Here's Matthew's tower creation!

Durian is one of my fav fruit. Matthew tasted it for the first time yesterday. The first taste was funny, the second taste was a good from him and then he just didn't want another go at it. Hahaha.

This morning we sent our 2-yr-5-mth-old Toyota Corolla Altis to Pandan Crescent for a 40,000km servicing. We brought Matthew along this time and took a cab to my mom's place after checking in our car.

A nice cool Sunday morning to the Zoo. I baked blueberry muffins the previous night to bring along. Put together a simple lunch for Matthew, as we felt that there wasn't much healthy food available and too expensive. As we were up bright and early and Zoo only opens at 9am, we made our way to the market for breakfast. Three of us shared chee cheong fan, egg prata and cheese pancake for breakfast.

We reached the Zoo at 9:10am. Apparently some of the animals were still resting. The free-range Orang Utans were already up in the trees. We saw 8 white rhinoceros (did not know that we had so many), some wild african plant eaters, zebras, giraffes and the roaring lion and lionesses.



We had a up close and personal encounter with the giraffes. They saw the zookeeper with the leaves to be hang on the poles and thought it was feeding time. They came really close to the giraffe gallery, almost within reach.





The polar bear feeding session was 10:05am, so we made our way there and found the place already packed. Matthew enjoyed watching the bear swimming around in the pool. We took a break and Matthew finished one blueberry muffin. We took the tram to the Children's World and a train from the Play Land to the Animal Land.

At the Animal Land, Matthew had a chance to pat a guinea pig and saw some rabbits.



The goats were noisy and Matthew could imitate their sounds to perfection, really sounded like a goat. Then there were the sheep, the cows and the pot-bellied pigs. We made our way to the train station for our return trip to the Play Land. While waiting for the train to move off, Matthew decided that he wanted his lunch. So lunch it was. By the time he finished his lunch (porridge with shredded xiao bai cai, carrots, tofu and egg), the rain clouds had moved in and was threatening to pour anytime.

It just wasn't a happy ending, as the rain came pouring. As the entrance area was under renovation, the trams no longer stopped there. We got off at the amphitheatre and waited at the restaurant area for the rain to clear. By this time, Matthew had already fallen asleep in my arms. What a wet wet way to end our zoo trip!

Labels: sunday, zoo

After a 4-week term break, it was back to Marsden on Saturdays, instead of Caribbean pool. We were a little worried of his reaction. Would he be fearful of Brooke again? Anxious about not being with Mommy in the pool? Cry? We worried for nothing. As we turned into the narrow road next to Estoril, Matthew applauded! He recognised the road. He recognised Brooke and was happy to let her carry him, except that he was not too keen to talk when she asked him a question. Haha.






For the first time, he laid very still on the mat during the Sleeping Bunnies section.



Hesitation noticed when he walked on the mat. A little unsure perhaps, after a long break. Wobbly. Better kicking and paddling. He really knows how to do it now and is getting quite good at it. Our efforts during the break paid off!

Auntie Jan was there with En En for 5:30pm class because En En's 2pm class was cancelled due to lightning. She noticed that Matthew looked a little quiet and "stone" towards the end. Then Mike mentioned that he was a little cold. That explained why.

As Papa got to attend to some matters, I decided to bring Matthew on my own to Botanic Gardens on Sunday morning to feed the fish. Just me and Matthew.

We had quite lots of fun. We went to the Symphony lake and sat there for almost an hour. Matthew was very happy to feed the fish. Instead of eating the bread, this time he happily threw pieces of bread into the pond to feed the fish and the oversized terrapins. After a while, he got hungry as well and wanted to feed himself with the overdue bread. Of course, I brought his bread along and he ate his bread while I continued feeding the fish. We saw ducks too, flying around, and lots of mynahs and sparrows. Of course there were the dogs which were there with their masters for the morning walks.

Here are some photos to share...

Labels: BG

Two Sundays ago, we went to SengKang to Bro Bang and Steph's Baby 1st month celebration. The new baby is a girl and her name is Wu Hui Xuan. Congrats to Bro Bang and Steph. Too bad we didn't get a photo of the new addition to our group of friends.

After that, we went to Pasir Ris Park with Chris and family. The kids had fun in the playground. The swings, slides etc. Matthew did the slide on his own. He did not display any excitement or shock. His face was a BLANK! heee..

Here are some photos:


Matthew in the swing


Matthew looking very bored


Matthew having fun turning the wheel


Up the stairs we go!


Run Run!

This is from Canadian Parenting website, courtesy of Ignatius' mummy.

What's it like to be 17 and 18 months old?

How I grow
- like to lug, tug and drag things. Yes
- I like to grab anything I can reach. Yes
- I'm beginning to use one hand more than the other. Yes
- I can walk upstairs if you will hold one hand. Yes
- I'm learning to creep backward downstairs. Yes
- I like to run, but I fall or bump into things sometimes.Yes
- I want my own way almost all the time. Yes
- When things don't go the way I want them to, I get angry. Yes


How I talk
- I can say about 10 words, but mostly I use the word "no."
Occasionally
- I often have long, babbled conversations with myself.
Yes and Mama is totally amused!
- I'm getting good at imitating words.
Yes and getting better at it!
- I understand more words than I can say. Yes
- I can ask you for what I want, like a cookie, by naming it -- sometimes. Yes
- I will do what you ask me to do -- sometimes. Yes
- I try to sing, and I like to have you sing to me. Yes
- I am beginning to understand the meaning of "now."
not sure about this one


Play I enjoy
- I like to play with nesting toys and stacking toys. Yes
- I often run around without any particular plan.
Yes, especially in circles!
- I like to push wheel toys, large toy boxes and other things like that around the floor. Yes
- I like to blow bubbles. Yes
- I may be able to string large, colored, wooden beads.
shall try that one day.
- I still don't play very long with any one thing. hmm.. is 5min long?


What I am learning
- I can fit a round block into a round hole. Yes
- I can build a tower of two or three blocks. Yes
- I can use a stick to get a toy. Yes
- I can point to one or two parts of my body if you name them. Yes
- I can copy the simple lines you make on paper. Yes
- I may be able to match circles and squares on a form board. Yes
- With your help, I can turn pages of a book. Yes
- I am beginning to remember where things belong. Yes


How I get along with others.
- I still love to show off and get attention. Yes
- I'm still mostly just interested in myself. Yes
- I may be grabby and greedy. Yes
- Sometimes, I'm stubborn and bossy. And sometimes, I'm loving. Yes
- In a few months, I'll be calmer and friendlier.
That's a good thing to look forward to.
- I may be afraid of some things, like thunder and lightning and large animals.
hmm.. I don't think this little boy of mine is scared of anything!
- I may have temper tantrums when I'm tired, angry or frustrated. Yes


What I can do for myself
- I can help put toys away. Yes
- I may be able to turn on some faucets. Yes
- When I'm ready for bed, I may bring you my pillow or my favorite stuffed toy. Yes

I think Matthew's almost there in toilet training. This morning, my mom brought him to the bank without his diapers. When we visited Dr Ong in the afternoon, again he was without his diapers. We got him to pee into plastic bags twice and both times he did it.

He would go to his potty and ask for help with his shorts or he will bring his potty to us. Occasionally we remind him to shee shee. There are still accidents, but getting less, perhaps 1-2x a day.

So proud of you, Matthew. Keep up the good work!

Labels: diaper-free

Finally brought Matthew for his MMR shot.

He recognised the place from his last visit to Dr Ong for his flu. He kept quiet during the journey there. He did not play with the toys at the clinic. He seems to be anticipating something, something not so pleasant.

I like Dr Ong, because she is detailed in her examination and explanation and most importantly, she entertains my phone calls. But Matthew doesn't seem to like her. It's like the swim class, it takes a while to warm up, but it was not as if we visit the doctor every week, so each trip would be problematic.

Matthew cried when I carried him up and held him while the shot was administered. But once the shot went in. He wasn't crying that badly anymore. Now that he is older and easier to distract, I could actually calm him down more quickly.

For the record, Matthew has a big head (as been told to me many many times, even when he was in my tummy), 49.5cm, weighs 11kg and stands tall at 80.5cm. All above average.

8 July 2006

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
Mama was on office duty and Papa had appointment last Saturday morning, so Matthew spent the morning at Po Po's place. With the NTUC's Huggies PWP offer for Little Tikes Rocking Horse and Cozy Coupe, I made her way to Aprisin at Upper Thomson to purchase the two items, sponsored by Po Po and Gong Gong. I brought home the Cozy Coupe and placed an order for the Rocking Horse as it was already sold out.

When Matthew saw the Cozy Coupe, he had a wild time. Getting in and out of the car, closing and opening the door, being pushed by Gong Gong and pushing the car around.





He examined the car and the wheels and realized that the back two wheels could not turn around like the front ones. He's a pro at reversing but doesn't know how to move forward. It's a little like learning to crawl: first he learned to crawl backwards, before learning to crawl forward.

Swimming
We made it a point to bring him swimming every weekend. So it was off to the pool at Caribbean again. No problem there, he had tons of fun. As like last weekend, Mike bathed and dressed Matthew; sat him down on the bench while he showered. Matthew sat on the bench the whole time quietly, watching Mike entertained him in the shower cubicle. Mike left the cubicle door opened. Matthew really surprised us that it was happening for a 2nd time. We thought it was a one-off incident last week. Oh, FYI, my task was to shower and pack up our stuff. I can't just walk into the Gents, you know? Heee..

Dinner at Marche Suntec
After a jolly wet time, we went to Marche Suntec for dinner with our friend Sharron. She brought her "friend" Jarrod along too (I'm more inclined to say he's her boyfriend, but she did not confirm that detail). We ordered a plain rosti (which was half charred / burnt), a mushroom ragout with mashed potato, a spaghetti special and a bread-and-butter pudding (which was excellent!).

As you know how toddlers are, Matthew couldn't sit still through the entire meal, so Mike and I took turns to walk him around the place. He was not too bad lah, only 3x we walked around. On my walk with him, Matthew picked up a bread which he finished almost a third. He ate spaghetti, some rosti and mashed potato and the pudding too.

He took a while to warm up to Sharron and Jarrod; I would give him an 8 for his behaviour, though he did get quite "worked up" when they first came.



9 July 2006
It was uneventful Sunday morning. I actually proposed a cycling expedition at East Coast Park, but Mike had a tentative appointment at 11am (which was later cancelled). Mike brought Matthew to the market while I stayed at home to prepare lunch. It was chicken porridge, with tofu, xiao bai chye and carrot.

After Matthew's nap and afternoon tea break, we took a bus to West Mall.



We went to the library and managed to read Matthew 3 books before he decided he was bored and started running around and taking books of the shelves. Then it was to the food court for dinner. We had chicken rice and a hot-plate tofu. We bought a bowl of plain porridge from the mixed vege stall for Matthew and he had some chicken and tofu too. He got bored and started "screaming" to get out.

We made our way to the atrium where Popular Bookshop was having a book fair. 6 chinese books for $10, good deal, but I couldn't go take my time to browse. Matthew saw some automated toy dog that could move around, bark and wag the tail. He grabbed it and refused to let go. I think we stood there for a good 15 minutes before we managed to persuade him the dog needed to sleep.

Then it was Home Sweet Home!

This is Matthew's Proficiency Certificate from Marsden. His 1st certificate!

On Sunday, we celebrated my grandma's birthday. It was potluck, so everybody brought something for the dinner. Otak, siew mai, shui jin bao, egg tarts etc. My mom fried some noodles and mee tai mak, roasted 2 chickens and stewed a duck. Before dinner, my cousin's daughter XinYi and Matthew had fun in the garden. Matthew is not a very sociable person and it takes a while to warm him up.

The two toddlers had fun chasing and catching bubbles and playing ball.

XinYi is so small sized. She's 2 years old and Matthew's 8 months younger and Matthew looks so much bigger size than her.