Walk With Me

First thing Papa did when he came back was to let Sophie practice her walking... He was super happy when she walked towards him...

Birthday Invitation

Dear blogger-mummies and frens, our little one is coming to ONE (finally!). Although the actual day is on 11 December, we have decided to celebrate on 8 December (Mon) instead and YOU are invited. Please let us know if you are coming by 30 Nov, so that we can prepare some finger food, drinks and bags of goodies for the little ones. We will also set up some sort of play corner for the little ones so do let them come dressed casual. Hope to see you on that day!

Walking

My brave little girl has been practicing relentlessly and tonight, yes... tonight, she let go of her support and took her first few steps. She laughed and chuckled as she shuffled her feet. She was obviously delighted by her new found ability, it is a key skill required for autonomy and freedom. We were so elated that we almost forgot to take a video... my little baby is walking.

Cat & Dog

Sophie spoke for herself...

Hold On Or Let Go?

Lately, Sophie has been trying to let go of her support when she stands or cruises around. Sometimes, she would lean against the panel, clap her hands and smile at me cheekily while I held my breath and hoped she would not fall and hurt herself.

I think there is a high chance that she would be able to take her first steps before her first birthday.

Sophie's Birthday Wish List

Sophie's birthday is drawing near, on the 11th December. I have yet decided if we should throw her a party, but here's her wish list for birthday presents. Of course, any other presents are always welcomed. On behalf of the Loy family, THANK YOU! Hehehe... ;)

Do let me know if you have decided to get one of the above items so that I can ensure no duplicates in the gifts...

Cat & Bird

Encouraged by Sophie's utterances lately, I tried to see if she could say those 'words' again. I was super thrilled when she said, "cat" when she saw her stuff toy cat. Then I prompted her and she actually said, "bird" at the stuff toy robin. YIPPEE! I don't care if she is actually talking, I just want to bask in happiness for the moment...

Moving on...

Recently, we noticed that Sophie is trying to stand without support. She also attempts to walk forward rather than sideways. So far, her steps are still not steady but I love the way she persists, a little bolder each day.

Cat Cat

At Naenae's place today, Ah Boh was very tickled when Sophie uttered "cat" (sounded like it lah)... The cat, however, was less than thrilled to be disturbed in her nice nap.

Greeting Cards...

My sister-in-law has just started her online shop. Her handmade Christmas cards are lovely and definitely worth checking out... In fact, those of you who attended my wedding at Sentosa would probably recall our beautiful invitation cards? Yup, made by her!

http://jenzartwork.etsy.com/

Sophie - TV Addict

I never meant to let Sophie watch TV at such a tender age, but she's a natural and Ah Mah encouraged it. Well, I try to make the best out of the situation... think Sophie's legs are getting stronger each day... hahaha...

Sophie's Mail

Papa opened the mailbox and found a package addressed to Sophie. Yes! Her first issue of Babybug magazine came in finally! I have specially requested for a speedy delivery (much earlier than I have expected) because it is meant to be her birthday present next month. Quite a good magazine for little babies... although Papa thinks it is too expensive.

To NaeNae's Place We Go!

On the way to NaeNae's place, Sophie entertained me with her silly grins... We did not get to see NaeNae before we flew to Hong Kong because she had got a bad cough. Sophie really made NaeNae very happy when she lurched forward for her to carry. Too bad we did not get to see Ah Boh because we had to make a trip to IMM to get a ceiling fan for Sophie.

Upper Peirce Reservoir

It was a hot day and after spending one whole day at home, Papa suggested that a spin or maybe a walk at Upper Peirce Reservoir. At first, I was little reluctant because it was almost dinner time and Sophie was cranky, but I was glad we went. Sophie was happy to be out and about and we were grateful for the breeze, fresh air and peace. I think I am still very much a person who enjoys peace and quiet in wide open spaces... crowds and noise really put me off. Maybe Sophie feels the same way too.

Ichiban (AMK)

Home at last! It was much easier for us to go out for dinner and come back in time to feed Sophie at home. At Ichiban today, I tried feeding Sophie some oranges... she liked it a little too much and kept asking for more. Look at the way she sucked at the orange!!!

Well, I had to put a stop to her demands... hahaha... Look carefully at how she screamed for oranges and how I tried to distract her with tidbits (Papa took the video without telling me...). Also, take note of my efforts to ignore her while I gobbled down my beef udon... Funny... very candid!

Loy Family @ Hong Kong / Home Sweet Home (Day 5)

Yeah... We were going home today!!! We did some last minute shopping for Sophie and bought her some books. I have seen them online but somehow could not find them in Singapore. Papa waited with Sophie outside the shop while I GRABBED the books. I was sooooooo happy to have bought them... my mood was instantly uplifted.

Sigh... good things seldom last... At the airport, we encountered nasty service from the SIA check-in staff. He claimed that our hand luggage was too heavy and forced us to check it in. When we told him that everything inside was fragile, he gave us an evil grin and said we should have wrapped the items properly. DUH??!! I was very pissed off so I snapped, "... took out everything already lah..." (so not me...). As if he was out to get us, he then called our camera bag a "hand luggage" so we "exceeded" the limit of one hand luggage per passenger. What the... ??!! Luckily, his colleague intervened and said it was okay. Last but not least, he threatened us that custom staff would confiscate our baby food and juice. Now, that did it for me! I shouted at him, "Not possible for me to throw away now right?" and walked off when he was still yakking... WALAU... IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As it turned out, custom staff took a look at Sophie and let us through... after smiling and teasing Sophie a bit. The return flight was really damned "suay"... the overhead compartment just above Sophie and me opened during takeoff (the stupid air stewardess just stared at Papa, so he quickly unbuckled himself , stood up and closed it!), the baby food turned out to be baked salmon and omelette (how to eat?) and they ran out of bottled baby food!!! By then, I wanted to punch someone... what else could go wrong??? Oh yes... the taxi ride could! The "overworked" driver was apparently in "deep thoughts" and missed the exit to Yio Chu Kang Road!!! MY DEAR LORD... I needed a lot of patience and strength (to stop my fist from flying to his head!)

All I can say is "Home Sweet Home" and I am so glad it is all over... if I ever show any interest in travelling to Hong Kong again, please... anyone, just shoot me!

Loy Family @ Hong Kong (Day 4)

After yesterday's trip to Disneyland, we woke up with aching backs and stiff legs. I really did not feel like going anywhere so we kinda lazed around until noon time. I was quite happy just to admire the scenic view of our hotel room... Papa, however, said we got to go somewhere since it was our last day in Hong Kong... so we thought "Ocean Park"... but after lunch.

We checked with the concierge how we should go to Ocean Park. We were told to take a cab which would probably cost around S$20++ but the doorman advised us to take the ferry across to Hong Kong Island before we take a cab... and it definitely would not cost S$20++ if we chose to take from the hotel. Hmm... I guess we trusted the doorman a bit more than the hotel concierge, so we did just that.

It was quite a walk uphill as we entered Ocean Park, but our mood was relatively good so it was not too bad. However, our cheery high spirits dissipated the moment we saw the long queue at the cable car ride. We thought we had to take the cable car to the other side of Ocean Park (partly our fault, we did not bother with maps) where all the animal shows and rides were. The staff further complicated matters by giving us wrong information and advised us to take the shuttle bus instead. So... poor us... we ended up on the wrong side of Ocean Park and there was practically nothing to see... except the loud and aggressive tourists.

Also, we had to take the super long escalator (3 or 4 of them... I could not recall...). By the time we reached the top, Sophie was hungry. Luckily, the Dophin show saved the day... although I felt more entertained by the band before the show. Well, as soon as the show ended, we took the cable car down... no way we were going to take the silly escalator again... The scenic view was quite breathtaking so we kinda forgot everything else the moment the cable car started moving(especially the negative stuff).

We went back to the hotel room after dinner. We wanted to end the day early so that we could pack and get ready for home the next day... Oh, of course we still had to play with Sophie before she slept... a few hours later.

Loy Family @ Hong Kong (Day 3)

Sophie woke up in a pretty agreeable mood... she must have sensed that Disneyland in our itinerary today. I put her in the cot and let her play with her new soft book (fridge) while I prepared her brekkie.

So far so good, she ate her food fairly quickly with very little fuss. Usually, I had to entertain her with songs and games as she eats... hmm... when the day began too smoothly, something really bad was definitely going to happen... Fearing the worst possible scenerio, I drew the curtains and took a peek outside... HEAVY RAIN!!!!! Oh no, Disneyland...how????

Since we had already booked and paid for the transport and entrance fees, we had little choice but to brave the rain for Disneyland. It was really a risk we were taking as Sophie might catch a cold and get sick in this weather. Our guide tried his best to console us but our mood only got better when we saw the clouds clearing up. Apparently, the weather was relatively alright at Disneyland... no rain, just occasional drizzle. We were super relieved...

Just at the entrance, we saw a long queue and instinctively, I knew it must be Mickney Mouse... Minnie was there as well! GOOD! Aiming at two birds with a stone... I told Papa to get the stroller while we headed straight for the legendary rodent and its mate. Well, it took us an hour for our turn and only a minute or two to take pictures with them but I knew Sophie liked it. Although I had to keep talking to her to keep her awake in the line. Normally, I would never wait so long for something as silly as this... but for Sophie... what the hell!

Finally, we could move on... we took the train ride to Fantasy Land where most of Sophie's favourite characters are found. Initially, I was quite apprehensive about taking rides with Sophie, but I guess that was what we were there for... so we started off with the "Magical Cups". Dizzy...

The ride must have made Sophie dizzy too... she slept very soon after at the "Winnie the Pooh" ride, BEFORE we even entered. Aiyah, she missed her favourite... We even deliberately got the "express" pass so that she did not have to wait in line.

Oh well, we walked over to the Adventure Land and waited for Sophie to wake up for the boat ride. Meanwhile, Papa went to check out its "lethality scale" and came back with his head shaking. Apparently, it was a little too risky for Sophie, so we headed back to the Fantasy Land. By then, Sophie woke up and she seemed hungry... feeding time again. Sigh! We parked ourselves under a bridge and gave her her milk feed with tidbits. Suddenly, we heard some commotion and realised that the parade was starting... darn, we would miss it... so I asked Papa to video it for us while I fed Sophie.

What else could we do at Disneyland? It was five minutes to four and we had around three more hours before the fireworks... that we (especially Sophie) must not miss. We decided to go for the Golden Mickey Musical, even though I questioned how much Sophie could understand. Then again, how much could I understand??? It was mainly in Cantonese!!! Fortunately, it was quite entertaining and she seemed to have enjoyed it, although the music was a bit too loud to my liking.

Okay, it was time to do some shopping... we went to almost all the gift shops but we could not find the t-shirt Auntie Annie had wanted for Reuben. I must say, Disneyland has excellent marketing strategy. It made people do compulsive buying... I saw many adults wearing Mickey Mouse hairbands with ears etc. Gosh! They even try to display different stuff in each shop, so you would be thinking you have got the BEST until you walked into another shop found yourself staring at the BEST BEST... In the end, you would be buying more items then you have initially intended. Luckily for me, Sophie was too young to ask us to buy stuff for her...

In one of the shops, we found a gaming ride so we took it. It was quite fun for us, too bad Sophie was too young to shoot at the targets though. By the time we were done with gifts searching and gaming, it was time for Sophie's dinner. We found a quiet cafe/canteen in Tomorrow Land to feed her. Papa also ate his dinner so that he could take care of her while I ate mine. Before I could finally eat, we looked for the baby care room to change Sophie's diaper because she poopoo-ed. In the end, I had 15 minutes to swallow my dinner so that we would not miss the fireworks at 7 pm.

The fireworks were quite worth staying for... brilliant lights and lovely music... Sophie would have enjoyed it if she was actually awake. Sigh... asleep again!

Our bus came to pick us up at 7.45 pm. It had been quite a tiring day for us, but Papa wanted to eat supper... so we headed for some tim sum. Couldn't believe that it was still so crowded on a weekday at night...

We were super exhausted by the time we reached... zzzzzzzz... zzzzzzzzzz...