My First Ballet Lesson

Mummy said we'll be going for Tot Ballet Class today. Yeah!

Wow, there're so many kids. Why do most of them look older than me? Thought Mummy said it was for children my age...... Mummy, Mummy stay with En En please. I don't want to join the other children .

Now, Teacher is going to teach us how to dance like a ballerina. We must SIT like a ballerina, STAND like a ballerina and WALK like a ballerina. How??

SIT with legs crossed or kneeled: That should be easy. Hmmm, how come I can't cross my legs fully?? Oops, guess my thighs are too fat .

STAND with feet closed together: See, Perfect. Urrm, think I look funny in the mirror. Oh, my knees are also together. No wonder I look as if I need to visit the loo.

WALK gracefully: Tip-toes? No problem. Come Mummy, hold my hands. There, I'm walking like a princess. Finally......

I think I'm going to love my ballet classes. But, Mummy when will I get to wear those pretty shoes and costumes some of the che che are wearing?

P/s: It's a pity Teacher said that no photography is allow. Nevermind, wait till Mummy buys me my dancewear. I'll post some pictures to show you!

The Art of Negotiation

The Art of Negotiation - some may say it only applies to the business world, where big shots flexed their brain muscles at negotiation tables, trying to get the better of each other.

Mommies will tell you, "TRASH THAT IDEA IN THE RUBBISH BIN!" For at some point, we all have to deal with the nastiest of them all, the Master of all Negotiators - the Toddlers.

Don't believe? Here are a few examples......

Example 1

Mummy: Do you want Mummy to bath you now or Daddy to bath you 5 min later?

En: I don't want to bath.

Example 2

Daddy: You can either choose to have Daddy brush your teeth or Mummy.

En: Elmo brush.

Example 3

Mummy: Shall we wear this (dress) or this (Holds up 2 pieces for her to choose)?

En: No (goes around "disqualifying" the other clothing).

Get what I mean? No room for negotiation. Case closed. Period.

Sigh. Guess I'll have to take up an Advanced Course in Negotiation......

Oh no not again!

2.40am.

"Shee shee, shee shee...", whined Baby En. "Do you want to shee shee?" Mummy asked. Next came, "She wet the quilt...." There, we got our answer. Not again, this time with the changing mat in place.

So, in the middle of the night, Daddy went about clearing the mess as Mummy cleansed the now awake Perpetrator.

You may think, it must be safe now. Right, it was indeed, for the night.

Rise and shine, hmmm, let's do some Flash Card activities. Baby En thoroughly enjoyed herself, running around picking the right cards, tapping the numbers Mummy called out. Then, "Mummy, shee shee." Nothing strange. That's her usual request for me to bring her to the loo. Oh no! Not this time! It was an indication that we didn't manage to get to her potty on time again. 2nd time "lucky".

Sigh, guess I just have to resign myself to doing what SY suggested - Wake her up once in the middle of the night to pee (and risk the wrath of a Sleepy Grouch).

Ya Hoo!!!!

Whheeeeeee! Ha, I got it! This must be it, Yes! SSSPPPLLAAASSSSHHHHHH (water in eyes, mouth, nose etc etc)......

It wasn't the 1st time Baby En was on the slide. Somehow, she just couldn't move fast enough. Imagine this - someone trying to do a "Row, row, row the boat" down a water slide. So, I thought, if that's the case, why don't we change a posture?

Ah ha! Let's do the Superman pose (I'd seen some older kids doing that and it's really FAST). So we positioned her, then "GO!" Wow, she did "fly" all the way into the water below. And that was also the very last time we did that pose......

Guess Mummy was too adventurous. Not to worry though, we simply did a minor modification to her "Row the boat" posture, with the body bent forward and hands stretched behind. There was a marked improving in her sliding speed (still quite some distance away from "flying").

For now, let's just be content with it (at least till her memory of the episode fades away ).

How it must have hurt...

Last night was a sleepless one.

I was viewing 《稀游记》 on Channel U. This was by far the most emotionally charged episode for me, not so due to the compassion of the lady featured (although I must say I do admire her courage and strength. We definitely need more people like her!), but rather for the trials of a man - the Schizophrenic 阿此.

Being modern mums in well-developed Singapore, we do have an abundance of resources that we can tap into if we have a child like 阿此. Yes, that doesn't make it any easier for any family with a child like him. It can only be worse for those from undeveloped area. I could not have imagined how it must have hurt his mum to have to put him into his "cell" - a pig sty-like hut, all because there's no other way for which they know of, that could help him, and keep the family safe from harm.

For 8 full years, this man does not even have the space to stand up, nor the "luxury" to go out of his enclosure (something many of us take for granted).

If I were the one caught in such a predicament, would I have sent my little girl to the "prison" in which she would have to call home, away from all who cares, to be forgotten by the world? Frankly speaking, I don't know. For who am I, who's so fortunate to be born where everything that we have seems so matter of fact, to judge the actions of those who does not even own a fraction of what I have?

男人与女人的故事

在一个不知名的年代，住着一个勤奋努力的男人。男人家里养了一只狗和一头牛。它们在男人未出世之前，就来到了那个家庭。因此，男人非常地爱它们，就像爱自己的家人一般。男人甚至能与它们沟通。

有一天，男人认识了女人。他决定把女人带回家，介绍给他最爱的狗和牛。谁知，狗一见女人，就扑上前狠狠地咬了她一口。男人见了却一句话也不说。女人感到很痛，她心里的痛远比肉体上的还深。

女人仍爱着男人，她终于嫁给了男人。男人答应她，一定会对她更好。婚后的生活有苦也有乐。不久后，他们有了可爱的小宝宝。狗和牛非常喜欢这小生命。它们总爱任意地把宝宝带出去，从不顾及女人的感受。男人始终维护着它们。

男人与女人的家就建在苹果园旁边。苹果成熟时，女人对男人说：“我好想吃一颗那树上的苹果。”男人劈头就一句：“苹果有什么好吃！”女人听了很伤心，她始终走不进男人的心。隔天，老牛来到男人跟前：“我好想吃那山上的山草莓。”男人听了头也不回地往山头奔去。

这时的女人，知道她再怎样付出也是徒劳。女人的眼泪永远不及那自他初啼，便陪伴在他身边的亲人。

Potty Training - Tips

Just sharing some things I picked up from this 1 plus month of Potty Training experience.

Firstly, how do you know if your child is ready to go diaper-free at night? Check the diaper in the morning. If it's usually dry, you can give it a try. It'd be better if little tot indicates that she wants to go without her diaper.

How do we go about it then? Get ready a few of the following items.

1. Changing mat - There are a few types in the market. The plastic/ rubber ones make it easier to cleanup after accidents. The fabric anti-seep type provides more comfort for the child, but you'll need to wash it if she peed.

2. Training pants - I'm referring to the clothe reusable ones. Although it doesn't totally prevent leakage, at least it can hold more urine. Thus, your mattress will be better protected even if urine somehow flows out of the mat. Does MOST EXPENSIVE = BEST QUALITY? Answer is NO. COMFORT = GOOD LEAKAGE PREVENTION? Again NO. Happy choosing if you decide to get some.

Why not use disposable trainers? Then you might as well stick to disposable diapers. Don't feel that they help the child to be aware of their bowel activities once you decide to go for potty training.

What else to take note of? Try not to give your child any liquid half hour prior to bedtime. Even if you do let them wee just before bedtime, liquid does not pass through our body instantaneously. So, chances of accidents will be higher. Some parents wake their kids up in the middle of the night to wee them, I don't, unless Baby En wakes up on her own, as she can be pretty grouchy if woken from her sleep.

All the above tips are what I gathered from my personal experience. I don't profess that they are absolute answers but I do hope they are of use to those who have no idea how to start off.

Bearing in mind all children develop at their own pace, it might not be necessary to wait till yours reach the "correct" age to be ready. Baby En just celebrated her 2nd birthday 1 month ago. However, if yours seem slower than the norm, relax. This is not a race!

Be it Nature or Nurture......

I set out with the intention to rear a happy and healthy child.

For a start, I was blessed with a healthy baby girl - all of 50cm and 3.052kg. To top it of, she was beautiful, even till this day.

As for being happy, I wasn't sure initially. Though infants don't have much expressions to begin with, Baby En was kind of a "frowner". There was this persistent frowning look on her. Thus, I decided to smile and talk to her often, hoping that it'd somehow rub-off on her. I believe it did work. Today, she's generally a happy girl, who laughs and chuckles a lot, although she has her fair share of wailing and screaming - her method of exhorting others to give in, which I hope she's getting to realise it doesn't work.

Today, we went for Teachers - Parents session at her childcare centre. All in all, the discussions and observations were rather positive. Well-behaved, shows compassion for animals and friends, willingness to share, able to express herself.... with the exception of speaking up.

Baby En is a talkative girl at home. She can yak non-stop from the moment she wakes up till bedtime. Sometimes till the extent of behaving like a broken recorder, repeating the same thing over and over. However, I do notice she does refuse to speak up at times, especially with strangers. That sets me thinking about the documentary "Child of Our Time". Are we more influenced by Nature or Nurture? How much does our genes affect who we grow up to be?

Perhaps in another 20 years, when the results of the study conducted on the selected children are released, we may find some answers. However, I do have some personal opinion on this subject. It is indisputable that all children are born different. Why do I say this? Setting aside children born with deficiencies of any kind, it is not uncommon to find that babies, even as early as newborns who are only a couple of days old, often exhibit very varied characteristics, be it sleep, feeding habits or temperament. We hear parents talking about their "easy" babies and "difficult" babies. I happen to have the latter, most prominently characterised by her sleep, or I should say lack of sleep (So, DO NOT compare your child with others. Only makes you and the child feel lousy).

Observing Baby En, she probably inherited her reservations on speaking up from me. My friends, you may ask: If so, why did you always end up in jobs that require the art of speaking and dealing with people (To list a few, there were Customer Service, Retail, Training, Marketing, Teaching...)? Ah ha, I guess that's because I'm a Sagittarius, and one who has very conflicting personality. Come to think about it, that could be the very reason why I couldn't last long in any of the above jobs ;-p!

I was always a quiet student, shying from attention, the one who never shined among my peers. For a long time, I simply did not have any confidence. There was a stage I got very "imbalanced". I behaved very much like a hedgehog, coiling myself up, with my needles out, all ready to poke at anyone, as a means to hide my insecurities.

Over the years, after tonnes of setbacks, I finally learn to let go. I wouldn't say I'd shed all the insecurities but I guess I'm a better person. At least, I really try to look at the good of others and appreciate the friends who stayed close-by over the years. Many things, I'm really not able to change but I work to "minimise" their effects.

Guess I'd deferred much from what I intended to share about. Coming back to the point, with her health and happiness in place, I hope that I'll be able to help Baby En grow to be a confident person (even if Nature may not be on our side). With these in place, all other attributes will gradually come about. Even if some doesn't, I believe she will make a useful and good person with just the above 3 (not forgetting the importance of Compassion for ALL living things).

For all of you who remained steadfast beside me all these years, Thank You!!!

P/s: I may have hurt some of you, my dear friends/ families over the years, whether intentional or not. If you get to see this, I hope you'll forgive me and continue to lend me your support and love. Please help me to become a better person.

Bath Mitten

Want to take a look at my 2nd completed crochet project? Here it is!

Cute?? Baby En loves it. Anyone interested to own one? You can check out this link http://www.sugarncream.com/data/pattern/pdf/instruction_122.pdf.

Have fun!

When "luck" went out......

2.20am. "Daddy, help!"......

The shifting and jostling beside me woke me up. As usual, I ran my hand on En's bottom to check if she's dry. WET!! Very WET!!! Immediately, we whisked her off the bed to do "damage-control". Too late, the quilt was soaked. The consolation was, it hadn't reach the mattress. Phew!

For the past 3 nights, we had the changing mat under her and there was no accident at all. Why did things always have to be that dramatic? Just when Baby En requested not to use to mat, then TEDAH..

Oh well, at least she's doing better than when we just embarked on daytime training during her nap.

Power Struggle

Battling a toddler can be tiring, especially with one who's going through a phase of absolute defience.

Recently, Baby En has been exceptionally naughty. She's exhibiting behaviour that suggests she's going through a stage whereby she wants to display her independence. This has been going on for a while. However, the situation is worsening. It progresses from the occasional outburst, to the frequent disobedience. Every now and then, she'll act in the opposite of what's expected of her, thereafter, comes the screaming, crying, tantrums throwing etc.

Apparently, her stubbornness also grows with her age. Time-out in her naughty corner no longer works. There was a period whereby I got so tired with the tongue-lashing and temper flares, I worried I might just lost control and did something which I would regret in future.

Finally, I resorted to the one thing that some Mommies professed to work - IGNORE. Yes, I ignored her, 1/2 hr, 45 mins.... I didn't care. And ya, a stubborn girl she is. She hung on screaming and crying, ranting her "don't want, scared scared" song, right there in the bathroom, beside the loo.. Even when she finally came to me, she still refused to admit that her behaviour was wrong. It was a battle of the wills. I did my web-surfing with her in full-action right next to me, till she finally relented, admitted on her wrongdoings and apologised. Not any less.

Then it's nap-time. Wow, this was one of the fastest sleep record for her!

Potty training - Night

Yeah! Baby En went through her first diaper-free night without accident.

Well, Mummy wasn't the one who wanted to put her to the test at such a tender age. She insisted on wearing her training pants, instead of diaper to bed last night. Who can ever refuse the BIG GIRL who goes around telling people "don't want nappy, don't want nappy".

This is the second night, hopefully it'll be a breeze as well, for she's sleeping in our bed tonight (was sleeping on the mattresses in her room last night)!

BTW, for mummies who might be interested in getting the foldable travel potty which I'd mentioned in my previous Potty training posting, you can find them at Mothercare. They are available in blue and pink, at S$26. Ya, pricing is quite steep indeed. However, it's a good investment if you're planning to travel where WCs might not be that accessible (or rather 'acceptable') ;-p. Very compact and light.

The "Adventure" of Spider-Man

Lesson #1: Do NOT attempt to use voucher to exchange for tickets for blockbusters - unless u're intending to go for a session 12 hrs later.

Lesson #2: Do NOT save the phone-booking fee if you intend to make a move to another theatre - u'll end up paying it anyway, for worse-off seats and timeslots, and that's after spending time being caught up in a very looooonnnnnnnng queue.

Lesson #3(The Most Important): Unless you made an advance booking, FORGET ABOUT CATCHING A BLOCKBUSTER ON THE OPENING DAY!