Beautiful Feet

A young family's journey through life together

The Adventures of Super-Sox and Big-Bud in Penang

Up up, and away!!!!!

Our super heros went on a lovely adventure to Penang last week.  

We stayed in a 2 bedroom service apartment at the G Hotel along Gurney Drive. The service apartment suited our needs with one bedroom for Kong Kong and Por Por, one bedroom for the super heros, Bart and I, and the snuggly living room couch for Ee Ee. It was such a good idea to get a service apartment rather than separate rooms, so the super heros could play freely with the grandparents during all their waking moments. The location of the hotel suited Por Por well, since a large shopping mall (Gurney Plaza) was right next door! She spent most of her time there while the super heros were napping and recharging in the afternoons. The infinity pool provided Super-Sox with great fun in the evenings. So all in all, I would say that we were greatly pleased with our stay at the G Hotel.

The rest of our trip was... blah. The super heros hardly enjoyed the shopping in Penang, we did not have much time to eat all the good Penang food, and bad traffic made travelling quite unbearable.

The super heros thoroughly enjoyed themselves though, since they were able to spend so much time with their Kong Kong and Por Por. Super-Sox especially loved running into their room once she woke up in the mornings, and tumbling into their bed to drink her milk. 

Bart and I were however very tired out by the trip, and are currently not thinking of holidaying for awhile. We want to wait for Bud to grow up a little more.  Quick Bud, quick! Mummy has wanderlust!

Jade

[Photo 1: Sox enjoyed the MaxiCab ride to Changi Airport so much, she sat obediently throughout, and later said that she wants to take the school bus to school.
Photo 2: At Changi Airport - Sox enjoying her ride in the free combi strollers provided by the airport. Bud snoozing happily in his new stroller.
Photo 3: Taken while we were having breakfast - Sox looking extremely excited about the plane ride.
Photo 4: Bud, just staring, as usual.
Photo 5: While waiting for our ride to the Penang International Airport - Sox looking happy again!
Photo 6: Bud really likes the free combi stroller. Where can we get one???]

Soxie-Moxie - 2 years and 7 months (extremely belated)

Things are looking good now that Sox's health is slowly returning. She coughs so much less these days, and her hoarse voice is slowly going away. I have since stopped telling her that she sounds like a toad! A consequence of her better health is her better mood. She is less crabby, especially when I leave her at school in the mornings, and is more amenable to my instructions throughout the day. 

One of the very pleasant consequence of her better health benefits me, in that I am having lots of fun hanging out with her these days. When in a good mood, she tends to chat and sing a lot. She more willingly tells about what happens in school, and in the process of which, we find more and more conversation topics. She is a soulful singer. Whenever she sings, she gets very absorb in it, and couples her singing with hand actions. I enjoy listening to her, and am especially intrigued when she sings a new song from school. It is particularly interesting that she sings more Chinese songs than English ones these days. Of course, I am her biased audience.

We also have lots of fun playing. When Bud is awake, Sox is now willing to play with him and often laughs at his adorable gestures. Sometimes, there isn't much playing, but more laughing and being silly. Sox laughs at Bud, Bud laughs at her, they both make me laugh, and we all end up in a heap on the floor. Sounds silly, but I like it anyway. At night, when Bud is asleep, she cherishes her time with Bart and I, and often initiates play with toys that she is unable to play with when Bud is awake. For example, it is impossible to play with her PlayDoh or do jigsaw puzzles when he is around. He always wants to grab her toys and put them in his mouth!  

One night, Bart commented that Sox is growing up so quickly. A simple statement like that made me cry. I felt silly crying, but I could not help myself. I thought about how, in a blink of an eye, she would become a teenager and would start distancing herself or that I would not be able to communicate well with her because I could not keep up with the future trends. 

Sigh, my baby is growing up. Will she always give me a hug and kiss when I drop her off at school? As she grows up, will she continue to love me as much as she does now? 

Jade

[Photo 1: Ghetto girl is off to school!
Photo 2: Standing on a tree branch at Kampung Bugis.]

Bud - 9 Months Strong

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Big and strong. That is who Bud is. He eats lots, sleeps lots, grows
lots and in a flash, he's gone.

I have no idea how heavy Bud is since we have not weighed him in a
long while. But he sure feels heavy, and seems tall for his age. When
I carry him with the Baby Bjorn, his legs dangle against my lower
thighs, almost to my knees, and that makes me feel very small.
Sometimes, when he sits next to Sox on the floor, they look as if they
are about the same size, and that makes me laugh.

Being big does not mean he is slow or dumpy. On the contrary, Bud is
quick and agile. One moment is he seated by my feet. I look up to talk
to Sox, and when I next look down, he is gone. Then I discover that he
has crawled to the far end of the living room. When something /
someone on the sofa interests him (eg Sox lying on the sofa drinking
her milk), he hikes up his leg and climbs up the sofa very quickly,
reaching out to pull her hair.

All this mobility is great fun, even for Sox. She enjoys crawling
around the house chasing Bud or enticing Bud to chase her. Sometimes,
she cheekily lures him into forbidden areas, such as the kitchen or
her bedroom, when I am not looking. However, it can also be very
tiring as I have to catch him whenever he is up to no good. Also, if I
need to leave him to entertain himself for awhile, I can never trust
that he will be at the spot where I left him, or that he is not
hanging dangerously at the edge of the sofa, on the verge of plunging
head down.

On another note, Bud is much more vocal these days. He has not said
any real word as yet, but babbles uncontrollably, and sometimes shouts
to test his lungs. That can get very embarrassing when we are dining
out. He cries or whines in protest when we feed him too much or when
he does not get his way (eg when we remove forbidden objects from him,
stop him from putting items into his mouth, drag him off the sofa to
prevent him from grabbing Sox's hair or biting her). It is nice to
know that his personality is blossoming, but that also means that
discipline must come into play.

It is becoming more fun to play with the kids together these days.
Sometimes we just roll on the floor laughing as we tickle each other.
Sometimes we sit quietly together to read. I feel happy when I see how
Sox is beginning to accept Bud even more these days. Sox too feels
very happy when Bud notices her, talks to her and smiles / laughs at
her. His fondness of her makes her like him more, and she now
willingly shares her snacks with him. Once in awhile, she is even
willing to feed him.

I quit my job to be with Sox (and now Bud) almost one and a half years
ago. Though there are many days when I feel frustrated and exhausted,
and just want to quit being a mum, I know that there is nothing more
that I want than to be with my children at this phase of their lives.
When I am with them, every hug and chuckle warms my heart.

Thank you, God, for blessing Bart and I with Sox and Bud.

Jade

[Photo: Very blur but very sweet. Enjoying his big boy car seat.]

Sox - 2 years and 6 months old

This post is long overdue.

Sox is finally 2 and a half years old! It seems as if she has been stuck at being 2 plus for awhile now? Maybe so much has happened since her 2nd birthday that time seems to pass by more slowly.

Sox has settled into school quite well now. Mornings are still quite tough for her. She drags her feet when we get her ready for school at home, and takes forever to finish her bottle of milk before leaving the house. In the car, she is quiet all the way from home to school. When we reach school, she always insists that I feed her her breakfast before I can leave. And when I do leave, she refuses to sit with her classmates. She often insists that she sits alone with a bunch of toys or books. I am however told by her teachers that once lessons begin, she will inch towards her classmates and often participates enthusiastically. She apparently loves story time, music and movement time, and has lots of fun at the playground. At home, she often tells me that she likes her teachers. In fact, when she got sick and was unable to attend school, she said "May I please go to school?". And when I asked why she wanted to go to school, she said she misses her teachers. Every day when I pick her up from school, she always says goodbye to both her teachers and gives them a hug each.  

Prior to Sox attending school, I was worried that she would dislike Chinese lessons as no one at home speaks Mandarin to her. However, my worries have been unfounded as she takes to her Chinese teacher well. At home, she likes to sing Mandarin songs to me and often attempts to teach me how to sing them. Her diction is not too good though, so I often have to make up words so that I can sing along. We often bellow such songs loudly even though I have no idea what we are singing about. It is great fun nevertheless!

I think Sox is continuing to accept her brother more and more each day. She is more open to chatting with him now that he too tries to babble along with her. She loves it when he responds to her chatter by smiling or laughing at her. Sometimes, I attempt to make them play blocks together. Other times, Sox tries to initiate play with Bud and that is so very sweet. Most recently, she has taken to inviting him to play with her in her room, which to me is a very big step. Her room has a lot of her precious toys, which she is beginning to learn to share with Bud. He wrecks them most of the time, but she is learning not to shout at him. She still screams when he pulls her hair or snatches her books away when she is reading. But I guess all this takes time.

Sox's temper frustrates me, but her cheeriness continues to bring me much joy. I love chatting with her, and laughing at the many funny things she has to say. Sometimes she makes jokes, other times, she makes up hilarious stories. 

I love you, Sox!

Love, Mama 

[Photo 1: Smiling at each other and holding hands. What a rare sight! Taken on the morning before Sophie left for her school's CNY celebrations.
Photo 2: Off to school we go!
Photo 3: First red packet this CNY. Very pleased.
Photo 4: Looking pretty and demure.
Photo 5: Good fun in the sand and sun. West Coast Park.]

Bud is 8 months old!

Hey Bud!

You are 8 months old today! Hello!

Your eyes still charm me, your smile makes me smile and I still love your baby hair smell. I love cuddling you when you are not wriggling. I think you look so adorable when you hug your bolster and are asleep. Most of all, I love watching you and Sox smile at each other.

This past month has been quite a terrible month though. Our family had a lot of adjusting to do, with Sox starting school at the beginning of the year. Then all of us fell ill and the nights were just unbearable - you and Sox would take turns to cry throughout the night. But thanks be to God, three out of four of us are well now.

In the last month, your two lower incisors have emerged, making your smiles even cuter. You have also mastered the art of getting from your crawling to sitting position, and pulling yourself up so that you can stand up against the sofa and chew on whatever we have attempted to keep from you. Everything that you get your hands on ends up in your mouth. Now that you are able to crawl quickly, you annoy Sox even more. She is no longer able to sit on the floor to read, as you almost immediately crawl up to her to grab her book. When she builds with her duplo blocks, you will swipe your hands around to wreck them. But I think she secretly likes you despite all this. When she thinks that I am not looking, she sometimes talks to you, and is very thrilled when you smile to reciprocate. Better yet, when you make baby talk with her! Your new words are "where where where" and "mum mum mum".

You did well for your first Chinese New Year celebrations. You managed to get through the hectic first day quite decently, and was quite a charmer, allowing all the relatives to carry you. I think your eyes make people want to look and smile at you. Whenever someone new carries you, you cannot help but stare at them with your big eyes. It almost looks as if you are trying to figure them out by just staring into their eyes. 

Bud, I love you so much and I want you to remain a baby forever. At the same time, I cannot wait for you to grow up so that you can play with Sox and we can all have fun conversations with each other. Love you, baby!

Love, Mama

[Photo 1: Bud loves eating... everything. 
Photo 2: In his CNY garb. 
Photo 3: Crawling so fast that I cannot get a clear shot.]

My Brave Little Big Girl

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Yes, that is what Sox likes me to call her. She likes to think that she is a big girl, and is able to do all that her best friend (who is 5 years old) does. She also thinks she is a very big girl just because she can do or is allowed to do lots more than her baby brother. She does however accept that there are many kids bigger than her, like the che ches and kor kors that she meets at the play ground in the evenings, and hence is "my little big girl".

Anyhow, I digress. My little big girl was very brave throughout this evening's drama. I was not there to witness it, but apparently, she was clinging on to her Kong Kong's hand and she suddenly swung to a side and almost immediately, she burst into tears saying that her arm was very painful. She cried for me... I was grocery shopping nearby. The moment I saw her, I noticed that her arm (near her elbow) was warm and swollen. I thought it was just a sprain, but as time wore on, she continued to cry and say that her arm was still painful. And indeed, it was still warm and swollen after a good 15 minutes or so. Even though she was able to move her arm, she was still crying loud and hard. Eventually, I contacted my very helpful and useful sister who works in the paediatric department in the hospital, and was told to bring her in. In layman terms, my sister said that she would pull Sox's arm back into place.

However, when we got to the hospital, my sis was engaged in an emergency and could only see us some 45 minutes later. While waiting, Sox cried intermittently, saying that her arm was still painful. But most of the time, I would say that she was very brave. She quietly sat on my lap and waited patiently for her Ee Ee to heal her. Never once did she fear being in the hospital, being in pain or having to see a doctor. I tried to cheer her up by reading story books to her and she eventually agreed to get off my lap to walk about. 

We moved to a new set of chairs and she used her arm to get up and down the chairs. And very suddenly, her mood changed for the better. She no longer whined or looked miserable. She started chatting and even jumping around. So I asked, "Is your arm still painful?". I had probably asked the same question just 10 minutes early and she had burst into tears saying that her arm was still painful. This time however, her answer was "No. Can we go home now?". I repeated my question a few more times and she insisted that her arm was not painful.

Soon after, my sister came to check on Sox and when she twisted Sox's arm, Sox had no reaction. She said there was no pain. Her arm / elbow had popped back into position! Praise God!

I thank God that He gives comfort to Sox through prayer, whenever she is afraid / is sick / is in pain. In such circumstances, we usually calm her down by asking her to put her hands together and close her eyes to pray. She always complies and after praying, she usually stops crying uncontrollably. 

Thank you God for loving and protecting Sox, and hopefully, calling her to be Your child eventually. Thank you God for Your miraculous healing upon her this evening.

Jade

[Photo: Sox smiling... at my iPad. Taken on Christmas eve, while waiting for my family to come for Christmas dinner.]

2 years 5 months - Worldly Lessons at Home and First Days at School

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Sox has yet again amazed Bart and I this past month! It had always
been Bart's desire to buy Sox a world map to educate her on the world
that we live in. About 2 months ago, he finally bought her a map set,
and introduced her to various countries by associating things or
persons with those countries. For example, he told her that he studied
in England, that Dai Gu lives in America and we live in Singapore etc.
And in the last few weeks, he stuck on her room wall, a free world map
that he saved for her from an edition of the National Geographic
magazine. Each night before she went to bed, we talked about some of
the countries and prayed for them. A few nights ago, we tested her
memory. She was able to point out on the map in her room the following
countries:

1. Australia
2. Austria - associated with the Sound of Music; she loves singing
some of the songs in this musical
3. India
4. China - where Auntie S stays
5. America - where Dai Gu stays
6. Singapore - where we live in
7. Malaysia - where Auntie P stays
8. Greenland
9. Spain
10. Argentina
11. Madagascar - her favourite since watching the movie Madagascar
12. England - where Pa Pa studied
13. Turkey - where her neighbour friend comes from
14. Cambodia - where Kong Kong has gone for work
15. South Korea - where Kong Kong and Por Por went for a holiday

This month, Sox also started school for the first time. The first week
was an orientation week, so school was only one and a half hours long,
and parents were encouraged to attend the school with their children.
I had a good time getting to know Sox's teachers and observing how
school would be conducted in future. She seemed to enjoy school but
was also very hesitant and clingy to me throughout. At home, she
became more needy and had problems sleeping at night. She appeared to
be more insecure.

The second week of school was the real thing. Parents were not allowed
to attend school with their children. On Monday morning, even before
we left the house, Sox cried and pleaded with me not to leave her in
school alone. During the ride to school, she continued to whine about
it. In school, as she cried in her teacher's arms, I cried as I walked
towards the car. Once I got into the car, I bawled and started
doubting whether it was a wise decision to send Sox to school at this
age. I felt miserable. Twenty minutes later, I called the school
sounding like the typical anxious parent and informed the principal
that I was lurking in the vicinity and they could call me anytime, if
Sox needed me. The principal assured me that she had stopped crying
already. I felt much better after that phone call, but was still
rather anxious. When I arrived at school way before dismissal time,
Sox was crying and I hugged her tightly. She stopped crying almost
immediately and said "I love you, Mummy!"

On the third day of leaving her in school, when I picked her up, I was
told that Sox cried even more than she did on the first two days, and
in fact, almost throughout the 3 hours plus that she was there. My
heart sank. The teacher told me to talk more about school at home, to
encourage her. Which I had been doing!

God's miraculous hand worked on Friday. Sox cried much less that day,
and has continued cry less since then.

Actually, I now know that God had this planned a long way back. He had
blessed Sox with a Christian teacher. On Thursday, I asked that she
pray with Sox and sing Christian songs to Sox if she cries too hard.
On Friday, her teacher sang "Jesus Loves Me, This I Know" and Sox was
thrilled. I think Sox is beginning to understand that her teachers do
love and care for her, and can connect with her. Hence her slight
adjustment to school. Perhaps all these are assumptions that I am
making. Regardless, I trust that God will continue to nurture her in
His way and time, and weekdays will become enjoyable for Sox and I
once again, soon.

Tonight, as I am typing this post, my heart is once again filled with
joy (the past school week had me emotionally wrecked) and I am humming
"How marvelous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be. How
marvelous, how wonderful, is my Saviour's love for me!"

Jade

[Photo: Sox all dressed up and ready for her 2nd day at school.]

Bud is 7 months... tomorrow!

Hello Bud!

Cutie.

Sweet face.

Mr Nap-A-Lot.

Chuckles.

Speedy Gonzales.

Hungry.

Random words that pop into my mind when I think of you.

Your huge eyes, chubby cheeks and rose-bud lips continue to charm your
parents and complete strangers alike. Your large eyes make you look
inquisitive all the time or make you look like a terrible TV addict.

You are now able to nap for almost 2 hours in the afternoon and that
gives me much relief since I cook dinner while both you and Sox nap.
Gone with tingkat food! Yay!

When left on the play mat, whenever something catches your fancy, you
chuckle loudly and crawl quickly towards the interesting item. Your
chuckle sounds terrible, but it is hilarious all the same, and as your
very biased mummy, I love it. One morning when I was in the toilet, I
heard Sox screaming for help. When I emerged, I couldn't help but
laugh when I saw you attacking Sox. She was innocently standing by the
sofa reading her story book, and you were right next to her tugging at
her training pants. Naughty boy, cutie-pie.

Your love for milk and solids is hilarious. You are addicted to milk.
Whenever you see a milk bottle, you have to have it, even when it is
not yours. You will scream and cry until I give you milk too, even if
it is not time for you to have milk. You have also been eating so much
solids these days. No matter how I increase the amount of solids I
give you, you are able to finish it happily. Amazing.

Thank you, God, for blessing Bart and I with such lovely children. You
know we were imperfect parents. Please grant us your wisdom to nurture
them. Protect them from our sinful parenting.

Love Mama

[Photo: Bud's first Christmas!]

Mums and Babes

Yesterday, I enjoyed a gathering of mums and babes at T's house. The five of us became friends in university and have since kept in contact. Five ladies and six children, aged between 2 months and 2 years. It was chaotic yet very "happifiying". Though the adults hardly had any proper conversations going throughout lunch, I left with a glow on my face and joy in my heart, seeing how we have had such good times growing up together. By way of background, the five of us have generally very different characters and even more different parenting styles. Yet we are still able to share our parenting tips and baby paraphernalia with each other. And no, we will probably never agree on which is the best stroller or nappy for our children, but the joy adulthood and parenthood will keep us looking out for each other for many years to come.

Thank you, God!

Jade

2 years and 4 months - semi potty trained, yay!

More than half a year ago, I bought Sox a ridiculously expensive potty
in hope that it would entice her to be potty trained. However, I soon
felt as if my money was literally flushed away when she took no
interest in it whatsoever. She continued to insist on peeing and
pooing in her diaper no matter how I cajoled her to sit on the potty.
I felt totally disheartened and eventually gave up.

However, a month ago, a series of seemingly unimportant events
happened and I decided to give potty training a go again. For example,
my sister (a medical officer in the paediatric department no less)
casually mentioned that Sox should now be dry by day, coupled by my
frustrations of cleaning her messy poop diaper made me think hard
about potty training Sox. So I bit the bullet and bought her a pack of
training pants and started potty training abruptly.

Day 1 was terrible. I almost gave up after that. I spent so much time
that day cleaning the floor. Worse of all, I was exhausted from
carrying her to and from the public toilet when we went out to shop
and for lunch. Each time she said she needed to pee, I would carry her
and quickly run to the nearest toilet, which was not nearby. And each
time, there would be no pee. When she finally could pee, she did it on
the floor in two shops. I almost cried. Then I learnt that I was way
too adventurous in bringing her out without her diaper, so early on.
So I changed my tactic the next day, and since then, success! Mostly,
success.

These days, Sox only wears a diaper when we are out for an extended
period of time, during her long afternoon naps and when she sleeps at
night. It has been weeks since I last changed her poop diaper. I feel
liberated, I hope she does too.

On another note, Sox has been acting up quite bad these last couple of
weeks. She cries and screams whenever I cannot physically be with her.
For example, when I need to use the bathroom, I am doing chores in the
kitchen, I am putting Bud down for his naps and giving him a bath. She
also cries a lot after we leave her in her room to sleep for the
night. Bart and I cannot quite figure whether she is truly scared, she
is feeling insecure or she is just craving attention. We think it
might have to do with how Bud is becoming more interactive and is
requiring much more of our time. I pray that God will grant us the
wisdom to know how to handle her.

Apart from her crying fits, Sox continues to charm and amaze Bart and
I on almost a daily basis. Her memory is so good that she often has to
remind Bart and I of things that we have forgotten. She picks up on
our conversations easily and often remembers many one liners we make.
She loves songs and can memorise the lyrics of many tunes... Her
repertoire is extensive! She continues to like playing imaginary games
and making up stories, and often sends me in heaps of giggles with the
funniest things that she says.

She tells me that I am funny and that she loves me. Sweet.

Soxie-Moxie, mummy loves you and wants to cuddle you all day long!

Jade

[Photo 1: The Capped Crusader, just before bed time.
Photo 2: Enjoying trains.]