Our First Post Baby Date

Yesterday, my husband and I took some time-off from work to go for a date. It was our very first post baby date! We have been craving for some personal time together and we finally made it!

With work commitments and a child at home, the time that I spend with my husband has been scarce. In addition, my husband’s new job requires him to work on shift. This means, he has to work on alternate weekends. Due to all these factors, sometimes we neglect each other’s need for love and affection.

My friend once told me, ‘We can’t be circling our children 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. We need to have some time for ourselves and our husband.’ I totally agree with her.

Now that we go dating, I feel ‘connected’ to him again. I see him as my boyfriend, instead of my husband and father of our child. I recalled all the lovely things that we did when we were dating each other. We have so much of time, we have so many things to do, we share the same dream and we love each other. Catching those moments of togetherness now, it’s simply amazing!

We took a nice long stroll along Orchard Road. Do our regular shopping, leisurely and with slow speed. Anyway, it’s just the two of us! NO searching for baby changing room, NO changing diaper, NO feeding. Nothing. We just take our own sweet time.
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After all the fun, we went for a buffet dinner. We called up Ellenborough Market Café at Swissotel Merchant Court. But they were fully booked! We ended up with international buffet at Sakura, Orchard Shopping Centre. From 7pm onwards, the restaurant was full of people. Hey, I thought Singapore has entered a ‘technical recession’?!?! It seems like buffet business is not affected at all.

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We had a huge dinner - sushi, sashimi, prawns, tom yam seafood soup, herbal prawn soup, herbal black chicken soup, baked oyster, mussels, spaghetti, siew mai, dumpling roll, yam paste, beef steak, otah, satay and lots of fruits. I can't imagine I can eat so much food!

After our dinner, we quickly rushed back to fetch our little Edison home. As usual, he was super excited when he saw us. He knew that Daddy & Mummy had a great time.

It was an excellent evening. Both of us had a good dose of couple time. We definitely need more of this!--

Evening Activities

In the evening, these are activities that keep our little Edison really busy - walk around the garden, smell the flowers, see the puppies (neighbour's puppies, not ours!), pull the grass, watch the children playing badminton... and most importantly, wait for Mummy to come home from work! He will get a big hug and lots of kisses from ME!-

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Smelly Pillow

A new member has just joined Edison’s family of ‘Smelly Pillow’. Let me introduce his new Winnie the Pooh bolster to you. We bought it from Watsons last weekend. From these pictures, you can see how happy he is with his new bolster.

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Before this new addition, he already has two smelly pillows at home; they are actually bean sprout chest pillows which he has been hugging since his baby days. Until now, he can’t seem to let them go. No matter how frequent we change the pillow case, these pillows still have his ‘baby milk smell’ and that’s why they are called Smelly Pillow. We even have to bring one of them in the diaper bag when we go out. Otherwise, he will have difficulties getting into sleep. Strong addiction, huh? It’s similar to how I’m addicted to coffee. If I don’t have my morning coffee, I will have headache in the afternoon.

When I first saw this bolster in Watsons, I told myself “Hey, this bolster is cool!” I showed it to my boy. He immediately snatched it from my hands and hugged it tight. He even kissed and bite the pillow. “OMG! What are you doing, Edison?” He refused to return the pillow to me. I’m stuck!

The two cashier ladies were smiling when they saw Edison’s reaction. I admit he was kinda funny. He loves this bolster so much! I have no choice, but to walk over to the cashier and paid them $12.90 for the bolster.

Then, we left the shop happily with the Pooh bolster (still) in Edison’s hands. Now, this bolster become his #1 companion to sleep at night.

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A Bad Fall

It all happened last Saturday night. Initially, I didn’t want to blog about it because it was too heart-wrenching for me. But now, everything seems fine and I have a little courage to recall what really happened that night.

I went to bed with Edison at about 10:30pm. At around midnight, Edison had a nightmare and he cried badly (with his eyes remain closed). I carried him onto my bed, pat him and gave him some comfort. In just a short while, he slipped back into his sleep. So, I let him sleep beside me for the night. I put some pillows at the other end of the bed to serve as a guard. Soon, I fell asleep too.

Suddenly, I heard a loud thump! I woke up and I realized my bed was empty. At that moment, my heart stopped beating. AAAhhhhhh! My Edison!!!! He fell off from the bed!!! He started crying. My hands were trembling when I carried him up. I felt so horrible; it was all my fault and negligence!

He must have knocked his head against the floor. I carried him and comfort him. He stopped crying in about 2 minutes. Then, I put him on my bed again to do a thorough check for injuries. His scalp was slightly red and I felt a small bump on the left side of his head. I immediately wrapped an ice pack with a thin handkerchief and rolled it on the bump for ~15 mins, to reduce the swelling.

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Both of us went to back to sleep again. But that night, I woke up a few times to check on Edison. I was soooOOOoooo worried.

The next morning, Edison woke up at 6am for his first milk feed. He finished up 180ml of milk. I checked on him again. No injury on his body. Thank God for protecting my Edison. The bump on the left side of his head was still there, though the swelling has reduced quite a lot.

On the next 24 hours, I observed him very carefully. No abnormal behaviour, no loss of appetite, no vomiting, no fever and no crankiness. As a matter of fact, he seems to be unaffected by the fall. Edison is really a very brave boy.

Somehow, I still couldn’t forgive myself. I apologized to my son for causing him so much pain and fear. I didn't even know how he can roll over the pillows and landed on the floor. It was such an unfortunate incident. "Sorry to my dear Edison, Mummy will never let this incident happen again."

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Hide-and-Seek with the leopard

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This is Edison's latest toy friend - the Leopard. He loves playing hide-and-seek with it. I will hide the leopard somewhere in the living hall, not too visible to him. Then I will tell him, "Edison, where is the leopard?". He will search for it.
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He will squat down and check underneath the sofa and table. Then, he will flip the pillows on the sofa. He look clueless if he still can't find it. Then, I'll give him some clues. He goes searching again.

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Once he found the leopard, I will shout 'Tadaa! Leopard is here!". He will giggle and laugh. It is quite funny.
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I like happy kids. They laugh at the simplest thing in life. Edison is one of them. He is always happy and cheerful.

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My Hometown - Ipoh

Ipoh is the state capital of Perak. It is located north to Kuala Lumpur; about 2.5 hours travel duration by car. In general, Ipoh is much more peaceful as compared to big and busy cities like KL and JB. Ipoh is popular for its nice food and relaxing environment. That is why many people view it as the best living place for retirement.

However, one of the main reasons that restrict visitors from traveling to Ipoh is that there is no international airport in this city. The nearest international airport to Ipoh will be Penang. From Penang, it takes about 1.5 hour travel duration by car to reach Ipoh.

I travel to Ipoh by coach. There are various luxury Super-VIP coaches from Singapore to Ipoh. Just to name a few – Grassland, Sri Maju, Konsortium Express and Five Star. These double-decker coaches are amazingly comfortable and affordable. They are equipped with luxurious reclining chair, adjustable foot rest, LCD console entertainment system, ample space for luggage and most importantly, they are noise-proof! On an average, the travel duration is about 7-8 hours from Singapore to Ipoh, with 2-3 toilet breaks in between the journey.

Have you ever heard of the term “Yi Pou Leng Lui” (meaning: Ipoh pretty girl in Cantonese)? Ipoh is also well-known for pretty girls. (ahem, I’m not referring to myself!) It could be the results of the clean and mineral-rich water supply from the waterfalls. The pretty girls are believed to have perfect clear complexion after consuming the water. But in reality, you don’t always see stunning beauty like Michelle Yeoh in Ipoh.

Ipoh is one of the cities in Malaysia with higher percentage of Chinese residents. Cantonese and Hakka are the two most prominent dialect group in Ipoh. Ipoh is famous for nice food, mainly due to the variety of cooking styles. It is not surprising to see Malaysians travel all the way from KL, Penang and Malacca to enjoy the best food in Ipoh.

TOP FIVE great food in Ipoh:

#1: Horfun – Although horfun can be found in many places, including Singapore, but the horfun in Ipoh is smoother, softer and tastier. You can’t find it anywhere else, except Ipoh. Horfun is served in a variety of flavours too – with soup, with curry, with asam laksa or simply dry horfun with a mixture of sauces. They are absolutely yummy, no matter how you consume them.

#2: Bean Sprout Chicken! – Comprises chicken meat, bean sprout, fish ball soup (optional), chicken innards (optional); served with rice or horfun. The chicken meat is amazingly tender and juicy. The most famous bean sprout chicken in Ipoh is with "Lou Wong Restaurant". But nowadays, there are just too many nice restaurants that serve this delicious bean sprout chicken.

#3: White Coffee – It is originated from the old town in Ipoh. This coffee has a strong aroma and a unique taste. The most popular coffee shops in the old town are "Sin Yoon Loong", "Sun Yuan Foong" and "Nam Heong". Nowadays, instant white coffee powder is available in supermarkets in Malaysia and Singapore. But for the Ipoh residents, nothing beats the taste of a cup of freshly brewed white coffee from these shops.

#4: Dim Sum – char siew pau (roasted pork bun), loh mai kai (glutinous rice), egg tart, chee cheong fun, siew mai, har kau (shrimp dumpling), porridge, carrot cake and lots more. Unlike the restaurants in Singapore, the dim sum restaurants in Ipoh operate in a slightly different manner. They don’t give you a menu for your order. What you have to do is – wait for the waitress to push her dim sum trolley to your table, and then you order the items that you like. She will cut the dim sum into smaller pieces and place them on the table for you. My favourite dim sum restaurants in Ipoh are “Ming Kok” and “Foh San”. During the weekends, they are usually super crowded.

#5: Curry chicken bread – bread filled with curry chicken. This specialty originates from Kampar (an old tin mine town ~30km south of Ipoh). But now, this curry chicken bread is widely available in Ipoh. Ideal food for tea break!

I still have a lot more to write about Ipoh – the Green Town, my favourite Assam House Restaurant, Sam Poh Tong, my lovely house in Ipoh etc. I will save them for my next post.

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To be continued...

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Edison's Passport

Edison’s passport is ready for collection today. I applied online via APPLES (Application for Passport On-line Electronic System) last weekend. The online application process is so easy and fuss-free. It takes me less than 5 mins to submit my application. These are the photos taken for his passport.

Among all these photos, only one photo passed the ICA's requirement. That is the bottom right photo. It fits just nicely when I uploaded it during the application. Hey, why he is not smiling?! No matter how we hard we tried, he just refused to smile. So, he looks a little funny here, with his mouth a bit 'du du'.

I recalled myself queuing at the Malaysian Immigration Office as early as 7am when I was applying for my first International Passport many years ago. With a set of form that require at least half an hour to fill-up and a long waiting plus processing time, the application process was so challenging and stressful in those days. I hope that the system has been improved by now. Well, I’m a Malaysian and that’s why I’m holding a Malaysian Passport.

We are going back to my hometown, Ipoh, in the 3rd week of November. That’s why Edison needs a passport. My younger sister, Stevie, is getting married in November and we will be traveling to Ipoh to attend her wedding. I’m so happy for her; she is finally ready to tie the knot with the man that she loves. Stevie and David are the best & perfect couple. They have been together for a long time; they compliment each other and they have such good chemistry together.

Stevie & David - The Gorgeous Couple!

I’m so excited about the trip. I missed my hometown a lot. Ipoh is an awesome city; it’s the city where I was born; it’s the place where I spent my first 18 years of life. I have a lot of fond memories there. I am going to blog about this city soon. So, please stay tuned.

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Thoughts on Parenting: Parenting Goals

Parenting isn’t always easy. All of us struggle at some point to figure out what is the most effective way to handle certain situations and how to be the best parent possible. There is so much information available out there; from parenting books and websites to advice from our parents and grandparents. But how do we know who is right and what is the best parenting style for us?

To begin with, let’s just ask ourselves what are our parenting goals. To me, my goals are to bond lovingly with my child, encourage and promote independence, and to mentor and assist in his academic and life skills education. I realize the significance of being a parent and my responsibility in raising a happy and healthy child.

We have our own unique personality and character. Our children have their own individual needs, developmental growth and habits too. Because of these differences, we need to develop our own parenting style that works for us. Having said that, there is no 100% perfect parenting style in this world.

I emphasize a lot on LOVE and LIMIT. Love is the most important element in my relationship with my son. I express my love by hugging and kissing him everyday. This will create a sense of protection and security to him. Imagine a newborn can recognize their parents’ love with just a simple touch with their hand! It’s the same concept here. I learn to understand more about him and respond to him with love and praise. My objective is to create a positive emotional growth in him.

On the other hand, setting a limit is very critical to discipline our child. Children need rules and limit. They need continual guidance and guidelines from us. We need to establish a healthy routine and some basic rules for them to follow. Sometimes we may feel that we are too strict or too lenient. It is so difficult to strike a balance. We love our children, but on the other hand, we don't want to spoil them.

Parenting is a life-long journey and commitment. Discover the new life created by us and make a positive impact in their life. Good Parent = Good Children, a simple equation but there is always truth in it.-

Marriage Life - Before & After

I seem to have a different perspective of marriage life after I gave birth to Edison. I used to believe that having children would greatly increase the chance of marital stability. But now, I have a different thinking. Having children will improve the likelihood of collapse of marriages.

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Well, is this exactly true?

Before Edison was born, we rarely quarrel. Every time when my hubby went on an overseas assignment, I missed him terribly. We talked on the phone everyday without fail. I would count down by days till he returned from his trip. I would give him a really big HUG when he returned. Those were the days.

But now, my hubby and I aren’t always happy. We both have our own parenting style; we have our own commitment to work and our parents; and we think differently too. Sometimes our difference in opinion and mindset caused us to fight. Small arguments are too common. But then, there are BIG fights that involve crying, screaming, swearing and even hurtful statements. There are times that I can’t help but keep thinking that we are just not meant for each other. Worst case scenario is we avoid talking to each other for days. Yes, it’s true! The more we talk, the more we fight! I choose to remain silent.

When my anger has suppressed, I began to think rationally again. What really caused us to fight? How can I handle this matter tactfully in future? How could I scream at someone like him? How could I not realize what a perfect family that I have? But I was squandering my precious time fighting with him. Am I crazy?!

Then I realized that in a relationship, it involves a lot of gives and takes, respect and sacrifice for each other. I’m trying my very best to become kinder, more patient, always keep my temper under control and be a more thoughtful person. Isn’t that simple?

Sometimes love can be as simple as letting one go to sleep when the person is tired. Other times, it comes in the form of red roses or a nice dinner. Marriage isn’t always easy, but love can be - if both of us are willing to put in a little bit of effort.

I wish always cherish my family; my dear husband and my adorable son. I love both of you so much!

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Home Practice Again!

One week ago, I have restarted the daily home practice session with Edison. After the term break in end Sept, I was kinda lazy and I didn’t put much efforts to do home practice with him. So, I have to get back on track very quickly. Time waits for no one!

Every night after we reach home, I will take out 7 to 8 sets of flash cards for our practice. I try to keep the session short (about 10-15 mins) in order to capture his attention. If I’m lucky that night, I can flash up to 10 sets of cards (before he falls asleep!).

Edison will stand in his playpen, staring at me and the cards when I flashed them. Of course, sometimes, he will move around and doesn’t pay much attention. What I’ll do is to stop for a while, talk to him and get him to focus on the cards again.

This boy can be a little tricky at times. When he is lazy, he will pretend that he is sleepy. He will rub his eyes and hide his face with his pillow. After I keep all the flash cards, he will stand up again, make a little noise and want to go out to play again. Sigh, he drives me nuts sometimes.

Over the weekend, I can lengthen the home practice session by showing him the music slideshows, which he loves so much. I blogged about it last month on how to make a music slideshow using Microsoft PowerPoint. Now, I would like to share with you my first creation – Counting By Tens – Edison simply loves it! Ok, here’s the link for your download.

http://h1.ripway.com/newbb77/Counting%20by%20Tens%20(Rev1).ppt

It’s really not easy to do all these by yourself; especially for working mothers who are struggling with work and family, plus coaching the kids after work. If you have a supportive husband who can help you with this, please give him a BIG warm hug now.

Me? Well, I’m practically a do-it-all mother. No matter how tough it is, I still enjoy doing it. Simply because I love my son so much! I can be a Super Mum! Jia You! Jia You!

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Possibly Related Post:
Linking Music to Flashcard Slideshow

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Milestones in Language Development - 13 months

Today I want to blog about Edison's milestones in language development. At 13 months, he has started to comprehend the world he lives in: When we name a common object, such as shoes, he will show that he knows what we are taking about by looking at it, pointing to it or picking up the object.

Although he doesn't talk much yet, but his ears are widely opened and he is eager to absorb all kinds of information. I am fascinated by how he uses pointing and gesturing to communicate with me and our family. He is able to connect names with the right person – daddy, mummy, grandpa, grandma, godpa and kakak. Nowadays, he can say a few words very clearly, i.e. papa, mum mum, tata & star.

These are some simple sentences that he can understand:

“Edison, where are your shoes?”
His reaction: Walk to the door and pick up his shoes.

“Edison, how to wear your shoes?”
His reaction: Sit on the floor, stretch out his legs and pick up his shoe (although he doesn’t know how to put on yet).

“Edison, where are the stars?” “Edison, where is the moon?”
His reaction: Look up to the sky.

“Edison, do you want to go home?”
His reaction: Walk to the main door at grandma’s house, waiting to go back home.

“Edison, do you want your smelly pillow?”
His reaction: He will quickly walk to me and snatch his pillow from me.

“No more?”
He will show you something like this:

My smart little Edison, Mummy loves you so much!
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Like Mother, Like Son

[Big picture = ME, Five small pictures = EDISON]

Not long ago, my sister found this baby photo of me in one of our childhood photo albums. She immediately scanned it and e-mailed it to me. Oh gosh, my boy really looks like me! Obviously, he inherits my flat nose and mouth. Our hairs look quite alike too.

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Toys for a One Year Old Toddler

Most Singaporean children are blessed with generous parents who are willing to buy toys for them pretty often. I admit that I’m one of them too! Well, nothing can beat the smiling face of Edison whenever he gets a new toy from me.

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Although children do not need a wide array of expensive toys, but I do believe that a good selection of toys can help to stimulate their mental and physical development. So what is the ideal kind of toys for a one-year-old toddler like Edison?

Pushing and riding toys are the most important. Edison has a Fisher Price walker and this toy has always been his #1 favorite. These days, he walks a lot. His new mobile status shows great advancement in his gross motor skills and feeds his curiosity to explore the world around him. Although he can walk steadily now, he still enjoys pushing his walker around the house.

In addition, Edison’s dexterity is also improving. Thus, I need to continue to provide him with sensory and manipulative toys for his amusement. He will learn the cause and effects too. Among Edison’s toys in this category are his Elmo toy cell phone, remote control, Leapfrog Little Touch LeapPad Learning System and Leapfrog Learning Friend Tad. He simply adores these toys with attractive buttons and sounds.

Stacking and sorting toys play a very important role too. They help him to learn the relationships between objects of various sizes and improve his hand and eye coordination. Edison has 2 sets of stacking and sorting toys, but he seems to have lost interest in them. I bought another set yesterday, and this is him, enjoying his new set of stacking toys. I wonder how long this set can last before it is being dumped into my store room.
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So what about plush toys? Edison shows very little interest in them. Maybe because he’s a BOY, and a boy doesn’t play with plush toys. Am I right? Anyway, we have 2 or 3 of them at home, which he rarely touches on them.

When Edison grows older (18 months maybe), I will get him a riding toy; a little car or bicycle with wheels. He can cycle around the garden in the evening. It will be a good form of exercise for him, besides developing his abilities to traverse his environment.

So that’s all about the toy talk today. To parents who STILL think that toys are a waste of time and money, its time for you to shift your paradigm. -

A Shocking Incident

Daddy was so eager to attend the Shichida class with Edison yesterday. Oh, that’s cool! I felt an instant relief as I can finally take a break and an hour of quick shopping at Toa Payoh Central. For Daddy, it’s going to be a good bonding time between him and Edison. He has only attended the class once with Edison since we enrolled him in July, so it’s time for him to catch up with the lessons too.

We drove to HDB Hub full of enthusiasm. Edison had his one hour afternoon nap, just before we leave home to school. So, his concentration level should be at its peak for the day’s lesson.

When the class started at 4:15pm, I left the classroom and went for a quick shopping at the TPY Central and to search for some hair products.

Never did I expect that Edison will cry badly in the class. And yes, he really did! When I came back at 5:15pm (the lesson is one hour), I saw Edison’s teary eyes and red face. I got a great shock! Oh my poor boy, what happened to him? Did Daddy scold him? Was it because he is sleepy or hungry or too cold? My imagination went wild.

I quickly carry him and console him. Honestly, I never see him cried so badly before, not even when he fall down and knock his head. I just couldn’t believe what I’ve just seen.

So what has really happened? Apparently, he was looking for me during the second half of the class. When he couldn’t find me, he broke out in tears. Oh, my poor little Edison! I didn’t know that he is soooOOOoooo attached to me. I shouldn’t have left him in the class. I felt so bad and full of guilt.

It took me about half an hour to cheer him up and to make him smile again after the class. You couldn’t imagine how bad the damage was. I can feel that he was a little angry with his Daddy too. When Daddy called him, he simply ignored him. He even pushed away Daddy’s hand when Daddy wanted to touch him.

After the class ended, we went to Suntec City for dinner and shopping. Slowly, he has started to forget about the incident and became smiley and cheerful again. I was so happy to see him transformed into a smiley and cheerful boy again.

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Prince Edison - 13 months

This photo was taken during Edison’s first month celebration. He was too tired after the party and fell asleep soundly. Oh gosh, this picture is now one year old. How quickly time flies! Edison is now 13 months old, and is progressing well into his toddlerhood.

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This is a quick summary of his development this month:

Movement
- Able to climb up the stairs but finds coming down is harder
- Walks confidently through the house and outdoor, although still topple occasionally
- Can stop walking and bend down to pick up an object on the floor
- Master the challenge of climbing out of his high chair

Hand-Eye Coordination
- Likes to play with a toy phone and able put the receiver on and off it
- Can build a tower of 2 or 3 bricks

Language
- Recognizes his own name
- Understand many more words than he can say; i.e. shoes, water, milk, sleep, bird etc
- Likes to babble and express his emotions

Emotional
- Determined to get his own way
- Throw a tantrum when he is frustrated
- Show liking to pets, i.e. dogs and fish.

Edison is taking ~630ml of milk daily with 2 solid feeds. He sleeps 10 hours though the night and 2 naps (about one hour each nap) during the day. He is slightly above 9kg now.

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The coolest thing about Edison - he doesn't require any sleep training, and he goes to sleep on his own. All I have to do is to put him on his bed and dim the light. He will play with his pillows, smell them and sometimes bite the corners of the pillows. Then he will fall asleep, usually within 5 to 10 minutes. Isn't it amazing?

"To my dearest Edison, Mummy will treasure every moment with you. Mummy really loves you a lot! Mummy will always take good care of you."

Possibly Related Post:
Here we go down the memory lane

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Potty Training

We started the basic potty training for Edison when he was about 8 months old. We trained him to urinate in the toilet. We will carry him to the toilet every hour and after he wake up from sleep to pass urine. Initially, we make some ‘sh-sh-sh’ sound to signal him to urinate. Soon, he started to get used to the routine. When its time to urinate, we will bring him to toilet and tell him “Edison, let’s go to pee-pee.” Now, he will urinate every time we bring him to the toilet and he rarely urinates on his pants. During the day time, he is generally diaper-less (except weekends when he is outdoor), which is more comfortable in this warm weather.

Then, I purchased a child size potty from Kiddy Palace and put it somewhere that Edison can see it pretty often. From there, we let him explore the potty and sit on it when he shows interest. We want this potty training to be fun and stress-free for him. It just need a little more time, patience and encouragement.

For the past one week, when we sensed that Edison wants to pass motion, we quickly let him sit on his potty. He poo-poo in the potty without any fuss. It’s just so easy for him. Amazing!

Now that he can pee and poo in the potty, our next step is to make him aware of the use of his little potty. By using the potty consistently, he will slowly understand the use of it. I believe someday he will reach for the potty himself whenever he wants to pee or poo. This will definitely takes a little longer time, but it’s okay. He has already made a very good progress now despite his young age. I’m so proud of him.

Potty training saves a considerable amount of money since diapers are quite expensive. But most importantly, he feels more comfortable without wearing the bulky diaper and he can move around freely at home. Well done, Edison!

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Kiddie Rides

Last Sunday, we bought Edison to VivoCity and he had a great time with kiddie rides again. There are a couple of machines just outside the VivoMart.

Edison chose the Barney ride. The moment I plonked in the $1 coin, the ride started moving and the Barney music played along. Edison's hands automatically took to the steering wheel of the ride and started turning it like a Formula One professional racer. He seems to be able to co-ordinate his turning skills very well.

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Even after the Barney ride stopped moving, he was still seated in the stationery ride happily. We moved him to the next ride - Sesame Street. "Wow, he drives like you, dear!" I told my hubby. His face beamed with joy as he continue with the ride.

Well, I guess next time, I will have to go to VivoCity with my pocket full of $1 coins.

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Unmotivated or Demotivated

I often get confused by these two words. Unmotivated and demotivated. Are they the same? Well, no. Depicted from the dictionary,

Unmotivated means Having no motive or incentive, without motivation.
Demotivated means Someone makes (me) lose motivation, esp to carry out a task.

Ok, so I think I’m just unmotivated. I have been doing the same old job for the past five years. That is probably the main reason for it. It’s really not a good time to change my job now as Edison is still young plus the job market is not so promising. Coupled with the global financial crisis now, haiz…. I think I just have to ‘rot’ here for the time being.

I have this strange habit. Whenever I’m unmotivated to go to work in the morning, I’ll just dress casually. Today, I just clad in a halter-neck top and a pair of white 2-quarter pants, with my noisy sandals. They make the ‘tak tak tak’ sounds whenever I walk. The noise level is comparable to those toddler squeaky shoes. Hehehe.. I must be crazy. Nonetheless, they didn’t make any impact when I stepped into my office due to the carpet flooring. Haiz!

Another 3+ weeks of suffering before my quarter-end ends on 31 Oct. Every shipment seems so urgent, every product needs expedition, and every single minute counts as we can’t afford any production downtime. This is what I call craziness!

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Edison's Vocal Accomplishment

When Edison started calling his Daddy four months ago, I was thrilled. ‘Dear, Edison is talking!” I squealed. Probably he didn’t know what it means yet, he was just experimenting it. But now, four months later, he begins to talk more often. We hear this everyday....

‘mum mum’ when he wants to eat something

‘pa pa’ when he sees his daddy
‘ta ta ta’ when he is excited or something.. (I couldn’t figure out what he means sometimes)
‘ah!” when he wants to show us something and his finger will point to that object

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Sometimes, he will talk and make funny expressions at the same time, i.e. blink his eyes, stick out his tongue etc.

I am wondering if there is anything that we, parents, can do to speed up our toddler’s verbal development. Children’s brains are like sponges, waiting to absorb whatever information or inputs that we give to them. Therefore, I strongly believe that the more we talk to them, the more likely they are to talk and respond to us.

Below are some useful tips that I found on the internet.
1. Talk to them with a clear & proper pronunciation
2. Always use a light and cheery tone
3. Ask them questions. “Would you like milk or water?” "Where are your shoes?" It helps them to gain understanding of language, words and their meanings.
4. Read a variety of materials to them. Picture books, story books or flash cards.

5. Sing songs.

I’m pretty sure that helping them to learn how to talk can be one of the most exciting experiences for us. Watching their little face beam with pride at their first vocal accomplishment is a joy for us too.

So, come on Edison, when can you call 'ma ma'?

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Life Transformers

I was watching this new TV program called Life Transformers on CH8 last night. I am saddened by the real-live story of this 30 y/o woman who has suffered so much in her marriage life. She looked so skinny, fragile and haggard.

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She is a mother of 3 children; her oldest son is 9 y/o now. She was married at a tender age of 21. Her husband committed suicide by jumping down from their HDB flat 4 years ago. He ran into a huge amount of debts with the loan sharks. Unable to pay off his debts, he killed himself.

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The debts were mainly due to gambling. He didn't have any permanent job and has been jailed for selling pirated VCDs before his death. But what could have been worst? His eldest son witnessed the whole incident of his father committing suicide. He was only 5 y/o then. He must extremely traumatised by the loss of his father.

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This woman is now battling with depression and the stress of raising up her 3 kids. I'm not sure if she has a job or any income now. I didn't finish watching the program, else I will definitely burst into tears. I really symphatise her and her children. I begin to wonder about their future.

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People always say that the biggest fear for a woman is to marry the wrong guy. This is so true! A wrong husband can turn a woman's life upside down.

Here's a video clip of the show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aa70CCRziI

I sincerely hope that this show can change her life.

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When You Just Don't Have Time

I had a mini meltdown today. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I just couldn’t finish my work by 6pm. My work has been physically draining this week and I’m feeling extremely stressed out.

Its 9pm now, Edison has just stepped into dreamland. I will continue with my work after posting this entry into my blog. Something cool about my job – I can work anywhere, as long as I have my laptop, mobile phone and internet access. Basically, my job is to scold people and expedite shipments. Such an un-glam job! I hardly dress-up formally to work. But if you ask me to trade this job for one that involves heels and long sleeve shirts, I would rather endure with this un-glam job. At least, I can dress comfortably to work; wearing jeans as and when I like. Dress code is something that you simply can’t find here.

2008 has been a super busy year for me. I realized that I haven’t had a break or holiday since I returned to workforce after my maternity leave. Somehow, I feel that I’ve been spreading myself too thin. It’s just work and family. I don’t have any personal time for myself. When was the last time I had a drink with my girlfriend? Well, the short answer is January 2008. How pathetic!

I wish I have one day just for MYSELF every month. Then I can do something that I really enjoy, something that I always do when I was a single:
- Have a nice facial or spa in the beauty salon.
- Followed by 45-mins of lymphatic drainage massage. This is really good! It helps to reduce water retention and improve overall complexion.
- Body scrub and mask. Regular exfoliation is crucial for skin renewal and a healthy skin.
- Hair and scalp treatment.

Wow, feel like I’m in heaven now! Hehehe...

Ok, back to reality. I never regret spending 4 hours in the hair salon 2 months ago to rebond my hair. Now my hair is so easy to maintain. I just need a tub of hair mask; to be used as conditioner after every shampoo. Jean-Yip Bio-Treatment Hair Mask with Ceramide- it works wonders for me.

I have a few DIY beauty short-cuts to keep my skin under control (before it gets moldy!). Perhaps, someday I should blog about it. Instant beauty fixes that gets me ready in time to face the big bad world.

Ok, time to really start working now. Tomorrow is going to be another exciting day. It's a new term for Edison's Shichida Class.
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Pumpkin Patch 20% Storewide Sale

This is one of my favourite brand. Pumpkin Patch is now having 20% storewide sale on regular items. Enjoy 20% discount if you print-out this e-mailer. Or simply charge to your UOB credit card. I will be heading to Vivo City this Sunday to get some cool outfits for my Prince Edison.

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Home Sweet Home

It’s a public holiday today and I’m off from work. Since Edison is taking his afternoon nap now, I’ve decided to snap a few pictures of my house and share them on my blog.

Located in Sengkang, near the Punggol Park, this executive condominium is very windy and has a nice green scenery view. Our unit is located at the 7th floor, 1313 sq ft, 3+1 bedrooms. It’s indeed a nice and cosy little house for our family. A place that we can really enjoy living in it.

The coolest part of our house is the beautiful landscape and pool view from our living hall. We can hear laughters of children swimming in the pool on Sunday mornings. If we are lucky, we can even catch pretty girls in bikini, sun-tanning beside the pool.

On a windy day, we can enjoy the cool gentle breeze from our living hall. This unit is unblocked and most of the time, it’s so windy that we hardly turn on the fan. This is our most effective energy-conservation method. With the recent increase in the electricity tariff, we expect to pay ~$35 more every month on our utility bill (and no rebate!)

Our living hall, dining hall and kitchen.

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Now that we have a kid in the house, it’s nearly impossible for us to keep our house neat and tidy all the times. Look under the sofa, you will find a toy car, a ball or even a baby biscuit! Edison’s toys are all over the house. As much as possible, we try to keep it clean by doing major cleaning up every weekend. It has been much easier now with a helper at home.

And this is Edison, playing in the kitchen (again). I often wonder why he likes to wander around the kitchen even if he has the whole living hall to play by himself. His favourite is playing with my instant coffee sachets and baby cubes in the kitchen.

Okay, time to catch up with Edison in dreamland... Enjoy the holiday! --