To the airport... again.

      
We went to the airport again. To welcome daddy back from his working trip. Joelle is able to understand the meaning of all this arrival stuff. She knows which direction to look out for her daddy. She knows she cannot walk past the door and run to her daddy. She knows about the luggage belt and what it does. She used to wonder aloud why those people are just standing around "waiting for... what?" Issy is just enjoying the cold aircon, bright sparkling lights and the hustle and bustle of the world's promising airport. It's actually fun bringing them to the airport. It's a safe place for the girls to run and play and be merry. Daddy has many more trips coming up in 2008. Most are pre-booked already so if the arrival time's right, we will be back.

Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho... Merry Christmas!

This is Joelle's fifth christmas and Isabelle's second christmas. I adore christmas and I've instilled in Joelle the love of this season too. She enjoys the shopping (she chooses most of the gifts from the choices I present her), she enjoys the baking too (I'm baking this christmas and hopefully more in future) and she enjoys all the christmas themed books I borrowed from the library for her. For Issy, this is like her first christmas cos last year, we did not put up the tree or have any celebration. This year, we're having a mini potluck party at home with family and some friends. It's a pity daddy will be missing us this christmas. Here's wishing daddy a great christmas too in the Phillipines. Merry Christmas Daddy!

My emotional girl

I have been down (with a persistent cough) and almost out (with 3 different types of drowsy syrup) for 12 days! Yes, I started with fever on sunday (9th) and cough surface immediately the next day and was determined to stay with me. I saw the GP near my home twice and the doctor at the polyclinic once. I'm just as determined to make it leave by christmas. Goodness, I have a party and so much food to enjoy! Joelle is suffering more of the withdrawal effect than Issy cos the doctor gave me medication safe for breastfeeding so Issy is still getting my one-to-one attention. Joelle on the other hand is very much kept away from me and she feels she's suffering.

One night she told her daddy this when he was doing my job of getting her to sleep.
"Daddy, I'm very sad." she told her daddy while lying next to him on the bed.
"Umm" not even sure if daddy heard her anyway.
"Daddy, do you know why I'm very sad?" she asked again.
"Why?" finally realizing he can't get out of the conversation.
"I'm very sad because mummy is sick and she can't sleep with me." and she started to cry... and daddy got to get up from his drowsy state to comfort the little emotional girl. And I was in the other room holding back the laughter and the tears.

Updates for Isabelle.

Here you see Isabelle learning to do the laundry. We are teaching her to put her soiled clothes into the laundry basket every time she has her bath, change her clothes or wet her training pants. She's so cute cos she's doing it for her sister as well! That lazy sister stripes herself outside the bathroom for her shower and always shouts "later" when asked to put them in the basket so the little one would come along, picks them up and puts them in the basket. After a few times, the sister's reply would be "Isabelle will do it". Well... I'm letting her enjoy that service while it last.

Isabelle is also starting to use the bowl at times. She's still using the potty most of the time but I'm getting her accustom to the toilet seat while she's showing interest. With children... you'll never know. They can be so unpredictable at times.

Joelle's xmas wishlist

This is Joelle's wish list for christmas. Yes, she's already 'wishing' for things.
1) She asks for the cleaning set becos mary refuses to let her touch the mop or the broom. Reason : she messes up more than helps out. 2) She asks for this type of doll I guess becos she has HAIR. Did I mention that joelle doesn't like bald doll? But I prefer bald doll cos no dropping of blode or brown hair. As she gets bigger, her choice of doll size gets bigger too. 3) She also asks for pretty dresses cos her little sister recently started wearing dresses and she wants to join in the wagon. Problem is she doesn't have many pretty dresses like Issy.

Joelle's school party

Joelle had a party on the last day before school breaks for the holidays. It was a potluck party so I brought cocktail sausages and cherry tomatoes. I even packed in some packets of biscuits for the kids to bring home. It was a fine semester in a great school. I'm looking forward to her starting kindergarten there. Not too sure about her though. She's not academically excitable. Take her to activities involving dance, art or music and she'll brighten up readily. Anyway, I went for the party as there is a mini performance and a parent-teacher meet that day. I do not need to go into what the teacher said but I believe most of you will be able to guess. Of course I met the boy she always talk about... and his mum too.

On and Off fever

YES I've been busy! With this little "fever bug"! Issy went down with fever twice in two weeks and though they lasted only a short one to two days, it was enough to darken the area below my eyes. Issy is fine now. She did not appear that badly affected anyway. Mummy was the poor thing one not her. She still walked around, played with her sister and babbled non-stop. The only indication of her fever is the patch on her forehead. Mummy sure need to catch up on some needed rest. Hey, I'm not very young anymore you know...

What's she saying?

I really miss blogging about Joelle and the stuff she talks about. I used to find them really funny cos she just started talking and everything is just so ... wow! Now that she's speaking fluently, I don't really record her conversations anymore. But the things she is saying now is even more... wow! wow! Just as impactful or even more! So I'm reminding myself everyday to take notice of our little conversations. Sometimes it's the simple things that makes the world beautiful.

#1
Joelle : mummy listen...
rabbit monkey dog rabbit monkey dog rabbit monkey dog
(*at this point I thought I'd better memorize them in case it's a test or something)
dog tiger bear dog tiger bear dog tiger bear
do you know what I'm doing?

Mummy : No?

Joelle : Patterning!

Mummy :Patterning? Wow... ok.
(*felt a little disappointed cos I was memorizing for nothing!)

#2
Joelle has holiday classes this week and I'm afraid she will not want to attend so this morning (being the first lesson), I try to be cheery and excited when I walk with her into the school premise.
Mummy : Ohh.. so exciting! Speech and drama.. wow! Singing.. dancing.. acting..
(I actually include some exaggerated actions and dance movements)

Joelle : *whispering* Mummy.. no.. don't.
(pulling down my hands and holding them close to her chest)

Mummy : Why? What's wrong?

Joelle : It's embarrassing.

HA! My daughter is four and she knows what's embarrassment. I know that she felt bad cos she smiled while telling me softly not to do it. It's a little hurting that she thinks I'm embarrassing her but at the same time it's a good thing to be conscious of the surrounding. Perhaps I was overdoing it. I should have remembered that she's a big girl now and she probably has friends somewhere in the school watching her crazy mother doing a probably outdated hi-5 move. Somehow I know that the day will come when I can no longer make her laugh the way I used to. The day will come when mummy is no longer funny. My girl is growing up too fast.

Daddy's back!

When daddy came back from china, he asked me to bring the girls to the airport since it's an afternoon flight. Most of his travels before either fly early in the morning or late at night so this was one of the rare chance. Isabelle is like... a little mountain tortoise! She just keep looking around at the lights, the flowers, the vastness of the terminal. Guess I should bring her out more before she starts growing a shell. It's good to have daddy back with us. Though the girls did not give me a migraine, high blood pressure or heart attack, it would definitely relief me of some responsibility when daddy's around. Joelle commented one day that she wish her daddy is home cos she miss him. It's really nice to hear such sweet nothings. Daddy missed them alot though. He confessed that he would view their videos on his handphone and look at the photos of the girls which I inserted in his wallet.

We are considering a holiday for Joelle now that she's four. I'm sure she will enjoy the trips better and remember them at least. When they're younger it makes no different to them whether they're in Singapore or overseas. To them a beach is a beach and a playground is a playground. We brought Joelle to Genting once and she doesn't even remember a thing now! Even when I show her the photos, it's like telling her a story. So next year when we take Joelle out of the country, Isabelle will have to stay home with grandma and mary. Her time will come eventually and it will be when she knows how to enjoy the holidays.

My Isabelle.

Let's see... today I would like to talk about Isabelle. She has just turned one last month and somehow I feel that she has grown so much. She has gotten cheekier, funnier, smarter, naughtier and faster! I have been religiously charting her development progress so far. I made myself do it this time cos with Joelle, I was too busy enjoying the wonderful aftermath of a first time mummy that I sort of forgot to record many little details. For Issy, my recording has more details. I would like to mention that our potty training seems quite slow (as compared to Joelle's) but still consistent. She will pee after every nap and if we're lucky, she will poo after her lunch. Lately I have just started her on using the shower instead of her bathtub. She cried for five days, twice a day. We persever till she relents. Now she will only rub her eyes with her hands whenever we wash her hair and face. I'm very happy with her adaptation so far. I've more confidence about putting her to more changes.

Issy is a strong character and she can be very fierce but I have very special feelings for her. She makes me smile, she makes me laugh, she cools my anger and softens my frowns. She knows what she wants and she will try her best to get it. She hardly gives up (good and bad) and I admire her determination. Issy is very different from Joelle and though I love them both the same, I do have different "special" feelings for each of them.

Joelle is my firstborn and she is very special to me. She is very emotional and sentimental. I really appreciate that quality for it makes her so caring, so loving, so humane and so... mine. I think Joelle represents LOVE.

Issy is my miracle child and she is proof of God's existence. She is very alert and brave. I went through much pain, worries and difficulties having her and I believe that made our bond stronger. I have a certain soft spot for her. I guess I do not expect as much from her as I do with Joelle. It might be unfair but I do believe in their strength and I know their limits. I love this baby doll very much and I'm really happy to be able to see and know more of her now. It's funny how with Joelle, I saw most of her every first as I was with her for the first 12 months. But with Isabelle, I miss many of her first as I was working during her first six months. But I'm thankful I'm able to watch her become a cheeky little girl now.

Mary Mary quite trustworthy.

Yesterday, our housekeeper took the day off to make a trip to the embassy for some personal matter and also to remit money since dave is out of town. Daddy's been away for a week now and will be back in a week's time. Mummy's been coping... thanks to mary so we decided to grant her the day off but I told her it would be deeply appreciated (reads no deduction of leave allowance) if she could come back earlier and she did. I'm surprise! She came back at two. Given her unfamiliarity of singapore (she's only equipped with a well drawn map by me from the station to the embassy) and the fact that she walked to the embassy and back to orchard station (I told her it would be costly for taxi as orchard road is a one-way street) and the distance between my place and town and the need to change train and that it rained for awhile, it's amazing that she took only five hours. I was actually both physically and mentally prepared to see her only at dinnertime given that she only requested for two days off in her 10 months with us. At least she could have stop for a relaxing, child-free lunch and a coffee to watch the world go by. I would but mary didn't, she came right back after her errand. Wow! The power of monetary deduction!

Truth is... we wouldn't have deducted her leave allowance even if she returns at dinnertime. We discussed and thought that she deserves this given her contribution to our family. It's probably the least we could do. Deducting her leave allowance wouldn't buy us much anyway but it could buy her son a month of school fees. This truth however was kept from mary as we were afraid she might begin to take advantage of our kindness and conveniently use it for her benefit. Afterall once bitten twice shy. We were badly bitten before so no matter how good mary is, we always remember that she is only... temporary. When the time comes for her to leave, the most she would do is to shed a tear for the baby whom she cared and love for two years, whom she has probably grown very attach to and whom she would probably remember as the first child she love besides her own. Issy practically grows with her from a three month old baby to a 26 month old toddler by the time mary's contract ends. I would definitely hate to witness that day as I can be sure of the tears and wails and struggle Issy will put up for farewell. Yesterday already prove a little uncomfortable for her without mary. And I'm bound to cry too. Let's just pray that we wouldn't be having a wailing party at the airport. Goodness!

* Oh and I'm quite proud of myself and joelle especially. I packed us two backpacks, one containing milk powder, bottles, water bottle and umbrella (which mummy carries) and another with sweaters, pampers, wet wipes and a change of clothes for Issy (which joelle's in charge) and armed myself with a baby carrier (so I have a baby in front and a backpack behind - good balancing), lots of positive attitude and a big smile to put on a brave front. The three of us ventured out for lunch on the MRT of course. I would probably have lost that smile along the way if we were to have taken the bus! Mummy's not a bus person at all. I get sick. Joelle gets sick too. We really do. Best part... mummy still got that smile and children still got their limbs. We all survive!

Roller blading

Daddy is not working today so we decide to do something fun. We go roller blading! It is joelle's first try at this sport and I tell you she's good. I think it's all because she's not too scare of falling. Afterall she has her knee guard, elbow guard and wrist guard on. But forgetful parents forget to bring her helmet! Anyway daddy is her fall instructor. He teaches her how to fall without serious injury. I believe that's the most basic yet important thing to learn in this sport. Mummy is the fun instructor. I show her the funny moves. She really likes it and refuses to rest even when poor old mummy and daddy are crying backache! Why? We have to bend so we can support her right? Anyway she blades... maybe I should just say she glides back and forth many times until daddy lures her to the playground.I'm glad she enjoys this sport cos I hope this shall be the family's fun sport besides swimming. Anyway daddy is not always keen about swimming cos he feels that it's a dangerous sport. A two-seconds mistake can lead to frightening consequences. So we usually have them with us at all times and that can be rather stressful. So I have been trying to find a game or sport that all of us can really enjoy doing and finally this is it! No more boring football (opps... don't tell daddy) to contend with now. Thanks joelle for this realization of mummy's dreams.

Art

Joelle had a great time at mummy's school last weekend. Thanks Juli and Dan for providing the materials. She really enjoys painting. But she seems to have lost that spontaneity in regards to colours. I usually allow her the freedom of expression. No doubt I do ask why the hair is blue or the face is green but never in a judgmental way. I just want to know if she actually thinks or just use colours randomly. I enjoy observing children during art sessions. The way they think, conceptualize and translate onto their piece of work is simply an art itself. I always try to understand joelle's choice of expressions, colours and perspective in her drawings and paintings. Art is a marvelous form of passage into the child's thoughts and ideals. I love doing art with joelle. But for this session, she actually paints according to the colour of the frog on the packaging. Has she grown up?

Banana cake and Cheese bread

This banana cake is good. It's soft, sweet and very very tasty. I add lots of banana. Fussy daddy likes it very much and he request for another the next day. So we made banana cake two days in a roll. Recently we made bread again. This time we thought we should try using cheese and they are really good. I think cheese is very compromising. It taste good any way you want it. Cheese bread will be our regular item now. Hmmm... what's next?

One of those times...

Joelle was running around the house during dinner one night. I was angry and sent her back to the table to finish her dinner. But I notice that she just sat there and stare at her food. I got angrier of course. I asked her why is she not eating and she replied "but you say sit down and don't move!" I tell you this is the moment you wish you can either dunk your face into a soundproof wall so you can scream and cry or fall flat on your tummy and laugh your guts out.

This is not the first time she did something like that. I just didn't find the time or sanity to write it down.

Swimming.

Check out my water babies in their newly bought thermal swimming suits. By the way it was their size that gave them the pink. Yes, there were only pink available in their sizes. I thought it would be rather distracting if I put them together in their shocking pink suits but it's not that bad afterall. People look, I mean who wouldn't, my girls are so cute. Most importantly people see their enjoyment, their laughter, their childhood. I'm happy that they are happy and it's easy to make my girls happy. Go swimming!

A star is born... again?

Joelle had a second break in TV filming two weeks ago. Before anyone scream at me for the delay in writing, do know that there are factors to consider (ethically and confidentially) before writing on what's not been due for airtime. This slot will be shown in november, I heard so I'm still not willing to disclose the organization or product/service she is selling yet. I could only say that she seems to have landed a pretty major role this time.

It was really hard work for all of us. Yes, daddy included. No, this time he was not the cameraman, he was our chauffeur and he took over from me in the late afternoon. We were at location from 9 in the morning to about 7 at night. Long day for joelle cos she woke up at 7 in the morning and went without nap.

How did she fare this time? She did improve I have to say. I think she actually grasped the idea of acting and filming now. Cos this time round, she did not even glance into the camera. Yes, even when the camera was like... inches away from her face! She did good with instructions and expressions but she fared badly in the "NG" part. She simply couldn't understand why she needed to repeat simple actions many times. At one time she begged me to stop making her do the take again. She looked at me with really pathetic eyes (I told you she is a natural) and said "mummy I don't want to do anymore. Please? I'm very tired." I felt horrible cos I couldn't stop anything so I literally forced her to continue. At that point I actually called for backup. Yes, I got daddy back from his tea break to take over from me. I needed a break!

Poor girl... I felt really bad for her but she seemed to enjoy what she was doing. She mingled very well with the cast and she went through the whole shoot with a brave front. she managed to hold out strong till they wrap. I'm actually very proud of her. This time even daddy said she's good. He's sure she will be better at each session. Provided she want to do another. I would encourage her to take on more challenges cos it's great to be mummy superstar. Nah... seriously I thought it would be good for her self esteem and confidence. She would learn to work with people of all ages, sharpen her communication skills, her understanding of team work and hopefully responsibility. Overall I believe it's a great learning opportunity. Would I encourage her to do this as a career? Nope, I still want her to be a doctor. *grins*

My job.

Everyday mary and isabelle will fetch joelle from the school bus. Sometimes mummy will join them. Most of the time mummy will be rushing to get some final work done before she returns. Joelle can be very demanding. She will insistently ask for mummy's school when she returns and my next break will be when she naps. So for those interested, mummy's official working hours are from 8 in the morning to noon (after breakfast usually) and 2 to 4 in the afternoon. And mummy's personal time only starts after they sleeps and isabelle sleeps at 8.30 while joelle sleeps at 9 or latest 10. So am I busy? Well, if you count the working hours only, I probably have the best job in the world! But I'm happy and that's what counts for me.

Cool dudes and friendly startlets.

One of the reason I like to work with daddy is the subject of his camera lens. You get to meet the cool dudes on television and the new up and rising starlets too. But there are more reasons why I would rather be my daughter.
She gets to hug and kiss the cool dudes and friendly starlets! =P

Monthly visit to takashimaya

Once a month, the family will go shopping at takashimaya. We have to thank our able housekeeper, mary for these monthly visits. As she didn't want to forfeit her leave allowance to go and remit her money so she got to depend on dave's off day at the end or beginning of each month to take her to town. We used to accompany her to the bank in lucky plaza but now we would just park and shop around in taka while she crossed over to do her stuff. I think it's better this way. Hopefully she will not betray our trust in her. So I have to say that these monthly routine is becoming more of a family fun thing than a chore. And joelle just loves the donuts there.

Oh.. and thanks to crepin for the lovely outfit from lifebaby and thanks to juli and dan for the really cool shoes! Love it. By the way, isabelle is walking like... 24 steps already. She's almost there. Soon she'll be donning lots of dresses. And if anyone still ask if she's a boy, I'll just... I'll just... ignore them. I guess I won't even bother to reply such silly queries. Yeah?

My joelle.

Just a little note to remind me of joelle's thoughtfulness. Lately she's been quite rebellious and that also means lots of discipline and tears. Whenever I make her tear, I actually tear in my heart. It's painful to love your daughter and hurt her at the same time. But she is four already. She ought to know right from wrong. She should understand consequences and stuffs like that. I don't know if I'm expecting too much from her but I really depend on her for my emotional well being. I hate to lose my grip on her and I definitely hate to become a monster to her. Sigh... this part of parenthood I'd always fear I'm not ready for. And she's only four. What will become of us when she's 12 or 18 or even 21? Sigh... parenthood... another sigh...

Anyway back to her thoughtfulness. I was suddenly ill one day with severe giddiness that led to vomiting. I felt terrible. Joelle saw me vomit and came in to pat me at the back (of course that didn't feel good at that time). She kept repeating "it's ok mummy, just vomit it out. I'm here." Then she called her daddy on his mobile and rushed him home. When I finally emerged from the toilet (reminds me of the time I was pregnant with isabelle! Geez... terrible memories), she came over to hold my hand and said "do you know I wanted to cry because you are sick." I was like... ahwwww.... come here my sweetheart. I wanted to hug her and all those mushy stuffs but I was like... reeking with the horrible aftermath and literally maneuvering my mind to counter spin my giddiness. I must have looked terribly pale or something cos she added "mummy, can you not die?" Well, I did wish I could when I was hauling my stomach out minutes ago but of course I wouldn't scare my little girl with such thoughts right? Moreover I wouldn't bear to leave such sweet little thing behind. Really... life can be so meaningless without kids. The good times... I mean.

Swimming club

Isabelle, welcome to the swimming club!

This favourite place of Joelle is now open to Isabelle. Joelle is cool about sharing this space and Isabelle, who used to be afraid of being in the bathtub with her sister, seems to have overcome that fear cos she's all over her sister in the tub today! I can foresee many more tubbing days ahead. I'm happy they're both water babies. Cool...

Sisters-in-crime.

Look at my girls. Handful right? Sometimes I wonder if I actually have boys in girls clothing! Oh man....

Durian mooncake

Last year I ordered Four seasons durian mooncake and liked it very much. This year I tried Home's favourites durian mooncake and I fell in love with it. It's so pure you think you're eating the real thing actually. Only downfall... the steep price tag. With that amount ($45 for a box of four), I can actually get the real thing and enjoy its pureness more. =P But it's the mooncake festival after all so let's just enjoy that extravagance once a year!