Having your hands and feet sculptured

Well, it's a tradition for us to have the baby's hands and feet sculptured and mounted in a frame. So, here is a pic of Thaddeus having a mould put over his hand, and the output is a nice sculpture of his hands and feet, which I will post later in the blog when I get the frame.

Thaddeus was co-operative and seemed oblivious to what was happending, as he was woken up from his afternoon nap to have the work done. The pink 'clay' used smells very much like the kind that they use at the dentist's to have your teeth mould taken. It's harmless and feels cool when I touched it. It was really easy to do. The uncle who did it just mixed powder to water, and spread the stuff over each hand and foot, and then, made sure that they are firm enough to hold the 'impressions' of the hand and foot prints.

Great fun for mummy and daddy to watch. Don't know what Thaddeus was thinking, though.....

Thaddeus is 'Crawling'!

Thaddeus is nearly 3 months' old now, and he is able to use his feet to pivot himself around the bed. It is no longer safe to leave him lying on the bed without bedside protection, since he is fairly mobile. He is now able to move 360 degrees in one location, as well as move from one side of the bed to the other.

Thaddeus is 'crawling'!

Our First Halloween Celebration

This is the first time we saw the inside of a Pumpkin. It didn't look like what I imagined it to be. It was quite hollow with lots of seeds. Ethan and Zack had some fun cleaning out the seeds from the inside, while I had a 'kick' from carving out the face and making the Jack-o-Lantern out of it.

Otherwise, it was quite an uneventful Halloween.

What do you do with 4 kids?

Many people are surprised that I have 4 kids, but I tell you, it's really fun to have them if you think you can 'handle' them. It's not easy though.

Take for example, my attempt to take a photo of all 4 of them together. This is only one that I liked out of the 17 that I snapped, almost consecutively. I felt like a papparazi at that moment. Most of the time, I'm trying to entertain 3 of them with some toys and hope they don't snatch from each other, or to give them their favourite snack (eg. mini Oreos) and they will be chomping it down happily and quietly.

Baby Thaddeus is already getting curious and observing the things around him. He is smiling and responding to our voices nowadays when we speak to him. As SG says, looking at him smile takes away all the frustrations for that day.

Footnote to Santa: Ethan has lost his 2 front teeth. If you could get it back by Christmas, it'd be much appreciated.

Closeups of Thaddeus

These days, Thaddeus is getting restless and wants to play. He wants people to talk to him, and he would occassionally 'coo' back, to the delight of whoever is carrying him at that time. He also likes me to read to him, which worked very well when he was crying really hard yesterday.

He seems to have a lot of 'gas' and needs lots of burping. To some extent, we think he has a bit of reflux issue. Other than this, he is getting doing OK, and getting very curious about the people and things around him.

Nesting Instinct?

People say that pregnant women tend to have the 'nesting' instinct when they are about to give birth. I must have got my instincts wrongly wired somewhere. These few days, I'm having the motivation to housekeep my house and my mum's house.

Last week, I (and maid) managed to clean and re-organise the shelves in my room, and when Zack was back home, and he noticed the change (his DVDs were all neatly standing in 1 shelf instead of the usual disorganised stacking), he said, "Wow"! For Zack of few words, that surprising and exclamatory 'Wow' can still be remembered today.

From my room, I moved on to mum's house. Today, we cleaned all the tables and shelves in the room where Thaddeus would be sleeping most of the days when I'm working. The room is quite dusty, and we gave it a good mopping. I cannot imagine Thaddeus 'living' in a room full of dust and old stuff....so we did it.

Besides this, I would also be clearing quite a bit of the old shelves at home in the other rooms, so that they can be mopped clean for other purposes. I think that after so many years of keeping stuff in the shelves, if they have not been touched in the past 1 year, you don't need them anymore, and so, they should be discarded. That, is my philosophy, and that, would be my objective in the next few days.

I guess I owe the new 'nesting instinct' to the fact that I would be starting work next Thursday. I don't say I am looking forward to it. I seem to have so many other errands and stuff I want to do before that...

In Moments Like These...

It's in moments like these, that you wish time could just stop.

Thaddeus's 1st Mth

Thaddeus celebrated his 1st month last week. We went to visit some relatives and office colleagues and delivered 1st mth packages to them as part of the tradition.

On Sunday, we also celebrated at church, and he had a 1st month cake as well!

Going out with a baby and 3 children below 7 years old is a challenge even with 5 grown adults. This, I mean, we had us 2 parents, a helper, and grandparents in tow. We took breakfast at our usual Amoy Street market, at the usual stalls. The difference now is that Thaddeus is in 1 pram, the other pram is vacant cos Zack and Sophie don't want to sit in them anymore (they used to sit in them while eating breakfast). So, the challenge is to ensure that Zack and Sophie finish eating their breakfast without fuss, and that is surely a challenge in an 'uncontrolled' environment.

After church, going shopping with 4 kids makes me feel like climbing Mt Everest is probably easier. Again, it was a challenge to decide who gets to sit in the 2nd pram. Zack tires easily, while Sophie can get quite naughty these days in her wonderful rendition of 'no' to nearly every answer to your request. Yup, she is at the stage where kids tend to say more 'no's than 'yes'.

I don't know how we could have managed the Sunday window-shopping without grandparents lending a helping hand. I probably cannot even go to the toilet in peace! Hah hah.

It was an experience, but something you reflect back with a smile as it was the first day out with Thaddeus and the whole family.

Thaddeus at 3 weeks

This is what Thaddeus looks like after 3 weeks of mummy's milk.

He has put on weight, but we don't know how much yet, since he would be going for his 1st month check-up next week. That would also be his next vaccination schedule. Ouch!

Mooncake Festival

Recently, I received a box of mooncakes from Tung Lok group. This is what it looks like - 16 bite-size pieces in different flavours, all packed in one. Looks really sumptuous. Haven't had the heart to open it yet. Maybe next week. Cannot resist. Not that I love mooncakes, but when it looks as small and harmless as this, I think it's OK to take a few.

Imagine - strawberry mooncakes - cannot fathom what it would taste like. I much prefer the snow skin mooncakes.

Confinement Food

Grandma has been busy cooking home-cooked confinement food for mummy.

This is what the food looks like - simple and yummy! I don't eat the pork knuckles and stuff with vinegar or ginger...tastes too extreme for me. I'd much prefer anything Canotonese style with lots of sesame oil. No fried food, or fast food for now. So, it also helps with losing the pounds - I have lost 7kg so far, and about 7kg to go....that's not bad considering it's only been 2 weeks. Heh heh.

More Art by Ethan

My previous post, showcased some of the children's art work. Here is a recent collection done by Ethan.

It is really good to have a certified Art Teacher in school to co-ordinate the art work. When you walk around the school, you see wonderful pieces of art adorning the classroom walls. I don't remember being able to do such wonderful pieces of art when I was six. Heh heh.

Baby Thaddeus has arrived!

Baby Thaddeus' due date is 19 Aug 2008, and he really arrived on the exact date!

The name, Thaddeus, is of Greek origin, and means "Gift of God". It is also a Biblical name, and the name of one of the 12 disciples. Short forms to it could be "Tad", "Thad", "Tadeo"...

He has a bit of jaundice, but is otherwise feeding well.

The siblings are really excited to have him around, and are always eager to interact and play with him. They were all clamouring to carry him the first time they saw him.

Kids...they are a joy to the family.

Cycling around the Neighbourhood

It's sad but true. My kids have very little outdoor time due to my tendency to prefer the indoors and the coolness at home. Weather is too hot these days.

So on a rare Sunday morning, while the sun was still shaded by the nearby condo, I got my kids out to cycle around the neighbourhood. They promptly brought their gear out, and took turns cycling on the different bicycles we had - from junior (toddler type) to the big boy type (with trainer wheels).

Looks like they enjoyed themselves, while I watched and took photos. Couldn't possibly run around with them with my additional 14kg weight.

A Reunion after 20 Years

Last Saturday, Alex, Vivien and I organised a Sec 4A Class reunion, after 20 years of graduation from school. The task of calling people was not so difficult, but I think making 16 people (out of 39) turn up at 1 place at the same time was more challenging, and I'm proud to say we did it!

A total of 12 guys (out of 20), and 4 gals (out of 19) came to the gathering held at Alex's place. Of the 19 gals, we had about 3 who were overseas, and 4 who were uncontactable, so it wasn't really easy to get the gals actually.

Some look exactly as we remembered them to be, 20 years ago. Some were thinner, some were 'chubbier', but mostly, we all retained the characters and the personality that we remembered each other to be.

It was heartwarming to see everyone together, and chatting. Spouse and kids also came along for the gathering. Thank you for making it a success!

I'm thinking of organising another one in 5 or 10 years' time! Well, at least, with an updated class list, we can have smaller group gatherings in between, and not wait 20 years for one! Heh heh.

The Ice-Cream Man

Nowadays, the kids recognise the sound of the Ice-Cream Man's tinkling bell, as he rings it around our estate.

It was just before dinner around 5.30pm on Saturday, when he pushed his cart hoping to get eager children to buy the ice-cream. With a mummy (me!) who loves ice-cream, who could resist?

They waited patiently as the uncle chopped up the ice-cream in slices and put it into a bag for the kids. You know, we buy them in slices which can be put between wafers, or between pieces of bread. He doesn't sell the "Potong" type, which means, the type that you scoop and put in a cup. He only sells the 'sliced' type.

We purchased about $8 worth of ice-cream from him, and the kids ate their share before dinner. Needless to say, they took less food for dinner.

Well, as long as they love it, and enjoyed the whole experience, it is something I want them to take away as part of their childhood memories.

Pretty in Pink

Sophie in my

favourite dress.

It was a dress given

by a friend...and she

is going to grow out

of it real soon!

A Family Dinner at Yunnan

Dot and the family had a dinner at Yunnan Restaurant at NTU Alumni Club.

It was difficult to get everyone together, but the candid shots were really good.

Ethan at the Beach in East Coast

Last Friday, Ethan and I went to East Coast beach to play sandcastles with ex-teacher Angela, her daughters (Enya and Liya), and 2 other classmates (Faith and Jia Shuin). It was a hot and humid day, but nonetheless, they kids enjoyed themselves. Ethan and I spent nearly 2 hours at the beach, and that in itself, is an achievement!

My Children's Art Work

Recently, while packing the house, I found a lot of art work done by the kids. Click my Flickr album to see more.

Ruby is in Town

Dot arrived in town last week with Ruby, and the kids had a wild time with her. This photo was taken when Ethan and Sophie's school was closed and they were home with Ruby for a whole day.

You can tell they really enjoyed Ruby's company. For more pictures of Ruby, go to Dot's Flickr album.

Sophie's 2nd Birthday

Sophie celebrated her 2nd birthday in Eager Beaver recently. Did I mention that the teachers love her so much, that she is called "Ms Eager Beaver" in school? I suppose its because she is a very engaging kid, and loves to interact with her teachers and her friends. She knows most of the teachers and children's names, and will call them. Sometimes, when I bring her home, there is always an elder kid (usually a girl) who helps her to put on her shoes....they all love her.

Her classmates enjoyed the cake, and especially the fresh cream. It must be a child's thing....all kids love fresh cream!

Sophie in School

The teachers in school took a lot of photos of Sophie, and this is one of the cutest one I liked, which was taken in Dec 2007.

Go to my Flickr album to see more pics of Sophie and Ethan.

Amelia & Eugene's wedding at Conrad

Celebrated Amelia & Eugene's wedding with them at a dinner at Conrad Hotel on 23 May 2008. Zack and Sophie were having fun at the Yum Seng ceremony on stage.....heh heh...

My Dream Job

This is my Dream Job...to own and work at a gelato counter.

Wow, everyday I'd be tasting a bit of this and that, and it would be 'shiok, seah!' That's the remark I heard a teenage boy remark as I was taking a photo of this.

Long Service Awards

Recently, my office celebrated with staff who were receiving their long-service awards. There were 3 recipients - one was celebrating his 35 years' service in the company (imagine that!), another was 10 years, and another was 20 years. I understand that the one with 35 years was doing the same job for the past 3 decades! Cannot imagine myself doing that. We believe he is the longest service staff in our company globally! BTW, notice how I looked like the youngest one? Heh heh.

I liked the buffet lunch at Carousel restaurant at Royal Plaza on Scotts Hotel, not because the food was good (I actually ate quite little, cos it was mostly local and spicy), but because they had the chocolate fondue and lovely desserts, and ICE-CREAM! My MD (standing 3rd from left with a tie), remarked that I ate my ice-cream with sprinkles, and I sparkled and smiled.....of course! How can you eat ice-cream without rainbow sprinkles?

Desserts and Food in Manila

I went for my 2nd business trip to Manila, and most of the food I enjoyed in Manila were the desserts.

Well, you can't go wrong with desserts and a pregnant lady...but you can go crazy with food that doesn't taste good! Check out my desserts in Manila!

Our New Car

Soon Guan gave up his Mazda RX8 for a new Mazda 5 car, as it was getting too cramped for 3 kids plus one coming.

The kids simply love the sun-roof and it is more spacious than the old one.

How I Spent my Birthday

I had my birthday recently. I spent the morning eating my favourite Soyabean curd for breakfast, roamed around the library, went to Vivocity, and ate at Thai Express for lunch with Soon Guan. It was good that the kids were at the school so we had a more relaxing time.

Had a good afternoon nap, and took the family and parents out for dinner at NTU Alumni Clubhouse's Chinese restaurant there. Kids were surprisingly well-behaved and that made things a bit more manageable. It helped that there was a small arcade room to keep them busy after they had their fill.

How to find a Domestic Helper

Recently, I had the ardous task of looking for a domestic helper. It seemed simple at first - find an agency, get hold of a few resumes, ask about the candidate, etc. The only catch is, you can't see the candidate in real life, and you can't talk to them (well, it's not easy to reach them on the phone since they live in villages and most have no home telephones).

So, last Saturday, I found an agency, and went to pick a helper from a bunch of about 8 resumes. The good thing is, the owner of the agency actually interviewed them herself, and if you trust her interviewing skills, you would ask the right questions, and get the answers you want to hear. The helper I chose is from Iloilo in Philippines, which is 1 hour's flight from Manila. I hope she can cope with my 3 kids, my place, and baby no. 4 coming. It's a good thing her name is not difficult to pronouce (will tell later when confirmed).

Also, to qualify to get in a foregin domestic helper, you need to do an online test ("Foreign Domestic Worker's Orientation Programme", required by the government) and with the certificate of completion, you are eligible to apply for the foreign worker's work permit. Wow - I have to take a test!

Rotterdam Trip

While I was on my business trip, the most eventful was a trip to the Keukenhof Gardens on Tuesday, 1 Apr 2008. I took 88 photos while I was there, and this, was with much effort not to 'overdo' the photo-taking. The last time I was there in 1994, we did not have digital cameras, and I dunno how many pictures I took then.

I had interesting food at the Bazar restaurant, where I ordered "El Couscous". It comprises grilled kebab of chicken, lamb, merguez and turkey, couscous with tutti frutti, roasted vegetables, grilled tomatoes and saffron sauce. The plate was bigger than my face! Naturally, I could not finish the food, as I already had starters before this main dish!

Another place I ate at was the Fugu resturant where the Japanese food is simply delicious!

So much for a business trip in Rotterdam!

Zack's Birthday

Zack celebrated his birthday at school recently, and he is now officially a 4-year old!

First Trip to Manila

Manila is about 3 hrs flight from S'pore, and the weather there is similar to ours - warm and humid. I took a short 3-day, 2 night business trip to settle some work matters, and it was a hectic one.

My first impression of the country is that there are secruity guards everywhere. There were 2 dogs from the K-9 unit dedicated to the hotel's driveway and main lobby entrance to do checks on the cars, bags, and people. I had to go through so many 'gantries' that I wondered about the amount of radiation that I went through just to go in and out of buildings. I didn't dare take pictures of the security in case they thought that I was some kind of 'spy'. Hahah...

This is a picture of what I enjoyed the most from the trip - a lovely lunch at a French restaurant called Bizu Patisserie and Cafe located at Greenbelt 3, which is just opposite the hotel (less then 2 mins walk). Look at the dessert selection and colourful macaroons! I had the strawberry shortcake. Well, taste and quality is reasonable, but it still falls short compared to the strawberry shortcake from Baker's Inn (back home) which is absolutely heavenly!

A Big Spider

This is a pic of Zack and the spider which Soon Guan caught on Friday. We had to release it as it is quite rare to catch, and Soon Guan only remembered seeing it once in Fort Canning. At that time, the web that the spider had spun, was so hard, that if you were to tug at it, it was not easy to break.

Happy Easter!

This Easter Egg was made by Ethan in preschool. I made the hard-boiled egg as instructed several days ago, and he came back with a painted one.

Looks cute, except that it cracked when I tried to keep it in my handbag......yes, don't ask why I kept it there. I figured it would be safer....

Accidents Happen...to Mum

It happened yesterday morning at Bukit Merah. Mum & Dad went for grocery shopping at the NTUC supermarket there, and Mum was supposed to meet Dad but she did not turn up where she was supposed to meet. So, he called her, and she had already fallen down.

She tripped over a grass edge, and landed her whole body weight on her right foot. As a result, the foot is swollen but fortunately, nothing else. Just a bad swell and lots of pain. Doc says to rest well and put cold compress for 3 days and warm compress after that. Sigh.

Paint Work and TV

When you let the kids do art work, and I mean, painting, remember to turn off the TV. This is what happens when you let them have both TV and paint and the same time. They paint off the 'canvas' and well, basically, still have a good time.

These paint pots that I bought are really good - they come with a cover that has a small opening for the brush. So if you place the paint in the pot, the brush does not fall off, and if it is topples, the paint does not run out of the pot. Bought it when I was overseas last time in US. Paint is also washable, and no worries about soiled clothes!

My First Niece, Ruby

Ruby is the cutest little darling that just arrived last month, to Dot and Jay. Congratulations! She is so cute, and I look at her photos nearly everyday, as Sophie has been asking about baby photos, and she chuckles whenever she sees Ruby. I think they know that they are cousins!

She looks very much like Dot at the moment, but I can tell her hair seems brown for now. Not too sure about the colour of the eyes, but she is growing bigger and chubbier everyday! Great job, Dot!

I Cooked Today!

Yup - you can never believe it: I cooked a meal today. I cooked it for myself. It's a big achievement as I've seldom cooked since I was married.

Well, Soon Guan would be envious - I don't think I ever cooked for him. Heh heh. The opportunity came since I was cooped up at home for 4 days on 'hospitalisation leave' for taking the Amnio test on Monday. It went smoothly and I will be back to work on Friday. Loved the freedom, hated the boredom - I was working every morning, and made it a point NOT to work in the afternoon, since I was supposed to rest. Weather was fantastic since it rained everyday, and temperature at home was really really cooling! Loved it and couldn't ask for more.

Today's dish took a bit more effort, since I had to get and cut up french beans, carrots, tomatoes, season the chicken, etc etc.....more than I would do for myself usually. But for the sake of baby and in the name of nutrition, I did it.

Regret to say that I spent the rest of today's evening in a teleconference (work) and sending emails (again) as I just realised that my boss is on leave next week, and I need key decisions to be made by tomorrow....so I'd better go to sleep now.....zzzzz.....

Kevin and Linda's Wedding

Kevin and Linda just had their wedding dinner at Amara Hotel on Saturday and there were guests who came from both families, filling up 35 tables!

Food was not too sweet or too salty, so everyone enjoyed the dinner! Strange names for the dishes, because Kevin chose to rename the cold dish combination to "Pu Pu Platter" and called the Teochew Oh-Nee "Fortune Cookies" - so everyone was expecting Fortune cookies, but a hot Chinese dessert made of yam and coconut arrived instead...

Kids enjoyed themselves playing hide and seek outside the ballroom during the 2nd half of the dinner as they were getting restless and had enough of the food. Cousin Grace, and niece Jaime, kept the kids entertained during this fun and crazy time with the young ones, while I was trying my best to keep up with them.

More photos in my Flickr album...

Milestones for Zack & Sophie

Diapers OFF for Zack, and Sophie said "Teacher, teacher......I want milk".

It's a great achievement for both Zack and Sophie and I'm so proud of them. Sophie can say lots of words now, and her "Thank you" is really cute - it sounds like "Tank cuuk", and I will try to record it soon, so that we can all see it on video!

Sophie at the Beach

The whole family went to Sentosa with grandpa for the day, and we spent the morning at the beach for a short while. Sophie was really wobbly and to the extent of 'quivering' as she tried to balance herself while walking barefeet in the sand. It was a whole new experience for her, as I heard that she seldom likes to stay in the sand pit when in school.

We also went up to the Carlsberg Tower, as well as Butterfly Park and 4D Movie Magix....something new for all the kids. They enjoyed it tremendously. Check out our photos in my Flickr album.

Singapore Flyer's Inaugural Flight

I had the privilege to be invited as a guest on Singapore Flyer's inaugural flight yesterday and it was a fantastic experience. The Singapore Flyer is the world's biggest observation wheel and at 165 metres (42 storeys high), it is 30 metres taller than Britain's London Eye. It cost S$240million to build and about 1,000 attended this inaugural event in the 28 capsules. Each capsule can hold about 28 people. Each ride takes about an hour, and we were allowed to go 2 rotations. Catch the vodcast here.

A ride yesterday in 1 capsule, cost the company S$8,888 and only about 20 people rode in my capsule! It was a private event where companies like Ascendas, SG Private Banking, UOB, UBS, ABN Amro, Singtel and other corporates, invited their guests to join in the inaugural flight as well as a Lo-Hei reception.

From March 2008, the public can go on board, at S$29.50 per head, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a great view of Singapore skyline in the night.

More pictures in my flickr album.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Hello and Happy New Year to all!

Managed to visit 5 places in the 1st day of Chinese New Year, and reached home by 2pm...quite a feat I must say and very tiring for everyone involved. Kids were dressed in traditional costume, but Sophie's pretty cheong sam broke at the seams by afternoon, due to our rough handling, I think. Well, fortunately we had extra clothes to change her into.

Ate tasty and yummy vegetarian beehoon at 2 aunties' houses, and it was great to mingle and catch up with cousins, nephews and nieces. Spent a slower-paced day on 2nd day of CNY, and had dinner at a cousin's place with fantastic dinner cooked by the hosts.

Mmmm....I will miss all the good food and tidbits.