Piano lessons

Sweetie has started her piano lessons with yamaha and she simply loves it! She enjoys every stage of the routine from group singing to rhythmic clapping to playing on the electronic piano. And not forgetting homework and loads of revisions simply became part of the fun!

Too bad daddy always have excuses to not want to participate! His mindset is so fixated, thinking his poor music appreciation at primary level will hinder her progress or simply his lack of interest made it seem like a chore whenever he had to attend the classes with her. In my opinion, daddy may be too tensed up in class. Reminiscing about what happened during his childhood just adds on the stress. Instead He should relax and for once allow sweetie to take the lead and enjoy the process of being there. I know i did and when i see this young little one joining rest of the koko and jie jie in the medleys, i cant help but feel a sense of pride. Proud that she doesn't show fear in front of the older kids and she could keep up with their tempo, as well as remember all that were taught in class and being so brave to sing in front of a group of adult parents! I know i cant do this when i was 3. So keep it up sweetie!!!












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Staying home with kids

Today marked the first day of my full-time role as a mother. I was so looking forward to this day where its just me and the kids the entire day. To be honest i Was a little annoyed when grandma came knocking on the door and thereafter we squabbled about almost anything! How she wanted to bring the kids out though i said no, how i have prepared their meals etc. Yet she turned out to be such a great help and i felt fortunate that i had her extra pair of hands when Natalie vomited twice without any symptoms and caught me off guard! Somehow our anger disappeared and all efforts were on Natalie to make sure that she was alright. Funny how the situation transformed the dynamics of the team and got us working in concert where the 2 of us insantly knew what was the next best thing to do!

Zithromax

We've observed that whenever natalie had a cough, augmentin usually dont seem to work for her. Instead Zithromax has proven time and again to be a better cure. Making a mental note so she gets the right prescription the first round.

Extract from http://www.drugs.com/zithromax.html

What is Zithromax?

Zithromax (azithromycin) belongs to a group of drugs called macrolide antibiotics. Zithromax fights bacteria in the body.

Zithromax is used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria, such as respiratory infections, skin infections, ear infections, and sexually transmitted diseases.

You should not use Zithromax if you have ever had jaundice or liver problems caused by taking azithromycin. You should not use Zithromax if you are allergic to it or to similar drugs such as erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), clarithromycin (Biaxin), telithromycin (Ketek), or troleandomycin (Tao).

There are many other medicines that can interact with Zithromax. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Take this medicine for the full prescribed length of time. Your symptoms may improve before the infection is completely cleared. Skipping doses may also increase your risk of further infection that is resistant to antibiotics. Zithromax will not treat a viral infection such as the common cold or flu. Avoid taking an antacid within 2 hours before or after you take Zithromax. Some antacids can make it harder for your body to absorb Zithromax.
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siblings

There are several benefits of having siblings here are some of them:

Everyday, children with siblings learn to negotiate, or cooperate with another social being. Over time, siblings learn how to compete and what to expect from an opponent. The dynamics changes as they mature in age. This largely depends upon how the parents interact with the siblings as they learn from your behaviours and mimic your personality. Children loves to play pretend and some times naughtiness develops a ripple effect because of this as it only takes 1 to create mischief and the second will have a tendency to follow. However, this also speeds up the development of the younger siblings as they would have some one to constantly play and talk to them, be it scolding received from an elder sibling, the little ones have a tendency to be impatient and pushes themselves further to acheive a task that is way above their developmental milestones. I believe this was what happened to Nathan as he has the luxury of having his sister to coach him and talk to him. Likewise my own little sister has more or ample opportunities to tap on my experience when we were much younger amd thereby led to a her becoming more academically inclined! Haha having come to this conclusion, i played a key role in her being top of the class and school when we were in primary  to secondary school!!

First born children may teach younger siblings about things they did not know they knew. So its a whole new set of skills and opportunities for them to display their leadership skills. The natural leader will emerge among siblings and that individual most likely is the oldest sibling. Negotiating with multiple siblings will allow them to display their strengths and weaknesses. Natalie also learnt people management skills through negotiations and drawing territories on what's hers as she act as the teacher or the boss in the family. 

However, Multiple siblings must constantly compete for their parent’s attention and financial support. Parents who often have to educate multiple kids and enroll them in social activities find themselves in financial strain. Therefore, if there is a significant gap between kids, one sibling may have a completely different experience than the other. One kid may receive more parental attention than the other one did. One sibling may receive more material items than the other. We are trying to achieve a balance in these aspects and finds this difficult as some how aomething special must always be done or given to the eldest as she has experienced more alone time with us! And most certainly because of her age she is able to demand more and speak up when overlooked. Nat's favourite phrase when dad left hee alone was "no one takes care of me" or "daddy has left me alone" and pouts as she complains away.

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Brave boy

Nathan just turned 16th month and it was time for his mmr injection. Per usual, he was not shy at the pd's office and understood instructions to take deep breathes and played with dr's stethoscope. However i must say his tolerance for pain is super high! When injection was administered, this brave little boy did not cry, nor scream.. He meerly said this in a super cool and composed manner "pain" (without the exclamation mark). Popo and helper were awed by his reaction and his maturity! Even jie jie who knew what was going on had clammy palms throughout couldnt believe her ears. Conclusion? "Nathan is a brave boy!" Jie jie commented prior to leaving dr toh's clinic.








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Nathan's first swim

It was Christmas and we thought what better ways to celebrate it than to spend it with yiyi, who has been so busy working the European hours and learning a 3rd language that we hardly get to see her over the weekends.

Prior to this we met, few months back, at nathan's gym and he was irritated when yiyi swop over my role in assisting him with the course. So we are using this opportunity to catch with this 'lost' sibling of mine!

The kids were super happy that day as they spent a good half hour at the wading pool. Being the super kiasee parent who is not confident in water, we don Natalie with a lift jacket float and Nathan with arm floats. Both kids thoroughly enjoyed the water and Nathan the brave little boy has no fear even when daddy's hands slipped and cause him to go under! Or perhaps he didnt even know whats going on when his kiasee mother kept ranting at daddy for lowering his guard!!

Nonetheless, In Natalie's closing words, " it was a wonderful day and i had great fun at the pool!"
























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Bonding

This is what i call a close bond and evidence to justify my decisions in not sending Natalie to a full day childcare facility so she could bond with her younger brother! Loved the closeness reflected in these photos taken by gong gong, who has in the past 1 month visited our place on every weekdays and brought the kids out for some sunshine and playtime!

Although i could not be a stay-home mum i am glad the 2 kids turned out in good shape! Thanks gong gong and popo and mi mi for taking such good care of them, both physically and mentally, cultivating the right values and bringing out the best in them!!












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New year resolution

I have never been a believer of new year resolutions.

Since young i've tried to set them, but with no efforts to follow through. Key reason being, 1 year just seems too long for plans to be accomplished. i am kind of impatient in that sense and obviously it contradicts with my philosophy of living in that moment. take for instance, some people may plan for a trip to the zoo or buy an item that they like... i cant wait. if i feel like going to the zoo i will just do it today or the next. And yes i am guilty of making an instant purchase and dashing into to a good sale and leaving with things that i think i may use but not need. I tend not to ponder over a decision for too long...So making plans in advance of 1 year just doesn't work!

However, that was me in the past.. Sigh...the youthful young me with loads of unexpended energies. Days then seemed so much longer that you could just bum around and submerge in that wonderful feeling of 'stone-ing' (staring into space and let your mind wander). Despite packed activities, There is always time for a book or a hobby. These days you just don't know why time no longer stops for you to even catch your breath. A typical week simply zooms by quickly and by then a month has passed and behold you are into a new year!

Theory of relativity starts to make sense when applied to different generations. Between our parents and our kids, it just feels that time seems longer for the kids and never stopped for us or passed even faster for our parents! We are ageing much quicker than ever! And there is no time even for myself! So yes this year i will set a resolution to remind myself of the things that i missed and wants to do.

Here's the list:-
1. Call Chris to inform him if I am running late ( my dad calls this a "horrible habit" or "rubber time").
2. Leave office by 6 pm on most days.
3. Reach home with kids by 8:30pm ( ie reach mum's by 7pm and finish dinner by 8pm).
4. Try not to doze off with kids by 9pm.
5. Increase our free of kids' time to at least once a friday evening every month.
6. Learn piano with Natalie and keep to a daily practice routine.
7. Spend quality time with kids and less reliance on tv as baby sitter.

Thats all for now.... :)


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Moon

Nat: hi papa see there is a moon! I can see the moon!
Pa: is it a half moon or full moon tonite?
Nat: half moon papa
Pa: so is the moon a circle or a triangle
Nat: (paused and looked at me in a matter of factly manner) its a crescent papa, just like a banana.
(Papa was dumbfounded)


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Bring your kid to work

My company organised a bring your child to work day and it turned out to be the most popular initiative! The kids were welcomed by employees who volunteered to babysit. Event was well planned with carnival games for both adults and kids to enjoy!

Natalie got to meet my boss and CEO stepped out to say 'hi' to her! She adapted really well at the office and because she is such a well-behaved girl all the female young employees loved helping me to babysit. She had her own workstation and played with Kelvin's kid, who was 3 years older and triple her size. Despite her age she has no qualms about scolding the naughty boy and demand for apologies when bullied! I am amazed at her assertiveness and versatility in management of older kids!





















Natalie and Andre at the movies












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Baby's gym

We were introduced to this baby gym by Daniel and Sarah and attended the first 2 lessons. So far Nathan seems to enjoy all the activities!! It was a great way for him to horn his social skills and interact with strangers. Surprisingly this little boy has no problem adapting to the new environment. He was even able to interact with the mummies and daddies who kindly helped us out as he dashed at lighting speed to different corners of the room! Jie jie watched on and took photos of di di, cheering him on as he crawl over obstacles!
Here's teacher Selene instructing him to kick the soccer ball .... And its a goal!!!












His favourite coloured puddles!!








I was a little worried how he would behave on the trapeez... will he cry? and wiggle his little hands out from Selene's grip! .... well my fears were unfounded! This brave little boy giggled and grinned whilst trapeezing towards me!!

























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