Jasper @ 16 - 17 months

Captain J is now running not walking, he has also been climbing onto tables, chairs, stools and opening up cupboards, pressing fan buttons and whatever gadgets he can get hold! He is really vocal as he tries to communicate verbally to get his point across to you. He likes to imitate us as well i.e. coughing, sneezing and he thinks it's funny.  It's really getting challenging to look after this active and mischievous little boy.

Physical & Mental
Has temper tantrums when frustrated and don't get his way
Discovers the joy of climbing
Takes off one piece of clothing by himself i.e. his socks every morning
Kicks ball forward
Drinks well from a straw

Feeding
Loves to feed himself
Can use fork unassisted and spoon assisted
Loves to drink water

Year End Phuket Trip

Holidays are always fun and enjoyable for all of us, and helps create many wonderful memories. This year we deceided to bring the kids and grandparents to Phuket. Five days of relaxing at Holiday Inn Resort, splashing in the pool,  playing at the beach, shopping/eating/drinking, and driving around the island to expore the attractions was enough to make everyone happy :)

It was the boy's 1st flight and all was well for him (no painful or scary incidents), except that he couldnt walk around and was too excited to drink his milk or take his nap, which frustrated him a bit. But fortunately it was a short 2hr flight and we manage to keep him occupied and within our seats! When the plane landed he would fall asleep immediately while we cleared immigration. Overall the boy coped very well on this trip, no fuss what so ever- ate and slept well; maybe becos he was happy he could go out everyday and swim everyday...



Dinner and Night Street Markets @ Patong

Reflection on 2011

Oh my how time flies.. With all the festivities and year end Holiday I hardly had time to update the blog.  Anyway we ended 2011 with some very wonderful time with the family- Christmas party at 2 homes; a trip to Marina Bay Sands on Christmas eve night and a final vacation in Phuket!

Let me just recap our 2011.. 2011 was not a very healthy year for most of us. Beginning of the year saw Hazel falling sick with bad nasal congestion and cough; I had to be hospitalised for some throat infection; hubby fell sick quite a no. of times; FIL diagnosed with cancer; and my dad had kidney stones removed.  But I think as the year progressed our health got very much better. I also made a choice to transfer to another office at the final qtr. of the year, hopefully I get better job progression and motivation in 2012. Baby Jasper turned 1 and is now Toddler Jasper and he is always prowling in action!  Hazel coped well with school, her writing and colouring skills are improving each day. We took 2 family trips for 2011- 1 to Genting and the other to Phuket, and already I'm looking forward to new adventures with the kids in 2012. What does 2012 have in store for us?? I hope it will be good to our health, wealth and relationships!

Jasper @ 15 months old

The boy started to take his few steps around 15 months old and before we knew it he is now walking on his 2 feet.  He loves making turns and is walking quite steadily; up and down little steps; and carrying balls etc while walking.  He also likes to "talk" to us and he has begun to understand and follow instructions i.e. sit down; take "chu chu"; bye bye- he will say bye and wave hands; go kai kai - he will walk to the shoe rack to get his shoe.  He is really cute nowadays and his cheeky smile will melt your heart :P

Physical & Mental

• Toddles well
• Pushes and pulls toys while walking
• Walks backward
• Discovers the joy of climbing
• Responds to instructions

Feeding

• Loves to feed himself
• Uses a spoon or fork

New Paper Big Walk 2011@RWS

Brought the Kids to The New Paper Big Walk as they were having it at Resorts World Sentosa this year, so we thought it would be interesting for the kids.  Weather was quite good - breezy and cloudy, the kids did quite well throughout the walk not much complains except stopping to snack occasionally, but I think they very much preferred the sand play at the beach after walk... :)

Outdoor Fun @ Jurong Central Park

Had a great Sunday morning with the kids. First - Macs Breakfast to fill our tummys and latter quick play at the park!

Jasper @ 14 months

Finally his upper front tooth has sprouted out this month and so are 3 neighboring teeth

• Stand well
• Take a few more steps unassisted
• Walk with help
• Empty containers filled with objects
• Put objects back in container
• Say three or more words other than mama or dada
• Eat finger foods
• Understands instrcutions like Bye Bye, Clap Hands
  

Feeding/Sleeping
•Finally he dropped his mid night feed and now wakes about 530/6am for his milk.  We have not dropped his morning nap yet will let the boy drop his nap naturally.

Captian J @ 14 mths old

Stomach Flu

Yesterday our dear son suddenly vomited out all of his dinner while drinking his bedtime milk.  Could tell his stomach was churning and that it was not due to choking or coughing.  He vomited another 2 times while I was trying to put him back to sleep, and later on every hour.  Quickly searched online for some info on vomiting and got some useful info from Dr Sears.  Really nothing much for us to do but wait out for him to stop vomiting and than give him fluids.  It could either be a case of food poisoning or stomach flu. Fortunately he stopped vomitting after 2am and drank about 80ml of water before going back to sleep .  We monitored his temperature and vomiting throughout the rest of the night, and while he had no signs of fever the next morning we brought him to see the PD anyhow to get a thorough check as well as medication.  PD told us that he caught a minor stomach flu and should take some time to recover, so in the meantime to give him small meals and drink. 

Post Illness :

Anyway the chirpy boy was fine thereafter, just lost his appetite for the next couple of days. Didn't even have to take any of the prescribed medications.  The bug however spread to Big Sister and she had it a bit worse than him- in terms of vomiting more and having a fever.  Luckily it was a minor stomach flu for both of them, cause I know how terrible it feels to keep having to vomit uncontrollably.

Jasper @ 13 mths old

Jasper has been growing well, he has been eating very well and can now finish up 2 bowls of his food. He loves his fruits (i.e. blueberries, kiwi, papaya, strawberries and cherries) and can't go without them.  We brought him to swim again the other day and he simply loves the water, he wanted us to let go of him and tried to dip his head into the water! Anyway he is getting more and more mobile and curious each day!

Physically & Mentally
•Eats with fingers
•Empties containers of contents
•Knows function of toys, e.g. hugs plush toys, pushes button on pop-up toys, builds with blocks
•Carries/pushes toys from place to place
•Holds out arm or leg to help you dress him
•Stands alone for a couple of seconds

Language & Emotions
•Says “mama” and “dada” and knows what they mean

Feeding/Sleeping
•Not much change in his sleep routine. He still needs his occasional middle of the nite feed.

 
Daily Schedule:

530/6am - Milk 150 ml
7/730am - Wake Up
800am - Bath time

9am - Breakfast: Bread/Oats/Pancake/Waffle+Egg/Cheese+Yogurt + Fruit

10am - Nap (45mins - 1hr)
12pm - Lunch: Porridge / Macaroni 230/3pm - Milk 200 ml
Nap (1.5-2hrs)
530pm - Dinner: Porridge / Macaroni

7pm - Wash up

8/830 pm - Milk 210ml & Bedtime

2am/4am - Milk 120 ml

The Boy Turns One!

It has been a year since this little bubbly boy was born. We celebrated his 1st birthday last Sunday on 21 Aug 2011, with some relatives and friends. He was thrilled and happy to meet everyone. Food was from e-creative and cake from Pine Garden (chose a Disney Car / Mickey theme).  Thanks everyone for the Birthday Ang Bao and Present!

Photoshoot

Bought a group-buy package with Benjamin from Foto-u yet again.  Ha ha was too lazy to try another new photographer since I knew he could do the job fairly well with the kids.

Booked a session with him on 8 Aug @ 130pm sometime after lunch and before the kids had their noon nap.  The shoot was more for the boy since I like to capture their baby looks at this point of time... did the same for Hazel when she was 10 mths old. The kids were good for almost 80% of the 1hr shoot, but nearing the end of the shoot no.1 was already feeling restless and and no.2 yawning. O well but we sure got quite a no. of great shots of no.2 as well as a few nice family ones.

Will be getting back 2 8R pics and all the pics in high resolution. Thereafter will be making it into a photobook.

He's actually tickled by the furry carpet



Love this Brother-Sister Picture



The Phangs

Add caption

My Lil Baby is now Lil Boy

Jasper @ 11 months

The boy has turned 11 months and he is fast becoming active and mobile. He hates to be placed in anything that will restrict his exploration and loves to open drawers, cupboards doors etc. The little boy is also starting to be abit clingy to mummy dearest here, as he shows preference towards who should carry and feed him.

Physically & Mentally

• Able to suck from straw cup
• Crawls very well, belly off the ground
• Loves to explore on his own and dislikes being place in a confined space ie the cot/playpen for too long

Language & Emotions

• Shows stronger separation anxiety- cries when he sees certain strangers
• Starting to assert his demands and throw tantrum

Feeding/Sleeping

• Sleeps about 12 hrs; with 2 naps (1 short am nap 45mins-1hr and 1 long pm nap 2hrs)
• He has started to stretch his demand for middle of the night milk till 4am; previously was 2am. So maybe after he turns 1 he may soon drop this milk feed?

Down with a cold

We're down with the flu bug... it started with Big Sister having a fever accompanied by a bad cold and cough, thereafter I caught the cold bug and now Little Jasper is down with fever and runny nose- his poor nose is blocked and has to breathe through his mouth! Yesterday night his fever went up to 39 degrees, but fortunately after medication and sponging it went down and he was able to sleep and drink.  Today is Day 2 and we just brought him to see the Dr.  Hope he gets well soon, foresee he'll be having difficulty eating, drinking and sleeping...

Doc's Prescription:
Dexchlorpheniramine 2.5ml x 3 daily
Prospan cough syrup 2.5ml x 3 daily
Nasal Drops
Fever Medication

2nd Swim Attempt and NDP Fireworks viewing

A 2nd round of swimming this time slightly longer session and both kids love the splashing and kicking! Thereafter proceeded for dinner with a great view of the Singapore Skyline and Fireworks display.

My 2 Sweet Peas

Do they look somewhat alike??? Really blessed with the 2 of them - my happy and cheerful babies!

1st Haircut

Brought the boy for his 1st hair cut last Saturday at the new Clementi Mall's EC House Express Cut. With the hot weather and his tendency to pull his own hair, it was time for us to tidy the little fella's hair.  He was quite curious initially and all went well till the sound of the shaver got him all cranky- think it was too close for comfort. Fortunately with some food bribing, and distracting we manage to get a nice hair cut for him. The cut was only $10 and includes a free kiddy ride which was in the hair salon - I would say value for money indeed!  Though I would love to try aunty Eva for his next hair cut when he's older- her's is 2x the price :P

乖乖sitting on daddy's lap

Hairdresser begins her cut

Still very cool about the haircut

Eee is my haircut nice?

Staycation @ Marina Mandarin Singapore

Booked a staycation over the 25-26 Jun weekend for a mini get-away for the family. The stay was a GSS(Great Spore Sale) offer, which was quite a good deal since we got an executive deluxe king room, inclusive of breakfast and high tea for 2 adults, and 15% discount on all F&B during our stay.

Big sister was the most excited and happy about her "holiday", while little bro was oblivious about the whole stay.  We checked in around 3pm and got a room facing the marina bay area, and to our pleasant surprise they were having NDP rehearsal, so that evening we had free entertainment from the NDP show - from the air show to fireworks!

Without delay we brought the kids for their swim after checking in.  The sunny weather was great for Jasper's virgin swim, as the water would be warm! We placed him on the float and he was initially a bit apprehensive but after familiarising himself with the water and pool environment he couldn't stop slapping the water and getting his face all wet- he liked it!  After about 15 mins of water play I brought him back to the room for a warm bath and some shut eye since it was already late into his nap time. So while he was off for his nap (which he immediately did after his bath and milk), big sister continued on with her swim with daddy. The boy had a super power nap of 30mins, as if he knew high tea was waiting for us! So we manage to indulge in our high tea together with the 2 kids, before heading back to the room to relax.

Dinner was of course room service since we should maximise our hotel stay and catch the NDP.  Room service was nice enough to send up a baby chair and we all had dinner together in our cosy room. By 9pm we were all in bed and in dreamland... everyone slept very well and 弟弟 even laughed during his sleep- so cute. Our little alarm clocks woke up at the strike of 730am and we lazed around till 8 before heading down for our mighty breakfast! After breakfast we took a short walk around marina square before checking out and heading to our home sweet home.

A short but sweet break for us and the kids.

Mummy - finding her groove

Finally went to take part in a run event last weekend.  Since having the kids I have stopped taking part in run-a-thons.  With no.1 I would still have time for weekly evening runs with Hubs but after No.2's arrival we practically do not have the luxury to run together. But after many failed attempts to run, I thought it would be good to finally go do something I enjoy. This is in my To Do List w/o the Kiddos and so far I've completed this and a short break to South Korea without the kids last May.

Anyway for this GE woman's run I participated in the 5k fun run category, cos I knew I won't have the time to train and alas I'm not as fit as before... The run turned out good, considering I have not been running for the last 8 months or more, I manage to finish in 45 mins and without stopping (hoo-ray) and my thighs only ache abit the next 2 days. But the new route wasn't all too pleasant as there were a couple of bottle necks and many ladies were walking so they were kind of in the way - but I guess I shouldn't complain cos after all I was in the fun run category.



All Smiles before the Run

Jasper @ 10 months

Milestones

Physically and mentally


• Crawls well, with belly off the ground

• Uses his pincer grasp

• Shakes, bangs, drops and throws things

• Able to stand and cruise more confidently - he can climb out of his little bamboo chair on his own

• He is very into crawling and cruising around the home as he no longer wants to be in his walker or playpen- he's beginning to show signs of wanting to be independent and free!!!

Language and emotions


• Says "mama" and "dada" to the correct parent

• Imitates words


Feeding


Anyway this little guy is not an easy eater but neither is he an extremely difficult one, he just knows how to show his preference for food. For example, when he likes the food he will happily open his mouth and take 15mins to finish, if he's not too keen on the food he will take a few mouthfuls and thereafter close his mouth shut until he chews finish and take 30mins to finish.
So me and my mom have found some ways to suit this boy's needs:


1. So far he is pretty bored with cereals and oats for breakfast so we've introduced bread and egg yolk to him. Maybe I will start him on homemade pancakes and cheerios soon.


2. His daily lunch/dinner is also alternated with porridge, macaroni, mee sua and pasta/gratin as this works best cos it seems to be different for him.


ie. main meal - break 30mins - fruits, cos by midway dinner he sometimes feels grumpy and wants a break so leaving the fruits halfway eaten. This break does wonders cos he finishes the fruits readily.


He loves his snacks (rice crackers, puffs and yogurt melts) and he has a keen interest in what we're eating- he will demand from us! As for his milk intake, he has been fairly consistent, though we have dropped his mid-morning milk feed and I have increased his bed time feed. He is back to his normal drinking self and doesn't need to drink while in sleepy mode.


Last weekend I manage to make bake vegetable and cod fish gratin, it's been a while since I cooked this so I was a bit rusty on the recipe but manage to dig out the book and the dish turn out great! He manage to finish the whole serving, spread out over his 2 meals (lunch and dinner). Initially when I gave him during lunch he didn't seem to like it as he was eating very slowly, maybe because I gave him his lunch not too long after he woke up, but during dinner he seem to take it better and finished everything including his fruits. So I see that as a good sign that he likes it.

Photo Project

Just finished doing up a picture book for the boy over the week. It's been fun selecting pictures and designing the pages. Was a bit pressed for time since there was a 50% discount on all photobooks this June but fortunately I was able to complete and send in the order. Hope it turns out nice!!!

In the meantime I'm also looking out for good lobangs for studio photoshoots, as we would like to do one for him before he turns one! They're so cute at this age and it's really nice to capture them in print professional so that you can look back and have fond memories...

Here's a  preview of the photobook I did: