OO @School - Water Play

OO's school has water play every Wednesday. This has got to be one of the most attractive activity for OO. The moment we mention water play her eyes will light up with glee.

At first we thought the kids will be soaking wet in the shower but as it turns out it's simply a portable pool with floating toys in it.

It means a lot to see her enjoying the play. And we were able to get these pictures curtesy of the school. It's one of those value add things they do for parents. I rate this as one of the most important feature of the school. Nothing beats capturing moments in OO's day.

Self Biting

Not sure why she is biting herself. Are her tooth hurting so much that she bites herself to relieve the pain? >.< I truly hope not ....

Kiddy Table And Chairs

Now that OO is going to school we thought we would try to replicate a study / work area at home. We have been eyeing the Ikea kids table and chairs for sometime now.

And it seems the right time to get her a set. She was very excited to see her own personal furniture. Already she has assigned chairs, Pink is obviously hers, Blue is for Papa and Green is for Mama. :-)

Fits Again

OO has been feverish since the start of the year. We have been trying hard to keep the illness contained. She has cough, running nose, short breaths, phlegm in her throat and lungs. I think she caught it from me and I've been feeling extremely guilty about it. 

And tonight it just went south. Her fever keep hovering in the high 38s and her body finally caved. She was tired and had laid down to sleep in the living room after dinner. I noticed subtle twitching and immediately sounded out to Meimei to begin sponging. Sadly it didn't managed to keep the fever down and she went into fits again.

We were more calm this time, though it still hurts just as bad seeing her suffer in this way. After the fits stop we gathered our things and made our way to Thomson. Thankfully the fever didn't escalate and stayed at 37 odd.

The on-duty doctor commented that there isn't much they can do and since the fever is now at 37-ish there isn't any benefit in admitting her. I made the call to follow doctors orders ... we already had a hard time getting insurance coverage for her due to the earlier hospital stay for fits. Another one and it's pretty certain she'll have to forgo any chance of insurance protection. 

It's ugly that a health decision hinges on not jeopardising the chance to obtain insurance. It sucks but that's how the world works. The next few days are going to be crucial to make sure OO is ok.

A Day At River Safari

Today's Meimei birthday. There wasn't any fanfare or anything. Instead Meimei organised an outing to the River Safari for OO. Everything Meimei does now centers around OO ... actually everyone's attention is centred on OO now haha.

OO has been sick over the past fortnight so we kept the trip short. We arrived at noon and had a quick lunch at KFC.

OO didn't seem keen on any of the exhibits till she reach the panda enclosure. She was fascinated at the red panda and couldn't stop staring at the giant pandas. We were done by 4, the place is pretty small. Plus we were not allowed on the boats with OO so we skipped quite a number of attractions.

22 Months - Starting on Words

Just when I commented that she wouldn't speak she does just the opposite and started saying some words. She can count from one to ten but skips seven because its a two syllabus word.

Video Time with Nyama

Video Time with Nyaong

Off to school we go~!

Quietly finishing breakfast at school

Only Nyaong can get her to stay still

Nyama carrying OO to school

Replacing The Study Wardrobe

We had originally planned to build up the wardrobes in the two bedrooms in a year or two. But the broken one in the study is posing a safety risk, both to OO and Meimei.

So we bite the bullet and arranged with Norman to install a build-in wardrobe in the study. It also helps to maximise the place since it can be installed against the aircon pipe.

At $2,500 it is a hefty price to pay for a wardrobe but I rather sink in the money  now for a good quality wardrobe, especially one which is built-in.

We chose sliding doors this time to save on the walkway. The plan is to fit a super single bed by the wardrobe so every bit of space helps.

New Year's Resolution 2017

Simple resolution this year. Be a Better Husband and Dad. My life resolves firmly around my two girls now. And I'm loving every minute of it.

A Better 2nd Day

Today's smoother, Meimei was able to get away pretty early and standby at home. I went off to work but couldn't concentrate ... we were all worried about Emily. I made it back to school with Meimei during lunch time to check out Emily's condition. To our surprise she was sleeping soundly.

So we decided to let her continue through the afternoon and see if she can adapt quickly. Eventually Meimei couldn't wait and went to pick her up at around 3pm. She misses OO dearly haha.

OO's First Day In PlayGroup

I think the first day is as traumatic for the baby as it is for the parents. We were so worried she couldn't adapt and had taken a full day's leave, just in case. Oddly though there didn't seem to be many 'first day' parents ... just a handful.

The school only allows a parent to accompany the child in the morning. The official reason was that the child needs time to bond with the teachers and having a parent beside the child hinders that development. 

We were there early so Meimei had a chance to feed OO her 2nd breakfast. OO seems to be enjoying it. Since only one parent can stay, Meimei accompanied OO for the morning learning session. 

I went for a quick breakfast at Starbucks before hurrying back to see if I can be of any help. As much as we wanted to stay, we were advised to 'disappear'. Well I suppose the sooner she gets used to us not being around the better it is. OO's playgroup only has three including her so the teachers can give them their full attention. We managed to get away when the teachers distract them with all the toys and musical instruments.

OO was pretty 'cooperative' so we managed to get away. We were basically on standby mode though and ready to 'fly' back there at a moment's notice. So I brought Meimei for lunch at a nearby restaurant at Simpang Bedok.

Not too shabby for a quickie lunch. We were back to fetch her right after that. OO was thrilled to see us and came dashing towards our arms. There were some tears and sulking but oh well that's to be expected. Not bad for a first day :-)

Master Bathroom Rules

I think the master bathroom is the only place in the house where Meimei has decreed so many rules for me to adhere. Hmmm not sure if it's because I'm a slop in the bathroom or Meimei has an obsessive need to keep it clean and dry always.

Now this is somewhat my fault ... I forgot to replace the roll. And naturally I got escalated for it ;-) I thought it was pretty funny that Meimei took a picture and send it across without any caption or message. The moment I saw it I was up in a flurry to get the toilet roll into the bathroom hahaha.

Well forgetting to replace the toilet roll isn't so bad compared to other impasse I've made. Like ... if I bathed after Meimei, I'm expected to use a Diaso magic sponge thingy to clear the water and soap stains from the tempered glass shower screen. I do that sporadically and Meimei hasn't been on my case about it.

My biggest and most common offence has to be forgetting to wipe the basin counter dry whenever I use it. I cannot count the number of times Meimei has escalated me for leaving the counter wet ... <.< I really try to remember to keep it dry, but it's been a challenge ... Oh well ... I'll just have to live with a couple of nags and pokes here and there hehehe.

Christmas Decor 2016

Besides the usual Christmas tree, Meimei did a very nice touch with a hanging string banner.

It's simple yet brings out so much cheer and brightness to the living room.

OO's Turn To Be 姐姐

We were at the playground today and as usual there is this grandma with her little newborn baby grand daughter. OO would usually just stare at her and get on her way to climbing the slides.

Today was a little different though. OO proactively went to interact with the little baby. She went over to pat her head and when the grandma smiled and encouraged her, she held onto the baby's hand and called "妹妹， 妹妹".

Awwww ... looks like she wants to play the role of 姐姐now. :-) another tick on the scorecard to get her into school soon. We have already signed up for playgroup starting in January.

21 Months - She Understands Everything We Say ...

Everything. The only 'issue' is that she doesn't like to talk. She rather go 'ernnn ernnn ernnn' and nod or shake her head than utter proper words. It's not like she doesn't know to say it, we caught she a couple of times saying some words like yes and no ... she just doesn't speak it after.

"I see you~! Hehe"

"Do I look better with a curl?"

"Up and Down!"

Heh ready to go plow the fields!

Dressing like a princess~ *Love

She Is Climbing Everything

OO has big palms and feet (like her Daddy) and a pretty good sense of balance. And she has stretching the limits of her ability by climbing everything and anything there is to climb. The playpen can no longer hold her in ....

And she is relentless even after being scolded by Papa and Mama. Is this part of the infamous 'Terrible Two'? I really hope she doesn't fall badly one day. Sigh ... falling might scare her and deter her from climbing and putting herself in precarious positions. But I'll be very sad if she had a bad fall ...