First hair cut

Nadine and Aaron both had their first hair cut yesterday.

Nadine's hair had grown beyond her waist and has become quite heavy. It's also becoming difficult to wash and dry. So Mummy decided to cut it shorter before Nadine starts school in 2 weeks' time. Nadine was actually looking forward to the hair cut! It was a new experience for her. But when the hairstylist tried to put the cover over her body, she got scared, and clang on to Mummy. So Mummy had to carry her throughout the hair cut.

She was happy after the hair cut, and seemed to like her shorter hair.

Aaron was a lot easier. Probably because he is so young and had no idea what's happening.

New look

Christmas 2011

This year's Christmas came and went very quickly .... just like previous years. But because we went to Bali for holiday 2 weeks before Christmas, Christmas shopping was squeezed into the week before.

It was a great time of feasting, fellow-shipping and catching up with old friends and family.

1st party - UJC cell party on 23 Dec. Was great that majority of the cell members could make it. Nadine enjoyed the buzz of the party, and the attention from all the Gor-Gors and Jie-Jies. And, the sweets. There was Gong Cha (tho she did not like the pearls), baked honey corn flakes, chewy junior and ice-cream. Major sugar over-dose!

Christmas Eve was spent at Uncle Chris & Aunty Zin Ee's new house. Super creative Aunty Lydia brought chocolate blocks for the kids to build a house. They decorated the house with M&Ms, jelly beans and fruit loops. The kids loved it, coz it was a fun activity, and there were so many colorful candies to eat!

Didn't get a chance to take a family photo, nor photo of Nadine and Aaron, on Christmas Day.

Here's Nadine wearing a dress that Aunty Sue Ern bought her a long time ago. Nadine called it her "bubble dress".

We took a break from parties on Christmas night. There would be a 3rd party with Daddy's side of the family on Boxing Day.

We brought Nadine for her first ever foot massage! She loved it. Sat there quietly and enjoyed her half hour massage while watching Rio. When asked if she'll like to go for foot massage again, she replied with a very affirmative 'yes'!

Aaron - 5 months old

Weight: 6.5 kg

Height: 63 cm

Aaron's a wriggler, a flipper, a lunger and a tugger. Whenever he's put on a flat surface, he'll flip-flop, wriggle and lunge all over. Even when he's asleep, he moves all over the cot. Just like his Jie-Jie.

He also has a tendency to flip backwards when he's being carried. Cannot keep still, except when he's tired or sleepy. Then he likes to be carried by his Daddy, koala-bear style.

Aaron loves to tug at his clothes, clothes of the person carrying him, and his fave - Jie-Jie's hair!

Nadine - 35 months old

Weight: too heavy

Height: taller than last month

35-month-old Nadine thrives on being independent and helpful. She likes to do things that adults have been doing for her - spreading jam on her bread, pouring milk into her cup, unlocking the door, opening the letter box, etc.

She talks like an adult too. The other day, she took a box and pretended there're candies in the box. Started feeding everyone, including Aaron. And she said to Aaron, "Cannot eat too much candy. You'll get a cough, ok!"

Nadine loves to role-play too. She talks to her stuffed toys, and even dress them up in her clothes ......

Bali

We had a great holiday in Bali last week with the Gans and Gong Gong KK. Wasn't expecting Bali to be so much fun. But it was, and had everything - fun for the kids, excellent food, pretty good shopping, and the weather was gorgeous.

At the start of our Safari tour

The Bali Safari and Marine Park was an extremely well-kept and well-run private zoo. It was a very hot day when we went, but we could sit in the comfort of the tram that brought us around the Park, and right next to the animals. The kids were really excited to see the lions, tigers, zebras, giraffes and many other animals up close.

Another wonderful place for the kids was Waterbom Bali - a water-themed park with slides and rides for adults and kids. Daddy and Mummy were expecting Nadine to have a splash of a time. But she was scared off by the humongous water canons, and didn't a long time to agree to step into the water.

Mummy coaxed her to go on a cruise in the tube raft along the lazy river. She was actually quite gungho about it, until we got to waterfall. She was really spooked. And after that, would not go into the water anymore. To entertain her, Daddy bought her ice-cream and donut.

Nadine sharing her donut with Ethan.

The Gans enjoying themselves

Then there's Turtle Island, where there were humongous turtles, eagles, toucans, pythons and bats.

We also spent a day at the beach.

Nadine was supposed to go on the banana boat with Daddy and the Gans. But the vendor ran out of children's life vest and Nadine wouldn't wear the oversized adult life vest. Diva!

Nadine had way too much ice-cream, coke, candies and cakes during this trip.

Our one and only family photo taken during this trip.

We did not take any photos at the restaurants we went to, mainly because Daddy and Mummy had to carry Aaron and ensure Nadine ate her food, or was not running away from our sight, nor terrorizing Ethan. Also, all the restaurants we went to for dinner were pretty dark, and Aaron did not like darkness. He cried endlessly and would only stop when he was brought to bright spots.

Nonetheless, it was a really enjoyable trip. And we will want to go back to Bali again. And when we go back, we will definitely go back to 2 of the restaurants where we had the best dinners - La Lucciola and Mamasan.

Puss in boots

While Mummy was in hospital with Aaron, Daddy took Nadine out for another movie - Puss in Boots. Just Daddy and Nadine. Daddy said Nadine really enjoyed the movie, and could follow the story. But 3/4 into the movie (7pm show), she turned around to Daddy and told him that she wanted to go home and sleep. Maybe next time, we should try an earlier movie.

Hospitalisation

Aaron's bronchiolitis worsened on the 7th day. He wheezed badly, was super cranky, and slept terribly last Wednesday. So we sent him to KKH on Thursday.

After a course of nebulization with Adrenaline, and sucking out of the phlegm, he was sent for an x-ray, which showed a lot of phlegm in his lungs still. So he had to be admitted, for round-the-clock nebulization.

Under the hood

His oxygen level and heartbeat were monitored round the clock for the first 2 days

Despite being in an unfamiliar place, having to be put under the hood for nebulization every 4 hours, and having to deal with the discomfort of phlegm in his lungs and a runny nose, Aaron was still his usual cheerful and easy self. The nurses loved him because he was always smiling, and did not cry during nebulization nor when they give him nose drops. What a trooper! Daddy and Mummy were so proud of him!

After 5 days of hospitalization, Aaron was finally discharged. Big thank you to all the aunties and uncles who had prayed for him!

Talking in bed

Aaron, whether he was well or sick, has the habit of talking to himself, his stuffed toys and his bumper before falling alseep. He did that in hospital too, amusing the nurses, and aunties and uncles who visited him.

The Nebulizing continues ....

Monday morning, Aaron woke up sounding worse than the previous 2 days. At the clinic, Dr Chia commented that he didn't need to use the stethoscope to hear Aaron's wheezing. He had to be nebulized again. In addition, he advised us to get a machine and nebulize Aaron 4 times a day.

Actually, on Sunday, we had 3 friends who offered to lend us the machine. We borrowed the one from the Chuas, since they were nearest us. Aunty Lydia offered to drop the machine off at our place. Not only that, she went to her PD and bought a new mask for us too! What an angel of a friend! So blessed to have friends who care so much for us!

Nebulizer ... again

Aaron was fine whole of yesterday. But early this morning, he started wheezing again, and had a blocked nose. We brought him back to the clinic. In any case, Dr Chia had instructed us to bring Aaron back for a review this morning. His right lung was clear, but left lung was congested. Had to be nebulized again.

At this point, his diagnosis is 'bronchiolitis' - infection of the respiratory tract, and could possibly take up to 5 days to clear up. Sure hope Aaron takes a shorter time, and will not need to be nebulized again tomorrow!

This was the calm before the storm. He was ok for the first 2 min, and after that, he wailed for the next 15 min, through the treatment.

Nebulizer

Aaron was down with a cough since yesterday. It was a bit chesty, but he wasn't coughing excessively, so Mummy didn't bring him to the doctor immediately. But last night, he started wheezing. So we brought him to the clinic this morning, and he had to be nebulized! Poor boy, cried for the entire 10 min of the treatment. Thank God his lungs cleared immediately. But Dr Chia warned that the wheezing might come back, and if it does, Aaron should be sent to the hospital. That sure called for a prayer! Daddy doesn't want to send Aaron to the hospital, and Mummy sure doesn't want to see poor little Aaron crying through the treatment again!

It's 11pm now, and Aaron is sound asleep. He'd played very happily for a long while with Daddy and Mummy before falling asleep. We pray that his lungs are cleared once and for all and he'll not need to be nebulized again!

Nadine's first movie at the cinema

Nadine was so excited about going to the cinema to watch Happy Feet 2 that she talked about it the whole day on Thursday. So even though Mummy had a massive headache in the afternoon, she didn't want to cancel the movie date and disappoint Nadine.

Daddy gave Nadine the full movie experience - with pop corn and soft drink. She really enjoyed it, and was following the story. A bit too talkative though. But Mummy had to step out twice to throw up, because of the headache. Second time round, Nadine cried and wanted to find Mummy. Daddy had to bring her out of the theatre. And we decided to go home.

Mummy was really sorry that Nadine couldn't finish the movie, but Nadine didn't seem bothered by it. Daddy promised her that we'll bring her to watch Puss in Boots, and that the next time, we'll enjoy the movie better!

Aaron - 4 months old

Weight: 6.5 kg

Height: 62 cm

Aaron is a very independent baby. He's perfectly ok with being left alone in his cot. Most times, he'll play on his own, talk to the stuffed toys and pictures on the bumper, and then fall asleep when he's tired. Hopefully, he'll continue to be this independent as he grows up!

More Painting

Impressed by Nadine's artwork, Daddy bought her more paint. But instead of the magic paint that only works on special paper, he bought her washable paint.

Last week, while Mummy was out, Daddy entertained Nadine with painting. According to Daddy, Nadine was initially painting on a piece of paper. But after a while, she decided to pour a whole bottle of paint on the floor to paint. First she used the brush, then she used her hand, and finally she used her feet as well! Using her feet to paint is something she picked up from Hi Five. Daddy said Nadine really enjoyed herself, and he allowed her to play in the messy paint.

Daddy took these photos in the heat of the excitement, and forgot to put it to the right setting. Thus the yellow tinge, and blurriness.

When Mummy got home, Daddy was mopping the floor painstakingly!

Nadine - 34 months old

Weight: 13 kg

Height: 90 cm

Nadine has always loved to draw. 2 weeks ago, Mummy finally took out the "magic paint" that Godma bought her last Christmas. The paint is like an opaque gel that will only show its colours when painted on a special paper. Which also means it will not cause a riot to the floor, walls, clothes and everywhere that Nadine may touch, with her "paintful" hands. What a wonderful invention!

Nadine and Mummy had a great time painting. Nadine painted for about 45 min. Great for training her concentration. And after that day, she kept asking to paint.

This photo was taken last week. She painted happily and patiently for a while .....

and then decided that she'd try and hold the brush with her toes! No idea where she learnt that from!

Kota Tinggi

Daddy and Mummy brought Nadine to the Youth Leaders Retreat at Kota Tinggi Rainforest Resort over the weekend .... sort of as a make-up for Paris.

Can't compare the 2 places, definitely. They're worlds apart. But Daddy and Mummy figured that Nadine would definitely enjoy Kota Tinggi way way more than Paris, coz there was a swimming pool, lots of space for her to run, many Gor-Gors and Cheh-Chehs who would dote on her, and most importantly, the company of Uncle Mel, Auntie Wendy, and Ethan.

So, even though Daddy and Mummy had both caught a stomach flu bug on Friday night, we still went ahead with the trip, because we did not want to disappoint Nadine. Thank God it was just a micro-mini bug. More annoying than anything else.

Nadine enjoyed herself thoroughly, swimming in the very cold pool, playing with the Gor-Gors and Cheh-Chehs, and terrorizing Ethan.

Below photo: wearing life-jacket before embarking on the firefly cruise. These 2 tiny tods look so cute in the oversized life-jacket!

And this was the only photo Mummy had taken during the whole 2 day 1 nite retreat .... coz of the flu bug.

Paris!

Daddy and Mummy were planning for a short get-away to Bali over the Deepavali holiday, but had to cancel it coz Daddy was assigned a work trip to Paris! We decided to go there a week before his meetings to tour the city. Initially, we wanted to bring both Nadine and Aaron, but decided that it'll be really tough for Mummy to manage both kids alone on the way back, while Daddy stays for his week-long meetings. So we had to make the heartbreaking decision of leaving Nadine behind. We decided that Paris is not a fun place for a toddler, and since Mummy is still breastfeeding Aaron, it's easier to bring Aaron.

Nadine was sent to Gong-Gong and Po-Po's place. We figured that she loved it the last 2 times when she stayed over, so she should be ok. We didn't realise that she's a lot more grown-up now, and has preferences. Apparently she kept asking to "go home". And according to Bibi, she wasn't her usual bubbly self. Ah well, this will be the first and last time that Nadine will miss a holiday with us! Unless Daddy and Mummy do a trip without any kids!

Anyway, Paris was a really beautiful city. Mummy had been there many many years ago, as a poor student. The experience this time round is totally different.

We caught the Eiffel Tower at sunset, just before it was lit up. It was magnificent!

One good thing about bringing a baby around is that we didn't have to queue! Not at the Louvre, nor at the shops!

It was amazing to see throngs of people trying to take a photo of Mona Lisa when there are so many other beautiful paintings at the Louvre!

Arc de Triomphe

Finally, on the day that we went to Chateau de Versailles, the sun was shining brightly, and the winds were taking a break, so Daddy could carry Aaron front-facing, to let him see some sights.

We bought this nice, colourful hat from Marche Bastille. It's made in Ecuador! So exotic!

Sacre-Coeur. We actually climbed all the way up! Bravo, Daddy!

Harpist busker at the stairs leading up to Sacre-Coeur. And behind him (framed by his harp's strings), was a Chinese couple taking wedding photos! So funny to have a swarm of curious, unrelated people in your wedding photos rite?!

There are so many buskers in Paris - on the streets, in the trains, etc. But this pianist we saw outside Galeries Lafayette was just awesome, for 2 reasons: 1 - he trucks his piano around to busk; 2 - he is a very very good pianist! Check out his playing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuHbbLETpWw

When we brought Nadine for her first trip to Perth when she was 9-months-old, the most inconvenient thing was bathing her. Most of the hotels we stayed at did not have a baby bath tub, nor a detachable shower head. So most times, Mummy showered with Nadine, and Daddy had to be on standby to take Nadine out of the shower to dress her. This time round, Mummy's much smarter. Went to Paris well-prepared with an inflatable bath tub!

Aaron was asleep most of the time. The only inconvenient thing about bringing him along is that we needed to go sit down at some cafe or restaurant every few hours to feed him. Other than that, he just quietly followed us around the whole day long. No complains. Sometimes he'll keep awake and just take in the sights.

And usually by the time we get back to the hotel, he'll be zonked out for a while. But after his bath, he'll be his happy bubbly self again, rewarding us with coos and chuckles. The previous entry of him chuckling was taken in Paris.

Aaron - 3 months old

Perhaps it's because Aaron's our 2nd kid. The ride is so much easier. But in general, he's a happy baby, and very easily contented. Even Nadine is always saying that Aaron is happy. Thank God for such a joyful bundle!

Nadine - 33 months old

33 months old Nadine is now not just climbing ladders, tables and chairs, but also Mummy! She loves to climb onto Mummy's back, and will sometimes lift her hands up, like an acrobat! Gym lessons are in the consideration!

Nadine is also quite good at reading emotions now. She knows an angry face from a sad or happy face. And she certainly knows how to sweet-talk people.

Just this afternoon, Mummy was reading the bible on her phone while nursing Aaron, and Nadine snatched the phone away. Mummy stared at her, and Nadine immediately said, "Mummy say cannot snatch." Gave the phone back to Mummy, and said, "I want." Mummy told her nicely that she's needs the phone now, and Nadine immediately said in the sweetest voice, "May I have the phone?" ... with puppy eyes. Tsk, tsk ......

Nadine is also a little vain-pot. She has already been choosing her own outfits and shoes for a while. Now, whenever she sees Mummy putting on make-up, or even just applying lip balm, she'll want to do it too. So girl!