trying tuesday

yesterday was a loooooong day for me, and not to mention a day with rather unfortunate and unexpected turn of events.

class, however, was beautifully perfect! as mentioned, we all had to wear the color red for class in celebration of CNY. ok wait, allow me to digress a bit, heh. don't you hate it when people say: "red color", "blue color", "yellow color"? it's so dumb! and redundant! it's yellow, or red, or blue or black, thank you very much. that's it! if you really wanna add the word "color" behind the ermm, color, then for heavens' sake, pronounce your words properly! it's "blue-colored" or "red-colored", cos this is the phrase in its correct tense form. jeez!

so anyway. what was i saying? oh yes, that we were all in red for tuesday's class. i put drayden in his elmo t-shirt and i think my boy looks cute! lol! self-gloating a bit, can??

these are some shots i took of the mini man during music time. he's getting better these days, moving around and sometimes jiving comically to the music, versus perched on my lap as he was at the start of term.












parents chat was conducted during the children's outdoor play. i didn't voice any feedback or complaints, cos as i've said, i'm very happy with how the class is, with how Gerry is, and how well Dray is doing and has grown thanks to playclub. i did however have a few questions about where we should go next after playclub and when, but decided to save it for over lunch with Gerry.

dray would be ready for nursery in chiltern house the year he turns 3, which will be next year. i asked Gerry if i should move dray to PlayNursery before Chiltern, or should we just remain in PlayClub, and then move straight to Chiltern in 2011, and she gave me the same opinion i already had - that it would be best to move him to PlayNursery first.

PlayNursery is a 2 1/2hr independent program, so it would be a good transition for him to get used to being without Noel or me in class, before he is thrown straight into Nursery. so i reckon, we'll have one more term of playclub with Gerry, and then in Term 3, which is in June, i will move him to Hasanah's PlayNursery. i've worked with Hasanah, and i know she's great with kids, plus she already knows Drayden. and what with it being an independent program, i would have peace of mind knowing Dray will be in the great and capable hands of Hasanah.

i was musing with Gerry and Hasanah, this is the great advantage of having worked in both JGC and Chiltern House - i know the teachers (having assisted them before), so i can make the wise choice which class i'd want to send dray to. lol!

and then when 2011 comes, i'll think if i want to start him on Chiltern House in Term 1, or if I should let him stay in PlayNursery for an extra term, and only move in Term 2. we'll see how he's doing then. i do know that if i move him to Chiltern House, it'll either be the one at Halifax or Forum. maybe we'll stay in Forum, cos at least we can still see Gerry and Hasanah! lol!

oh! we also took a class photo after parents chat! here it is! it's not the full class cos some students were absent:

because it was nearing Chinese New Year (which just reminds me, class next tuesday will be off), we did a lantern for one of our craftwork. usually dray will refuse to hand over the paintbrush when he's done, adding more and more paint till his artwork is still not dry at the end of class, grrrr....but this time round he didn't want to paint his lantern much. and do you know why? cos he couldn't wait to sprinkle glitter all over! i had to take the glitter container away from him, cos he went crazy and i found sprinkles of glitter in his hair even, after class!

here's the lantern drayden made:


the other craftwork was pretty cool. we didn't do this back when i was working there, so i found it really, really awesome. a clever and totally fun activity if you ask me! tho, it did make me a little nervous cos i was sure drayden was gonna attempt to put the ice in his mouth, heh!

what we had to do was drop a spoonful of red paint powder onto the prinout of the car, and then using ice cubes, or rather the water that results from the melting ice-cube, dissolve the paint powder, and "paint" the car red. isn't that cool!

here's drayden's "cool" car (literally "cool" cos the car was cool from the water from the melted ice cube, lol!)


after class, as usual it was lunch with Gerry, and then we met up with Hasanah, hung around for a little while, until i had to leave to do my shopping for my diaper cake orders. i then met up with my sister when she was done with work.

here's where the unfortunate and unexpected turn of events happened. it's my girlfriend's big 30th birthday on wednesday (well, today, actually), and the plan was for me to meet up with Nal, her husband, and get their house keys so i can go over to their place and prepare for the surprise birthday party we were gonna give her, while Nal brings her out for a romantic and special meal.

however, just as i was making my way to meet him, we received the tragic news that his relative, who had been hospitalised for the past month due to cancer, has passed. so all plans had to be cancelled, as last minute and frantic preparations had to be put into place. i was pretty bummed, but i do feel the sorrow over their tragic and unexpected loss.

i do, too, feel really sad for my dina. she's one of my bestest pals, and i do want her to be really happy on her special day. turning 30 is a BIG deal! plus, she has never had a surprise party planned for her, and its unfortunate that the one year that her husband had planned something of the like, it had to be called off.

but, my thoughts and prayers are with Nal and family, at such a trying time.

so with nothing planned after all the cancellations, my sister and i just spent the rest of the day window shopping at spotlight and then robinsons centerpoint. i did, however, give dray an ice-cream treat from mcdonalds for being such a good boy the entire day. =)




i've got nothing planned for today, but i do hope that things will be better on dina and nal's end. hopefully we can still go ahead with what we girls had planned for her tonight, and it wouldn't be too inappropriate.

i'm gonna get her presents ready, (yes presentSSSS, lol!) cos i still havent wrapped them up yet!
toodle-do, folks!

Yummy Mummy update (19:25hrs):
just got a text from Sara, that tonight's not gonna happen. bummer. =(

'app-ening!

since i got the 3GS iPhone for our anniversary a little over two weeks ago, i have been going mad downloading applications! my iPhone desktop is now on its fourth page! i've downloaded the usual hot applications, like facebook, twitterific, and the much-talked-about hipstamatic, whatsapp and foursquare.

i have my favorite games too! like wheel of fortune, scrabble, and sudoku. also must-haves such as ebay, paypal, toto results (heh!) and dictionary. of course, every mommy's phone needs to have entertainment for the little one as well, so i've downloaded baby flashcards and also this one called the learning pad that teaches the alphabet, numbers, colors and animal sounds. drayden loves it!

but if they're three applications i app-solutely have to recommend, it would be the:
1. Locacity SG,
2. SG Malls, and
3. TraffiCam

the first two were super handy the other day noel and i were sorta "lost" in bugis. lol! i haven't been to bugis junction in yonks, and didn't know where they had moved the posb atm to. thank god for the "Locacity SG" app!

"Locacity SG" is an application that allows you to find nearby points of interest, such as ATM machines, 7-Eleven stores, petrol stations, and even Singapore Pools outlets!


so all i needed to do then was to search for nearby atms, and voila! "Locacity SG" to the rescue! the other day i was at centerpoint and had 20mins left to buy toto, and once again, all i needed was to whip out the iPhone, get into "Locacity SG" and find out that the nearest Singapore Pools outlet was just behind me at Cuppage Plaza. it also lists the other outlets nearby, so you can make your choice. say you're looking for 7-Eleven:


not sure where the exact location is? fret not! the app also comes with a map that will guide you along the right way!


but back to our story!
so then the neareast ATM we went to had such a loooooong queue, so Noel wondered aloud, if we could go to Iluma and see if there's an ATM there too, cos i figured the next nearest one inside Bugis Junction will be equally crowded as well.

and this is where the next app comes in handy! SG Malls helps you navigate through our local malls by listing down all the stores and services inside! so i checked the directory listing of Iluma and soon learned there was no ATM machines at all within. bummer. we were stuck with the uber long queue.

here's an example of what you'll see if let's say, you search within Plaza Singapura. you can conduct a search thru categories, or floors:



it also comes with a map of the mall in question to further help you navigate.


later that night we found ourselves near Sim Lim Square, and i suddenly remembered that i needed to get some diapers for my orders. where's the nearest supermarket you may wonder? Locacity SG will tell you there's an NTUC inside Rochor Centre, a Sheng Siong inside Tekka Mall and a Cold Storage near Paradiz Centre! aint that cool! =)

the third application, i recently downloaded, so i know exactly which way to travel by before i set out from home. "TraffiCam SG" is an app that provides updated access to webcams in all the key hotspots in singapore, so its useful especially for drivers! all 46 webcams located around our island are listed in the app, and are updated every 5-10minutes!

it's useful for me, cos i usually travel by taxi. let's say i need to get into town, before i leave, i can check on the traffic condition and decide if i want to travel via CTE or via Thomson.

when you get into the application, you'll be presented with a list of expressways you can travel by, since these are where most of the webcams are located.


choose your route, and select the exact spot that is usually jam-prone to conduct your checks:


and you'll be presented with the latest updated image of that spot!


cool right! very handy if you ask me!
i love these apps to bits, and daresay my life is made so much easier with their existence!

now. what's YOUR favorite iPhone app?

class observations

drayden's playclub class seems to be getting bigger by the week. day one of term there were only 13 of us, and as of last thursday two more new students have joined us, and we now have 18 kids in class. it does seem a lil' crowded now, but the more the merrier they say!

i just get a little peeved when the adults do not pay attention to the class rules and one whole family (mother, father, helper, and more all at once!) stays in the class. last week, gerry had to repeat herself that "only one adult to stay in class please", and guess what? the father, goes and stand in the corner of the class, like as if he suddenly turns invisible and we cannot see him anymore! *shakeshead*

i also get very, very annoyed when the adults do not keep quiet during the appropriate times, like during storytime or when we're learning the letter of the day. time and time again, Gerry reminds us that when the children wander from our laps, just quickly pick them up and sit them back down again. yes, it can happen over and over again, it can get very tiring for us adults, but discipline is not a one-time maneuver. you can't tell the kid once and expect him to remember and listen. we just have to keep doing it until the kids get the picture, and understand the rules. but noooooo...the adults still will keep coaxing and calling the kids back and nothing is more annoying than you trying to get your kids focused on the activity going on and trying to pay attention yourself, and the adult next to you is going: "xxx, come here, sit down, come back. xxx, come!"

even if you whisper, it still is disruptive! goddammit, just get off your lazy butt, pick the child up and bring him/her back down to sit! no doubt, sometimes the children fuss or get distracted, but nothing encourages them more than you talking back to them, therefore starting a conversation, and trying to calm them down. it will just snowball into a whiny argument and you end up distracting the other kids who have been so well-behaved and paying attention!

adults don't seem to buy the idea that if your kids fuss or start to get distracted, all you should do is remain focused on the activity, and keep your words as minimal as possible. when they see you focused, so will they, get back to paying attention.

then there are adults that simply just don't participate. they forget that they need to be actively involved as well, and help the teachers to manage the class by managing their own children. instead, they walk in with this mindset that the responsibility is off them and its up to the teachers to handle the kids. for example, when the child starts running around the class during story time, they sit and do nothing, expecting the assistant teachers to get up and go after the kid, totally forgetting that the assistant teacher needs to assist with the activity going on, like holding up the book, for example. sigh...

actually the parents in dray's class are all super nice. they're all mommies, and they're very on the ball and in great control of their kids. they're super friendly too, and totally great in class. it's the helpers that need a lot of telling and reminding sometimes.

but. there was an incident that happened last tuesday that got me really mad and insulted. on hindsight, maybe i'm just being overly-sensitive, but it sure got me pissed that day! well, this kid has just joined the class, and during snacktime, i usually try to get dray to sit with the kids he's closer to, so that snacktime will be more enjoyable for him, but he has his own preferences and makes his own decisions (heh), so that fateful day we found ourselves sitting next to the two new kids that have just joined the class, plus another boy.

then the father of this new child (same father that was hiding in the corner of the class) wanted to showcase his child's talents, and so he says: "xxx, cheers your cup with your frens, xxx". and so mommy, who was sitting next to the kid, prompted the kid, and the kid goes on the "cheers" with the new girl in front of him (whose parents they became fast friends with considering both their kids were new in class), and the she prompted her child to "cheers" with the boy on their left.

and that was that. TOTALLY ignored drayden who have been excitedly watching the whole exchange, perhaps expecting his turn to come soon. a tad rude, don't you think?
not that i wanted my son to be part of this stupid childrens' game anyway, but the act was just plain rude in itself. its not like we were far apart, we were just BESIDE!

i told noel, maybe she thought i was a helper, and she's the snotty sort that is all high and mighty and doesnt associate with helpers. bloody hell. and yes, if you were wondering, she (and the other new mom) had that arrogant i'm-rich-thats-why-i-can-send-my-child-to-this-school kinda vibe and they both didn't make any attempt talk to anyone else that don't project that same kind of vibe.

ishhh! i still get so worked up thinking about the incident!

well, anyway, tomorrow's school again, and this week we're celebrating the color red, since its gonna be Chinese New Year! no prizes for guessing, Dray's gonna don his red Elmo tee! lol! and mommy needs to pick out something red to wear too!

it's also parent-teacher chats tomorrow, but unfortunately Noel's got that airbrush booth at NUS, so it'll just be me. i have no complaints anyway. i love Gerry's class, she's great and super funny with the kids, and i'm also mighty pleased with how dray's grown since we first started. let's just wait and see what the other parents have to say!

our saturday

we spent last saturday at the beach with conrad, linn & family again, cos we had so much fun the last time we had our family beach outing maybe about two weeks ago. this time round my younger sister and also Gerry (drayden's playclub teacher and my ex-colleague) joined us, so it made for an even more enjoyable day!

Gerry, my sister Nana, Noel and myself met for a prata lunch first at Casuarina Curry just up the road from our house. i dont have anything good to say about this place. how on earth can someone like crispy paper thin prata?? and not to mention, too burnt for my liking. give me old-skool fluffy prata anytime, man!

it took us forever to get a cab, but we finally reached the beach nearly 4pm. conrad and linn were already there and comfy, the tent all pitched up, and bubu soaked from the sea, and darren covered with sand. lol!

pictures!



you know, drayden was so, so, so much better in the water that day. i was all shocked, relieved and proud. well, yes, he did fuss for a little bit, but it was just a short 5-sec fuss, unlike the tears and protests we are all too familiar with! i daresay he appears more comfy and happy to be in the water, in fact! or maybe daddy is just more reliable, and provides a bigger sense of security. mommy cannot be trusted! lol!



ok, he may be grimacing in nearly all the photos above, but that's cos the waves were really tough, and i think my boy swallowed a few good gulps of sea water! heh!

you will not believe this, but we stayed by the beach till way into midnight. it was just so much fun, sitting by the beach in the sea breeze, chit chatting, that none of us wanted to leave! when conrad and linn finally called it a night, Gerry, Nana, Noel and I, together with Drayden of course, made a quick stop at a fren's birthday chalet at the goldkist resorts.

when we finally found ourselves home, noel and i were too exhausted beyond words. drayden was still full of energy! it's amazing he refused to nap at all the entire day, only napping for 10mins in the tent. he also lasted the whole day without breastmilk! i'm shocked! well, he did have a lot of food the entire day, but it's still shocking he didn't ask for any breastmilk at all. i even tried asking him, but the answer is always the same firm "no". weird!

and guess what? the cheeky boy can now say "wasssuuuup!!!" to greet you and "oh man!" when something goes wrong. lol! let me catch it on video one of these days! the whole day yesterday he was saying "wasssupp!!" to everyone he sees and going "oh man!" when sand went everywhere!

sunday was rather uneventful for us, what with the long day we had the day before, and the week promising to give a busy start to both noel and i. noel has an airbrush tattoo booth at NUS on both monday and tuesday (which means i'm gonna have to bring drayden to school again on tuesday), while i have a few orders to see to for the coming weekend.

i hope your weekend was just as fun-filled, and may this week be a great one for you too! remember, the giveaway for the elmo and cookie monster tee ends this sunday 14 feb, so hurry and email me if you haven't already! and do help me spread the word to all your mommy friends with toddlers of their own!

toddle-do!

elmo & cookie monster giveaway!

specially for baby boyd blog readers!
i'm giving away one elmo & one cookie monster toddler tee to two lucky readers!


these tees will be perfect for your toddlers! =)
each tee measures 25cm shoulder to shoulder and 40cm from shoulder to bottom.

simply email your name and blogger id (if you have left a comment here before, so i'd recognise you!) to ann.aludra.boyd@gmail.com by Sunday 14 February, tell me which tee you'd prefer, and two lucky readers will have one tee each coming their way!

as usual, baby dray will help me pick out the two lucky readers! =)

so hurry! your toddler could be looking cute in his/her elmo or cookie monster tee!


i'm looking forward to all your entries!

*open to both Singapore and international readers, BUT shipping will apply to international readers. FREE standard postage for local readers!

what a week!

it's been a busy start-of-the-week for me, and i'm liking how this weekend is promising to be busy! i think this week went by in a blink! i can't even remember what i did on monday! wait, let me think.

shucks. i really can't remember!
anyway.

tuesday was school day, and because noel had to be at republic poly where he had a booth for airbrush tattoos for one of their student bazaars, it was my day to take drayden to school. and school is getting more and more enjoyable now. he is more cheerful in class and more participative too. he's really making great progress!

he's also more aware of the "house rules" and knows perfectly well when its okay to jump and move around (ie during music) and when it's time to sit down and behave (ie storytime). he's talking better too and are saying "class-relevant" words better now, such as juice (for during snack time), and we're also constantly teaching him to say Gerry's, Farah's and Nish's names. he's getting better! =)

most days i try not to take the cab to school, but instead take the bus, so there're more sights to see and the journey is longer for us to enjoy. the busstop is just across our street anyway, and the bus takes 30mins (or less on good days) to get into town. i love watching him set out of the house, striding down the sidewalk with such gusto and confidence, carrying his folder like a big boy!

that day we saw a yellow car across at the petrol station, and of course, drayden got super excited thinking it's his auntie D. lol!

i love the walk down from far east plaza to forum. drayden is beginning to recognize the route better too, knowing perfectly well when each "landmark" would appear along the way.

seeing mcdonalds (or nornels, as he says it!) at pacific plaza never fails to get him in an excitable mood. and when we pass by hilton singapore, a short pause is always mandatory as he wows over the small fountain just by the pavement.


when we get to forum, the familiar mcdonalds posters outside will get him excited yet again. "nornels! ah there! nornels!"

when we get to the escalator inside forum, he pretty much knows the way already! and my boy is always all smiles when he reaches the door of his classroom.

this week we did the letter "p" and p-p-p-planes for art and craft! =)

tuesday's artwork


this was a printout of a runway at an airport, and it was an easy art piece to attempt. thank god too there was not much paint work going on this day cos mommy was wearing white!

drayden's a master at painting now. he's fine motor skills is pretty good, and he holds a pen and brush really well, so painting the paper with clear glue was an easy feat for him! next we stuck on the "aeroplanes" and the "control tower" exactly where drayden wishes for them to be. =)


i thought this was a pretty cool project. we constructed an airplane and painted it p-p-p-pink of course! and it was fun, too, cos we had to stick on the various parts of the plane, like the p-p-p-p-propellers, the p-p-p-p-potholes and the p-p-p-p-pilot! it's really cute to see how the little minds think, and observe where they think each item should go! just check out drayden's paper plane! lol!

thursday's artwork

noel brought drayden to class on thursday, while i squeezed some order-shopping in the span of an hour. i was back in time to join them for outdoor play, playclub bears and music.


we did paper planes again, and this time it was to decorate the plane with some dotted paints. drayden always loves dot-painting, cos he can go stamp, stamp, stamp!


the other artwork is "potato painting"!
p-p-p-potatoes are cut out into cute little shapes like hearts, ducks, clouds and bears...and the children get to have fun stamping and transferring paint over.

aren't the art activities super cool???


our after-class activities are the same every school day. =) because our class is the last of the day for Gerry, lunch together is what we always do. and sometimes we are joined by my ex-colleagues from JGC as well. we think Gerry is mad cool, and she's super fun to be around!


after class on thursday
wednesday was an awesome day out for us! after collecting the prize noel won in a little tattoo-voting competition (top prize too!) in the lavender area, we had a hearty lunch at the food center, before heading down to the nearby sungei road flea. i love sungei road! yes, some of the stuff on sale are truly weird and really, really odd, but you'll never know what you can find for a steal!

allow me to give you a fine example!
check out these pretty boots i found! and brand new too!




and i'll bet you won't believe how much i got them for! TEN DOLLARS! yes, TEN SINGAPORE DOLLARS! is that fantastic or what?!

and guess what, we made our way down to bugis village after, cos noel and i have never been there together, and i saw the same type of boots on sale there, same brand, but of different colors...and guess how much they were on sale for? $59.90!

i got mine for $10! hah! i'm mighty pleased with myself, heh! i can't wait for an occasion to wear them!

ok, i'm gonna end this post on an exciting note. if you're liking the cookie monster tee that drayden wore on thursday, stay tuned this weekend, cos i will have a surprise for you! =)
be sure to check back on sunday, and i promise you won't be disappointed!!

till then, have a fab friday and wacky weekend!

tick tock tick tock

this time last year i was already frantically planning drayden's birthday party, which was three months away. he turns a year older every april. but somehow, this year just doesn't see me as distressed and frenzied as last year. i haven't even found thought of a venue yet!

i don't know if it's the experience of having planned an epic first birthday party before that assures i can accomplish the second one in a shorter time frame, or the recollection of the stress we went through (not to mention expenses!) that is just stalling my motivation to start planning.

whatever it is, i will keep my promise to give my son the bestest birthday party ever every year till he tells me to stop because he wants to celebrate turning 18 partying and painting the town red with his friends and (grrrr...) girlfriend. *sniff*

lol!

bejewelled

yesterday went unbelievably well. noel came home from his event just in time before dina swung by to pick me up, and the little man was fast asleep when the whole baton-passing between noel and i took over. lol!

it was with a heavy guilt-ridden heart that i stepped out in my new pair of white heels, but i must admit, there was a twinge of excitement. my first night out without the baby!

first! photos from the night!
dina and i joined the rest of the ladies over at Cupid Jewels @ Orchard Central, for a jewelry premier we were invited to courtesy of Rozz. so exciting, right!

you guys should have seen the jewelry pieces, some of them are really gorgeous, not your typical conservative pieces at all. i felt like some of them had that "room 101" feel, but that aside, i have to admit they are real conversation starters, and would really appeal to the edgy, grunge-lovin', and non-conforming masses.

pictures!







*in case you were wondering, i wore a white corset top with sequinned detailing on the front and a grey pencil line fishtail skirt from topshop that i got some time ago, heh!

and now...some of the jewelry pieces that caught our eyes...








we didn't try on that many pieces, cos they all look scarily expensive! lol!
but here are some of the other pieces on display, that i snapped from the catalogue we each took home.








at the end of the night we were each given sweet mementos, a small black notebook embossed with the words "cupid" on the front, with a pretty white rose tied in between a white bow. sweet!


you will NOT believe where we lot found ourselves after the jewelry premier wrapped itself up! lol! the entire night rozz and aixia were excitedly rallying everyone and making plans to check out this gigolo bar at le meridien hotel (now concorde hotel, i think). yes! you heard me right! a gigolo bar! *giggles*

it was a funny experience! and i felt soooooo over-dressed, like i was dressed to impress, ready to score me some young meat! haha! we could only take pictures of ourselves, and not of the "boys", but dina and i did see some cute ones around. lol!



anyway, we didn't stay long (but we were told there was a "special" happening at 2am, hahaa! MUST check with the rest what THIS "special" was!) cos i really felt weird. intriguing and interesting as it was, it was just odd! and wrong! and i felt so dirty and nasty! married women (with a child, no less!) shouldn't be doing this! lol!

noel and drayden came to meet us at le meridien, "rescuing" us from the scene. heh! following which we headed down to timbre mobile and then supper at geylang serai.


NOW.

you'd think i had TONS of fun and wasn't missing my son a teenie wee bit. well, you're wrong! my phone never left my hand and i was constantly texting noel to see how they were doing at home. i was missing drayden like crazy! and it felt weird not to have to be on a constant look-out and be on total alert to observe what his tiny hands are quick to grab. but it did feel somewhat nice to be able to enjoy myself "freely".

my son, on the other hand, didn't miss me one bit! hmph! according to noel, the four hours that i was away, he didn't even fuss nor ask for me (or milk). i don't know to feel relieved as this means i could leave him for longer periods now with no worry, or to feel hurt that i am not missed! what a massive blow, right!

but well, if it's any comfort (to me!), he did appear happy to see me when we met up at le meridien.

all in all, it was definitely a fun girls night out (thanks Rozz!), and hell yes, i'd love to do it again! =)

girls night out...??

it never occurred to me how reliant and dependent dray and i are on each other, to the unbelievable point of inseparability, until last night. i mean, i know my heart would ache if i ever leave dray for long periods of time, but the opportunity never presented itself, so i have been lucky never to have to find the truth in that statement. all this while, i have only left dray with noel for an hour and a half max, when i need to run out to shop for orders or run urgent errands.

also, it never occurred to me how incapable we are in leaving dray in someone else's hands. again, the opportunity never presented itself, so we never had to cross that bridge. we have been lucky enough that our schedules are so flexible that i am able to look after dray when noel has his events or other work commitments, and vice versa.

thing is, i would never leave dray in the care of anyone else. except for dina and nal, that is. and i say this because they have been around dray long enough to understand the boy's antics, mannerisms, baby signs, etc. and dina is such a great mommy-material i trust dray with her.

don't get me wrong, it's not that i think no one's good enough to look after my son. rather, i think my son will be the bully and drive them mental! it takes a lot of getting used to and needing to have been around dray a lot to be able to spend a significant amount of time with him successfully and sanely.

he says a variety of words you need to have been around him long enough to know what they mean, and what it is he is trying to tell you. and he does a lot of different hand signs you need to know about, so you're always alert when he's telling you something he wants. otherwise, it may just lead to him getting frustrated, and the whole bonding session a nightmare, cos he can be quite a handful when he's frustrated. no one can take the whinging like we can!

but back to the topic, yes, it never occurred to me how serious the situation was. if noel and i ever needed a babysitter, we'd be done for. it would be impossible for us to leave dray in the care of anyone else. like i said, so far, we have never had to attend anything or go anywhere where dray is not allowed to come along, so we've been doing great. but if we ever, then maaaan!

yesterday dina invited me to a jewelry premier at orchard central thats happening tonight. but its a no-kids event, and usually i would have turned it down, but i do feel like being around all the bling tonight! lol! unfortunately, noel has an event that may not end in time for him to come home and take over looking after dray, in order for me to run out and shimmy down to the premier, so the remaining option i have is to look for a sitter.

and hell no, that is out of the question. there is no way i am gonna leave dray in the hands of someone else for the sake of being blinded by all the bling. so reluctantly, i had to decline. =(

until by some sheer luck, it turned out noel's event will end at 7pm instead of the 8pm we had thought, so if all goes well, he should be home by 8pm, and that will be perfect timing for dina to swing by, pick me up and head down to the premier! dray will be in the wonderful hands of his daddy, and i can pretend like i can afford all the bling i see, heh!

wish me luck, and i sure hope everything goes as planned later!
now, time to pick out something to wear! =)

back to normal

with the week coming to a close, things are back to normal once again. i'd love to talk about how exciting and BIG our wednesday was, but i really do not want to jinx it. so let's wait till everything is more concrete, and i'll be sure to share the big news. =) if it all falls into place accordingly, that is.

so. my "plan" in trying to get dray used to being submerged in water (ie. swimming) by bringing out the old bath tub didn't quite work. he had a blast splashing around in the tub, but is terrified still of the pool. sigh...


anybody has any better ideas? or should i just let time do its wonders?

anyway.

in case you haven't already known, noel contributes to the "father & baby" column in Mother & Baby magazine once every three or four months. his latest column is out now in the february issue, so if you haven't grabbed a copy yet, what are you waiting for?!


the "father & baby" column rotates amongst a few other daddies giving their take on what it's like being a daddy, but noel lends a humorous and candid standpoint, often times poking fun at me. *hmph!* also, he sheds light on the many "disagreements" he and i have with raising dray (i think it's okay for drayden to be put on the floor and try to walk when he was younger even though he falls alot, noel thinks not...i strongly believe in encouraging dray to self feed even though it often ends in a mess, but noel thinks otherwise) which i am sure most couples would relate with.

besides the article, the husband also contributes to the mini-bits in the facing page, such as the:

• dad-gets - where he highlights and recommends handy "gadgets" parents would appreciate,
• fatherly quotes - "you know you're a dad when..."
• star-pa - where a celebrity dad and his quote on being a daddy is shared, and also
• fab dad - where noel interviews a fellow dad (usually friends) and talks about their favorite parenting moments, parenting websites, parenting advice and more!

soooo...if you're a daddy and would like to share your story on the Mother & Baby magazine, or if you're a mommy and would like to have your husband featured, let me know and i'll hook you up with the husband! you could just be reading your family story in an upcoming issue! =)


you know, dray has developed a knack for singing, and it's really funny, if you're lucky enough to catch him in the act. he sounds like he's whinging! lol!

i discovered this the other day we were watching american idol. the tv was on, and he was watching it attentively, while i was busy on the lappie. all of a sudden i can hear this whinging / grumbling drone of his voice, and i had thought he was just asking for attention. i ignored it for a few moments, but it still carried on, till i have had enough, turned to my right and was just about to use my angry voice, when to my amusement, saw him standing in front of the tv, "singing" along with the idol-hopefuls on screen!

it was super funny and adorable lah!

and now he does it everytime we watch idol! also the other day while he was playing by himself, i caught him "singing" again, this time i think it's "wheels on the bus" (haha) cos i saw him doing the actions as well. funny like hell! i'll see if i can catch it on video secretly. y'all know how excited and distracted he gets everytime he sees a camera / phone pointed at him!

ok the husband just got home from buying our very very late lunch from across the street (there's this awesome malay restaurant that just opened opposite that sells nasi padang, satay and western food as well), and i can't wait to tuck in!

have a terrific thursday and a fab friday!