This is for Aunt Asrina!

When I told her about Cheryl's tummy stunt, she couldn't believe it. I don't know how she learnt to do this but she was able to do it the very first time we said "Big tummy, small tummy!" And she was lying in bed with us at that time.

Cheryl can do this at a much faster speed but numerous attempts to capture that have been futile so far... Maybe next time.

Cheryl has been sleeping in the play pen for the longest time. In fact, she has outgrown it several months ago and at night, we can hear the cracks everytime she stretches so Daddy who has been on leave, decided that it is time we do something about it.

We bought this cot for Cheryl even before she was born but she has never slept in it. Daddy converted it to a junior bed and Cheryl wanted to help too. When it was all done, she was so excited that she wanted to sleep in it immediately.

This Christmas was relatively quiet compared to past years because Grand Aunt June and Grand Aunt Susan and their families were away on holidays overseas. But we still had a great time because what is Christmas without bonding with our family members?

Of course, Cheryl received a lot of presents! Thank you to all the Aunts and Uncles who took the time to buy Cheryl something.

Cool Slideshows

Aunt Diana and Grandmummy prepared a little something for dinner too! It was not the usual turkey or ham but just some simple sauerkraut and a yam dish. Granddaddy suddenly had the urge for some fried chicken so we also ordered KFC!

Guess, Christmas is really about being with the people we love!

We together with our good friends, the Awesome Aws, thought it would be a great idea to getaway for a few days.

The weather was great and we woke up fresh... well, not all of us though. Cheryl felt a little feverish. Auntie Angie reminded me to bring her suppositories along and I was really crossing my fingers, and toes that I would not have to use them on her. But along the way, we could already feel her temperature rising. Thankfully, Auntie Angie came extremely equipped; you should have seen her medicine case. It really put me to shame! But I am very grateful that Auntie Angie was prepared because Cheryl survived on the fever medicine that she brought, though for 2 nights, I had to administer the suppositories.

We reached our destination in the afternoon and we were all excited about the activities that we could do; go-kart-ing, horse-riding, swimming, archery among many. But Daddy was pretty tired from the long journey so we decided to give ourselves a little rest after lunch.

But it started raining and we had to postpone our activities. Later in the evening, we drove out to town for dinner and we saw that a Fun Fair was on. Our spirits were not quite dampened and we thought we could go there the next evening.

Day 2, we visited the Ostrich Farm and we were quite amazed with the size of these birds. There were other fowls wandering all over the farm and some really pretty ones kept in the cages. There was also a live performance of a monkey "plucking" coconuts from the tree. Of course our little ones were thrilled to see such a sight. Zinnia even rode on an ostrich and we were pleasantly surprised to see her receive a certificate for it.

As fate would have it, it started pouring in the late afternoon and all our big plans about bringing the kids out for fun was ruined. Actually it didn't stop raining and we were very disappointed that none of the things we wanted to do got done; yeah, not even swimming. Poor children! Cheryl would point at the pool everytime we pass it and nod furiously to indicate that she wanted to go swimming and everytime, we had to tell her, "Not now, darling. It's raining." As for the horse riding, well, the only saddling they did was at the reception where the girls posed for some pictures.

When we got to Malacca, it didn't stop raining too. But we made do with what we could and we brought the children to a karaoke session at the hotel and gave them a bubble bath in place of a soak in the pool. In fact, it didn't stop raining until the morning when we checked out. During the few limited sunny hours, we did all that we could, we went shopping and had lunch at the famous chicken rice store. Hmm... not a fantastic choice of food but at least we tasted it to say so. It was a pity that we could not go to the other spots of interests but we were really pressed for time and the weather looked like it was ready to do another downpour.

On our way out of Malacca, we saw the aftermath of the rain. Some houses on the lowlands were flooded and some roads had to be closed. Hmm... come to think of it, there was more excitement on the roads back to Singapore than the 2 days put together!

Part of the expressway had to be closed and traffic diverted to the oppsite side because the lanes were totally underwater and impassable for cars. At one point, we even saw a cow ran down the road. Yes, a real live cow!

But still, I guess it was still a great holiday because our little ones had fun and the company was great.

Cheryl is really strong for her age. Both Daddy and I have experienced the magnitude of her strength when she tries to wriggle out from our grasp. Aunt Angie once commented that Cheryl looked like she has got muscles.

Look, she is strong enough to hold her own weight ! The best part, she looked really effortless doing this.

Oh, this is routine! The first thing Cheryl does when she gets into the car is, grab her microphone and start singing into it. Daddy and I are not complaining because it keeps her occupied for most part of the journey. When she gets bored, she wants her Mr Men books.

Cheryl suddenly developed this huge crush on Barney and she has been watching this particular piece of VCD that Grand Auntie Susan passed to me. So I thought I really needed to get her some new ones.

Thanks to Auntie Asrina and the generous Ayra, Cheryl got some new Barney shows to watch. Ayra was really sweet to give up some of her discs. On Friday evening, when I got home, the first thing I did was show her 1 new piece and Cheryl was so happy she was literally jumping for joy. It was unfortunate I didn't capture her expression. So I thought I should try to get her to re-enact the scene.

This version is so mild and the level of excitement was not quite there. But it captured the essence.

Cheryl is getting very good at putting such puzzles together. She already had one which featured individual animals and she could put them back easily so I thought I should get her something more difficult but it seemed this was not that difficult after all.

I came across this and I thought it would be good to share.

I always cry at weddings. Most of us do. The beauty of the ceremony, the happiness, the sweetness of the vows, all contribute to the emotions of the moment. More than anything else, it was the vows that started me writing this article.

I started thinking about the vows we take when we get married. When we are up at the altar, even though we know the meaning of the vows, we don’t really know what they MEAN. Their meanings change and grow, much as our marriages do. The starry-eyed individuals who took those original vows grow to know the deeper meaning and significance the words can have.

“I…., take you…., as my beloved…,to have and to hold…forsaking all others……”I take you into my heart to have in my life, to hold in my arms, and I will forsake everyone for you. These are poignant and powerful words. When things go wrong between us I need to remember these words. When I am angry there will be no one who will ever make me forsake our love.“

From this day forward….” This day begins our married life together and I will treat it as the sacred experience it should be.

“For better or for worse…” I am not perfect, neither are you, but we both are good together. I will rejoice with you in good times and hold tightly to you in bad times.

“For richer or for poorer…” There will be times when money is tight, there may be times when our bank account overflows, I will love you at all times. Without you I am a poorer version of myself, but with you I am rich beyond belief.

“In sickness and in health…”For most newlyweds, sickness means a bad case of the flu and we take our health for granted. As our lives change with each year of marriage so too does our understanding of “in sickness and in health…”

Holding each other after a miscarriage, kissing each other and trying hard not to cry, as one of us at different times was wheeled into surgery, prayers to God to “please, please let him, let her, be alright and come through surgery healed, cured, safe, healthy…alive.” Lying in bed in each other’s arms, a simple act no longer taken for granted, grateful to be alive together; I love you beyond all imagining.

“So long as we both shall live…” Pray that it will be long, healthy, and blessed.Saying to each other, “you are my life,” and meaning every word. Actually living life without petty complaints; awed by the beautiful thought that we love each other. You love me?! Then I am truly blessed.

Maybe it is a good idea to re-new our vows even if it is done privately at home. Because, as the years pass, we have a better understanding of what we promised when we said, “Love, Honor, Cherish.”

Love, unconditional and enduring through it all.
Honoring you for the person you are and for all you hold important.
Cherishing you as you cherish me, with sweetness and compassion.

Lately, Cheryl's been on a diet. She does not like to take her lunch and dinner properly. She will eat several mouthfuls and when she does not want them anymore, she will just spit them out. She will not even hear of you telling her to eat them. She will just close her eyes or turn her head away.

The only thing she wants is her milk. She can finish her milk and 10 minutes later, ask for milk again. Daddy said she is making up for all the milk that her mummy didn't take and I thought so too.

Believe it or not, she is still waking up to ask for milk. Once, I gave her water instead of milk and she drank all 210ml of it! Yes, she emptied the bottle and I immediately felt guilty as I wondered if she was really hungry. The following night, she woke up and I told her that I would give her water again. She only took a little and went back to bed. The third night, she would not take "no" for an answer and cried for her milk so I gave in.

Last night, she was whimpering and making noises but I told her to go to bed. It took her a while to quieten down and finally sleep again but at least it showed that it was possible for her to go without her milk. I will try again tonight. Wish me luck!

Oh, this is probably how Cheryl will look like if her hair was permed! Hmm... I don't really like it; and neither does Daddy. Actually she got this look as her hair was up in plaits the entire day. I brought her to the mirror and when she saw herself and the new hair do, she burst out laughing!

We went to the newly-opened Ikea and as usual, Cheryl had the most fun. The children's area was packed with kids and they were all trying their hands out on the furniture and play things there.

Cheryl, who loves slides, definitely wanted to be on it.

The place was huge but we didn't get anything. We wanted to see if we could get Cheryl a rocking horse or something but she was not really keen on the rocking moose that she saw. But she had fun; how can she not when it was so fresh to see furniture just about her own size. It was like we had entered the Land of the Liliput!

After that exhaustive outing to the Zoo on Saturday, we decided to stay in and just chill on Sunday.

Cheryl and I, we did some art while Daddy played his favourite computer game. But after Daddy saw what an atrocious job I did with the picture, he decided to take over. Hee. Some of Cheryl's first and better art pieces are kept and I thought it was a great idea to use these pictures for a little decoration purpose. There is also a height chart where we measure Cheryl's height. She is 80cm tall now; petite! But I hope Daddy's genes will play a bigger part here.

In the evening, we met up with some of my former students. They have all grown so tall and big. Just 3 years ago, they were still so young; not that they are old now, but they are now young adults.

We had a great dinner and it was really nice to meet them again. Although not everyone was there, it was still magical because these students have kept in contact despite being in different classes. I think this is great. Friendships fostered during secondary school days do last... . Daddy is not in the pictures; which is a shame because he was our camera man. Thank you, Dear.

I can confidently say, they are probably the best that I have had.

All the best, my little ones! Spread your wings and soar; the skies the limit!

We finally, after so long, made it to the Zoo last Saturday! Hurray!!

Of course, it was exciting... Daddy's last trip to the zoo was donkey years ago; he said it was probably during his primary school days when he last went. That was like more than 20 years ago! It was also Cheryl's first trip.

The weather was exceptionally nice and cooling that afternoon and it was perfect because we spent just about the entire day there.

We saw so many animals and Cheryl could not stop pointing and gesturing. It was a record day for her because she did not want to take her naps. Yes, she woke up at 8 am in the morning and at 6pm when we left the zoo, she hadn't slept a wink.

Once we got into the car, Cheryl pulled her hat down to cover her eyes. For a moment, I thought she was playing Hide and Seek with me again but when I lifted the hat, there she was, sleeping and even snoring. She must be terribly exhausted.