Swimming

Today Daddy and Mummy brought me swimming. It has been a long time since I've been in the water. We went to Erica Ah Yee's house with Charis, Auntie Sally and Uncle Ben. Erica Ah Yee thought I looked cute in my new swimsuit so we took pictures. After playing for 20 minutes in the wading pool, Mummy took me to the deep pool. Surprisingly, I was more at ease in the deep pool, but I still would not sit in the float although Mummy urged me several times. Then, Mummy taught me to kick my legs in the water and I was able to do so while holding on to Mummy's hands. Mummy also sat me on the poolside and encouraged me to throw myself into her arms while she caught me in the pool. It was fun!!

My Library Card

Today Mummy registered me as a member of National Library Board. She read in the website that even newborns can become members under the Born To Read, Read To Bond Programme so today we went to get my library card done, and got a free small goodie bag upon registration. Then Mummy asked the librarian whether there were any baby books in the library and was directed to a little corner in the Children's Section. That was when Mummy discovered for the first time that there is quite a good selection of baby board books in the library. I went wild browsing one book after another, while Mummy selected 4 books for me, 2 Chinese books so that Nai Nai can read to me, and 2 English books. How glad Mummy was! She told Daddy that we don't have to waste money buying books anymore. Just borrow from the library! The selection is great and it is free!

A Very Satisfying Meal

Every Saturday, if Daddy and Mummy have nothing else on, we would have our family outing. They would wait for me to take my noon nap, wake up and have my lunch, and then have their lunch outside. Today, as usual, I was down for my noon nap, but I took an unusually long one and woke up at close to 2 pm. By the time I had my lunch and we finally left the house, it was already 3 pm. So you can imagine how famished Mum and Dad would be by the time we reached our destination, The Central, a new shopping mall at Clarke Quay MRT station.

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Daddy and Mummy quickly glanced through the list of restaurants at the directory and the name "The Manhattan Fish Market" caught Mummy's eyes. Daddy said he remembered the restaurant being featured on the TV so they proceeded there not a minute too late. A glance through the menu proved that the prices were right and the food looked good, which was fantastic as it meant that the hungry stomachs didn't have to go around searching for another eating place.

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The friendly waitress took us to a table near the other end of the restaurant facing the Singapore River so we could enjoy the splendid view of the River and Clarke Quay through the glass panels. Then, she offered Mum and Dad the menu and handed me the kiddie menu. It was in the cute shape of a fish, and I could actually take it with me when I leave because there was a space for me to write my name on the menu. Mummy liked the place already when she saw that. Lately, she's been impressed with restaurants that are kids-friendly. Mum looked through the menu and commented that there was a lot of resemblance to Fish and Co.'s menu. They ordered buttered mussels as starter, and a Manhattan Seafood Platter for two to share. While waiting for the food, the waitress handed me a kiddie feeding bowl (which was actually a mini wok), and a spoon. From then on, I'd really turned the place into a market - full of clanging noise, as I was pretending to cook and feed myself using the spoon and the wok. I dropped the wok on the floor once and though Mum and Dad protested, the smiling waitress insisted on changing a new one for me right away. That was definitely good service!

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The mussels were YUMMY! The seafood was fresh and the the cream sauce was buttery and "garlicky" - a very nice mix of flavour. And the sauce was thicker than that in Fish and Co. so it went perfectly well with the bagel that came with it. Then, came the Platter for Two that consisted fish and chips, deep fried oysters, calamari, prawns and garlic rice. Before the waiter offered it to us, he used a torch that looked somewhat like a bunsen burner to flame the prawns - kinda like a mini show - until it was slightly brown. What that achieved we didn't really know but the slightly burnt prawns tasted really scrumptious, especially with the caramelised sauced. The other items on the Platter were completely satisfying and the two hungry souls dug on, while I continued to busy myself with the wok and spoon. Now and then, Mummy would offer me bits of bread, fish and rice. The portion was big but the two finished every single bit of it, so finally, they agreed that they would skip dinner this evening. That made the meal even more worth it. Two thumbs up for The Manhattan Fish Market!d

Batam

Finally, it's the March holidays! Everyone had been looking forward to this break so that we could spend more time together as a family. Maybe even Yeh Yeh and Nai Nai were looking forward to it so that they could finally get a well-deserved break from their duty of looking after me.

Last Sunday, we set off for Batam, Holiday Inn Hotel. Mum and Dad chose to go there because they didn't want to spend too much time travelling with a very active toddler. It was a nice place, very resort-like, with a relaxing atmosphere. Upon arrival, Daddy asked for a room with a king-sized bed but there was no more of such rooms so they gave us a free upgrade to a suite! What a pleasant surprise! The suite was huge, with a living room, a dining area and a kitchenette. And it had a pool view! It came with 2 separate supersingle-sized beds so Mummy pushed them together to form one gigantic sleeping area for the 3 of us! I could roll and turn about as much as I wished when I was sleeping!

Daddy wanted so much to take me swimming but Mummy gave a firm 'NO' each time because I was still suffering from cough and a running nose. Every day, Mummy would look at the pool from our room and say, "The pool looks soooo nice, but too bad, you can't swim." So we whiled away much of our time resting and playing in the room, and taking short walks in the resort, basking in the sun. Mummy said it was a splendid time of rest for her. She couldn't remember the last time she took a 3-hour nap. The Kid's Club was a haven for me. I was pampered with so many toys, and there, I learnt to climb up stairs for the first time. There were also other Jie Jies and Gor Gors doing colouring , drawing and painting.

The second day, we went to MegaMall in the town for some shopping. It was a 30-minute drive from our hotel. It was a huge shopping mall but many of the shops on Level 3 were not opened. Nevertheless, we managed to spend one afternoon there, and then returned to the hotel by about dinner time, after having bought a pair of shoes and a top for me, and a T-shirt for Mummy.

On Tuesday, we returned to Singapore. The next 2 days, Mummy had to attend a course so there I was, back at Yeh Yeh and Nai Nai's house again.

Daddy's Birthday Celebration

The three of us had a mini celebration for Daddy today at Vivo City. This is our second trip there and as we explored the place again, we found new places that we had not been to the previous time, like the open-air space at Level 3 with wading pools in which little children were having a whale of a time. It has a nice view, looking out to the cable car tower and Sentosa.

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We had lunch at an Italian restaurant, Modesto's. Overheard Daddy and Mummy commenting that the food is nothing to boast about (the calamari was a bit under-fried, the fold-up pizza was not herby enough and the tiramisu was too wet), that they still prefer their favourite Prego's, but I like the view from the restaurant - we could see the stretch of water separating the mainland and Sentosa, many boats sailing on the sea, and the brightly coloured monorail travelling to and from Sentosa. We could even see the Sentosa Merlion!

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After lunch, we shopped for a while. Went to Toys R Us but found nothing worth buying. Mummy wanted to get a watch for Daddy but he didn't manage to find one that he likes. Like the last time, finding a nursing room in Vivo City was a nightmare. The nursing rooms are all spread out and if one is occupied, we would have to walk about 5 minutes to the next one (bearing in mind MY walking speed). We hopped from one nursing room to another because they were all occupied until we finally settled in the one on Level 3, our 4th or 5th stop. We must have spent about 20 minutes just looking for the nursing room! After milk, we took pictures at the open space on Level 3, then it was more shopping, and dinner at Subway in Harbourfront Centre.

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Today, Mummy noticed that I'm becoming more at ease with strangers, trying to make friends with people I meet in the MRT, restaurants, and everywhere I go, trying to play with them, and waving hello to them. Guess there's good progress in my social development!

My Bedtime Routine and Toys

My bedtime routine starts with a warm, soothing bath. My favourite bathtime toy is the blue elephant watering can, which Mummy calls Elle sometimes. I simply love to fill Elle with water and see the water coming out from its spout when I try to empty it. In fact, I'm enjoying my bathtimes so much that I would shake my head in protest when I see Mummy spreading the towel on her body, ready to pick me up from the bath tub and put an end to my pleasures. I would let out a short little cry of protest when Mummy picks me up so she pacifies me by allowing me to continue to play with Elle as she puts my pyjamas on me. Then, she would put me on her bed and Daddy would join us. I really enjoy these pre-bedtime moments when Mummy, Daddy and I would be playing on the bed in our dimly-lit room and sharing loads of laughter and sweet moments together.

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Lately, my favourite bedtime toys have been my big pink checkered teddy bear (from Uncle Eric), and the small purple February bear. The February bear is a gift from Auntie Yu Mei when she went to visit Mummy and me in the hospital when I was born. When Mummy asks, "Where are your teddy bears?", I'll point to my cot, where they'll usually be resting. I can also respond to instructions like "Hug your teddy bear", "Kiss your teddy bear" and "Pat your teddy bear to sleep". I'll 'feed' the teddy bears water with my water bottle and even try to put my teether into their mouths, but no matter what I do, they just wouldn't open their mouths. Could it be that they don't like the taste of my teether?

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After a while, I would begin to fuss for milk and Mummy would feed me, during which I would usually doze off to sleep. Funny, when I awake in the middle of the night, I would find myself in my cot.