Bathing standing up - Bye bathtub!

One of the things we did to prepare for our upcoming Hokkaido trip, was to ditch the bathtub and let Wayne bathe standing up. Wayne loved it! And so does mommy! Less of a hassle - no more filling the tub with water, washing the tub, pouring away the water etc. And, much better for my back too!

As for Wayne, he loves holding the shower head and seeing the water splash on the walls. Haha, maybe I should introduce the bidet to him in Japan too. =p

Skinny baby!

Lazy Saturday @ Bakerzin

Our favourite area in the whole of Singapore has got to be RV. There's just this really relaxing feel to the place.. and it remains mommy & daddy's dream area to stay in. How mommy wish we could buy an apartment in that area.. morning strolls by the river, brunch at eM, grocery shopping at meidi-ya.. sigh, mommy can only dream.. Well, for now, we just have to make do with the occasional weekend lazing in the area.. which is what we did on this Saturday afternoon!

We had late afternoon coffee at Bakerzin, not our favourite cafe but it was relatively quiet, so it was perfect for our planned quiet afternoon. And besides, they have mommy's favourite profiteroles.

Little Wayne, just having started to walk, much preferred to move around the cafe instead of being confined to his baby chair. Unless, of course, there was food! Had a jar of mango apple puree as well as some baby carrots to keep him quiet in his chair. Just long enough to finish my profiteroles. =)

Yummy yummy!

Reaching for his sweet baby carrots

Full and happy!

Happily exploring the area, using the chairs for support as he walks wobbly from chair to chair

Playing hide and seek

This is Wayne, when he does something wrong - doing the 'uhh ohh' action. The cheeky boy, he knows when he does something wrong and loves to repeat it.

And then, it was time for some daddy and son bonding as mommy headed off to meet my friends for the night for a much needed catch up! Thanks daddy!

Hello San-yi and Uncle Ken!

Hello San Yi and Uncle Ken!!!

Wayne Wayne hasnt seen you both in a long time! Wayne Wayne misses you both!

San yi, Wayne Wane can walk now, you know? In my good days, I can do about 8 steps!!! On my lazy days, no matter how hard you ask me to walk, I will still bend down and crawl instead of walking! Wayne Wayne will show off to you both the next time k! Wayne can also 'da pi ku', cry and laugh when you ask me too! Hehe. As usual, Wayne Wayne has been his cheeky and demanding self!

And ohh, Uncle Ken, Wayne Wayne saw you in the newspapers!! And guess what, when we ask Wayne where is Uncle Ken, Wayne Wayne pointed to you in the newspaper!!!

See you soon San yi and Uncle Ken!!

Love : Wayne Wayne

Organic raisins in place of mommy's time?

Mommy has been really busy at work this week. Hardly got to see Wayne at all, as each night, by the time mommy reaches home to pick Wayne, its just about time for him to go to sleep. At work today, mommy missed Wayne especially so.. Which made mommy wander round HFC at lunch looking for something nice to buy for Wayne (I just wanted to make him happy!).. And ended up with this:

Organic raisins!!

Wayne has never tried this before, and when mommy saw it, I just knew my little boy would be really happy eating this! True enough, Wayne LOVED it! And so although its just some food, nothing spectacular, that really cheered mommy up, knowing that at least I made him a little happier that day, despite not spending much time with him this week.

Which brought to my mind the many working parents who spoils and indulges their kids with money and material items, to make up for the lack of time spent with them. Those parents whom we so often judge, condemn and give that look of disapproval, going 'tsk tsk'.. perhaps we've been harsher in our judgement than we ought to? Afterall, all they wanted was to make their child happy. I'm not saying that's right (who wants a spoilt child, right) but perhaps not being able to spend as much time as they would like with them, that's the only way of them showing their love? Well, I won't judge.

At the end of day, nothing makes us parents happier than seeing our little ones happy. I love you, Wayne - Happy munching on your raisins. =)

Shoes for your little feet!

With Wayne starting to walk, mommy couldn't help but get a little carried away.. buying 3 pairs of shoes for Wayne to mark this achievement! Mommy has always loved the shoes from Collette, all 3 pairs were from the same place.. and for some, mommy loved the designs so much, mommy even got the salesperson to order them from the warehouse as they did not have ready stock in the size Wayne needed.

This has got to be mommy's favourite!!! Mommy fell in love with the high cut design and brown & green combination on this shoe. And the quality is really good too!

And for this pair, mommy loves the color combination as well as the white stitchings all over the shoe!

I think Wayne would love this pair, cos its so soft and comfortable - all ready for all the walking in Japan!!! Yay!

And, Wayne - he is such a shoe person. From the time he was just slightly over 6 months, he had a loving for shoes (after food!). You should see him get all excited whenever he sees his shoes. Perhaps he associates them with 'going out', making him really happy.

Happy 14 months old darling!

Happy 14 months old darling. You warm mommy & daddy's heart each day, just being you. Nothing is more precious to us than you and mommy & daddy can never be thankful enough for such a sweet child like you. You will always be our baby.

Mommy & daddy loves you alot.

Baby Ryan's first moments

Aunty Jolyn & Uncle WQ are proud proud parents of Baby Ryan, who arrived on 19 June 2010. Mommy , daddy and Wayne Wayne spent the Sunday afternoon at TMC adoring Baby Ryan. See how cute he is, sleeping so soundly. Baby Ryan looks so sweet, calm and just so... baby-ish. Mommy especially loves his tiny mouth and sharp chin.

And when Baby Ryan was awake, he kept moving his lips & sticking out his tiny tongue, which was so cute!! And it really reminded mommy of when Wayne was just a few days old and each time Wayne was hungry, you'd do that exact same tongue movement. Now when you are hungry, you'd be screaming, demanding for for food, instead!!! Hehe, darling Wayne Wayne, how you've grown up since!

Wayne Wayne knew how to 'sayang' baby Ryan too! 'Pat pat pat'.... Mommy had to keep reminding you to be very gentle as baby was sleeping. Even then, mommy had to hold on to your hands to control you, just in case you got too rough! Which mommy knows you'd probably be, seeing how you could gently pat Mickey or little Muffin for the initial few times and just when mommy thought you knew you had to be very gentle, 'whack' you'd give Mickey or Muffin one hard slam! Cant take the risk here!! Hahahaha.

I guess this is how our family photo would look like too when our next baby comes along! Mommy wonders if little Wayne you'd know how to sayang your 'di di' or 'mei mei' next time, too? Mommy can already imagine Wayne Wayne sitting down, cradling 'di di' or 'mei mei' on your lap. Wayne Wayne must be a good big brother next time k, taking good care of 'di di' or 'mei mei'!

Dearest Daddy

I am the apple of daddy's eyes. It used to be mommy but now its me. =)

Dearest Daddy,

Happy 2nd Father's Day! It is a little late, but that’s mommy's fault not mine! And besides, daddy you said that Father's Day doesn’t mean much to you cos it’s just another day. But you know, daddy, it is special to Wayne Wayne, cos it is this special day to thank Daddy for everything you have done for me. Technically I can thank you everyday but then if its everyday, that wouldn’t be special anymore and besides Wayne Wayne wont be able to remember to thank you everyday. So we ARE celebrating Father's Day for you every year. No saying no, daddy!
Why are you so special to me, daddy?

While I prefer mommy to feed me, change me and accompany me to sleep, daddy is NUMBER ONE when it comes to playing & protecting me and mommy. And, I hear, when I turn 4 that’s when I'd stick to daddy ALL THE TIME, and I just know, mommy is going to be heartbroken then. Well, I'll try not to make it so obvious. Wayne's favourtie at the moment? When daddy brings me to the front seat of the car and lets me DRIVE!!! Wayne Wayne absolutely loves it. And that’s not all, Wayne Wayne really enjoys the Saturday mornings with daddy either walking to the clubhouse to buy bread, or going out to the nearby mall to get breakfast for mommy. Plus, there are all those times when daddy helps Wayne Wayne change diapers, bathes me, feeds me, plays with me, teaches me new things, lets me watch cartoons and many more!

Wayne Wayne loves Daddy very much! Happy 2nd Father's Day again, Daddy!

Love: Wayne Wayne

You'll never walk alone

Every achievement in life is worth celebrating and getting all excited over. As we grow older, we tend to take these achievements for granted as we set ourselves higher standards & celebrate less and less.. Or actually come to think of it, maybe we just achieve less as we grow older. Haha.

Anyway, mommy got really excited over a BIG achievement from our little Wayne Wayne!

On this day, the 16 of June, Wayne Wayne took his first few baby steps unassisted!!

Whoa!!!! Mommy was at work when I received an sms from grandma and dayi saying that Wayne walked a few steps by himself! Apparently, grandpa was back from work and Wayne Wayne as usual wanted grandpa to carry him and.. he walked 3 steps towards grandpa!!!! Wow!! Mommy felt so excited and happy and couldn’t wait to knock off work and rush home!!!

He's still really wobbly and can only do 2 to 3 steps at most. But that’s a start! He is really lazy too, have to 'force' him to walk by dangling something in front of him to grab. Fei yiyi even managed a couple of videos of him walking - one step, two step, then down on his butt! So cute!!!! Oooohh cant wait for him to really be walking around!!! Hooray to Wayne Wayne!!

And as daddy would say, in full Liverpool spirit, "You'll never walk alone". Mommy & daddy would always be by your side to hold your little hand and walk with you in your life journey. We will always be there for you should you fall and need that little help from someone to pull you back up on your feet again. We love you darling. Happy walking!

Mommy is going to get you many more new pairs of shoes, handsome little boy!!!

I am.. Zeng Ziheng!

At work today, mommy was doodling and realized I kept writing Wayne Chan HK, Wayne Chan HK .. Hehe, I guess subconsciously mommy was writing out the names of the 2 boys dearest to me.

Anyway.. Got me thinking bout Wayne's chinese name.. Wayne Chan Zee Herng or Zeng Ziheng. We hardly call Wayne by his Chinese name that it now sounds so unfamiliar and foreign. Although it is his name. And, guess what, mommy doesn’t even know how to write his name in chinese characters!! That’s so sad and embarrassing!! My own son's name! So shameful! Haha. And worse still, mommy didn’t even know what the Zi in his name meant. (But after I found out what Zi means, I now know why no one ever explained what that means.. Cos it’s a tree??? Huh. Well, ok. It’s a name, so if it sounds good, that’s good enough =p)

So anyway mommy has been learning and trying to memorize the strokes of Wayne's name.. Diligently!
曾 梓 恒

Mommy also got Daddy to explain what his name means:
梓 - is a type of tall tree

恒 - determination

So whats exactly in all these Chinese characters that we Chinese believe in and see a need to have it matched with the date and time of birth of the child. Does it really shape the character of the child? Or does it determine the destiny of the child? Hmm.. I don't know. I'm not a believer. How can a name decide how your life turns out to be. 10 strokes + 2pm + dd mm yyyy + add some water/ fire/ wood/ what else = good life ? Hmm, sorry, I'm too logical for that. Well, what I do know, never name your child 'mei li' or something like that, cos chances are she wont turn out so.

So if there even is some truth to these Chinese belief, then what does Wayne's chinese name mean for him? Well, I'm not sure what 'Zi' means, but 'heng' - if Wayne grows up to be a determined person in life, mommy would be quite happy. Determined in the good way of course. Determined to succeed in life. Determined to excel. Determined to fight for what he believes in. The good kind of determination. Now, his determination comes in the form of - "I want my toy" and he wont give up till you give in to him. Determination in the wrong form. And ohhhh, I know what Zi means for him now.. It means he will grow up to be tall! A tall person. Just like what Zi means in chinese - a tall tree. Ooohh… finally I found meaning in his name. Revelation!

I think next time when Wayne goes to school and learns Chinese, mommy will learn together with him. Right from nursery, kindergarten, primary 1,2,3… and so on. Daddy can teach us both together. =)

Bye Bye Baby Bjorn!

While the Baby Bjorn has served us so well the past half a year or more, its now time to officially ditch the carrier. Cos our little boy has just decided for himself that he has outgrown the carrier and no longer wants to be 'trapped' in it. While Wayne probably felt really close to mommy and all comfortable in the carrier when he was younger, I guess he is a big boy now and would rather be free to move around.

The carrier had really been mommy's best friend for many many months. Wayne would fall asleep within minutes of being in the carrier during his morning and afternoon naps. When mommy used to do the housework, Wayne would be in it while mommy vacuums and mop the floor. Even when cooking simple stuff, Wayne Wayne would at times also be in the carrier! And the carrier was the best thing in the world when mommy went on solo shopping trips with Wayne! It was so easy to bring Wayne out alone with the carrier - tuck Wayne in the carrier, sling Wayne's baby bag over my shoulder and yippee, mommy still had 2 hands free to go shopping!!!

Now, Wayne at 9+kg and 75cm long, he is getting a little too big and heavy for the carrier. Each time I ask him if mommy can carry him in the carrier, he'd shake his head or wave his hands to say 'dont want dont want'. So I guess its now time to give the carrier a good wash and keep it in the cupboards, and bring it out again when we have our next child. Which is probably a very rational decision, cos with Wayne's weight now, any longer in the carrier would most likely result in chronic shoulder and back aches for mommy.

A crabby affair

How else to celebrate da-yi's birthday other than by having crabs, crabs and lotsa crabs - da-yi's number 1 all time favourite!!! So last Sunday, we checked out Irvin's, this restaurant at River Valley, famous for its salted egg crabs! Da-yi really loves crab and all kinds of seafood. We had the salted egg crabs as well as the black pepper. The food was quite good!

And, after dinner, we proceeded down the road for yoghurt desserts! Wayne Wayne had a taste of adult yoghurt too! Well, not supposed to cos these yoghurt has all kinds of preservatives and sugar and coloring added , but just a little won't harm! So far Wayne Wayne has only tasted yoghurt for babies!

dayi, mommy, sanyi, wayne and feiyi!!

As for present, we got da-yi vouchers from Aldo and Steve Madden, cos da-yi's number 2 all time favourite are shoes!!!

Almost there..

Over the last 2 weeks, Wayne has been learning to stand by himself unassisted & learning how to walk. Mommy wonders when my precious little boy will be taking his first steps? Practise hard baby! Mommy is looking forward to seeing you walk, I'm sure you will look really cute with your chubby backside going right left right left as you take your first baby steps!

Just a few days back, Wayne discovered how he could walk around the house by using this black stool in grandma's home. He used that as a walker and happily pushed it all around the house, walking here and there. Looks like mommy did not have to get Wayne a walker! But given how timid our little boy is, I think it would take him a while before he would dare to let his hands off whatever he is holding and walk by himself! You are almost there little Wayne!!!

Happy Birthday Da-yi!

Wayne only knows one birthday song..... so here goes!

Happy birthday to you,
You were born in the zoo,
With the monkeys and the elephants,
And you smell like one too!

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap**Clap*

Happy birthday Da Yi!

Wayne's birthday present to you - life time free toe massage for da-yi on your birthday each year!!

Teeth no 9,10, 11 and 12

At 13 months, Wayne's teeth number 9,10, 11 and 12 has appeared! These are the molars!!

So this is how Wayne's teeth looks like now. Initially mommy thought it was really strange that the molars were out before the canines. But after a bit of research online, mommy found out this is the normal order of appearance. After the molars, then it'd be the canines at about 16 to 20 months. It must have been really uncomfortable for Wayne given that the molars are much bigger!! But strong little Wayne was fine!

With these chewing teeth out, mommy thinks its time for some chicken drumstick Wayne!!!

Wayne's diet updates

At 13 months, we've introduced a few new food to Wayne.. kiwi, yoghurt and cheese!! He seems to be liking it pretty much. And, instead of puffs and biscuits to keep him quiet when we are outside, we've been letting Wayne snack on healthier food like steamed carrots and bread. *proud* Mommy is going to try steamed celery next! That sounds really healthy & nutritous.

Mommy recalls how Wayne didnt like to drink plain water when we first introduced it to him at 6 months old. He'd only drink water when he was eating cereal and even then, it was just a few sips. Now, he is drinking much much more and mommy is glad!

Plain water and vegetables.. these are the 2 items mommy thinks its really important to get our babies to consume from young, lest they grow up not liking them. Then, it'd be really really hard to force them. Start young & hopefully they'd grow up loving water & vege!!

Wayne's one year old must do list

As Wayne turned a year old, it's time for a few much needed changes!!!! Here goes:

1) Wayne needs to be potty trained

This is really harder than mommy thought! As grandma said, we are a little too late, cos now Wayne knows how to get up and protest! Should have started when he was 7 to 8 months? Perhaps it would be easier. Anyway, the first time I got him to "mmhhh mmhhh' in the potty, he wailed! The second time, he wailed too. He actually seemed afraid of the potty!! Looks like mommy has to try much harder and persevere!!!

But just a few days back, grandma taught Wayne to poo poo right into the toilet bowl and guess what - it worked!!! Yay!! Well, so far it has been 3 times that Wayne has poo-ed into the toilet bowl so that's a start! Maybe he can even skip the potty stage and go straight to the toilet bowl! Save us some cleaning.. hehe.

Difficulty rating : 7/10

2) Wayne needs to sleep in his cot and not on mommy & daddy's bed

I can't really remember at which point in time Wayne started sleeping with us on our bed. I think it was around the time we shifted to our current place. Initially it was just the ocassional nights, but that got more and more frequent and before we knew it, Wayne refused to sleep in his cot anymore. Big big mistake.... and mommy & daddy has to pay the price now. Cos training him to sleep in his cot is a nightmare I tell you. Unless we are prepared to let him cry for at least 2 hours, I doubt he'd fall asleep. So we are trying to go slow, let him fall asleep on our bed as usual, and when he falls asleep, quietly transfer him to his cot. This works, not too much of an issue. Problem is he wakes up in the middle of the night, looking out for us, and not being able to see us, he'd cry.. and because mommy & daddy would be half way in lala land already, we'd give in and transfer him back to our bed. Just so we can continue our sleep & not wake up a zombie the next day, having to go to work. Again, looks like mommy has to try much harder...

Difficulty rating : 10/10

3) Wayne needs to use the toddler car seat

No complains here, we changed Wayne's infant car seat to the toddler seat and he loves it. Facing the front now, he gets to see daddy drive and that makes him happy!!

Difficulty rating : 0/10

4) Wayne needs to discard his pacifier

Its been more than a week that we've ditched his pacifier on and off and so far so good.. He still manages to fall asleep, so hopefully this is goodbye to the pacifier. Well, not that he was very attached to it in the past. It was only at bedtime he'd use the pacifier and even then, at times he'd fall asleep without it. So now, most times, he is off the pacifier and only when he's being really difficult and refusing to sleep, we'd give him the pacifier. But we need to stop that too. No more pacifier after one year of age.

Difficulty rating : 2/10

5) Wayne needs to hold his own milk bottle *this is embarassing*
Wayne is 13 months old and he doesn't even hold his own milk bottle! *Shame shame*. Our little boy is just really lazy when it comes to this. We always see much younger babies lying in their stroller and they'd be holding their milk bottle all by themselves drinking their milk while their mommies shop.. I bet they are barely 6 months old.. but our little Wayne.. just 2 mouthfuls and he'd let go of his bottle & REFUSE to hold it again! Mommy must persevere and continue to 'train' him!!

Difficulty rating : 5/10

Yeps, so thats it... for now. =) Hopefully it wont be too long before you hear an update from me that Wayne has successfully been potty trained and is sleeping all by himself in his cot!!

Forever begins tonight..

Forever begins tonight... That's the title of mommy's wedding blog and also mommy and daddy's wedding march in song when we got married back in 2008. Daddy also sang this song for mommy on our wedding day.

And tonight, we got to hear this song sang live by Patrizio Buanne!!! Mommy had surprised daddy with Patrizio's concert tickets and the concert turned out fabulous!! Mommy & daddy enjoyed the concert so much!!! Patrizio was just awesome. His songs were fantastic.. and he.. simply amazing. He's not really that good looking but he was just really charming, suave and oohh.. really sexy!

And when he sang Forever Begins Tonight, mommy's heart just melted. Made me fall in love with HK (not Patrizio =p) all over.

We made a pact to take the time

To get to know each other deep inside

No rushing in to cross the line

It may be a little old fashioned but it feels so right

Been holding back for so long

What feels so right can't be wrong

Baby you can read it in my eyes

Let's write the story of our lives tonight

Don't be afraid, turn down the light

Baby move in closer

It's gonna be alright

This is the moment we'll remember all our lives

Forever begins tonight

I know you fear those butterflies

But let me tell you a secret, so am I

But it's OK

Baby it's alright

Just follow our hearts now

What we feel inside

Yeah

And I know we will be one

When we see the morning sun

Don't be afraid

More fun.. at Gymboree with little Chloe!

Round 2 of fun this Wednesday!

After spending the afternoon with Yuwen, Yyn and her 2 beautiful kids, mommy & wayne rushed over to Tanglin Mall for even more fun with Aunty Shimin and cute little Chloe! It was play gym time at Gymboree! Time to stretch those bodies and have some exercise! Wayne was a little tired and grouchy when we first arrived (I think he was tired out from playing earlier on), kept wanting to stick to mommy. But after some encouragement from mommy, little Wayne was all ready to play again! Balls, slides, rubber rings, bouncers, rollers - there were so many items to play with!!

Little Chloe looked so cute, walking around.. when will it be Wayne Wayne's turn to walk?

Here are some photos of little Wayne and Chloe!

And, after the one hour of playtime, it was time for mommy & Aunty Shimin to catch up over an evening light snack! Thanks Aunty Shimin & little Chloe for the wonderful time!

Wayne's first crush

Hello Ruhan kor kor and Zenyi jie jie!!!

This is the first time Wayne Wayne is meeting his little friends, plus their mommy, Aunty Yyn. Aunty Yyn is mommy's very good friend since a long time back. But mommy hardly gets to see Aunty Yyn cos she lives in Perth! So when Aunty Yyn called to say she is back for a holiday, mommy was so excited!!!!

We gathered at Aunty Yuwen's house and we adults, had such a good time chit chatting, just like old days when we used to sleep over at one of our homes and chit chat all night long. And eat supper and breakfast together too! How mommy misses those days. After not seeing each other for so long, once we girls got together it still felt like old days, as though we've never been apart at all! Mommy truly treasures my friendship with these 2 aunties!

And the nicest part is seeing our little children play together.. it seems like we have really grown up! From the days we were studying together as teenagers, to seeing each other get married and now have kids. =D And now seeing our little ones playing together. Big brother Ruhan and smaller one Zenyi and smallest little Wayne and smallest smallest little baby still in Aunty Yuwen's tummy! Mommy hopes they will have more chances to play together in future!

Ruhan & Zenyi are really super adorable.. really good looking kids. I'm sure the girls will go gaga over handsome little Ruhan when he grows up. And as for little Zenyi, I think Aunty Yyn & Uncle Gordon will be having a busy time fending off all the guys lining up to speak to Zenyi when she grows older.. I mean who can resist such an adorable little girl like this:


Including out little Wayne! Who totally went head over heels in love with her... and couldnt stop hugging her that afternoon. =D

Zenyi: Hi Wayne, here's your water bottle...

Wayne : He could only stare and salivate at the sight of herWayne: Hi Aunty YYn, I really like your daughter..

Wayne: Really really like her..
Wayne : Omg.. my first kiss.. I'm totally smitten..
Wayne: I promise to take good care of you..
Wayne: Protect you wherever you go...

Wayne: From all the chi ko peks too... ooohh... your butt is really perky Zenyi!

Zenyi : Mom, look at Wayne! He's grabbing my legs yet again!

Zenyi: And hugging me AGAIN too!

Wayne: But but but.. i reallu like you Zenyi!!!

Zenyi: Mom, HELPPPPPPPP!!!! *cries*

Aunty Yyn: Oki oki, enough.. Wayne, you have to wait till you are older, k? Shake hands and be friends again.

Its actually the first time I've seen Wayne so captivated by another kid.. He has always like other babies and children.. but whoa this time, he was aggressive!! Hahaha, mommy, Aunty Yyn and Aunty Yuwen were laughing away as we watched how Wayne just kept trying to hug sweet little Zenyi!!! But who can blame him, Zenyi was just the sweetest girl mommy has seen!!!