Sakae Sushi (Compasspoint)

Tonight, I "pingping biangbiang" fed Sophie, cooked dinner and swallowed it before heading to Compasspoint. Auntie KK and Auntie Serene were having their dinner at Sakae Sushi. I had intended to "deposit" Sophie with Papa and meet them alone, but I changed my mind. I knew she would be cranky during that time so Papa took her shopping while I met up with them. True enough, after about 1 hour, Papa came back with Sophie all red-eyed and teary... sigh... at least I got to chit chat for an hour or so...

Sophie's Laughter (Ah Mah)

Finger Food = Food on Mama's Finger

Sophie has always been a fussy eater. She wants to taste the different sorts of food so she refuses to eat if they are all mixed into a bowl. She also needs variety, which includes main course, side dish and dessert. Recently, she has even developed an aversion to the spoon, among other things... she wants to be fed by hand... or fingers... to be exact. We decided to test it out with my chicken stew (the best dish I can do...) and we proved the point... Tis not the food, it's the way it has to be delivered... darn.

Stand Alone

Sophie, I believe, is able to stand without support for a few seconds. However, she is probably quite fearful of falling so she does not really want to do it.... unless we tricked her into standing without her realising it... using the handphone as a distraction. Silly girl! Works all the time...

Sophie Baby

I just found a way to bluetooth my videos from my handphone to my laptop... FINALLY!!! This is Sophie when she was still not very mobile... loved to stick out her tongue... hehehe...

... And this is taken even earlier... when Sophie still fit papa's lap... super sweaty then... hahaha...

The "Sea Turtle" Hunt

We took Sophie to the pool again. We wanted to try out the new float Papa had bought for her. It was a cute design... with a coconut tree and all... but what a disappointment! Somehow, it kept tilting forward when Sophie kicked and thrashed the water. As a result, we had to hold on it to prevent her face from dipping into the water. All in all, Sophie still seemed to have had great fun in the water.

Go Fly Kite @ Labrador Park

This morning, Ah Mah wanted to do marketing at Tiong Bahru market so we drove her there. Ah Gong was at Labrador Park flying kite, so he did not come along. It was a very hot day and it was very tough to move around in the market with Sophie in my arms. Fortunately, the place was quite well kept and clean. Ah Mah was particularly pleased to show Sophie off to her 'Karkees' in the market...

After lunch, we decided to look for Ah Gong at Labrador Park. It was quite a long walk but we found him with his friends at the jetty. It felt a little strange because I have never quite seen him so relaxed and cheery. And for the first time (in all my 32 years), he taught me how to fly a kite... Ah Mah was much less enthusiastic about baking ourselves in the sun although she came along with us. By the time we left the jetty, we were hot and exhausted...

In the evening, we attended Phoebe's 3rd Birthday Party. I must say Auntie Annie is a very organised and capable mummy. I am very impressed by how simply successful the party was even though it was just 3 hours. Most of the guests were children (with their folks, of course) and they seemed to have enjoyed themselves. Her house was so conducive for children that none of them became bored or disruptive at any point of the party. Too bad I left the camera in the car... so check out her blog for the pictures.

Live Well Baby

The latest issue of "Live Well Baby" will be kept for a long time to come...

Can you spot the reason? Wonder if we will get to keep the next issue as well...

Seeing Double

If I ever even remotely resemble considering to entertain the possibility of giving Sophie a sibling... this would be the moment...

... hmm... nope, false alarm... sorry!

Water Baby

Auntie Lynn bought Sophie a swim suit when she was born. I let her try it on just for fun... quite cute...

Feeling adventurous, papa and mama put on our much neglected swim suits and took Sophie to the pool. I was only prepared to let her play with the water (legs only) or a few minutes...

Alright... maybe just let her try submerging half her body... but let's do it slowly. Let her get used to the cold water before...

Er... CAREFUL!!! Is she ok??? She drank some water!!!

Cat Fright

After breakfast, we took Sophie to visit Ah Mah. She was still resting at home and we thought Sophie could cheer her up. Sophie, however, had other ideas. She got really excited when she saw Bearie (my cat) and kept struggling to crawl towards her. At first, we tried to protect her from Bearie... maybe we should protect Bearie from her instead.

Jacab Ballas Children's Garden

We finally made it to Jacab Ballas Children’s Garden at Singapore Botanic Gardens. It is the first children’s garden in Asia and the perfect playground for little toddlers. When we reached there, we were very impressed by the layout and the attractions. Here, nature and life sciences are bundled with fun and physical play... probably the best way to learn for the little ones.

Unfortunately, Sophie is a little too young for the Tree House, the Suspension Bridge or A-mazing Play Area. She could only linger at the Waterplay Area, which is all good except we got wet... well, I got wet without any spare clothes. Sophie seemed to have enjoyed herself although I was a little worried that she might catch a cold. Papa rolled his eyeballs when he saw how protective I was (hey, better safe than sorry…).

After drying Sophie, we loitered around the edge of the Waterplay Area and laughed at others. Sophie took the opportunity to get acquainted with Auntie Jean and her nephew, Mathew... before she grew tired and cranky (which was very soon actually).

We ended the day at the food court after some shots with Pei Ee and Faith. We had planned a picnic but apparently, food and drinks are not allowed in there. Still, we brought food for Sophie. I made her mini sandwiches (egg yolk, minced beef and cheese) and brought her a banana. At least, it seemed like a picnic for her… even though we never really sit on the grass, under a shady tree.

Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Jab?

Ah Gong and Mama took Sophie to The Kids Clinic at SengKang today for her flu jab. We thought she might be better protected since we are going to Hong Kong in November. Alas, nobody told me that first-timer babies need 2 jabs a month apart for the vaccination to be effective. Well, better than nothing I guess... we have to go back in late November for the second jab.

Speaking of jabs, Sophie never once cried when she had her jabs. Today, she just looked a little annoyed by Dr Lim when she jabbed her. Brave brave girl. I should know because I also went to my GP just upstairs (NTUC Medicare) for my jab. It hurt. Maybe that was because Dr Fong was on leave and the relief doctor was somewhat a pig.

You see, Dr Fong was this sweet, sensitive young man who listens and cares for his patient (now, I very rarely give compliments to GPs). He advised me on my freckles and recommended me some cream I could use... IF I was disturbed by them... not that I actually NEED to do something about them. So nice, worried that my fragile feelings would be hurt. That pig, however, told me to go to an aesthetic clinic and laser the darn freckles off... okay, so he did not say those exact words, but it was as good as telling me to get my face fixed by a plastic surgeon!

Bad Fall

Ah Gong came over alone today. Ah Mah slipped and fell outside their flat last night. I was terribly worried so I brought Sophie over to visit her. She looked alright despite her limp and fatigue. She was in quite a bit of pain though. Her doctor said she injured her muscles and she needed some bed rest.... Still, she seemed more concerned about Sophie and me than herself. Poor Ah Mah...

Much To Do About Much More

Papa was on course for the past two days and he was able to come back early today. So papa and mama took Sophie out to the playground to try out the swing again. This time she seemed more at ease with the swing although she did not appear to enjoy herself too much... in fact, she looked like she was about to throw up... motion sickness? Hahaha...

Next destination was the "Springy Horse Ride". Okay, Sophie seemed to like this a little better... especially with mama's "out of tune" background music. Hopefully, Sophie has got her papa's genes in music (so unfair, she already got his looks and his character...).

Just before we headed for home and dinner, papa let Sophie splash around in the baby pool. Now this Sophie liked very much... she was so fascinated by the blue waters. Papa said we should get one of those inflatable floats and get into the water together... great idea! But mama cannot really swim leh...

At late night, papa and mama took Sophie to Auntie Emilia's house for her first "mobilisation" - a congregation of mama's ex-colleagues and family members. We started doing that (usually on Friday nights) a few years ago... but our last meeting was quite long ago and we had lots to catch up... Unfortunately, no videography or photography allowed, the attendance and agenda were confidential. So, sorry folks! You gotta join the pack to find out more!!!

Love Bites

So straight after her yummy snack, Sophie felt sleepy... as usual, I carried her to rock her to sleep. Our dear princess decided that my shoulder was a good teething toy so she kept gnawing and sucking until she fell asleep. Only after did I realise what she had done on me... walau...

Late Afternoon Snack

Sophie was not in the mood for a long afternoon nap so I let her play in her room. However, I grew so bored and sleepy that I gave her a late afternoon snack instead. I took some banana and mashed it before adding yogurt and some leftover fruit puree into it. I thought she would not like it because it tasted a little too sour for me, but she actually loved it. She even "meowed" when I stopped feeding her...

Right Side Up

Not long ago, Sophie has learnt to pick out books and turn the pages as though she was really reading. This morning, I found her turning the books the right side up before turning the pages. Could she be able to recognise that the pictures were upside down? Come to think of it, she seldoms hold the books upside down these days. So I tried placing the books upside down in front of her to test her. Almost always, she would turn the books right side up... although I think she was actually quite irritated by me... kinda killed her interest in the books... er, sorry?

Ah Mah's Magic

Sophie was a challenge today as she refused to take her nap... despite her obvious fatigue. Then came Ah Mah, the incredible TV narrator, who literally talked her into sleeping... check out how she had to shake her head to stay focused.

Finally, Sophie could no longer ''tahan'' so she adopted the "Bert and Ernie sleeping style" (ardent fans of Sesame Street will know what I mean...).

Sophie's Exploring Around Her Room

All of a sudden, Sophie seemed to be very aware of the concept of falling. She hestitated (squatting and standing) for a long time before letting go of her hand finally. Quite hilarious... She crawled to the bookshelf and started taking out some books. She turned the pages as if she was really reading... hahaha... opps, time to teach her how to put the books back?



Sophie has been training her hand-eye coordination lately. When she first started, she could not understand how to play with this toy so she just fiddled with the beads and figures. Then she made the connection to move the beads but she could only move it upwards a little. Now, she has learnt that she can move the beads higher and they eventually drop down the wire course. Maybe soon she will be able to hold on to the bead and complete the wire course with it... must minus all the distractions first... "Jia You", Baby!

New Decor

I removed the existing bed frame of my priced possession (my bed in Sengkang before I moved here) and put the mattress on some foam puzzles. This used to be just Sophie's changing bed, now it doubles up as a day bed or play area.

On the other side of her room, a new shelf (from Ikea) has been added. It will be used to store her books and toys. I deliberately arranged the table and chair that way, with her toys on them, so that she would be encouraged to stand up and cruise around to fiddle with them. Hopefully, the new book shelf allows her to explore around and take out books to "read" whenever she feels like it.

Betty Boop

This morning, Sophie woke up a little too early for me, so I put her in her cot bed and went back to sleep. I had hoped that she would entertain herself so that i could steal a couple more minutes of sleep... Of course, she had other ideas... she started "singing" and "dancing" (in attempt to wake us up and entertain us, I bet). Papa commented that she looked like Betty Boop, with her curly hair all stuck to her head and her infamous big eyes.

"Har... is it?" I struggled to open my eyes and one look at her was all it took to jolt me out of bed for this picture. And of course that cost me my most desired sleep... darn.

Swinging Good Time

Inspired by Annie's bravery, I took Sophie for a walk to a little playground near our place. I let her ride the "springy horse" and put her in a baby swing. She did not seem to like the insecure feeling at first but I think she would soon learn to enjoy the adrenaline rush... Mama, on the other hand, had to scrub her clean once we reached home... doubt I will ever enjoy her getting dirty...

Melancholy

I don't know why there is a tinge of melancholy in the air these days... even the weather seems to have its mood swings. Maybe 'tis the feeling of impending doom from the much expected economic crisis... with rising cost and expenses, I wonder how much longer can I stay at home without any income... Or perhaps 'tis the effect of consuming so much tainted food over the years... is that why cancer is so prevalent? Mayhaps 'tis got to do with the marital problems a couple of my friends have been facing. People are no longer happy with one another... While we rely on expert advice from so-called professionals, they exploit on our ignorance and fear so that we consume their products...

I seem to have lost all sense of security in this frighteningly imperfect world. What kind of world am I putting Sophie in?

Will The Real Sophie... Please Stand up!

I caught Sophie standing, with the Ikea chair as her support, to play with her Musical Barn. It was quite hilarious because she refused to sit even when her legs were tired. In the end, she held the "zha1 ma3" position for a quite a while. I think she can actually stand without support but she lacks confidence...

Also, I think the time has come for Sophie to expand her territory... judging from the way she dropped herself slowly when she wanted to change her "mode of transportation" to crawling and get her toy, I think it should be safe for her to navigate herself around. Time for me to get busy again... to update the home furnishing...

Heavy Duty Renovations

Since Monday last week, we have been enduring some really heavy duty demolition works just a floor above us. I mean, our whole house shook when they drilled and hacked the wall away with "super-duper-power" drills and sledge hammers... not to mention the workers' less than interesting conversations and occasional cigarette smoke (opps, that's actually from the guys below us... smoking their lungs out at their balcony...). Of course I need not elaborate further on what's next in line... the actual renovations!!! All the noise pollution is clouding my normally rational and productive brain with thoughts of revenge... major overhaul in December when everyone is on holidays... hahahaha...

Oh Baby...

Sophie is growing more and more attached to me... While it is flattering and all, I am quite worried that she will eventually become too clingy and I am not sure how to wean her off... well, ME. Her latest fetish is to grab and hold on to my hands as she sleeps, like they are some sort of stuff toy or pillow... If I try to remove them, she will wake up and start whining...

Dress Me Up...

Ah Boh has been very generous (perhaps sympathetic towards Sophie... Mama and Papa haven't been dressing her very well... ) in buying Sophie clothes from Mothercare. Just the other day, she gave Sophie two little skirts and 3 blouses. Thank you, thank you, thank you...