Last night was the second time Cheryl woke up and said "milk". At least she didn't wake up crying and fussing; she used to do that but she has progressed.

Daddy didn't hear her say it the first time round but last night, he did and Daddy was rather amused.

For these few nights, she has been waking up more than usual. I am wondering if she is going through another growth spurt! Her last feed was at 9pm and last night, at 12am, she drank 210ml of milk and at 3am, she woke up and said "milk". Is she really hungry? I am saying this because on both occasions, she drank up all 210ml of the milk. Daddy thinks that she is doing it out of habit and I think so too.

We were not asleep yet at 12am and when she fussed, Daddy was there in the room. I calmed her down by saying I was making milk for her. Daddy called out her name and she was frustrated. He called out her name a few more times and she reacted in a similar manner. I told Daddy it was because his voice means "play", not "milk" or "sleep" and Cheryl was too sleepy to play with her beloved Daddy.

We started the day with a Treasure Hunt at Pasir Ris Park. There were 25 keys to be found and 1 of these keys might win us a car but it was like searching for a needle in a haysack. We ended up having fun ourselves at the playground. Of course, when the Hunt was over, we didn't find any keys, but we had ourselves a great time!

Cool Slideshows

In the afternoon, Daddy brought us to the newly opened Bukit Batok Civil Service Club for a swim. Zinnia and Yeva were supposed to join us but Zinnia was not feeling well so they gave the swim a miss. It was a pity because Cheryl had great fun at the pool. Unfortunately, our camera; which was already giving us problem some months back decided to call it a day and retire for good. Hence I wasn't able to take pictures.

Actually, I took many but they were out of focus or they just looked funny. I am putting this up so that you can see for yourself how bad it is.

After that, we all went to the Airport because Aunt Esther was coming home from her England trip and we were having dinner together as it was Grandmother's birthday!

Oh, Happy Birthday, Aunt Asrina too!

I had to take leave to bring Cheryl to KKH for her medical appointment. Daddy also took the day off to spend with us. We were there by 10.30am and the Doc suggested that Cheryl needed to do something about her little thumb but the only time they could see her was at 4.30pm.

Cheryl loves these things and as you can see, she was totally engrossed! Then in the afternoon, we had a little munch at McDonald's, where Cheryl was enjoying her fries and Daddy was enjoying her ear.

So we went shopping after that and had lunch. The weather was exceptionally good so we decided to go to the Botanic Garderns for some fresh air but it started to rain soon after much to our dismay. Daddy then suggested we go to Turf City. There we managed to buy Cheryl her first pair of Crocs! At the pharmacy in the Hospital, she tried them on and refused to have them removed.

At the Gardens, we even saw how orchids were being cultured. Cheryl's favourite was the "Shaker Room"; Cheryl moved her body sideways as she looked at the many moving bottles on the tray.

When it was nearly time, we made our way back to the Hospital again. Thankfully, there are other alternatives besides having an operation done. Cheryl had to wear a "splint" for the next few months. The plastic was moulded to fit her hand and thumb. Although our little Spark did not cry, she was not too happy about having to wear this foreign object, albeit only at night.

Cheryl wishes Aunt Asrina, Ayra, Fuddin and everyone at home Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri!

Actually, happy holiday to all of you!

Dress: Courtesy of Yeva.

We should have gone to Aunt Angie's place earlier and we would have caught the girls in their traditional costumes. When we arrived, they were fast asleep.

It was really difficult to miss these new Burger King advertisements as they were splashed all over the train; from the windows to the seats.

Is this bad English or just BAD English?

No points for spotting the errors. Really, someone should proof read these first.

Children have a natural affinity to water! No matter how grumpy, grouchy and fussy they are, just tell them that they are going to the Pool and their faces will light up!

Just look at the kids!

Both Daddy and I were on leave today; I wanted to go to the Malaysian High Commission to denounce my citizenship but upon arrival, we found out that they needed a lot of documents which I didn't prepare! I had tried surfing the Internet to prepare for this but they do not have a website! Unbelievable! In this age, where one would think just about anyone or any organization should or would have something on the World Wide Web, the MHC is still stone-aged!

Anyway, it was a wasted trip there but the rest of the day was rather fruitful. We went to ICA to update Daddy's and Cheryl's passports.

This was taken when our little precious was just 3 months old. She woke up from her nap hence the grumpy look and then, they didn't have the Bumbo and I had to carry her.

Isn't she a pretty girl? Daddy had to go into the booth and she lit up the moment she saw her Daddy! Didn't I say that only Daddy can make her beam like this? So this is her new picture in her passport.

Anyway, everything that we needed to do at ICA was done within a few hours unlike the MHC. Sigh... everytime we go the the MHC, we always had to make numerous trips. Once, I am done with my citizenship matters, I can kiss the MHC goodbye for good! After living in Singapore for more than 3/4 of my humble life, I am so not used to the snail-slow efficiency (what efficiency) they display. Not to mention, the language barrier!

When we were at the Guard House of the MHC, we had to get access cards and when I told them I was there to denounce my citizenship, the other guard in there stopped what he was doing and gave me a hard stare! I didn't notice, it was Daddy who saw the sight.

However, the rest of the day was great. We went to the airport to see Aunt Esther off to London and then after, we went to Vivo City! The place is nice and different and the top level had a good view of Sentosa Island.

There was even a man-made beach feel to it. Cheryl saw many people playing in the water and she wanted to get wet too. Daddy and her walked in the water for a while and she tried several times to sit down in the water. This explains why in one picture, she only had her diaper on because her skirt was wet.



We had to buy her a new skirt because we were meeting Aunt Angie, Uncle Junming, Yeva and Zinnia for dinner at East Coast Lagoon. Cheryl was totally exhausted after spending more than 3 hours at Vivo City and Daddy and I gave ourselves a treat by going for a massage. This was a first time for us and Daddy said he still preferred the spa. Of course, and now that Cheryl is older, we can do this more often! During dinner, Cheryl surprised us by using the chopsticks! I thought it was a faux since she first picked up a piece of vegetable but she went on to prove me wrong when she picked up beansprouts and kway tiao! Aunt Angie said, "You should give your little girl some credit!"

The night was not over! We went to Aunt Angie's place and Uncle Zixian, Aunt Colleen and Bernie joined us too. The kids had so much fun, they literally forgot about bedtime. The adults; we just had a wonderful time catching up with each other!

Yesterday I prepared spaghetti for lunch and Cheryl ate it! She loves it, I could tell and she finished all of what I gave her.

This was good because our little girl can be quite a fussy eater... Looks like I have to put on my thinking cap and come up with more menus for her.

So I thought we should have something different for breakfast today too. Last night, Uncle Junming, Aunt Angie, Yeva, Zinnia, together with Yani and us, after we had dinner, decided to go for some late night shopping at Mustafa Centre. It was an eye-opener for us because we had not gone to this place before and the shopping centre is huge! It sells everything! You name it, they got it; from jewellery, electronics, to frozen stuff. I think it is even better stocked than NTUC! But the place was crawling with people because Deepavali is coming up and people were just buying stuff.

While I was preparing the stuff for breakfast, Daddy prepared Cheryl's bath. Cheryl has not had a bath in her tub for a very long time but Daddy gave her toys and soaped her really well. From the kitchen, I could hear both of them in the toilet laughing.

It was a fantastic breakfast! This is our version of the very popular, everybody-loves Hawaiian Pizza. Just need a little imagination and some effort, and we will have a special treat!

We went to the public pool for the first time... Honestly, I didn't know how much laughter and giggles a few water-sprouting "mushrooms" and slides can do. It was Uncle Junming who suggested we go swimming so we thought it would be a good way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Yeva, Zinnia, Cheryl and the 2 Daddies got wet and wild!

Cool Slideshows

Recently, I unpacked some of the boxes in Cheryl's play room. There are so many boxes; clothes, toys; they are all hand-me-downs from Grand Aunt Susan. These belonged to Uncle Oliver and Aunt Dallas.

Cheryl's play room was so cluttered that I thought it was time I did something about the mess. So I got her these racks to put her toys in.

Cheryl was really excited and she even helped me assembled the racks.

When we were assembling the racks, Cheryl was "helping" and she weaved in and out of bars like they were some obstacle course. It was only after the whole thing was assembled that she started "wowing". She even helped me to pack her toys.

Aaron turned 6 years old and Uncle Vincent and Aunt Poh Hoon booked a chalet at Pasir Ris to celebrate the occasion. The place was nice, peaceful and very near the beach. This was perfect because Zinnia has been wanting to go to the beach to build sand castles with Cheryl and Yeva.

The kids had fun and so did us; Daddy and Aunt Angie were busy building sand castles while Cheryl and Zinnia were disturbing them and trying to help; much to Daddy's and Aunt Angie's exasperation. Yeva, on the other hand, was in a world of her own; playing and getting herself dirty and wet.

Here are some pictures I managed from the event. I only realised the the camera was on the wrong mode at night. The shots looked like they were over-exposed.

Oh, when Cheryl saw the birthday cake, she was very excited because her cake looked similar. When Aaron cut the cake, Cheryl was extremely fidgety. It was like she was upset or something.

Look at the picture of Yeva at the beach, she was playing with the pail of water. That was how she got wet but she enjoyed herself tremendously, sand and all.

Have you ever wondered why the moon is exceptionally round during this period?

This video will give you some clue. Ahhh... Daddy always saves the day, er... night.

But I guess you know by now, it is actually quite a mammoth task to even locate the moon in the night skies... Credit goes to our Indo neighbours who have forest BBQs simultaneously. The little island we call Home is engulfed and if we closed our eyes and stopped breathing long enough, we could really believe we are having a holiday at Genting Highlands.

Yes, it is that hazy and visibility is so bad at times. Of course, it makes breathing difficult too.

Yesterday, I returned from work early because I had to bring Cheryl for her vacination. I missed it by a day and I thought I had better do it.

At the doc's, Cheryl was going around and playing with the other children there. I think it is time to look for a new doc... It was 3.30pm but the clinic was still crowded and we had to wait an hour before we saw the doc.

By the way, Cheryl was happily playing with the toys in the room and even asked to see Doc Ho's fish. And she was brave too when she got her jab because she did not really scream out loud. Doc warned that she might develop fever... Oh, I hate this word.

After we came back, I gave her some medicine and she was playful. But at night, somehow I could not sleep well. Cheryl woke up for her milk at 1am but her sleep after that was not peaceful. She seemed to be suffering from a blocked nose and she was tossing and turning. At 2am, I thought she was burnng up so I gave her medicine. But she threw up!

Poor girl! I quickly showered her and I decided to give her the suppository instead. On the changing table, she could still manage a smile but once she felt the suppository, she stiffen her legs and started wailing. Can I blame her? Nobody wants anything being put up their backsides.

After that, she laid in bed but she was not sleepy. She tried to sleep, I could tell because I was watching her. When she saw that I was not asleep, she started talking to me but I told her softly to sleep. At 3am, she sat up and tapped me on my shoulder. When I asked her if she wanted milk, she nodded her head furiously.

Only after that did she sleep well.
When Daddy and I left for work this morning, she was sound asleep. She must be so tired.

I found one of Cheryl's many story books under the bed when I was cleaning the room. Our little girl, after she played in her toy room, decided to come into the bedroom. She saw her beloved "Tigger's Tall Tales" on the bed and promptly picked it up. Then she climbed onto the bed where I was sitting.

She handed the book to me and I thought I heard her say "read to me". I was so surprised and when I asked her to repeat what she said, she just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

Then when all three of us; Daddy, Cheryl and me, were lying on the bed with the lights off, (we were putting Cheryl to bed) Daddy spoke to Cheryl.

Daddy: Cheryl is lying on Daddy's and Mummy's bed.
Cheryl: Bed.

Daddy: Cheryl is lying on Daddy's pillow.
Cheryl: Pillow.

Daddy: Cheryl is holding onto her bolster.
Cheryl: Bolster.

Our bright little spark is learning pretty fast!

Cheryl's food intake has decreased gradually. At times, she would take a mouthful and refuse the rest of the food. This can happen at breakfast when she takes her cereal or during meal times, where she would turn her nose away from porridge.

I figured she must be bored with taking porridge. After all, it has been a good 8 months that she has been eating porridge. So I thought of preparing something different from the usual steamed food.

I cooked some ABC pasta and decided to fry them with long beans, carrot with garlic and I also prepared some lightly fried fish. When she saw the food, she seemed excited and she finished at least 3/4 of the pasta.

The only thing she takes readily is her milk. Her milk intake has increased and I found this to be strange because shouldn't it be the other way round; more solid food and less milk? But at least she is drinking her milk so I guess there isn't much damage.

This was her lunch! After this, it was the good, old trusty Vitagen!

Oh, it is Children's Day today!