Princess Farmer Girl

I was applying lip gloss when E looked at me with a disturbed expression.  I usually use a tinted lip balm which is of course a lot more subtle than this shiny liquid that was screaming for attention, my son's attention that is. 

E: What is that?

Me: Lip gloss.

E: Eeew! It's disgusting!  I don't want to look at you!

C: Mummy, it's very nice.  I like it.  Can I wear it when I grow up?

When you have a boy and a girl, you do get plenty of interesting conversations with opposing perspectives.

Later, I asked E why he thought the lip gloss was disgusting.  He said it looked like blood! Okay, fair enough but hey the lip gloss was not even bright red in colour, it wasn't even red for that matter!  I'm learning to see the world through an eight year old boy's eyes and it sure is mind-boggling.

Now, let's steer clear of blood and gore and move on to something more pleasant.  The subject of today's post is actually C.  The princess in the house.  Or more accurately "the princess farmer girl", a new term she coined herself.  Simply defined as a princess who likes to take care of animals.  

 

Does the princess syndrome come inbuilt in every girl? By princess, I don't mean in a diva sort of way but in a "ooohh, I love all things girly and pink is my favourite colour" kind of way.

I'm finding it quite refreshing after raising a roll in the dirt type of boy, figuratively speaking.  Though, it can get somewhat frustrating especially when you are already late for an appointment and the princess has declared that she only wants to wear that particular dress which is in the wash.  She doesn't get her way of course and puts on whatever that was chosen for her, crying tears of despair as she looks longingly at that dirty piece of laundry which she has set her affections on. 

Her favourite dress.  If she gets to decide, she will choose to wear this every day.

Recently, she attended a wedding and ever since that day, she has been telling me on a regular basis that she wants to grow up quickly so that she can wear a wedding dress.  And she reminds me of the necessity of an outfit change.  One white and one red, she says in her best 3 year old serious voice. 

I'm quite sure she didn't get this girly girl thing from me.  I'm a low-maintenance kind of girl.  I don't brush my hair till it shines, erm I sometimes even forget to comb my hair.  I put on makeup only when I feel like it and that's usually when I think the occasion is worth the hassle of me preening in front of the mirror.  I love my well-worn tank tops which have holes in them.  Okay, lest you picture me in rags or worse gaping holes at inappropriate places, I shall clarify that the holes are really tiny.  And that's just my walking around in the neighbourhood attire.  I do dress much better elsewhere.  I'm low-maintenance, not a slob.

So, I don't think I contributed to her being this way.  Well, it's a fun phase and I'm enjoying her.  My princess. 

As the years pass, we will look back at this phase in her life and have plenty to laugh at and chat about over manicure and chi-chi high teas.  Just us girls.  The princess and the queen.

P.S. To the boys in the family, you are of course welcomed to join us.  It would be nice to receive some gentlemanly help with the shopping bags.

Barney's World of Imagination

It's like a rite of passage for almost every kid. That love affair with Barney, the purple dinosaur. No offense to Barney, but I am more of a Yo Gabba Gabba! fan. But the grandparents bought a whole stash of Barney DVDs for E when he was a toddler and he was hooked on it for the next couple of years. He eventually outgrew the "I adore Barney" phase and C inherited that treasured collection.

C's love affair with Barney is even more intense. She once made a request to bring her huge Barney soft toy with her during trips to the toilet. That request was of course flatly denied lest the purple dinosaur becomes the pungent dinosaur in case of any mishap.

So a trip to the mall for the "Barney's World of Imagination" show was inevitable. She was very excited to be seeing her favourite characters singing and dancing in the "flesh" for the first time. When the show was over, she kept saying that she was so sad that she can't see Barney anymore and that she loves Barney (she's in that phase where she expresses herself with dramatic flair). Her mood changed the instant we told her that we were going to have a photo taken with her beloved Barney.

A photo was not enough for her. She was only satisfied after being able to personally give Barney a high five. Back home, she's singing Barney tunes to herself while she plays with her toys. Definitely a memorable evening for her.

Barney & Friends 'Live' On Stage
Date: 7 - 22 June (Daily except Mondays)
Time: 2pm & 7pm (Tues - Fri); 1pm, 4pm & 7pm (Sat & Sun)
Venue: City Square Mall, L1 Atrium

Shoppers can redeem an exclusive pass for the Meet & Greet Session with a minimum spending of $50. 50 passes will be given out 45 minutes prior to each show, strictly on a first-come first-served basis.

  

* We received a complimentary Meet and Greet session.

Me Minus You Equals Blue

Now for the weepie love story I promised.

The strange thing about C was that she didn't do much crying in school. She reserved that just for me. That's how much she loves me.

She didn't cry on the first day of school. I think it was only on Day 3 or 4 that reality sank in and she cried for a minute or so. It was loud and dramatic but it was over the moment I was out of her sight. The teachers were used to persistent criers so C was a breath of fresh air and they said she's such a dear.

Fast forward to the end of the day and the amiable C turns hostile. I picked her up from school and she was full of demands. She wanted to take a picture with the murals on the wall outside her classroom. I'm fine with taking photos but what she wanted was to take a shot with every single animal on that wall. By that, I do not mean a single shot that captures all the animals but one shot with each animal. Needless to say, that will take a long time. And I still have to pick E up from his school.

I obliged her with a few shots but that did not appease her. So the dearie that the teachers cooed over in the morning, plonked her butt firmly on the ground that evening and cries.

This time, the crying most definitely lasted for more than a minute. 

That was Week 1. The subsequent weeks followed a similar pattern revolving around different demands. If it's not the murals, it's the fish pond or just simply wanting to sit down on the steps and refusing to budge. So she has been carried off to the car bawling on most days.

Back home, we are inseparable. 

"Hold hands, mummy."

"I want mummy to carry me." (and when the hubby offers her his strong arms) Noooooo! Don't want daddy, mummmeeeeee!!!"

"Bathe me."

"Sit down with me."

"Feed me."

The list of demands goes on.

Withdrawal symptoms. I think it'll take her a while to get used to not having mummy by her side 24/7. After all, I have been with her from dawn till dusk since the day she was born. 

But she's doing fine in school. Eating and sleeping well and enjoying the activities. Though if you ask her if she likes school, her answer is,"I don't like. I want mummy."

Or maybe it's just her age. The terrorific twos. The rite of passage for all parents.

 I'm ready. Bring it on!

Posing with the animals outside her classroom

Two Thumbs Up

I have a backlog of posts since December and the mere thought of having to play catch up makes me want to procrastinate all the more. 

But I have to get started, one post at a time. So here's one about the birthday girl.

C is now a feisty 2 year old. We celebrated her birthday in December with a trip to the zoo and a simple dinner at home with her grandparents.

The zoo affair was extremely exhausting as I was the solo parent (since the hubby couldn't take leave) with two kids who each have a mind of their own (and great minds don't think alike in their case).

The 6 year old is armed with a map, ready to dictate where to go. The 2 year old is wired with the instincts of a curious, first-time explorer of the zoo, ready to throw a tantrum when her whims and fancies aren't pandered to. 

Throw in an impatient mum and you get quite an explosive combination!

The night was a flurry of activity as well with us buying food, collecting the cake and running all these errands while it was pouring buckets. By the time the actual celebration started, I was ready to call it a night.

C probably doesn't know what a birthday is, but with all the attention showered on her; she seemed to know it was something special. She was exceptionally happy.

As we were taking photos and I was looking at her beaming face, a feeling which I can't find the right word to describe took hold of me. I was exhausted but seeing how happy she was made me willing, even eager to go through this whole crazy day all over again.

And then it dawned on me that this was exactly how I felt about the last two years.

I remember the sleep deprived nights. I congratulated myself for training my baby to sleep through the night at 3 months old, only to have her suddenly decide to turn the tables on me by waking up 2 to 3 times a night when she was 6 months old. And this lasted till she was 14 months old despite my best efforts to "retrain" her.

And then there was the sick SAHM situation which I absolutely abhor. I was running an almost 40 degrees fever and in between nursing the baby and changing diapers, I was shivering under the blanket, praying very hard that the baby will nap longer.

There were of course other moments of sheer exhaustion and frustration but those two situations topped the chart for testing my resilience to the utmost.

But that was in the past. And the battle scars of motherhood are etched deeply in my memory. The early years were tough but now they are treasured memories of my journey with C.

So as we celebrated her birthday that day, I remembered all the trying moments, smiled and gave thanks to God for the little girl who turned my world upside down.

The Lure of The Kitty

I have always associated Hello Kitty with long queues and McDonalds. It's a challenge to feel for something so commercialized, much less have a love affair with her.

I am not a fan and never imagined ever being one. 

Never say never ....

The Kitty found her way into my home. Socks, underwear (not mine of course), and gifts of various kinds, all bearing the beloved image.

I did not invite her on my own accord. These were hand me downs and presents from well-meaning friends and family who think that every girl must love the Kitty.

Okay, I confess.

I did buy Baby C one Hello Kitty item but there wasn't much of a choice. I needed to get her a cup and there were two choices at the shop - Melody or Hello Kitty. 

Baby C made her own choice and I'm sure you know which one she chose.

Slowly but surely, the beloved cat made her way into my heart. Baby C quickened the entire conversion process by calling out ever so endearingly, "Kitty," whenever she sees her.

I'm not a hard-core fan for sure but in a strange sort of way, my heart feels a little warmed whenever I see her and it makes me want to reach out and hold her.

This sounds a little freaky to me. This new found affection is not something I am completely comfortable with as yet.

So Hello Kitty fans out there, please tell me I am not going crazy!

 

The cup that started it all

Happy Meal Ice-Skating Kitty

Pretty birthday shoes 

Caught in the Act

I have gone shopping with Baby C in tow a couple of times and it was amusing watching her imitate me. She would try on shoes together with me and attempt to put on the clothes I've tried in the fitting room. It's a refreshing change from the complaints I get whenever I shopped with E.

E has declared shopping a boring activity because "we just go in and out of the shops" and it's also "very tiring because we just walk and walk."

Boring? Well, my recent shopping experience was one of a kind and far from being mundane!

I bought a bottle of baby shampoo from Sephora and returned home to find that the item mysteriously became a bottle of peppermint body wash. I concluded that the cashier must have had placed the wrong item in the bag. I called the shop and was pleasantly surprised when the store manager offered to deliver the correct item to me in exchange for the body wash.

The store manager called me back shortly. She just viewed the footage on the CCTV and the cashier was seen putting the correct item in the bag. If that was the case, where was that elusive bottle of baby shampoo? Although it was now clear that it was not the fault of her staff, she did not retract the offer to deliver the bottle of shampoo.

Now, that is excellent customer service which I greatly appreciate.

I was still trying to solve the mystery when I received yet another call from her.

She found the culprit. 

She traced the footage from after I made payment and saw me passing the bag to Baby C (she loves to carry my shopping bags). And there she was caught in the act of removing the bottle of baby shampoo from the bag, placing it on the shelf, choosing the peppermint body wash and placing it in the bag.

The mystery was solved.

We had a good laugh and that was my CSI moment of the day!

Package delivered with a pack of mints and a personal note from the lovely manager

Let's stick to window shopping for now

Love At First Sight

Linking up with:

Emotions In The Loo

I love this photo for the conflicting emotions captured. And the fact that it is shot in the toilet. I guess when you become a mum, you seize every opportunity to capture defining moments regardless of locale. 

And this photo aptly depicts the stage each child is at. E loves smiling for the camera and is very eager to pose for photos. He used to have this forced smile, a weird-looking grin when he was younger. He didn't really care for taking photos because that meant he had to sit still and sitting still when he was younger was a big deal to him! Now, he will be the one telling me where and when he wants to have a photo taken.

Baby C has her moods when it comes to photo-taking. It's not easy to get her to smile for photos unless it's a candid shot. When you ask her to smile, she'll simply tilt her head sideways - that's her smiling pose. The above shot was obviously taken when she was not in the mood. She didn't want to sit on the ledge, wanting to run around the toilet instead.

She'll turn 2 in four months time and she's getting more assertive and aggressive (just ask E about the hair-pulling and biting incidents). She just learned to say "no" and is using the word with relish. So here she was, very upset about being told to sit still while I took the photo.

I didn't manage to get 2 smiling faces, but it's a photo which will warm my heart; each time I look at it.

Linking up with:

The Invasion

It's been weeks since the invasion of my inseparable shadow. I'm in desperate need of space.

Though it does wonders for my self-esteem to be highly desirable, it does nothing for my sanity. I wonder why the sudden change? Baby C used to be content playing on her own or with her brother but have since morphed into the shadow that lurks all day.

When I'm at the computer, she has to be seated on my lap. It's impossible to check emails, FB or do anything remotely productive with her plonked in front of the computer. She jabs at the keyboard with fervour and monopolizes the mouse.

The kitchen with all its potential dangers has become her playground when I am cooking. I closed the door to the kitchen once, leaving her outside. Her insistent knocking and dramatic crying made it very hard for me to focus on the task at hand. So now she's in the kitchen with me when I cook, having the time of her life; emptying the laundry basket, maneuvering the dustbin and attempting adrenaline inducing stunts such as climbing on a stool to reach for plates in the dish drainer (actually the technique is more grab and drag to the ground). 

I'm not spared from her prying eyes even when I'm in the bathroom. She's there when I'm taking a shower and there when free smells are generously released. Too close for comfort.

She clings even in the still of the night. I used to ignore her cries and she'll go back to sleep after a short while. Now, she has to be held. I'll oblige from time to time. Or if I'm feeling really crappy and my maternal instincts numbed by sleep deprivation, will walk out of the room and sleep on the sofa. She protests with loud cries but decides to go back to sleep when she doesn't see me in the room. It only works when I am NOT in the room. I'm usually too exhausted to go back to bed and end up sleeping on the sofa till morning.

Where did my easy-going baby go? Mums need to think in terms of phases in order to maintain sanity. The consolation that it'll pass helps in raising the endurance threshold. Just don't ask how long it'll take for the saga to be over.

The paradox: I am loving the squeals of delight, complete with the stamping of little feet in excitement and a little celebratory dance (her version is swaying from side to side) that greets me after I'm away from her for an extended period (that could mean just half an hour). I go out for a quick dinner. She cries pathetically when she sees me leave. And when I return, open the front door, the sight of her being so ecstatic at having me back, makes me fall in love with her all over again. Well, at least until the next cling and whine episode ......

Don't give me the look. No, I'm not changing my mind about needing space!

Review: Bellio Shoes

The innate trait of vanity is becoming more and more apparent in my little girl. She loves carrying bags and strutting around in a somewhat tai tai fashion. She pulls out clothes from her closet, gets me to put them on for her; and proceeds to check herself out in the mirror. And her greatest love, a girl's best friend - shoes. She adores shoes and will try them on at every opportunity. So with much delight, she welcomed her latest fashion accessory.

Thanks to Elly, we received a pair of Bellio shoes for Baby C to explore her world in. Bellio shoes are hand sewn in Sweden and the leather used is organically produced in Sweden using vegetable-based tanning methods that are environmentally friendly and gentle on a toddler's delicate skin.  Bellio shoes:

• are flexible;
• are designed to ensure a snug fit;
• do not constrict tiny growing feet.

For more information on why soft-sole shoes are good for your child, check out this post on Elly's blog.

The shoes were soft and really comfortable. I liked that there was no separate piece of lining inside the shoe or a hard sole. The problem I faced with many of Baby C's shoes was that either the lining or the sole started to peel/come off after frequent use. It got rather frustrating to be replacing shoes so often!

Another important aspect in choosing shoes was the grip it provided. As Baby C is now learning to run, a good pair of shoes which allowed her to do so safely was of paramount importance.

She wore the shoes to a shopping mall and to the airport, the weekend after we received the shoes. And when greeted by the vast space at the airport, she couldn't resist roaming and running. I was a little concerned initially because I had the mentality that hard soles provided the grip and wasn't sure if soft-sole shoes can do the job. And the verdict? It did an excellent job! No falls, no mishaps, just an ecstatic toddler bubbling over with joy at being able to play catch with her brother!

Bellio shoes comes in many designs for both boys and girls age 4 months to 2 years. Bellios can be bought at Elly, which is located at Cluny Court, #02-29.

Here's Baby C in her Erica in Purple Bellio shoes.

Almost One

It sure takes lots of discipline to blog consistently. The motivation is waning and I have been blogging for a grand total of 3 months. Only! 

I'm more of a daydreamer. I love to reflect, fantasize, brood (bad trait which I'm indulging in less ... makes me a more pleasant person to live with, right hubs :). And I absolutely enjoy having a conversation with myself. Out loud. Always in the confines of private abode and never in public domain. It is a great way to clarify my thoughts. I seldom pen down my thoughts. It takes away the romanticism of daydreaming. Ok. Maybe, it's just an excuse for sheer laziness.

No, I'm not about to abandon this blog. I already have 2 spurned ones in my blogging history. I do not want to be known as a serial blog hopper. Less procrastination, more discipline. Let me begin.

I should write more about Baby C as she is past growing in spurts and moving on to leaps and bounds (at least to proud mama here who gets irrationally high with every little milestone). I'm no record keeper (I did say I don't pen down much of anything) so no exact dates here.

Baby C was standing on her own (a record time of a split second before plonking her butt on the ground) about a week before we left for South Africa. I thought it'll be great if she started walking there. Well, the chances of her learning to walk in South Africa were pretty slim as she was being carried most of the time by plenty of enthusiastic people.

A week after we returned, she started practicing her new found skill with a vengeance. She would get into a squatting position and proceed to stand. Within days, she was standing firm. She took her first few tentative steps two weeks ago. I naively thought she'll be stomping around really soon but the little gal has decided that walking is a highly dangerous activity. Crawling was tried and tested, without the bumps that come with losing your balance. So she's still cruising and crawling until she gains enough confidence to try again.

And that's the difference between boys and girls (or different temperaments ... we did pray for Baby C to have a personality complementary to E's). The time taken for E to progress from wobbly first steps to walking like a pro was a couple of days to a week. He didn't bother much about falling. He was delighted at being able to move from one place to another at a more efficient speed. Risk taker? Or simply the impulsive nature of boys? Girls are supposedly more cautious and think about consequences before they act.

Other milestones include saying mama or mum mum. I don't think she is calling me. It's her way of saying booby time (whether for sustenance or comfort or when she's plain bored). And she's also into imitating people. Like violent shaking of her head followed by peals of laughter (thanks jie jie mei nu for this extremely attractive skill), placing her hand to her ear when we say hello (imitating us using the phone) and when we unknowingly make "ugly "expressions, she picks it up. She waves bye, claps her hands, clasps her hands to gesture gong xi gong xi, loves to make wa wa wa sounds by placing her hands to her mouth and "talks" to herself whilst playing with her toys.

She's turning one in December. I'm looking forward to having so much fun with my baby girl as she continues to learn new stuff. But I know I'll miss the baby days as she grows into a toddler. It almost makes me feel like having another baby. Thankfully, I am a girl and wired to think of the consequences before I act. So no impulsive acts for me. Recreation, yes. Procreation, NO!   

The first time she stood longer than a split second

Trying to  use her walker as a stool to escape from her "cage"

Guilty as charged