Of Cupcakes And Cookies

Meimei had gone to Diaso for some moulds just so she could play Playdoh with OO.

OO was naturally zippy when someone plays with her and was all smiles throughout the play.

It's a good thing that someone else knows how to play with her at home. The only thing I know is to bring her outdoors, to the playground or swimming pool. Not necessary the best options when she is not feeling well.

Paper Mobiles For YY

YY has his Nyama to thank for this. Nyama had complained that we were being biased and didn't buy paper mobile for YY like we did for OO. She noticed that YY was glazing around the ceiling whenever he was in the living room crib. She wanted paper mobiles to entertain him. So Meimei and I made a special trip to Paragon to grab one from The Better Toy Store. We had bought one from the same store a few years ago when they were at the baby expo.

And YY is loving it! When the wind blows the paper mobile about and he'll coo and kaa, chuckle happily and kick and kick in excitement. It's so fun watching him having a great time with the paper mobiles.

YY's First Trip To Hillview

Today is YY's first trip to Hillview to see Grandpa and Grandma. Even though he is only 2 and half months old, we felt confident enough now to make the long trip there. That and he tends to be more cooperative and not scream endlessly like OO.

Grandpa and Grandma were elated to see YY and took turns to cuddle with him. You can see the sparkle and pride in their eyes for a new member to the family.

OO was busy playing water with Gareth. Water play is always the highlight of her trip to Hillview. And it seems Gareth was just as excited to play with Emily. I like that they are bonding. As family sizes shrink in our generation, its important to keep in touch with the little few family members we have.

Kurma Milk: Sounds And Looks Like A Gimmick

Red dates in milk? They sure know how to zoom in on a target market. Lactating mothers. I really wonder what miracle goodness an addition of red dates can bring ... its all so gimmicky. But wait ... mothers with young infants don't care. They will believe any tiny bits of goodness that MAY come any source.

So we have been hunting for Kurma milk at NTUC for the last few months. Meimei even found out that NTUC Bedok Mall replenishes its stock on every Wednesday. Seriously ... I should get into a business targeting mothers. The quickest way to get rich.

Letterbox Theft

Someone had messed with our letterbox and Meimei had lost several of her delivery packages. I suspect it was an inside job. There were no problems with the letterbox before but after returning from the hospital we discovered that the letterbox will open ajar.

There was a home delivery by Singpost and it just happen that the deliveryman didn't call before coming to the door. So we missed it and they left it in the mailbox. This is what I don't get ... they used to send undelivered parcels back to the post office. Why change that practice now? If we paid for it to be hand delivered ... hand deliver it!!

We thought about making a police report but really ... it's not going to help much and its simply just more hassle for us. Plus it doesn't make sense to spend police resource on petty crimes. So I went down with a pair of pilers and bend the lock back into shape. Haiz ... judging by the way the mailbox was opened ... doubt it will stop the perpetrator from breaking into it again. We just need to be more alert for parcels. Low crime doesn't mean no crime.

Constant Vomitting

We woke up Friday morning to discover that OO has been vomiting since 3am in the morning. Everything that went in was coming out in a few minutes. It got so bad that she was vomiting bile. We rushed her to the clinic and after a blood test we were told her had to be admitted.

OO's insurance doesn't cover private hospitalisation so I decided that we ward her at KK instead. However when we got to KK Meimei made an executive decision and we were back at Thomson. We'll worry about the bills later.

OO went through another traumatic experience of getting a needle inserted in her right hand. Two nurse would hold her four limps down while Dr Ang fitted the needle. We could hear her agonising screams as we stood right outside the door. OO ... it truly pains us to hear you cry for help.

We've been here the last two days and finally we could go home today. There was only a single vomit on the first night and once the medication started OO quickly recovered. Phew ... thankfully it wasn't something worse. She must have picked up a bug or something at school.

YY @ 2 months - Adorable Smile

YY looks a lot like his older sis at 2 months. But we can tell the difference in temperament and demure. He is more of a chill baby. Which works out pretty fine since we needed to give OO the added attention to suppress the jealousy.

This one is definitely a finger eater

Think we need to stock up on pacifiers

Ahhh the enjoyment~!

YY has 'smiling eyes'

And a mega-watt smile!

Meimei being naughty, muhahahaha

New Bike Adventures - 'New' Playground Near 85

With the new bike we are now able to travel further. I've sighted a number of playgrounds around the neighbourhood as I drove past previously and wanted to share the fun of new play areas with OO.

We are at a playground near 85 today. Although it's meant for older kids with many poles are climbing, OO seemed to be having more fun than the normal 'safe' playgrounds. We have named this the Orange Playground.

A Baby Seat For The Bike

Meimei was apprehensive about getting the child seat for the bike. But a few days ago we saw a dad with two kids riding past us. One was on his own children bike and the younger was seated behind the dad. It looked like great fun. When we got home Meimei ok-ed the seat, Woot!

I rode to Decathlon again to fix up the seat. This time they had in stock the type that mounts on a rack rather than the bouncy variant that mounts on 2 steel bars against the bike frame.

Naturally I couldn't resist bringing OO out for a spin. I think she was more excited than I was getting onto the bike. I think we are going to have many more adventures together now that I can ride us to further destinations. Hehehe.

Edna

Maybe we should have named OO Edna. She definitely looks like a Edna when she puts on glasses.

Well maybe she needs to work on her stern gloomy look to really look like the cartoon character Edna.

Watching The Baby

I was supposed to be watching YY while Meimei goes for a quick bath. Somehow we both fell asleep in the living room. It's tiring to have two kids. I wonder how folks deal with even more.

Meimei found us side by side on OO's bed after the shower. And naturally she took a photo so she can laugh at me after. Hahaha.

My Own Bike

I've been an oBike rider the last couple of months. Well a rider when I can find one near our block, which happens to be about 1 in 4 attempts thereabouts. Its irritates me that I couldn't find a bike and have to walk to the supermarket or mall on foot. What's the point of putting down a $49 deposit and having to pay $0.50 for each rider (when there isn't a promo) if I cannot find one to use in the first place.

I've been to Decathlon outlet at Chai Chee to survey the bikes a fortnight ago. They are not cheap but still affordable at $200-300. Plus having my own bike means I can mount a child seat to ferry OO around too. So after weeks of deliberation, I finally took the plunge.

Ironically, I rode an oBike from home to the outlet. There was no way I could fit the bike into the van and I wasn't gonna spend extra for delivery. So after abandoning the oBike for the last time at a proper parking area, I bought my own bike and rode it home the same night. I didn't get the child seat eventually. I wanted to try out the bike and get a better feel of its usage before fixing on a seat.

As I rode it home, the scenes of youth came back to me. I used to ride everyday during my primary school days. I was very proficient in riding ... so much so that I could ride without holding onto the handles and tilt my body weight to turn the bicycle. I can't do the same yet but just riding a bike now reminded me of how much I missed. The light breeze coming against the face, the sense of freedom and mobility, the chance to explore distance locations. Ahhh I love to ride.

Regular Swimming?

We were at the swimming pool again today. It's just so convenient, being 200m away from home. I can see us coming more often when weather permits. Maybe sign her up for lessons if she takes to the water.

OO The Photographer?

Meimei was busy with YY and had handed OO her phone to play make-believe photography.

It was mostly random snaps and blurry photos. But when Meimei was clearing the photos she found this gem. OO had lined up her stuffed toys for a photoshoot. Quite smart for a 3 year old.

Free U-Lock

I was at the basketball court with OO yesterday evening to try out her new bicycle when a policeman, in shorts (who says they only wear that in the 60s) approach us. I didn't know what he was up to till I saw the U-lock he was carrying a. I vaguely heard from somewhere that the police were giving out such locks last year.

He asked if OO was my kid and offered us the U-lock. I started chatting with him about the rate of bicycle thefts and he advised that it's pretty high for our area. I told him I was thinking of getting a bike myself soon and wondered if he could give me another U-lock. He didn't have another but promised to come again tomorrow with one.

And true enough, when I came home today it was there on the table. Mama said a policeman had came earlier to our unit to hand it to us. Thanks Mr Policeman! And kudos to the police for this initiative. Now I just need to get the bike to put this into good use hahaha.