must be nice to be little....

Notice the sudden sleuth of sleeping baby lately?
Ahem.. yeah, thought so. There was this, this, this... oh... this one too, and of course, GrandMa's favorite.
And those are just from this month alone! Not inclusive of those older posts (trust me, you'll find many more)

But, well... she makes such a beautiful subject while sleeping, I simply can't resist
And therefore, just for the fun of it, we'll just go the whole lock, stock and barrel, just for today...
Then we will try to focus on other things for the rest of the month..
No promises, though.

In the mall

Oh, and before I forgot, this post is also inspired by a comment from Daddy.
The other day, after a long, tiring day, Kecil simply fell asleep in the car, on Mama's lap.
And Daddy said, isn't it nice to be little? You can sleep just almost anywhere.
Indeed, Daddy, indeed.
And it doesn't take a lot of things. Sometimes just a pram, a bottle of milk, Mama's arm... and she's good.

In the airplane, half standing up

On the sofa, half sitting up

On the bear

And some other older photos, maybe previously never shared....

On the bed, a once-upon-a-time favorite position

In Mama's arm, just recently bald

In the car, in Mama's arm

And a side note, just for all of you doubting Thomas out there, these are all photos of the same baby, the baby that I have always talked about here. She did look THAT adorable back then, as she still does right now.

learning from the Little One

Some days might feel like it is totally not your day,
Things do not go well, refuse to be fixed no matter how hard you try,
Uncomfortable, sad, hazy, sleepy.... Ugh!

And you feel like crying...
Turn back in time to that moment in childhood,
When a kiss and a hug can make everything well and good once again

Instead, because you are no longer a kiddo,
You just have to slog on, carry on, persevere, be strong
Although secretly, all you want to do is SCREAM!!!

(ahem, like this...)

(Oh, dear)

Well... just take it slow. Take a deep breath. Focus on one thing at a time.
Just remember.... THIS, too, will pass.
Just be patient, turn to that deep well of peace within you, and  you know you can do it.
And if you really can't, a good rest might be in order, just so you can recharge
Regain your energy, your focus...
and maybe, just maybe, the world would look somewhat better at the other side of the tunnel.

Good luck!

This is dedicated to all of you who are maybe having some hardship, crazy working hours, crazy people at work. Whatever crazyness the world throw at you, do remember that somewhere out there, this Little Girl is also learning, to cope, to persevere, to live....

We all have these days once in a while. Go on. It's OK to scream. And don't forget not to ignore yourself. Take care. We hope that we've managed to bring a smile in the midst of crazy days. Love.

afterwards....

Sometimes it's not really what you got on the V-day itself,
But rather, what you are left with the day after....

We do hope you had a great day yesterday. Looke what I got the day after:

Mama dreaming...

This Mama is lost for words
I think the pictures say it all, about the future lying ahead, the path in front of you, the shadows to fill,
These are indeed the stuff that any Mama's dreams are made of
What you are going to be, how we are going to achieve that, the things that you are going to do...

Just know this for sure, my Little One
I'll be right behind you, watching you, dreaming for you
Knowing that it will all be all right, and you'll be safe and sound, and happy and content
Because those are the things that I would wish for you
Whatever you do, wherever you are, no matter how big or how small you are

Follow your dreams, follow your heart, because one day, these are the things that will bring you home

Inspired by a sentiment

Because friendship too, is a special kind of love....

Thinking of all our loved ones today, and moments that make them so special...

the best camera is....

The next Taylor Swift?

... the one that you have with you.

Because moments happen as and when they happen,
And there are times when you are already bogged down with a dog and two screaming little girls,
All running in different directions,
And you know, as fantastic your big camera is,
There is no way on earth you are going to carry it around with you while dealing with the said objects

And so you settle with whatever you have, the ugly camera phone,
or the slow camera phone,
or the off kilter smaller camera,
Just so you don't miss "the moment"
The smile, the connection, the gesture...

And pray that the photoshop God (or Picnik for the less capable mortals) would be able to do its wonders,
an transform the mediocre image into something worth remembering, something worth keeping

 

Vintage weekend: Sentiment

Mama....

Even before Mama got serious with this blog...
Even before Kecil learned how to speak...

I guess Kecil thought Mama spent too much time in front of the computer,
And she so let Mama know about how she felt.

As for now? Well... that's why she goes to school, right? So Mama can spent time in front of the computer without her Hmm Hmm-ing behind. Hehehhe...

new wall art & other knicks knacks

Have I mentioned that we've got some sort of a new wall art?
Well, we do, and we are loving it to pieces. Just take a look at it:

Our New Wall Art

Why it's Kecil's art's and craft results from Skool, of course! Isn't it exciting?
Kecil has been coming home with the occasional pieces of art that she did in Skool.
And we love it!

From the artless, full to the brim enthusiasm to tell Daddy about her latest work,
To the careful effort to declare her work (me thinks Yellow is her current favorite color, currently pronounced as Lolo)
To the careless abandon with which she threw the said object all over the house once she was done showing off and declaring the piece. Ahem.
Which brought us, of course, to the point of the wall art, to save those precious pieces,
At least until we found better ways to keep them.

For those of you who might fret 'so little after so many weeks in skool?', fret not.
She has quite a few, just not all convenient pieces to be pasted as wall art.
Such as this one:

"Lolo" octopus made of kitchen towel roll

(You can see one of my favorite photo of the artist behind the "Lolo" octopus)

Then there are also these:

Alligator (?) and pasta necklace

Kecil actually came home that day wearing the pasta necklace. I love it!

We do realize that Kecil actually starts school earlier than both her parents, but I think she enjoys it, and we are happy with that.
And all these real, tangible result of her doings in school? Icing on the cake!
We are happy with the Skool, and we hope that Kecil will continue to grow and enjoy herself in the Skool.

We are very sure that she has already benefited from her schooling. Just look at the latest thing she did to her poor Minnie:

Drawing on Minnie's shoes?

Ahem, we are not blaming the Skool for this. We consider this as... ahem, positive influence. Ya?

close ups

 

 

Just because....

My muses, my entertainment, my inspiration...
Sources of my everyday hardships, sources of my everyday joy
Causes of my everyday exasperation, causes of my everyday laughter

I am keeping these firmly in my mind, as I sigh and jump again into the fray that is the everyday life

Oh, but such a beautiful life it is
And how could it not be, with such beautiful muses?

the aggrieved party

For all the grumblings and the yawning and the rushed morning routines related to Kecil Skool,
Apparently there is still one more who is unhappier still about the whole thing,
And boy, she was showing her grief big time!

Just the other day, we came home (right on one of Mama's slightly not well day, no less), to find these:

The Ami doll, just because her curly hair looks like Ami's

Not on the pretty white cloth, of course.. more like... scattered on the floor. Ahem.
And there was Mama, hoping that she could hide the pieces before Kecil took notice.
Yeah right. No such luck. Kecil noticed the pieces immediately.
In fact, she was the one who found the rest of the body, which I was vainly trying to find while cleaning the rest of the pieces.

Oh the tears, the quivering lips, and the frail wail that ensued....
So broke my heart I have no more heart to do anything to the culprit save for an if-look-can-kill kind of glare.
And since Mama was feeling slightly off that day (and therefore incapable of dealing with high street theatrics) she resorted to distraction, by way of opening the Barbie meant for Kecil's 3rd birthday there and then. Ahem.
Of course, proper precaution have been taken to prevent a similar fate to the Ami doll.
Barbie's current permanent home (at night and when the dog is alone in the house) is the upstairs cabinet, the one the Dog can't reach.

Yet another day, we came home and went upstairs to find the whole toilet paper roll in the bathroom unrolled messily on the bathroom floor.
And half eaten pampers in front of the bathroom door.
No picture of these, not because it was gross (it was not, really),
But with the Kid shouting on top of her lungs "Eann'y! BAD!" non stop, I have other priorities than going downstairs to take the camera and take photos.

The Dog, begging for snack

I suppose maybe we should shower the Dog with attention. Maybe she is jealous.
After all the morning rush she has to witness, all she got was a few hours left alone in the house, less time to play, less attention given.
Even with the daily walks, it sure seem paltry compared to the heaps of attention bestowed on the Little One. Especially when the said walk usually serve a dual purpose of exercising both the Kid and the Dog.
I suppose we are still figuring this out. In the meantime, the Dog continues to act.
Running away and getting dirty every chance she got.
Oo, she's getting LOTS of shower nowadays.

Waiting for shower. Can't you see the mud on her coat?

Her latest victim? Ha, my brush.

Half-chewed brush, courtesy of the Dog

Oh dear.
Well, wish us luck. In the meantime, Mama needs to repeat this mantra.
Close the bathroom door when you leave. Close the bathroom when you leave.

nooniink!

Kecil at the door

I think I must have turned my back way too long. Wasn't this baby just crawling yesterday?
Honestly! At the very least, since when did she manage to get a good grab of door knobs & handles and start playing with doors & locks & such?

Which reminds me, oh dear, I'd better get that set of master keys in some hidden yet convenient location. Just in case somebody get locked in some room or other.
And always a set of keys when we are out of the house, even in the yard. Just in case.

As for the title nooniink?
Ahem, yeah, nowadays Mama would get locked in Kecil's bedroom (as per her highness' instructions, of course), Kecil would close the door (with some difficulty - she hasn't quite mastered the trick of twisting the doorknob while closing the door), stay out for a while, then burst through the door while greeting Mama "Noooniink!"

No clue yet?
That must have been inspired by Mama waking her up every morning. Haha.

Night time happenings...

(This post wouldn't have been possible without GramPa, who had kindly provided Mama the tool to take such beautiful photograph. Thank you GramPa!)

Baby in Bed

If you ever notice the blog background, you might notice some degree of similarity to Kecil's quilt on her bed. Indeed, the choice for the background was somewhat made because of that similarity. Somehow, it just felt appropriate. Especially given the amount of time (and patience... and effort) spent at this spot...

It's part of our daily routine, these nightly happenings.
As Mama approaches the end of her energy, or her patience, it is usually with gratefulness we will go to this spot, where we would plonked ourselves (or, rather, Mama will), get the necessary set up ready, and start the wait for the 'falling-asleep' moment.
As you might be able to see, this moment is not complete without the Mama laptop (on which will play Kecil's favourite Baaa), a full bottle of milk, and maybe some soft toy of choice.
Hidden from sight would be Mama's 'supplies' for the wait: a book, maybe some crocheting, and a sturdy pillow to lean on.

There was a time when timing for bed depends on the clock on the wall, and Mama roughly calculating the remaining waking hours.
While the rough calculations still continue up till today, nowadays, there are times when Kecil would readily 'inform' Mama that it is time for bobo, or sleep (She has mastered both words, and also understood that the meaning is the same).
There are times when she's on the spot, and she fell asleep not long after we hit the bed, but there are also times when she's way off, and Mama became a hostage on the bed for a long long time before she finally drifted off.

Last night, fortunately, it was the case of the former, where she fell into deep slumber just minutes after she hit the pillow. And as Mama left to refill the bottle of milk, here's what she came back to find:

Sleeping doggie on the Bed!

Ahem!
Oh well... I guess it was a warm spot, especially when the house gets cold with the air conditioning on at night.

 Sleeping together

 

Disclaimer: This Mama would like to assure you that Kecil's bed is not in fact the spot of choice for the Dog to sleep in. The Dog actually prefers Daddy's, but I guess she usually waits until the bed is occupied and warm.

little shepherd girl... a story

umm... whittling?

The Little Shepherd girl sat down on a rock one day, and whittled a flute under the afternoon sun...

Hmmm... testing?

 As the flute came to be, Little Shepherd Girl blew and tested her creation.
And a smile bloomed on her face to show her satisfaction of a job well done.

Playing for the... 'sheep'?

And she played for her charge, a gentle, kindly, old 'sheep' indeed, grazing to its heart's content...

Companionably resting

Till finally they both sat down and rest, after a day well spent in music and in each other's companion.

Mama's note: There are indeed times when I looked at these two and the phrase "anak gembala" came to mind. It must have to do with her clothing, both the baby and the dog's attitude. And seriously? The dog grazing soo does not help. Anyway, they make a cute couple. I do hope you enjoy the corny story. Hehehe.. this Mama is bad like that at times.

Vintage weekend: Bobo

Baby sleeping on the sofa

When we moved back to our apartment after extended maternity leave at the Grandparents' house(s), we were quite unprepared to accommodate a baby in tow. Ahem.
So... for temporary sleeping arrangement.... Haha...
Rest assured, the Baby did not fall or meet any other gruesome fate while she slept there, she grew to be the lively girl as we know her today.
In any case it was really a temporary thing, read: 2 nights at the very most, because Mama's nerves couldn't take it.
We bought her a crib on the third day.
But this picture remains, as a reminder of those early days...

Eating in progress...

Nyam!!!

Sometimes it feels as if I turn back and suddenly Kecil had mastered a new trick, a new hobby, a new something.
This weekend, I turned back, and just suddenly realize that Kecil had grown quite a love for various junkfood, especially the kind that can be eaten by hand.
Like pizza
And burgers (even those which are bigger than her tiny mouth)
And cheese rings

Ugh, I think we need to stock better food at home.
And I suppose Mama can't get lazy to cook too often.

Lesson learnt.

And just some vintage photos to go along:

Eating pasta on her baby chair

Ah, the baby chair.
She outgrew it pretty quickly, not because she got too big to go in,
I think she did not like the fact that she can't get in/out by herself
Plus, she wanted to be with the adults on the table, on a proper chair

On the table

Oh, dear. Did I say ON the table? I guess I did.

Messy eater

Definitely ON the table. Need to work on the manners, here, Bad Mama!

(Ahem, this Mama happy to report, though, that Kecil actually is quite amenable to sitting on the chair during meals. It's just that Mama does not have a good pic of that currently. Hehe...)

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Wishing you a very happy, prosperous new year!
Remember, make lots of noise to scare all the monster and ghost away (a task Kecil is very happy to do),
do your clean up BEFORE, not on new year's day itself (they say it will sweep away your good luck),
and eat all the good, meaningful stuff (noodle: for longevity, sweet stuff: for sweetness in life, orange: for prosperity, etc)

Sub-urban Photography

Little Girl, Graffiti & tall grass

With our week currently composed of 5 days of Kecil School and Saturdays of Mama School, Mama just realized that the opportunity to go out and learn to use her new toy is quite limited indeed.
So when Sunday came about with Little Girl, Mama and Doggie all awake pretty early, we took off carrying the new toy and went to take some shots.
Ahem, this is of course the heart of the contention that resulted in that fabulous photo shared a few days back.
But well.. we had fun, with just a couple of photos and some learning.
We do look forward to the next weekend where we might stretch ourselves even more.

In the meantime, enjoy!

Little Girl being pushed on her bike. Hmmpph!

Still with the Graffiti

Stop hiding behind those huge lenses, Mama!

magic....

Sleeping Baby with her Precious Milk

 There's a special kind of magic that happens the moment the Little One closes her eyes and drifted off to sleep,
No matter how excitable, how hyperactive, how (sometimes) extremely annoying even (especially in the way she holds Mama hostage at her bed with BAaa playing until she falls asleep)...
The moment those lashes meet....
The breathing becomes deeper, and slower,
And somehow, she turned into a totally different being,
Almost an angel, with all those curls, the long, beautiful lashes, the apple red cheeks,
And all the possessiveness a 2-year old baby can have around the precious bottle of milk...

Magic indeed, that melt all the bad feelings,
that makes everything all right again,
that makes all the hardship no longer so, the annoyance inconsequential
Just the quiet... and the sound of deep breathing....

Until it's time to wake up, until tomorrow...
Sleep tight and sweet dreams, my sweet.

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.