strands of fabrics, fur, hair

tiny pieces of scraps and tissue.

I need microscopic eyes to do that!

Loves to dance to hot beats and children songs.

He sways from side to side

and bobs up and down,

this one, more happening than Nat.

Smart with anything electronics.

Definitely beyond the Generation Z demographics

Remake of `Full Throttle'

2010-08-12T20:18:00.000+08:00

Remember the famous Andy Lau on a bike scene in Full Throttle?

1995?

This model can pass or not?

A Cat and a Copy Cat

2010-08-11T20:45:00.001+08:00

This is what we will be getting a lot in due course.

Nathaniel doing his thing

Gabriel copying and making it his thing

A Re-run of everything copyable.

O, did I not mention that it could happen the other way round too?

Like Gabriel jumping on the sofa,

and then the double-weighted gor gor doing the same,

the sofa is not far from being saggy and all-wrinkled.

Its interesting in a way,

cos we practically just watch one 'perform',

and the other will do the same irregardless of our response.

They adopt the `Do first, think later' approach.

Its almost like watching an encore at the end of a show, kind of feeling

Sigh, to scold or not too scold....

My Sleeping Partner(s)

2010-08-10T20:06:00.000+08:00

Our Queen-sized bed is quickly becoming a little too small.

No bed huge enough can accommodate the two lil' snoozers.

Both needs equally huge space to do their acrobatic moves throughout the night.

Its even more crowded now that Gabriel insists to bunk with Nat and I.

Daddy N has long been downgraded to just a floor space with a mattress over.

We, the younger ones, get to enjoy our Sealy mattress:P

So, back to Gabby.

He used to sleep in his crib.

But recently he has been fussing a lot

and would settle immediately when placed on our bed.

`You see, its really a good buy',

I probably heard this from Daddy N for the tenth time already.

Yes hubby, it is.

These days, by the time I hear the familiar`ek, ek ek' from Gabriel at night,

he is already standing tall at the crib rail, wailing,

waiting to be picked up...

I had no choice but to plonk him between me and Nat,

pat him to sleep before going back to snoozeland.

Settled.

It helps that both have stopped needing night feeds.

Even then, I am always busy in the middle of the night,

as both boys are always entangled in one way or the other,

I have to adjust their positions when one cried for help,

often Gabriel who naturally becomes Nathan's pillow and bolster.

So, there I was, scooping one up and pulled the other into position, in the dark,

Like a tractor cum a tow truck.

It happens a couple of times throughout the night

as both are really active snoozers.

They measure the bed throughout the night everyday without fail!

I don't really know how much space they need for a good night's sleep,

but I know I definitely need just the edge of the bed,

enough to fit myself with zero tolerance, before falling off the bed.

Sometimes I find myself hanging off the edge.

By the time I discovered this, I would have stiff neck already.

Well, they can have the rest of the bed for now.

I wonder how will this work out when they grow in length...

Happy 45th, Singapore!

2010-08-09T20:10:00.002+08:00

Thanks to her Birthday today,

we had an additional day off to spent with the two little guys.

We head to Sakae Sushi for lunch today,

off course Gabriel had his homemade beef and pumpkin porridge

and some of my chewy Udon to soothe his gum,
while Nathan, boy was he amazed by the `Fire Chief' kiddy set I ordered for him,

and thought that it was a real toy,

He almost wheeled it off the table, to my horror!

But the Fire Chief plate came late.

Nathan was already quite full with my Tempura Udon

and Daddy N's assorted sushis...

So he just took the fries, had a piece of the rice cake,

and ate up the `facial features' of the two smileys.

I gobbled up the Fire Chief.

It was quite yummy:P

Ten New Things about Nat

2010-08-08T20:36:00.000+08:00

He takes 2 in 1 BOH tea.

No sugar, bothers me, but not him!

He loves green tea,

and asks for coffee when he smells mine.

My little caffeine-addict-wannabe.

Bossy!

He surely knows how to be a gor gor.

We see him repeating our instructions to Gabriel,

with all sort of reasoning and actions some more...

Multi-tasker.

He watches his show, eyes fixed on the TV,

while he eats and ride in his motorcar,

ocassionally listen in to our conversations and responds!

He seems to have invisible eyes on the back of his head.

Can't seem to hide anything from him these days.

He can see what we are doing from the corner of his eyes,

especially when we try to sneak out from the house.

So difficult to get his permission to,

without him tagging along afterwards.

He has a fetish with wheels, engines, planes, any modes of transportation.

He creates new vehicles too,

marrying different attributes of the vehicles together,

like a train that flies,

cars that grow `fan' on top like a helicopter,

helicopters that twirls and twist like his chuggingtons

Very very emotional boy.

Yeah, he screams and climb and run alright,

but when we part in the morning before work,

his tears just start swelling up in his eyes as he wiped them away.

He knows he can't make us stay and there is nothing he can do about it.

Yet he obeyed silently, waved goodbye and give us a weak kiss on the cheek.

He loves Chuggington.

An animation series featuring three young trainee locomotives

and their daily adventures.

And its easy to see why.

The `chuggers' can fly, rotate, and talk,

unlike Thomas the Tank Engine:P

He has pretty good memory.

I showed him some photos we took in Taipei 4 months ago,

and asked him where he was in the photos...

he was trying to find an answer and finally said,

we went to the 'hotel'

Well said :)

He can pick up his stuff from the floor using his toes.

Very versatile toes he has

I dun think he saw us doing that.

Well, maybe...

10.

He knows how to operate the video player.

Knows exactly which remote control to use,

for the TV, and the Cable TV and the Video Player.

He powers up the TV and video player, ejects out his Barney DVD,

Puts in his Chuggington DVD and presses `play'.

So cool, so confident, no pauses, no mistakes.

The only thing he still need our help at

is to toggle between the cable tv function and video player function.

The rest is easy peasy for him.

Majulah Singapura!

2010-08-06T20:36:00.004+08:00

.
This is what the kids have been singing throughout the week.

No wonder Nat has been reciting...

`I love Singapore! I love Singapore!'

Its Singapore's National Day on 9 August.

So the kids had a pre-celebration in class today.

They were all required to be dressed in red top and white bottom.

Very synchronized and smart looking,

but we can't help to notice that Nat is rather `petite'

compared to his cohorts who are mostly about 6 months older than him.

On occasions like this, I usually sent kakak out to do some photo taking.

By now, the kids probably has gotten used to it and not afraid of posing.

Some parents even asked for photos taken with their kids.

So I guess, kakak will be the official photographer for events like this.

Her skills are improving though.

The kids were all happy and playful.

Teacher distributed a flag each at the end of class.

And guess who else get to tag along in all the excitements?

Little Gabriel came to pick gor gor up from class

and posed with a flag too!

Window of My World

2010-08-05T20:35:00.001+08:00

My Joy and Pride...

Biting Building Blocks

2010-08-04T20:41:00.000+08:00

.
Nathaniel builds alright.
On the other hand, Gabriel is just happy doing his thing,
Showing us proudly what he does best to relief his tender little gums.
No hands required ok!
.
If gor gor sees this, Gabriel will definitely receive longwinded lectures from him,
I can already start to imagin the string of sentences he would come up with:
Cannot bite! You see, its all wet with your saliva! Now I have to clean it with a Tissue!
O, where is the Tissue, huh? Next time mama won't let you play!
Remember, cannot bite ah! Or else, mama will beat you! Aiyah, you dunno how to play la!
and bla, bla, bla..
.
But Gabriel is another cheeky one, he likes to challenge Nat's patience,
and just stares blankly, before he is at it again.
Its a neverending thing.
.

Airplane, simplified version

2010-08-03T20:35:00.006+08:00

He builds.

Tractors, trains and aeroplanes, from his mega blocks.

Pictured above is his signature aeroplane at the foreground.

His current favourite.

Simple construction with just the body and 2 prominent wings.

I like.

Post-IT

2010-08-02T20:53:00.001+08:00

If the brothers were postmans,

either the entire block does not get their snail mails,

or everyone would get junk mails.

The boys were playing near the letter boxes last Sunday afternoon.

It rained, and rained and rained non-stop

so we had to spent time outdoor under shelter.

Nathaniel was busy checking that every letter box flap is working.

Gabriel is busy just trying to reach the lowest row of letter boxes.

They looked too cute together.

I hope people didn't think that they are vandalising or anything:P

Bring Polliwogs home!

2010-08-01T20:00:00.000+08:00

We have our own little Polliwogs going on at the comfort of home.

Not quite the exact version, but close enough.

I got a ball tent for the boys recently, in a shape of a car,

so much for complaining about not enough storage space:P

Nathan just couldn't stop jumping in and out of the ball tent.

I really don't know what he does inside, but he loves it.

Probably need to get more balls.

The ball pool is a little too shallow.

Or maybe not, cos he even bring his pillow in

and insisted to drink and eat in his little camp-like space.

Its a personal space sacred to him.

Gabriel on the other hand, prefers to play outside the tent.

He needs a little bit of time to warm up to being in an enclosure.

What has become of our Home?

2010-07-31T20:37:00.001+08:00

Over the years,

with the arrival of our 2 boys since about 3 years ago,

I have come to realise about what makes a home for four, (read: not TWO):

We should have picked a more vibrant colour scheme for the home,

since we have planned to create more occupants for the home.

It should have never been planned for two from the start.

Modern, contemporary, minimalist, glassy, squared and black.

Ahhh....nothing of that sort now,

we did enjoy these furnitures for a while,

but one by one, they have been replaced.

Ask me again now,

I would definitely go for rounded, plastic and vibrant-coloured furnitures,

especially if they can be enjoyed and experienced by the little ones.

Definitely bright, white and simple wall and flooring,

so that I can spot and remove any dust speckles, if you may.

We had previsouly removed the storeroom to make space.

And now, we ended up making a little store here and there.

Although we have to find storage space for the boys' stuff,

its one decision we never regret,

imagine what would we have today if we had the store!

We probably just dump everything in,

all stacked up that we can't even open the door.

That, and we might still complain about not having enough storage space!

Abundance of Toys.

How can we deny that we spoil the brothers.

I just loved the IKEA storage shelves we got.

All organised and colourful, taking up minimal space.

But what happened to bulky toys?

Cars, bikes, ball tent, basketball ring, walker, bla, bla, bla...?

These bulky items ended up having to be displayed permanently.

So, one corner of the home always looked like a garage sale or something.

The fact is, we have to face the fact.

There is no telling to which toys the boys wanna play each minute!

Girls would be nice, but luckily with boys,

they have limited fashion out there, thus less clothes and NO accessories,

But mind you, boys can never have too many toys or clothings too, you know.

Bottomline is, we still need space for storing over-growned clothings.

Interestingly, our home has began to assumed new uses over the years.

I would like to think that we are sometimes

a GARAGE, with broken vehicles aplenty, waiting to be repaired

A tzechar RESTAURANT, when the boys played masak-masak and served us food.

But more often than not, the home is where the CONSTRUCTION SITE is,

Need we say more of their vast collection of tractors, trucks and lorries below?

Who is in the Phone?

2010-07-31T20:27:00.001+08:00

Nat was next to Daddy N when I called from work.

He saw my photo flashed on Daddy N's touchscreen phone,

got excited and told Daddy N,

`Mama zai zhebian le, mama zai kan En En'

In other words, mum is in here and she is looking at me:P

Happens when he saw our family portrait too.

He would name all the family members

and tell us which one is looking at him (the camera).

A Walk at the Park

2010-07-30T20:26:00.002+08:00

We had a stroll at Punggol Park last weekend with the boys.

Its huge but not so appealing save for a neat playground,

halfway through the perimeter of the lake.

Unfortunately, we did not get to explore ALL the play equipments.

There were no shadetrees nearby, so the slides and platforms

were so hot that even Nathaniel dare not try.

It was still under hot sun at 5:00pm

and its near the kid's bathtime and dinnertime.

So we decided to give it a miss and not wait for the equipments to cool.

The boys settled with the see-saw on the sand pit

and a slow walk around the perimeter of the lake,

looking at joggers, people walking their dog and skaters.

It was educational to some extent.

The WHYs and BECAUSEs

2010-07-29T20:38:00.002+08:00

The highly anticipated phase of Q&A is here to stay for some time.

So many Questions about everything!

It gets tiring sometimes as we find ways to answer Nathaniel

in a way comprehensible to him at his age.

But the good thing with Nathaniel is that,

most of the time, he would ask a question and then go

`Because...' before coming up with the funniest answers!

Saves us some effort in a way.

But still, he loves to ask questions.

Like why is there `something' on the car's roof.

It happens to be the Antenna,

so now, he can pronounce the word perfectly

and when on the road, would identify which car

has got antenna and which one does not,

which is longer, and which is shorter.

But I won't be able to handle technical questions

which I am sure he would ask in the near future.

He can even identify gas stations and told me

that is where Daddy N pumped air into the tyres!
.

Usually we will try to answer his questions

to the best of our ability, although some questions can be rather difficult.

Like why does a car stops at the side of the road with the hazard lights on,

or why does the helicopter have wheels...

Once, Nathan saw a lady in a tube and mini skirt.

He asked me why is the lady not wearing clothes

as her belly button is exposed.

This, because we always emphasized that

he has to quickly put on his clothes after shower,

otherwise someone would see his belly button.

But I did explained later, that the lady is going to put on some clothes in a while.

Pretty lame, isn't it?

But some questions were left unanswered...

like when he points at a particular direction

and ask where is what, when we are on the road.

He would know that I have a poor sense of direction soon,

and stop asking the same question for the 20th time within the 20 mins ride!

But so far, Nathan did not ask persistent questions.

He would be contented if we at least try to say something,

but depending on our answers,

it may lead him to ask sub-questions too!

Our constant struggle to find answers...

The Month Before One

2010-07-28T20:37:00.002+08:00

Ahh... how time flies.

At this point, I am already busy preparaing for the upcoming

birthday celebration of my second-born.

Not wanting to be labelled `unfair'.
I am trying to come up with a simple `something':P

At Month 11,

Gabriel is indeed, in all possible ways,

a toddler in my eyes.

He calls out to us, `Mama, Baba, Kah-kah' surprisingly well,

Of course sometimes he got them all mixed up,

but still, clearly pronounced in loud, 2-syllables.

He sings too, in his limited a-goo-gaas,

but with unique tunes.

He especially loves to duet. Just bring it on!

He loves our food.

Clearly an adventurous eater.

He does not even bat his eyelid at a little bit of spicyness.

Sourish food like yoghurt or fruit excites him.

He won't miss our cold and icy drinks,

He is also into Nathan's snacks and our plates.

Some days, I feed the two boys off the same plate.

A little competition is healthy.

Nathan finish his food faster thsi way,

for fear of `losing' mouthfuls of his food to Gabriel,

while I struggle to run in opposite directions!

Gabriel`Hi-Fives'.

Its really amusing when he does.

We just need to lift up our palm close to his,

ask for a `Hi-Five' and he would return with a five,

complete with a body twist, jerk and a `Arrrrh!'.

He sleeps pretty well these days,

the daytime naps are getting longer,

about 40 mins to an hour, 3 times a day.

He shares the same bedtime as Nathaniel and me:P,

between 9:40 to 10:30pm, and definitely more predictable.

He sometimes sleep through without night feeds.

But he is still an early bird,

our walking alarm set at 7:30am, every day.

He advances well in the play department.

I think most of this is due to his observations

on his gor-gor, Nathaniel.

So we had better make sure Nathan behaves

and becomes his role model.

We will get double dose of what he does, otherwise.

The unfortunate thing is,

Gabriel is already bored with toddler-toys,

and is coming after our laptops and electronic gadgets.

He even hold the remote control,

points to the tv and go `Ar gah! gah!' in excitement.

Comparatively, Nathaniel was still fascinated by a mere teether

when he was approaching one.

Gabriel's motor skills are pretty good.

He loves to pull out treads from torn fabrics,

or pick on the fine mesh in between my polyester mousepads,

or pick on his hair snips during haircut sessions.

Small and fine things never escapes his eyes,

and his mouth, unfortunately.

And he has started to take 2 wobbly steps.

But he prefers to just throw himself at us after two steps.

Save him steps, you see.

We are getting there.

Sharing `Private Moments'

2010-07-27T20:26:00.000+08:00

As much as Nathaniel is a `private' person,
He shared some of his private moments with Gabriel.

It was so darn cute I tell you.

Upon seeing Gabriel on his Purple Potty,

Nathaniel suddenly had the urge to go,

so he too, sat on his Blue Potty next to Gabriel,

analysing his younger brother's actions and reactions.

They looked so bored and disinterested,

and obviously losing concentration.

`This won't do', I thought.

I decided to offer some entertainment,

to kill their boredom, and bring back some concentration.

We need to get back to business here.

So there we go,

Youtube, on the laptop, on the floor.

It worked.

The Potty was full after:)