Because these too, are precious...

 

Baby crying on the street

As priceless as the smiles, the laughter, the antics and everything else, these tears too, are precious.
Because not only they provide the whole picture, of who and what this Little Girl is,
They say, ever so strongly, how deeply she feels about certain things

And so, even with the every so great reluctance, Mama complied to her wish
For it was finally clear, indeed, how strongly the Little Girl feels about certain things

For the curious lot of you, we were going for a leisurely walk on a Sunday morning, and she insisted that I brought along her push bike, just so she does not have to walk. Hmmph. 
So.. overburdened as Mama was with the huge camera (which was taken for a learning process), Mama still had to push the Little One on her bike. Such is the life of Mamas everywhere, I suppose.

Vintage weekend: Mama & Baby

"Vintage" Mama & Baby

Just because this Mama does not have a lot of time during the weekend to write, maybe we'll try posting 'vintage photos'.
Just because we have lots of those laying around, that I am pretty sure have not been shared.

This one was taken (coincidentally) exactly 2 years back, although slightly earlier in the day.
I hope you'll enjoy the series.

Little Girl & Skool

4 weeks into the school term, I think both the Little One and this Mama had come to term about the minutiae involved with a kid going to school. Well.. somewhat.
The uniform, the waking up early, the snacks, the filling up the time... well.. especially the waking up early. And for that part, even Daddy had some getting used to. He arrives at the office pretty early nowadays, right after he drop us at school.

It had been an interesting journey so far, though. And since it's a bit hard to share that bit about waking up early in pictures (this Mama not being an early riser, herself, hohoho), let's just share the bit about the uniform.

1st day of Skool: Kimono

Kecil attended the school on the first school day this year in this Kimono suit she got from her friend, Little Lady A. It was only after that first day that we hit the idea of using Kecil's friend's uniform, Little Lady N, who left in preparation for her baby sister's arrival.
So we did not get a set of brand new uniform, then we hit a snag.

Day 2 till 10 (or thereabouts) : white Ts and Uniform shorts

Kecil recognized the uniform as something that her friend had worn before, and she flat refused to wear the shirt. Only the shorts.
Did I say flat refused? Oh, yes I did. Because that is indeed what happened.
No matter how sleepy she was, how groggy in the morning, she WOULD check on what Mama tried to put on her, and promptly screamed her disapproval when she found out that I tried to slip her the shirt. Ahem.

And so, I think on the third week of school, on the day when everybody wears the same uniform, I brought the shirt to her teacher and asked if maybe she can help with the problem.
The teacher managed to come up with a brilliant idea of assigning a special name for the shirt, the BEE shirt (there's a bee illustration in front), and somehow managed to get Kecil into the said shirt.
That was on a Friday.
The following Monday, voila! no more tantrums, just eagerness to put on the Bee Shirt.

Day 11-13: Proper uniform, bag & not so proper Crocs

Maybe it also helped that by then she also got the bag as an additional 'sign' for school.

The next problem, then, was the shoes. The pink ones pictured above was still slightly too big, but her other one was falling apart. In any case, I would like her in socks and shoes, instead of just Crocs, so she can be jumping and running around with better foot protection.
THAT shoeing process took more effort around more refusal, which was finally solved by pointing out that Daddy wears socks as well.

Until in the end, up to this point anyway, we have this lovely school girl that I barely recognize:

Proper school uniform, finally!

I am sure there are still other challenges ahead, but for the time being, I think I'll be content in celebrating smaller victories, like getting her into uniform each day, feeding her (and her Daddy) some sort of breakfast every morning, waking up on time... those kind of things.


There are still battles to be fought each day, so I am going back to plan for the next one, with the hope of managing with the challenges better than I have done so far.
Wishing you victories on your daily battles as well!

Kecil after school: still not willing to let go of the uniform

A little ode...

When the head is heavy, yet sleep doth refuse to come,
Let's write a little ode, for the past and the years to come.


Also, I think I promised some 'vintage' photos. So.. here we come...

Little Lamb Friend

Have you met our Little Lamb Friend yet?
This is our very special friend, whom we take for almost every single walkies, apart from the Dog and the Little Girl, that is.
It's actually attached to the tricycle which I bought quite sometime ago for the very purpose of taking walkies with BOTH the Baby and the Dog.
Well, there's also that part about the Little One not being able to keep her hands away from the neighbor's tricycle, but we shall not mention that, ya?

So, here was the trike when I first bought and presented it to the Little One...

Kecil on the trike

 Twas indeed a long time ago. Haha...
It was chosen and bought based on just a few basic criteria: it has an adult size steering handle, and not electronic thing-a-magic in front. Those kind of thing usually do not last very long. Hence we have just a simply squeaky toy in the form of Little Lamb Friend.
Of course, we somehow lucked out in many ways: the color scheme (blue and pink) happen to match the neighbor's trike (which Kecil had set her heart upon), the whole construction was pretty sturdy and well thought (with the baskets both in front and at the back of the trike), the design would be usable through several stages of growth... etc. Simply said? I love that trike, and as the one pushing it on daily basis, that's important.

Kecil on the trike

Thankfully, the other party, the one who has to ride it on daily basis, also love it.
From the squeaky toy, the safety belt (a bit hard to see), the everything.
And for a while, she was content to ride while Mama push the trike on daily walkies with the Dog.
Once she's bigger, of course, she wanted to copy Mama...

Look, Mama, I can push it too!

I can push and bring the Dog too, Mama. Oy, Dog!

Posing

Ahem, Ok, I do NOT pose with trikes. But then again, maybe I do show off. Ahem. So...

Curly Kecil on the trike

Well... the color has somewhat faded slightly, but the trike is still going strong. Nowadays, Kecil is already strong enough to walk run(!) on her own during walkies, but we still bring along the trike anyway, just in case she got tired.
Better on the trike than being carried by Mama, ya? She's not that light anymore.

Unfortunately, there's no escaping carrying her should she fall asleep. The seat simply does not accommodate a sleeping baby.
Just try not to make it a habit. Juggling a dog, a trike, a sleeping (heavy) baby and some funky terrain is sure no joke. Fuh.
 

embracing good weather

As Mama moved outside to enjoy the fantastic weather over the weekend, the Little one followed suit, carrying all kinds of things with her: a sofa cushion and 2 milk cans she found in the laundry room.
Then she bugged me for these huge straws I bought some time back for drinking pearl tea. She had been using those straws to drink her Yakult, and I was mystified at first, since she already finished all the Yakult in the house.

Then the concert began.... oh, dear!

One Little Drummer Girl, a bit late for Christmas, though

Hahaha... what a great idea!
At least with those straws, she made marginally less noise.

Go for it, Kiddo! I hope you'll never stop amazing us all!

Great Friends part 1

Happy Little Girls @ StudioMama

Among the many things that we are thankful for about our current place, friends for the Little One (and therefore the Mama) must be one of the top contender.
We were really lucky to have just next door, another little girl, just barely a year older than the Little One, who gets along famously with the Little One.

More than a year ago...

You might think that one year difference is big, especially when you are barely a toddler, not more than 3, 4 year in age. It was pretty obvious that they were not quite matched when they first met, but after a while....

Little Girls get along fine

They play together anyway, despite the difference in age, the gap in physical and mental development (Kecil was still learning to walk while Miss A was already running when this photo was taken). Even the different language and cultural background did not faze them.

Mischievous Duo on the bike

The Mama's are always happy when the two girls play together. Not only they make a real cute picture, but having each other for a playmate means the Mama's are free to do other things. Especially now that they only require minimum supervision around the house.

Bike racing (under supervision, never fear!)

We never know where the future will take us, but I do hope that where ever we might go in the future, my Little Girl would have fond memories of the fun she had with her friend from next door, and hopefully, even a lasting friendship, through days when even the photos have already faded.

And so, just because they made such a cute picture, I give you one more picture:

Little Girls playing @StudioMama

End of Holiday

Kecil going for boarding

I think this should conclude the series on this holiday. We are already back home, with Kecil already back to school, adjusting.
If you can't tell, I can tell you that school is one big reason for the frequent post. Those two precious hours while Kecil is under the care of someone else... sure make a difference in the daily routine.

Well.. so till we meet again. Be prepared for some 'vintage' stories and pic as this Mama runs out of new photos to share.

Holiday theme: Family & Friends

Kecil & GramMa

I suppose it's part and parcel of living abroad, but holidays in general are usually not just 'holiday' but would also include some sort of reunion, with family, with friends.
Just so with the last holiday. In fact, one would say that indeed, that was the main purpose of the 'holiday'. But it was great.
It was cool that we get to buy things we wouldn't have found back home, but the experience of meeting family and friends after so long? Priceless.

Kecil & GramPa

On their part, I do believe that the grandparents were very happy too to see Kecil, even if it's getting more obvious that Kecil can outrun them with great ease nowadays.

Kecil running towards her Tante

There was also the Tante, who happened to be at the same place and so could join us for dinners and stuff.

The girl with a balloon, and the fairy from fairyland

And a new friend, from old friends...

Kissing cousins, posing for photos

And from family.

We wished it were a longer holiday, we wished the new friends can make better acquaintance of each other, but I suppose there will always be another day
And so we just hope that we'll always have the memories to carry us through.
Until we meet again....

Holiday theme: Minnie Mouse

Pajama party with Minnie

Imagine being in a super crowded 24hr department store with that huge stack of stuff you are carrying home, and progress was held up by a little girl who refused to be parted from a (uhm, slightly ugly, color-challenged) Minnie Mouse softie. Oh, this Little Girl is one canny one. She managed to bully Mama into getting her that (uhm, ugly) Minnie. Oh well. I guess she did learn something about Disney character from her trip to Disneyland last time.

And so Minnie becomes a new bedmate.
It's kind of cute when she mis-pronounces the name to Wiiwii..Wiiwii...
Not cute when this Mama is the one to fetch Minnie from whatever end of the room/house just so she can sleep in peace with Minnie in her arm. Hmmph.

Minnie-play in the afternoon

How did Minnie end up at various corners of the room?
Well... the Kid is... well.. a kid. So.. while she might hug Minnie at night, afternoons are a totally different ballpark. Minnie might get thrown, hidden in the drawer, tucked in the extra bed, anything.
Such is life of a softie, I suppose. I just hope Minnie will stand the rigour of the Kid's toddler years.

And just one last story,
Kecil has learned to put away her shoes at a designated point from school.
So.. in the hotel room, the designated point was the wardrobe, in the space under the safe.
On the day we brought Minnie back from the store, Kecil took of her shoes, then proceeded to pull at Minnie's shoes as well, an effort doomed by the fact that Minnie's shoes are merely yellow colored fabric sewn on the legs.
Ooo... the distress when she couldn't take of Minnie's 'shoes'.

Ah, Little One, for the entertainment value alone, yes, I freely give you Minnie, and all the effort I need to expend in fetching Minnie from various corners of the house just so she can accompany you to sleep.

More afternoon Minnie-play

Caught Red Handed

We shall take a short break from holiday stories as I share with you this amazing find. kekekekkekee....

Kecil, hair & scissors?

 There was one day when I was in the shower, when Kecil barged in with a lock of hair in her hand.
It turned out that she found a pair of scissors somewhere and proceeded to cut a LOCK of her hair.
Hmmmppphh... She still has a patch of hair that is shorter than the rest of her hair, right on top of her head.
Yesterday, I actually caught her in action. Hah hah hah!
But, of course, Mama had already learned to hide all the scissors away. So she had to do with a plastic pair which does not cut any butter. Hehehe..

Still... as they say in Indonesian: Tertangkap Basah!!!!
(Gotcha!)

Holiday theme: GEAR

Baby & Stroller

Any parents understands the importance of a stroller, especially when one is traversing an urban setting like Singapore. As a personal transport, it is indeed a personal thing, the stroller, a hideaway when the Baby is tired, a place to rest, to sleep, to slow down. 

Peek a Boo!

Of course, some enterprising Baby might use it as a toy, but the main issue is that one shouldn't leave the stroller behind. For you'll never know, when the Sandman will hit. Zzzzzzzzz.....

Sleeping baby and stroller(s)

Holiday theme: Balloon

Little Girl with a Balloon

The Little One and Mama had just been on holiday to meet up with one set of Grandparents last week. Learning from the experience of last holiday, this Mama is promising only trickles of news about the holiday and we can start with this trickle: Balloon Obsession.

What is it with small kids and balloons, anyway? I have yet to meet a kid who is not fascinated by balloons. This Mama had actually taken to stocking some balloons at home, which just ran out right before the holidays. So.. it was good that we found some on our first stop upon reaching the land of holiday: the supermarket. The balloon was quickly inflated, and used to play while we waited for Grandpa to arrive at the airport.

Little Girl with Balloon @airport

Subsequently, we blew more balloon in the hotel room.
Then we also get balloon from promotional thingy on our walks in the mall, for which I am grateful. For the Little Girl was already getting whiny when she saw other kids with balloons while she had none. Ah... the kind of politics you get involved in with a Little in tow (like... balloon decoration in the store! Aaak! Avoid that store! Otherwise the Kid would demand for some. Seriously!)
Anyway, so we got the red balloon with the stick.

Little Girl, Balloon & GrandMa @mall

Dinner with GramPa & Balloon!

 

 

End of the day, with Balloon in tow

She loved her balloon, that Little Girl.
But of course, balloon does not last forever.
With that red balloon, the story had to end with the elevator.

Elevator ride with the Balloon

You see, as the holiday progressed, the Little One is getting more and more conversant with this technology called the elevator, which we used many times a day to go up and down to the room.
She is especially excited to be the one responsible for pressing the correct button to operate the elevator.
On our last day in the hotel, she took the elevator just with Mama, and was so excited about the buttons, that when we left the elevator, Ms. Red Balloon was left behind in the elevator.
Oh, the tears and the wail and the quiver in the voice as she called for her beloved balloon just after the doors closed....

Thank God Mama still had one limp balloon somewhere in the recesses of her bag. So.. we inflated a new balloon, and prevail upon the kind staff at the concierge to get us a piece of rafia string to tie it with.
She stopped crying, marginally appeased.

Later on, we found yet another balloon on a stick on our walk in the mall, which Mama just picked up.
And Little One was happy.

Little Girl with a new pair of Balloons

And she smiled happily till she drifted off to sleep... with Mr and Ms Balloon in her hands

Dreaming of Balloons

Still dreaming

And just because no balloons last forever, so I have to also share with you the tale of these 2 balloons.

Not long after the nap, we had to hit the airport as we made our way back home. Needless to say, balloons are not accepted for carriage, yes? And Mama already racking her brain as to how to get those balloons away without creating a scene with the Little One.
So it happened that the yellow balloon popped at the check in counter while Mama was struggling with the luggage. POP.
Fortunately, any public scene was averted, thanks to the presence of a very attractive indoor playground area at the airport.
Whoever came up with the idea of such playground in various public spaces.... I am grateful.
(Of course, if I were in a rush, I might feel differently. But for that particular day, we had time)

Mr Orange Balloon was confiscated by the officer at the checkpoint after immigration.
And Little Girl was already starting to have tears in her eyes as she tried to comprehend the reason why her balloon was taken away from her, when Mama pointed out yet another untried playground at the waiting area.
(Yes, I am SOOOOOO grateful, indeed)
So... no tantrum.

And so... for our next trip... stock of deflated balloon in the bag, and eyes peeled for things to distract the Kiddo. Like the apparently ubiquitous indoor playground. Ha!

Cousins

Curious Cousin

As a child who grew up away from a close presence of the extended family, I rarely got to see my cousins. In the Little One's case, she not only lives far away from everyone, she does not have any direct cousin yet, being the first and only grandchild so far.

As it happened, though, we chanced upon the Little One's cousin (once removed) in Singapore while we were on holiday the other day. It took a while, but they manage to relate after a while, thanks to some technology called games on iPhone, ha!

They look cute together.
My hope is that although they may not meet so often (their last 'meeting' was when Little One was still in the stomach!), they would become friends as individuals through their own right, just with that extra ties that spell FAMILY.
Once she's on her globetrotting days, the Little One can always learn the usefulness of having cousins and friends across the globe who can be counted upon to spare a couch and some meal as you travel. Hahaha...

Friends & Cousins

Skool!

Playing in the playground before Skool

We have been away for a while from this space,
But with the new year, came a slew of new activities, new ideas,
And I guess it would just take some time to get used to all these new things.

But of course, the most exciting (and currently most time consuming) is Skool for the Little One.
We have delayed, thinking that she is too young for formal 'schooling',
Then her best friend moved away, at least for a while, and she lost her ... daily interaction time
And we figure that it can't be good. So Skool it is.

So just be patient with this space as this Mama adjust to the new schedule, new sleeping times, new activities (preparing snacks, feeding early breakfast, coaxing a naked baby into uniform)....
It's been interesting, to say the least
Especially since both Mama and baby seems to get more energy from that 2 hours being separated from each other.

I guess school IS liberating, for the parents, if not for the kid in question.

Making You Smile

This Mama likes to think that she takes pretty decent photos of the Little One,
Trust me, it's not always easy.
And so ideas can sometime just simmer at the back of Mama's mind, waiting for the perfect opportunity to be realized,
But I guess, some things are just beyond my current capabilities,
Like this example below, you'll see
So.. I guess this will just be something to make you smile..

Kecil ready for some bubble time!

One of the Little One's favorite game is soap bubbles. Mama often buys this long tube of liquid soap, and we would play with the bubbles at the back yard.
It's a wonderful sight that I would really love to share with you all.
So, since it was Daddy's holiday, we thought we can finally make it work.
Mama can make bubbles while Daddy take the pictures.

Now our camera is not exactly the cutting edge technology.
So it's a bit slow, old, etc etc.
And it takes effort to take quick pics of the Little One moving so quickly all over the place.
So.. Daddy decided to use the continuous feature.
It still did not work, but hey, the result sure made us smile.

Lots of smiley faces!

Christmas Round Up

Our 'loot' this Christmas, all stacked under the Christmas tree

Ah, indeed we are so blessed this year with such a stack of 'loot', some presents from Daddy's working colleague, some presents for the Little One, and of course, some props (the Kancil, yellow chair and the white box at the bottom).

It went without saying that the Little One collected the most presents. But then again, I guess, the joy she got from getting those presents is wonderful enough present for the parents.

Little One's new toys

So, clockwise from top left:
:: the Little One ironing with her new 'iron' (which Mama got her just so she stops playing with the real iron)
:: Little Gadgets: new iron, pink phone (from Daddy) and a fancy plastic handphone (from Nata)
:: Little Tools: a adjustable wrench, saw, pairs of nuts and bolt, and a hammer. She absolutely adores her tools, which she would use everywhere anytime around the house. Totally brings a whole new meaning to "she bangs", I tell you!
:: Little Cars, literally, chosen to imitate the cars in her life: Daddy's car (which, although similarly red, is not a Beemer like the small one), and buses (well, don't you think VW Combi looks like a bus?)

I think it's a bit beyond this Mama to chase the Little One around to get pictures of her with every single one of her presents. I would give you this, though, which is the present was a total hit the moment it was opened and set up.

Little One and her Daddy in the new tent

Ah... such a sight!


And just one last picture of what has become of the Christmas tree nowadays:

Little One peeking from her 'new' hidey hole