Fish Fingers

Last weekend, suddenly had the desire to make bento again. Coz I wanted to make fish fingers for Jov (he loves fish) to try, and decided to put together some things to make it more presentable hehee.


US Strawberries, grapes



Fish fingers, fried egg aeroplanes.



He likes the fish fingers, but its probably too much for him, he ate only 1.5pieces. As for the egg, he decided he didn't much fancy it in aeroplane shape after all. Took 2 bites and thats it. No go for the strawberries. Heee...

Well, I tried.

Splash @ Aqua

As we would be coming home immediately after the swim, we decided to leave Jaz home for her nap while we bring J to his swim. Since my hands would be free, I brought our SLR along. Had fun snapping photos of J having fun.



He is REALLY having lotsa fun these days in the pool. Today, hubby suspected he deliberately fall of the kick board again and AGAIN coz he loves the thrill of falling splashing into the water and paddling wildly hehehe.

Being thrown in the air when singing "If You Are Happy"






Coach taught them how to paddle their arms in free style and frog style today. I missed that part coz I was checking my cam, but the mommies told me J did very well with frogstyle and moved forward a lot! Jovann and Anna making frog style strokes.


Coach showing them how to dive into the water with his hands closed above his head. J trying to imitate.


Taking a rest


Those moments on the kickboard








LIFT OFF!


These series of 4 photos is hubby and Jov waving byebye to me, then hubby slowly submerging J and himself under water for 5 seconds. J will emerge laughing and slapping away the water from his face hehe.







Jumping into the water through the hoops


Being thrown as an aeroplane! For some reason today, both the boys (Jovann and Justin) refused to do the upside down throw.






He swims like a caterpillar under water at one moment, haha.




Photo of Anna, she was making faces for the camera, too cute to miss.

Animal Mechanicals

I didn't know Animal Mechanicals is J's favourite cartoon now, until hubby told me. I have heard J said he wanted to watch this cartoon sometimes, but as he also asked for Mickey Mouse, Dibo etc, I didn't know it's his recent hot craze.

On the ride to Aquaducks this morning, J started going all excited punching the air with his right arm and shouting "ReeXx!" When hubby asked him what's the colour of Rex, J said "green!", apparently Rex is a green mechanical dinasaur in the cartoon in which all the mechanicals has a great time solving problems. Hubby had to assure me its nothing violent, as I think I looked a bit concerned when J was behaving so macho-ly and shouting so triumphantly when punching the air. And when hubby prompted J with "Rex is animal mechana ------ ", J finished off with "STRONG!!!" and flex his toddler muscles.

Then from the burst of animal mechanical language that follows betw the 2 of them, I found out that the character Rex is Mechana STRONG, Unicorn is Mechana FLY, Mouse is Mechana FAST, Komodo is Mechana GIZMO, Sasquatch is Mechana STRETCH! And Jovann knew all that! Each of them has a special trait!

Hubby told me when the opening song for this cartoon starts, J will go all excited and does all the actions and hand movements together.

The rest of the car ride was filled with J punching the air with his right hand and going "REXXXX!!!!!"


or flexing his muscles and screwing up his whole face to say "STROOOONG"


Or just triumphantly shouting "Mission Accomplished!"

Daddy close your mouth

Bought 2 more puzzles yesterday for Jovann. He was excited about guessing what's behind my back when I reached home. Then he insisted on playing the aeroplane puzzle. When he's fixing it, trying to find the correct new pieces, Daddy pretended to say "I see it...I see it...can you see it??". And Jovann replied "Daddy, stop talking...."....then when Daddy continued trying to disturb him "There....there....!", J repeated "Daddy, I say stop talking....close your mouth.....".

Can't help it, I burst out laughing. Daddy really stopped talking, for 10seconds, then pretended to struggle to remain quiet, which made J laugh.

He loves his aeroplane puzzle too. :)

Jovann's recent puzzle craze..

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(Jovann has these 2 books with titles "You Are Special, Little One" and "I Love You". The 1st book shows all the animal parents telling their little ones in the many ways he/she is special to them, while the 2nd book has 5 little stories on all the ways parents show their unconditional love for their child. I bought them around the time when Jaz was born because I feel these loving books will help Jovann in his self discovery through those challenging times when he's starting school and learning to accept a new sibling).

Later last night, Daddy was putting him to bed, and J asked for one of the books. "Daddy, I want Special..." The "You Are Special, Little One" book was outside, so Daddy said "Tomorrow ok? Tonight Daddy read "I Love You" book."

After reading some books, it was brush teeth then lights out. In the dark, J suddenly turned around and asked "Daddy, how you love me?".

And Daddy replied, "I love you for your cheekiness, I love your affection, I love your 'AKA', I love you even when you are naughty, I love your laughter....."

J considered for a while, then asked again "Daddy how you love me?", and Daddy told Jovann again all the little ways in which he holds a place in his heart.

I find that such a sweet way to end a busy day...

Brother and Sister

Its funny how alike they look at the same age! The biggest difference is their eyes...I think....you reckon?

Jazreel's 3rd 5-in-1

Brought her for her 3rd 5-in-1 today, and 2nd/final dose of rotarix. She was sleeping with her mouth opened after some milk, in the sling, when the doc put in the rotarix. She protested and woke up, and it took some time before all the rotarix went in. Then I plugged in the milk bottle and she calmed down. Later on during the jab she cried and looked at my accusingly for 5 seconds.

As usual, she's all smiles and peering around at us smiling, contented-like, when on the weighing scales.

Her latest Stats!!!

Weight - 7.4kg
Head Circumference - 44cm
Height - 65.5cm

Swim Race on floats

Recently during swimming lessons, coach taught them to float and swim using 1 kick board under each arm, and Jovann can do it and kick himself quite a considerable distance without losing balance. But he will topple sideways if its only one board. Funny. Think its a balance thing.

Caught this video of the 3 kids having a mini race, so funny! Apologies for the video quality, I was holding the cam with my right hand and holding Jaz and nursing her with my left (she's in the sling too lah). So a bit unsteady. The protesting squealing at the end if of course....Jaz...hehee..

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Relegated to 2nd place.

He used to love coming with Daddy to fetch me from work, and will go all excited when going into the car, and when I come out of the gate he will screamed out "Mommy!!! I come fetch you!!". But today, fetching me gave way to other pleasures. HHmmph. At 5.30pm, hubby called me to say he can't fetch me coz our son don't wanna leave the TV (showing his fav Mickey Mouse Clubhouse). Still naively confident of my own attraction, I asked J to the phone and talkd to him:
Jovann: Hello mommy!
Me: Jovann, do you wanna come and fetch mommy?
Jovann: I wanna fix dinosaur puzzle....fix puzzle...
Me: Then you not coming to fetch me?
Jovann: After this okie? After this...
Daddy : (in the background) but we gotta leave now....
Me: Don't you wanna come and fetch mommy??
Jovann: No, I wanna watch Mickey.
Me: But Mommy miss -----
Jovann: Bye Bye, Mommy! BYE BYE!!! (and quickly passed the phone to hubby).
(defeated) Me: ???????????

Updates on my Princess - First Flip & First Sit!

Her FIRST FLIP!!

31 March (Tuesday, 5 months 5 days) flipped once. Ah ma found her on her tummy in the cot, complaining. Hehehe. Didn’t flip anymore that day, or the next day.

2 April (Thursday) flipped again. 3 more times. Ah Gong managed to video her in one of the flip. The 3rd flip he was not fast enough. Before he has taken out the camera and pressed the button, she has flipped oredi. I finally managed to see her flip when I reached home that day. Her 5th to 8th flip (4 flips in quite close succession). Hooray! After she did it I will applaud and praise her well done, and she will crane her neck and smile up at me, looking very proud and pleased heheee…

Video by Ah Gong...

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I love it when in the morning I nursed her lying down, after she had enough she will crane her neck up to look at me, and smile. :) how I wish at that moment I don’t need to go to work.

Whenever I put her down on the bed to prepare to nurse her lying down, she will try to flip with grunts and near misses hehehe.

Recently, she has started moving all over the cot, in the morning she will be in a totally different position and orientation from the night before.

6 April morning, she woke up 3 times in the middle of the night. Think her appetite has increased and she’s needing solids soon. But as she cannot sit upright unsupported yet I am not going to start her, although the rest of the signs like showing interest in our food for example, has been satisfied.

She prefers me to the maid, and the maid to anyone else. It sure takes a long time to win her favour, only after 1-2 months in close contact with the maid does she started accepting her. But even so, nowadays, when the maid wash up for her at night but Jaz knows I am home, she will cry and scream for me! So sweet lah. Poor hubby though, when he tries to soothe her at night nowadays, she will cry for me. Last time he’s able to soothe her without any problem, I think now Jaz will request for specific persons. I am just so glad she’s close to me despite being looked after almost totally by the maid in the day.

Jazreel was introduced to gorgor's leapfrog activity centre on 4 April Saturday. She immediately took a liking to it! Her fav is the microphone, and once I saw her turning the disc too.

Jaz: Munch munch munching on my hand...

Jaz: Mommy, you like to smell my saliva right?Naaaaa!

11 April. Supported herself and sat for like 5 seconds before toppling over and smiling. Tried it again the next day but she was distracted with the toy.

Taken with Auntie Joanne at a dinner together...

Updates on my little Prince

All About Jovann

He has this cute habit of asking us “you sure?” when we answered his question or when we say anything in particular. He as usual asked it with a slight pitched to the “sure” that’s so cute, I always smile when I hear it. He’s quite a pro with the 7-9piece dinosaur puzzle now, putting it together with speed. He knows some of these dinosaurs are Triceratops, Bronchosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, and Velociraptor.

Just bought a 25 piece zoo puzzle for him last Mon (6 April), and that night when he played it for the first time. We were eating dinner and J was so excited about the puzzle he started on it quickly. He first focused on making the animals take shape individually, one by one, starting with elephant,then tiger, than lion etc.....he eventually finished the whole puzzle within 30mins, although at one point he didn't know he can put the individual animals together. He then took it apart and tried a 2nd time - 25mins. HHmmm....think I should buy more puzzles. Just today he told me "I love puzzles"....cute lah!




He loves his food now. New things he has started chewing recently are:
- rainbow frosties
- pork (he started this during the recent dinner with Uncle Tony, Auntie Joanne and Reubern at Crystal Jade)
- vege (he seem to like them more now)
- beef

His current favourites
- chicken wings! The first time he tried chicken wing was a month ago, 1 buffalo wing from Pizza Hut, he finished it then. And 6 April evening he polished off 2 chicken wings from the western store! How pleased we were!
- sausages! And since we discovered he likes, I have been buying the deli cheese chicken cocktail sausages from cold storage, coz I figured at least there’s cheese and not just processed meat. I grilled it with butter and he just happily eats all 3 up one afternoon in the car when we were out.
- Fish
- Fishballs (he can ask for this for 4 consecutive days! nowadays he will say "I want fish ball and rice" when asked what he wanna eat for lunch for example.
- Fries. The unhealthy version. I tried making fries with sweet potatoes, but he didn't like. :(
- Rice (he can request rice for lunch, dinner...and then breakfast the next day!!)
- Animal vitamins or his Vitamin C.

Actually I recalled this day at the Novena Foodcourt where he chewed some toast, and I took this photo of him with a piece of toast in each hand. That was such a rare and long awaited moment I just had to snap a pic.


For some reason I recall with fondness the evening when 3 of us mommies attended a parenting talk and our kids came with our hubbies to fetch us home at the end of it. Tony and my hubby reached first. Jo and I were eyeing the buffet table to see what could be eaten fast coz I gotta rush off, then I heard Joanne laughing and looking towards the main gate in the far distance. I looked up and the first sight if of 2 cute little boys, just tiny specks in the far far distance, standing at the gate, both waving their hands frantically at their mommies far far away. Its Reubern and Jovann. Both of them were waving happily and calling "Mommy ....mommy!!!". I picked up one huge fried fishball and rushed out towards Jovann, and he ran flat out towards me, colliding happily with me and hugged my legs calling loudly "Mommy, I miss you!", and the ladies at the counter smiled indulgently. I gave him the fishball and he later finished it in the car in delight....still can't forget the sight of those 2 small waving boys....how nice to see them at the end of a busy day....what can be more important than this....

For a long while now (forgot to record down), he has this funny word he uses very often, that cannot be found in the dictionary. The word is “Aka”. Pls dun ask me what it means, I think he’s trying to be funny, and it pops out when we asked him something to which he don’t know the answer, he will just reply “Aka!” with a cheeky grin. Hehee…


He is such a doting little brother. He talks gently to meimei, handles her gently, and loves to smell her hair, her feet, her hands. Once he asked her "妹妹 要不要吃mee sua? Gorgor cook for you!" Awwwwww.......

But he still shows jealousy of course. After putting Jaz to bed I will go into our bedroom to take over hubby to put J to bed. Many times Jaz will suddenly wake up crying and I will ask J nicely to let me go back to meimei to sayang her. Usually he will hesitate and didn't want to but will allow quite soon. But once when I told him that meimei is crying and scared, Mommy need to go and sayang her and I promised to come back, he told me "She wants Daddy...I want Mommy".(when in fact it was hubby who was carrying her and calling for help)" I continued negotiating with him, promising him a round of hide-under-blanket when I am back, before he relents amiably. When I come back after that, I praised him for being a loving gorgor.

Just last night, when putting him to bed, he told me "I Love Mommy..." then afterwhile he said "I don't love Daddy..". When asked why, he said "Because....because...Daddy easy to see....". Hubby and I discussed it later and suspected he likes people to play hard to get. ????????? probably coz I am usually the one who is needed by Jaz so has to be away from him, while Daddy will remain with him. Well......will take note hehehe...

He loves having surprises, and I use that to make him do something. Whenever I say I will have a surprise for him if he finish this or that, he will start guessing. "Is it....animal vitamins (he always start with this!)?? If I shake my head no, he will continue "Is it.....vitamin C?"...."Is it......yakult??" and so on...but of course I won't give it away. :P

Mommy's Birthday

Of course my birthday is to be spent with both my darlings.

Hubby surprised me by letting Jovann bring me a stalk of rose in the morning, when we were just fresh from our sleep. Hubby whispered something to J out of my sight, on J's mattress, then my little boy walked over with this rose, and told me "Mommy for you. Happy Birthday Mommy!". Its a glorious day already!

Then when Jaz woke up, hubby quietly carried her out of her room, with her "holding" another stalk of pretty red rose, and I had my 2nd rose from my other darling. So sweeeettttt.....love that lovely image of Jazreel, bright eyed from sleep, smiling and holding out that rose to me.

The prettiest 2 roses in the world.


We had Jovann's 1st Edudrama class that morning, then we went to Botanic Gardens for breakfast. Look at our spread!


Today marks a momentous occasion for us. Jovann self feed hashbrown, scrambled eggs, sausage, and then crossiant! What more can I ask for? Except for him to chew with his molars of course....heheee...But I am a happy woman then.


I then went with J and Jaz to the pond to feed fish, ducks and turtles, after buying fish food from the vending machine which Jovann saw before I did. He had real fun throwing down the fish food as usual.

That night, had a super yummy dinner at 汤点王 with my mom. J had homecooked soup (with fish) as well as the lotus baked rice and white rice and stewed mee sua there. I love every single dish.




Its just spending time with the persons I love most in the world. Thank you my 2 darlings for coming into my life, and thank you hubby for being so sweeeeeeeet! Does that mean I can have Spa Botanica every year??? I won't get bored of that you know? *GRINs*

Interview by Today's Parents

A few weeks after I delivered, Di approached me to ask if I would mind being interviewed by Today's Parents for a piece on alternative birthing. At that time, I was still fresh from birth, and quite free at home besides resting (it was still my maternity leave), so I agreed. Anyway it was all done through emails.

Few weeks ago, the editor informed us that the article is out. It's in the annual publication of their Pregnancy & Babycare Guide. We were asked to produce a photo, but at that time, I couldn't find any photo of the 4 of us without me looking like a panda without makeup. So in the end I only gave a few of Jaz's pics. For anyway, SHE"s the hypnobirthing baby, not either of us heee..